I surrendered August of 2014 to Vice and I can’t say that I regret it at all. I was fairly fresh to feminism and other movements that are based on inclusivity, so I began seeking out new ways to discover the world outside of my suburban perimeters. I found everything I could have ever wanted in Vice. Their convenience drew me in, with most videos being less than 40 minutes, but it was their unparalleled content that kept me locked in a trance, clicking everything in sight and enveloped by the unfurling of the human complexity on my screen. The videos were impossibly different from the 20/20 reels that had previously occupied my time. Reporters weren’t immaculately dressed robots that seemed like they were scared to touch any surfaces around them, there was no clear-cut moral purpose to any of the documentaries, and so many of the videos made me feel vastly uncomfortable, but also like I was supposed to experience this discomfort and embrace it. Vice is exploration in the truest sense. It's immersion without inhibitions, a rejection of the concept that there’s a definite right, wrong, or end in any topic.
The following collection of videos are my selection of the most interesting and/or uncomfortable topics that I had never even dreamed about, but somehow desperately needed in order to understand how to understand.
1. "Reborn Babies"
The documentation of the painstaking attention to detail by the creators and the true emotions of owners of these dolls validates the sentiments around Reborn Babies beyond the initial rejection that some might have. Of course, that discomfort might, and probably will, still remain throughout the video because of the inherent oddness of adult “make-believe,” but there is always great value in understanding the general comfort strategies and coping mechanisms of others.
2. "From Rehab to a Body Bag | Dying for Treatment"
This video, in particular, is definitely the one that made me learn the most. The mood of the video is against the system of luxury rehabilitation centers, but Vice’s exposure of their gross corruption and inability to validate their practices at the expense of absolutely vulnerable people justifies the criticism.
3. "Living in the Sewers of Colombia"
People are truly able to stand so much, but it can be hard to watch the circumstances that the poor and vulnerable are forced into. This documentary exposes the grit of life in places where drugs dictate the law in a chilling and personal way.
4. "Suicide Forest in Japan"
This is a sobering video, guided by a humble man who has taken it upon himself to oversee what could be labeled a garden for death. Is it inspirational? Is it a lost cause? Would you ever be able to withstand the same responsibility?
5. "Death in a Can: Australia's Euthanasia Loophole"
Within the great topic of death, something else not usually considered: the desire for it, not particularly due to overwhelming depression or other archetypes of suicide, but rather because it seems reasonable or even responsible. It's a difficult issue to grapple with, but increasingly necessary to discuss.
6. "Caribbean Fashion Week - Dance Hall and Skin Bleaching"
As a complex interweaving of the unique culture of the Caribbean and the effects of other cultures' influence on the islands, this documentary is fantastic for understanding the extents that people will go through for beauty and power. It also sheds light on why dangerous treatments might be sought after for reasons other than a confidence boost.
7. "Interview with a Cannibal"
After seeing this video for the first time, I felt like the only appropriate way to process it all was to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling for a very, very long time. Horrifying and sad, an exposure of a true villain, this documentary is something that I recommend to anyone who I think can really handle it. You'll understand when you watch.
