Review of Patriocracy (2011) by David S — 02 Apr 2012

This is an honest documentary about the state of our national political gridlock. The film tries to examine why the public political debate has gotten so extreme, how it became so divisive, and what the effects have been on actually getting anything accomplished in Washington.

Patriocracy is an old school documentary that adheres to the once-common ethic of unbiased reporting (in other words, this ain't no Michael Moore screed). The film tells the story through interviews with public leaders from both sides of the aisle. It mines familiar territory when it tells us how bad things are -- you just have to read the news to see that -- but it's really interesting when it examines how it got this way. One thing I have always wondered was whether it's always been this bad, but we just think it's worse because we didn't experience it first hand in earlier years. Talking with some 40-year political veterans of Washington, we find out that they think it's much worse than it used to be, and offer some theories as to why it got this way.

The movie ends with people who are trying to make things better. I need to go watch this section again and take some notes to find out how to join these folks.

If you're sick of politics, this will tell you why you're so sick and how it got that way. Unfortunately, there's not an easy cure.