Blood Diamond

http://movies.aol.com/movie/blood-diamond/23021/synopsis?flv=1&ncid=RpWxcJEVXc0000000073&icid=rbox_movie_titles.M

“Blood Diamond” is the story of the pain and suffering in Sierra Leone. The residents have been enslaved all across the country into mining for diamonds. The story emphasizes the struggle of Solomon Vandy, his small fishing village s raided and the residents are either captured or killed. Once captured these poor people are forced to join the rebellion and to dig for diamonds. These diamonds are sold all over the world to mainly rich white people. Danny Archer, a missionary is a diamond smuggler to the highest bidder, this deal happens to be with a white jewelry store owner in Europe. The natives of Africa are enslaved not by whites but mainly blacks. Though blacks are the direct slave owners forcing the labor and causing the pain, the reasons for this slavery is coming from the pressure mainly given by the world powers which are generally whites. The movie paints a vivid picture of how the desire of white ignorant people is continuously pushing the slavery around the world. Even though most are not the actual slave owners, the money that they are offering for these seemingly innocent stones is causing pain to a whole country. The movie sheds light on the idea that slavery is not necessarily a direct institution but can be indirect upon the needs and wants of people half the world away. The story shows uptown stores in large cities displaying many of the diamonds mined throughout Africa and perpetuating the slavery. This movie relates to Johnson’s book “Privilege, Oppression and Difference”. Chapter 2 talks about the way in which people who are not oppressed justify and attempt to ignore those people who are oppressed. Almost all of the people who are accepting these diamonds are of a high social class and do not have to recognize that there is a problem with the way things are actually working, or the people may realize but just decide that others are over reacting. Most Americans in the beginning of the movie are shown not really understanding what the problem is and thinking that yes, some people are in pain but that they just aren’t paid enough. The reality sheds during the end when a reporter that had been following Danny and Solomon through a lot of the movie writes a critical and devastating article. The article describes many of the incidents and injustices that have been happening through the carelessness and greed of many people. Pictures of young black males as young as 8 are shown carrying assault rifles, camps where thousands of people live together in misery after their homes were destroyed by rebels attempting to gain more miners. The pain and suffering of these people is transmitted and the U.N. finally asserts force that actually has a chance of working in hopes of crippling the slavery in Africa. This movie is a eye opener and has a real emotional effect, the fact that slavery is happening just because of the money we are willing to pay for some rocks is mind boggling but understandable. The unfortunate thing is that this is actually a real problem and even though the U.N.’s attempts it is still going on.