Kelly Schmidt
A Delicate Balance – The Truth This movie is a documentary geared toward those looking for more information on the link between our health and the health of the environment. Much of the information presented in this film is shocking and is not known to the general public, making if very informative and engaging. I would not recommend this film for younger audiences. The content would not be suitable for those under the age of 14 or 15, in my opinion and many of the images portrayed would not be for children to see, either. As a future teacher, I can see applying some of the information and ideas in this film to my teaching, but I would not consider showing it to my students unless they were at the high school level or higher.Although I appreciate the message that the film is trying to send, I can't help but feel that the film is biased. Here is why: Striking images- There are many of these in this film. They definitely catch your interest and at some times, shock you. The images play on your emotions and make you feel strongly about the content that is being covered. Some of the video images include animals and the elderly in less than desirable situations and I feel that using these images unfairly plays on strong emotions that people may have for those subjects.Facts – Wow - the facts provided in this movie are very informative and important for us to know. Some of the information presented in this film is very hard to take in, as it goes against what we may think or want to believe. BUT - I think the facts that are presented in the form of numbers and percent's make it hard to judge just how staggering they really are. What I mean is, let's pretend the movie claims you are 5 times more likely to get a disease from eating meat (or something to that effect) - 5 times may be a big deal if you are already sitting at a 50% chance, but what if you're chance is only 5% to begin with? The numbers can be interpreted in more than one way, and I believe the filmmakers use that to their advantage.Credibility – there are many people interviewed in this film, creating a sense of credibility that is very important to a movie that is presenting this kind of life changing information. Examples of those interviewed are: T Colin Campbell - Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University; Director China-Cornell-Oxford Project of Diet, Lifestyle and Health in ChinaNeal Barnard, MD - Associate Adjunct Professor George Washington University; President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Professor Walter C. Willett, MD, Dr.PH - Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.Maneka Ghandi - leading environmentalist, animal activist and a crusader for vegetarianism, founder of People for Animals.All of these people are advocating a certain diet and lifestyle. The film talks about a delicate balance, but only shows one side of the story, which I do not believe is balanced at all. There is one attempt to show both sides if you count the interview with "the Mad Cowboy". Out of all the experts interviewed, there is one that was described on the movie's website as a cattle rancher, but in fact, he is a former cattle rancher and has turned vegan.Overall, I do believe that there is some important, useful information within this film that can help us understand how to eat and live healthier and that, I believe, is what our goal should be as humans. As a future teacher, I think it's important that we know how to live healthier for our bodies and for the environment so that we are able to help our students do the same. A little change can go a long way, and the more educated we all are, the more power we have to make that change.
