Depressing Documentaries eveyone should see...

Last week I watched The Corporation. It's a documentary that came out a few years ago, which looked interesting from the previews. You know, in that 'you'll feel like slime after watching this' kind of way.

The prime mover of that genre is An Inconvenient Truth, which I also recently watched. K has a self-protective reaction to material like this. She says, "I know things are bad, and knowing exactly how bad will only make me feel hopeless." She tries to preempt her own despondency, which is probably a good idea.

I, on the other hand, have no fear of any feelings of doom. I say bring it on, doom. So, I recommend to you a few great documentaries that made me sigh with resignation. Watch them. They'll depress you, but maybe if our stomachs are turned often enough, humanity will start working to reverse our destructive trends.

• The Corporation - This documentary tracks the rise of the modern corporation and the power it holds over our lives. Did you know that legally a corporation is treated as a person? (That's where the term corporate entity came from.) This documentary attempts to convince you that the corporate entity lacks any sort of human moral compass; essentially, the corporation has a psychopathic personality by design, its only interest is earning its shareholders money. You can watch the whole doc for free on YouTube by going here.

• Bush's War - This remarkably researched doc from PBS's Frontline reveals the political machinations that led to the Iraq War. Some great interviews here. Bet you never realized how horribly the President and his staff manipulated the American people. Watch the whole thing online at the Frontline web site; click the link above.

• A Lion in the House - Kids with Cancer. You'll cry, and decide everyone needs health care. This link goes to Netflix's placeholder for the film. Hopefully they'll carry it soon. You can purchase your own copy from the film's web site; click the film's title above.

I don't have any magic bullets for solving the problems these films raise, but the promise of America is a better life for all of us. In this election season, we all have the opportunity to promote change. These films motivate me to make a difference beyond my vote, however small my contribution may be.