The Age of Stupid-The message sent from the future

The Age of Stupid

   THE Age of Stupid. What kind of age is this? The age without common sense? The age without progression? The age full of ‘stupid’ people? In fact, people living in the age consider themselves to be highly-developed specie that controls everything. Absorbed in their self-pride and dignity, they only see things on the surface. They build new roads and bridges to reach things they see, not knowing the roads will end with a sudden fall. In the age of stupid, people only care what they can get, not what they can lose. 
    It is the age Franny Armstrong depicts throughout the movie, <The Age of Stupid>. 21^st century, the age driven by interests. The movie focuses on what has been adding up to global warming and how careless the people were. In a documentary form, the narrator leads the movie by showing different video clips-ranging from interviews, news reports to animations- collected from the past up to the year.     

"Why did we not do anything when we  had  a chance?"

The narrator asking the question

 The narrator throws this key question in the beginning. And the answer to it reveals slowly throughout the movie. From the beginning toward the end, there are several clashing ideas and conflicts throughout the movie. There were minorities voicing out for changes through emotional appeal, personal anecdotes and even with logical persuasion from an expert. And there were those in powerful groups, acting only according to their advantages. (This kind of conflicts described in this movie can be seen in other movies-<McLibel>,<Drowned out>- the director made.) Big contrasting stances between weak minorities and powerful majorities effectively emphasize carelessness of the majority. People’s self-interests ignored the environmental issue, bringing their own fall in the end. Through the conflicts, the movie strongly appeals the main purpose of the movie, the answer to the question: Because we were blinded by our own self-interests.

 Everyone had a story to tell

    If the conflicts among different groups and minorities delivered the main focus of the movie, different characters break down and magnify the focus.

    The movie employed certain style to give various in-depth perspectives regarding the issue through many characters. The concerned mountain climber said he did not know what to do to stop environment being damaged. The advocate of the wind farm showed frustration when his efforts became useless by one flat refusal from the public. A residence in Nigeria described how the village and its environment got damaged because of Shell’s operation. Ironically, she resorted to selling oil to get her tuition fee. With glittering eyes she said, ‘My dream is to be a medical doctor.’

   The movie shows subtleties of how people take the issue with concerns and conflicts. Despite their struggles, nothing seemed to change. Ironical to their concerns, they also had their own interests. The different characters were reflections of our selves. Here is a video showing how people tend to regard the issue, for further information.

 'The Big Bad Guys'

        The movie definitely succeeded in providing various aspects of the issue. However, as it attempted to make accusations of ',big bad guys' it was not free from an impulse to make generalizations on certain subjects.

    America, frequently mentioned throughout the movie, was depicted as a greedy monster that went through wars to extract more resources. Then it showed how children were suffering from those wars. While arousing sympathies from viewers, the movie presented only one aspect. It has the danger of turning the implied message of the movie into a political one, resulting in anti-America sentiments.  

A cartoon opposing wind farm construction

   Moreover, by showing how people protested against wind farm construction, it seemed as if they were choosing aesthetic values over saving the Earth. Although the reason of refusal was only a part of opposition's argument, the movie generalized it as the main reason. By omitting information and presenting one opinion seem like ‘facts’, some approaches taken could be seen as lopsided ones.  

   Toward the end, the movie reveals what it really was about. It was a message. The message sent from the future to those living in the ‘past’. The clips have been playing their roles to piece together the big picture of ‘the age of stupid’. Those with louder voices got their ways. Blinded people of interests made ‘developments’ every day faster than ever. Time passed, and it became too late. This is the reason why the message was sent. To us living in the age of stupid, blinded by interests, racing toward a fall. The message was simple. Save yourselves. Not as separate groups with their interests lying in different directions but as one group. We, living in the age of stupid, are intertwined in one rope. We need to bring changes together. Now.