Summary
I watched 13th by Ava DuVernay, and I can say that this picture was both reaffirming and revealing for me. This one-and-a-half-hour documentary shows and deconstructs the still-existing topical American problems related to race relations and the social hierarchy of the United States (US). Via a consistent and systematic presentation of the opinions of experts and persons who have gone through the American prison system, historical facts and records, and statistical data, the director builds a complex argument (DuVernay, 2016). Her idea is that the institution of slavery in America has not been abolished; it has been covered up from the public eye and re-institutionalized several times and exists nowadays, just like the Civil War is still ongoing.
Eternally Reincarnating Institution of Slavery and the Infinite Civil War in the US
The director devoted the entire first part of 13th to revealing and explaining the topic of the resurgent system of African American slavery in the US. I side with DuVernay on both parts of her argument. It is because I have historical knowledge of America and am socially aware of the moods and trends within the racially oriented societal climate discussed in the movie via friends and social media. The transformation of racially targeted slavery into a convict of leasing, segregation, and the penitentiary system became even more discernible, thanks to DuVernay (2016). The only changes associated with the slave system are that it has become less visible, more nuanced, and politically correct. For me, a shocking fact from DuVernay was that the Civil War still takes place. The nature and methods of this societal confrontation have remained much the same; it has only shifted its institutional realm of being. Nowadays, it is not a conflict of political dualities but a slow and hidden war of American politicians and dominant corporations against people of color and poor social strata.
Reference
DuVernay, A. (2016). 13th [Film]. Netflix.