Movie Review on the movie ‘Inequality for all'
The movie ‘Inequality for all' is about the story of the American widening income gap between the hugely rich and the rest of the Americans. As told by the narrator, the smart, funny and articulate university professor, Robert Riech, a former labor secretary under the leadership of Bill Clinton.Riech narrates his arguments in a class setting through a series of lecture about the ‘how and the why' of the decline in the American middle class. The 90-minutes documentary was shot at the University of California, Berkeley.
The best thing I liked about the movie is how Riech continuously makes corny, self-deprecating jokes about his four foot-10 height and his longevity in the government. In the process he presents complex economic information in a very simple and understandable way. According to Riech, recession, the economic crisis, slow recovery and political stalemate that the country has been experiencing can be traced back to 1978.When the income inequality started to rise due to the factors such as globalization and shrinking union membership (Wloszczyna 2013)
The documentary presents different perspectives on the economic theory of criminal law by outlining the huge gap between the have and the have-nots in the American society. Riech continues to compare the average income of an American worker in 1978 and 2012.This analysis shows a decline from $48,000 per year in 1978 to $ 33,000 annually in 2010.He notes that 400 people in America have more wealth than the wealth of the rest of 150 million citizens combined
Inequality for all touches on the effects of social conflict by narrating the story of different families such as Vaclav, Robert, and Erica, who have two young daughters. Erica silently explains as she sobs that she has only $25 remaining in her account and makes $21 per hour. The interview of the wealthy Seattle-based billionaire Nick Hanauer, who makes $30 million per
The movies strongest moments are in the explanations of the abstract economic trends that caused the current economic situation, by comparing, for example, the cost of university of education. Due to the recent government reduction in state funding, people have been left to raise tuition since a degree is necessary, and they are willing and ready to do anything in order to get it.Most of the people go into debt to finance their university education.
The film does not pass the blame, and Riech notes that the 99% of the citizens cannot blame the 1% for wanting to remain there. However, the narrator faults Ronald Reagan for busting up trade unions.
At the center of this argumentative documentary is the proposition, what role does the widening gap play in the deterioration of the country wealth the question, what can we say is a good society? The film presents a non-partisan perspective of the reasons why the income inequality is an important topic for the American citizens now and in the future
References
Wloszczyna, S. (2013) Inequality for all. Berkeley, California: University of California press.
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