Trade Off

Shaya Mercer's documentary about the events surrounding the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle gives the event some much-needed focus that the mainstream media largely didn't, which is to say it deals with more than just violence. Not that the violence is ignored, but the few anarchists who vandalized downtown stores are barely paid attention to onscreen, possibly so as not to give them any legitimacy amid the real concerns. Yes, believe it or not, there was more at stake than folks hating Starbucks, notably the mandatory lowering of labor and corporate responsibility standards that would be imposed under the WTO. Then there's the issue of genetically modified foods: Should humans be allowed unwittingly to consume corn that's been bred with genetic pesticides (and whose pollen kills monarch butterflies)? And there's more, according to Indian scientist Vandana Shiva: Seeds for genetically modified foods are patented, so any farmer who saves leftover seeds can be sued for copyright infringement! As punker-turned-generational-spokesperson Jello Biafra eloquently states, this is not a left-right issue -- it's a top-to-bottom concern. Confirming this is a Republican city council member who jokes about wanting to "downsize" the WTO board, retrain them, and tell them it's for their own good. There are plenty of flaky hippie-types quoted too, including Spearhead's lead rapper Michael Franti, who fails to successfully articulate exactly why he thinks having lots of children is good for the planet. And the music choices at the protest events leave a lot to be desired -- mainly mellow stoner-jam type stuff that would've seemed weak in the 60s. But never mind all that: Be afraid of police who claim they're wearing gas masks just to keep warm, or who deliberately target peaceful protesters using a few violent ones as a pretext. And be especially afraid that these issues of apparent global significance aren't even being acknowledged by most of our elected leaders.