Blood and Oil

After watching the film "Blood and Oil" I'm really having a hard time forming any sort of concrete opinion about the film and what the meaning behind it is.  I learned a lot from this film about our relations with the Middle East and our dependance on Middle Eastern oil.  I was really very surprised to have this dependance brought to my attention.  This is something that I was always subconsciously aware of but never really thought about in depth because, well, it's just not in my interests.  So my realization of this degree of dependance on the Middle East is rather shocking to me and, considering the now shaky relationship we have with the Middle East, it is a rather scary realization.  This film also helped to make me aware of the involvement of the US in the training of Middle Eastern soldiers as a means of keeping good relations with the people who control the oil that we need so much.  Again I had a subconscious awareness of this but never realized our degree of involvement.

I think the film would have made a bigger impact if it had included more than one person's opinions and if the clips had been more organized to fit the film.  I really felt that the fear factor card was being played throughout the whole film, and to be honest this kind of irked me.  I understand the need to invoke fear to get to action, as Andrew mentioned during our class discussion today, but I just kept thinking throughout watching the film that it was deceptive.  Was I watching a documentary, as the film appeared to be when it first started, or was I witnessing a call to action?  It confused me, and I felt a little manipulated.  

Still, the film does contain some great information and definitely was intriguing in that way.  I'm not so sure I agree with everything that was being conveyed, but I'm glad to have it come to my attention all the same.

I have more to say on this, but I'll have to get back to it later on.