wto,brutality,police-state,protest,rights,constitution,democracy

How much do you know about the WTO (World Trade Organization), and how much of what you know did you learn from a national news source? An open discussion and/or criticism of the WTO is rare in the mainstream media. The supposed "riots" in Seattle during the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference is what most Americans recall about this institution and the strong reaction it provokes. But one has to wonder about why those angry groups chose to disrupt what is supposed to be a nice peaceful set of trade negotiations in the first place. If you rely on the story painted by major media sources your view of the clash between protesters and authorities in 1999 is limited at best.

This limitation comes from the pervasive "if it bleeds it leads" notion shared by newspaper editors and television producers alike. The NY Times and CNN won't get big revenue dollars by informing their audience about the infrastructure of the WTO and the massive control it has over our day to day lives. Mass media's marriage to ad revenue means the viewer determines the content by tuning into what interests them most, and responsibility aside, media outlets get viewership by condensing and sensationalizing complex situations like the WTO protests. The general populous prefers good vs evil dogma to a substantive investigation into the complex inter-workings of the super powered multi-nationals that control the world economy.

Ten years later Stuart Townsend hasn't forgotten N30 (November 30th, the day in which most of the protesting took place) and has made an attempt to bring the issue back into the zeitgeist. Townsend's 2008 directorial debut 'Battle in Seattle' is the story of the 1999 WTO protesters who successfully blocked off intersections leading to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, sending home delegates and eventually shutting down the negotiations.

'Battle in Seattle' is a fictional account of the events that took place within the heart of the protests but is firmly based on reality. Most of the protest scenes you see in the film are an amalgamation of hours of footage taken by the protester's, all of which are available through YouTube.

Critics point to the film's flux between documentary and action/drama aesthetic as a distraction from the message, while anarchists complain that the black bloc property damage demonstration was overshadowed and watered down. But criticisms and filming techniques aside, Townsend's efforts to bring the World Trade Organization and its policies into the "main stream" are commendable. With a knowledge of the WTO comes an understanding of globalization at the hands of multi-nationals and other corporate entities like the World Bank, IMF, and Federal Reserve. Private entities whose policies control much of our economy and therefore our society.

'Battle in Seattle' trailer:

by: Scott Starrett

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Watch: Battle in Seattle

May 18, 2009 Art, communication, The Rathaus

wto,brutality,police-state,protest,rights,constitution,democracy

How much do you know about the WTO (World Trade Organization), and how much of what you know did you learn from a national news source? An open discussion and/or criticism of the WTO is rare in the mainstream media. The supposed “riots” in Seattle during the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference is what most Americans recall about this institution and the strong reaction it provokes. But one has to wonder about why those angry groups chose to disrupt what is supposed to be a nice peaceful set of trade negotiations in the first place. If you rely on the story painted by major media sources your view of the clash between protesters and authorities in 1999 is limited at best.

This limitation comes from the pervasive “if it bleeds it leads” notion shared by newspaper editors and television producers alike. The NY Times and CNN won’t get big revenue dollars by informing their audience about the infrastructure of the WTO and the massive control it has over our day to day lives. Mass media’s marriage to ad revenue means the viewer determines the content by tuning into what interests them most, and responsibility aside, media outlets get viewership by condensing and sensationalizing complex situations like the WTO protests. The general populous prefers good vs evil dogma to a substantive investigation into the complex inter-workings of the super powered multi-nationals that control the world economy.

Ten years later Stuart Townsend hasn’t forgotten N30 (November 30th, the day in which most of the protesting took place) and has made an attempt to bring the issue back into the zeitgeist. Townsend’s 2008 directorial debut ‘Battle in Seattle’ is the story of the 1999 WTO protesters who successfully blocked off intersections leading to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, sending home delegates and eventually shutting down the negotiations.

‘Battle in Seattle’ is a fictional account of the events that took place within the heart of the protests but is firmly based on reality. Most of the protest scenes you see in the film are an amalgamation of  hours of footage taken by the protester’s, all of which are available through YouTube.

Critics point to the film’s flux between documentary and action/drama aesthetic as a distraction from the message, while anarchists complain that the black bloc property damage demonstration was overshadowed and watered down. But criticisms and filming techniques aside, Townsend’s efforts to bring the World Trade Organization and its policies into the “main stream” are commendable. With a knowledge of the WTO comes an understanding of globalization at the hands of multi-nationals and other corporate entities like the World Bank, IMF, and Federal Reserve. Private entities whose policies control much of our economy and therefore our society.

‘Battle in Seattle’ trailer:

by: Scott Starrett

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