Cross-Cultural Blog

Ok so before we begin we want you guys to note that we seen this film in spanish (with no english sub-titles), so we have tried to do our best with interpreting the film and in doing so have missed vital point made in spanish!!
We do not thing that a revolution like that in Argentina could happen in Europe or USA because of the mentality of these countries i.e. the economic systems there, the policy and also the fact that countires such as sweden would not step out onto the streets and argue in front of everyone.....it would be shameful to do so.

We found that the film evoked really deep emotions which in turn communicated the atmosphere and feelings in that country at that time very clearly. It also shocked some members of the group to find out that such a large country could go from rich to poor over night and it was also shocking to see the brutality and force used on the people in argentina by the police.

It was also largely debated amonsgt the group that the argentinian workers acted in the way that Marx wanted i.e. that everybody is equal, there is no leader and everyone shares like.

Posted by at 06:51 AM | Permalink

discussed overall impressions of film;

questions 3 and 4- different governmental structures in USA, Sweden, China, Spain and how it would be unlikely for this kind of takeover to occur in each of these countries;

question 1- rise of argentina toward 1st world class during industrialization... but then in the nineties with menem's election, capitalist-friendly policies destroyed economy, people lost jobs, and country went in debt, the takeover was revolutionary and naomi klein saw this is a good reason to delve deeper into researching this movement;

none of us knew anything about argentina's situation prior to watching this film; researched argentina's current state and found that its economy is vastly improving and also that kirschner's wife is now president; discussed most shocking scenes in the film, examined factory owner's perspectives, talked about gender "equality" in the takeover

some interesting facts- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html

we had some language barriers, but overall, this was a great experience for cross-cultural exchange!

Posted by Stanford Objects Class at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Background: Political and economic situation in Argentina.
Audience: Political activists and revolutionaries as well as middle class citizens.
Content: The workers overtaking of shut down factories in Argentina. It follows induviduals that got
affected by the economic policies. It also follows the political situation.
Argument: The film showed the effects of "The Model" that Menem proposed as a possible strategy.

It also showed the effect that the international monetery fund policies could have on the economy.

The film wants to persuade us that globalisation is not always succesfull. the big firms doesn't take care
about the workers. They were trying to provide other options regarding the execution of policy
making and also trying to provide a voice for the people who are usually unheard. There is an
alternative to capitalism.

The filmmakers used pathos to persuade the audience by choosing to interview families. This was
a successful strategy because it appealed to a wide range of people who were able to relate
either to the families' situations or the status of the lower-middle class citizens. The
interviews evoked emotion among the audience by showing the interviewees in vulnerable
emotional states (crying, anger, etc.) Credibility can be shown by that they show concrete events that led
to the current situation.
Basic proncoples being challenged: ownership, the structure of the workplace. Relevant to outside
context: to take charge of your own situation and challange authorities.

Posted by Stanford Objects Class at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Summary:

We decided the argument of the film was that
revolution is necessary for exappropriation. We
thought that the filmmaker presented the material in
a bias manner in order to make her visual argument. We think that
Naomi is successful in building her argument and is able to
connect to a wide range of viewers.

We also discussed whether stealing is justified when it's for the
greater good. We talked about the most shocking aspect for us and
figured out that audience are emotionally touched and moved by the clips.
Maybe this will not happen in Sweden( we are not quite sure but it seems that)
and China( in China we adopt different political and economical
system). We believe that in the US, it seems unlikely that this
will happen, however we realize that during the Great Depression
the US went through similar situations where workers were forced
to make difficult decisions such as whether to feed their
children or pay their bills.
In Spain the situation for the workers is good, because actually we have
many important measurements from the government to protect the people
who work in factories.

Posted by Stanford Documentary Class at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Download file

This is our summary that we created as a group. Charlie, Galen, Dan, Gaelle, and Amelia all worked together to create this representation of "the Take" using perspectives from Sweden, Spain, France, and America. Our drawing represents the blood-shot eye of the globalization. 3/5 of our group had no idea that the economic status was so putrid in Argentina, ergo we had blood-shot eyes. However, our group, THe Best Group Ever, found that this movie provided a medium for intellectual stimulation as to the tragedies, corruption, shifting economical patterns, and poverty in this Argentinian society that can be used as a model for the rest of the world.
OUr group had an enlightening conversation about global issues and popular culture that traversed international boundaries. WE love the two from Sweden like they are our sisters, and would warmly welcome them into our Stanford homes. Thank you, Cross Cultural Rhetoric Projects, this once in a lifetime experience with our new lifelong friends, Gaelle and Amelia.
God Bless.

Posted by Stanford Documentary Class at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Because our collegues in Sweden were unable to understand the movie in
Spanish (lacking subtitles) it was difficult to have cogent and
interactive discussion about this movie. Overall, we found it
interesting and informative, but the topic was unfamiliar to most of
us. However, we discussed our cultures, interests, and daily lives.
Sweden is strikingly similar to life in the US, and we are glad we had
this opportunity.

-Peter Shakro
-Dana Sittler
-Cristina Munoz

Posted by Stanford Objects Class at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

After a slow start, it became an interesting conversation. It was great to see the cultural differences between Sweden and the US. The technology was a new experience and none of us were used to it. The whiteboard was pretty cool.

We began by introducing ourselves and showing our objects. And then we dove into the movie. We thought the film was a good choice because it was something that neither group had had much previous experience with, so we were starting from a common ground. Interestingly enough, none of us were very aware of the situation in Argentina. We discussed the importance of the film on a global context, and related our personal thoughts and experiences while viewing it. There were side comments and issues a couple times, but altogether it was entertsining for both sides. We exchanged names over the chat to look each other up on Facebook.

The best part of our collaboration was when our conversation became more fluid and we were able to choose the questions we wanted to answer.

Posted by Stanford Documentary Class at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Summary of The Take

1. We believe the targetaudience is
between the ages of 18+
2. Its a very emotional movie which
questions its credibility.
3. Multiple perspectives are not shown in the
film, only the perspective that
correlates with the author's intent.
4. Emotional elements serve as an
awakening effect on the audience.
5. Is it right to take over other peoples
property?
6. We dont believe it could happen in the
US or Sweden to the same extent because
of different theologies that are
prevalent in US in comparison to that of
Sweden.
7. There are good and bad aspects of
Globalization.

The Oreo Pizza Group members are: Shannon Jiang, Jin Young Song, Tobi Olayiwola, Martin Thalström and Karolina Saramies.

Posted by at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)