The White Ribbon

Photo courtesy of http://witneyman.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/the-white-ribbon.

Nidhi here:

The White Ribbon is a German film by Michael Haneke. The film takes place before World War I and focuses on the story of a music schoolteacher and several children in a German village. After watching the events of the movie unfold, the audience learns that a few incidents wreck havoc amongst the villagers.

After the Baron’s son is brutally met with an accident in a sawmill, the Baron believes that the farm workers are responsible. A few days prior, one of the workers is killed while working at a sawmill. The farmer’s wife fell through the floor. As his son returns to the scene of the incident the day after her death, he asks a fellow worker why his mother was told to work at the sawmill in that very dangerous spot. The worker replied, “They put the weakest in the area with the bad wood.” Angered by the death and mistreatment of his mother, the son ruins the cabbage harvest.

The farmer is upset with his son for ruining the cabbage because the estate will not let him work anymore, and now he cannot provide food for his many children. He tells his son that the family depends on the estate for their own well-being.

The Baron addresses the villagers at a church service and wants to know the culprit that violently hurt his son. He assumes one of the workers committed this crime, and he also believes that one of the workers is responsible for the doctor’s accident. Power plays an important role in this film. The individuals that have the power and the means for production have the ability to control society and make the workers dependent on their control in order to secure the well-being of the workers. Additionally, it is interesting to note that the Baron said he was not responsible for the farmer’s wife’s death. He seemed to care less about the farmer’s loss, yet he was infuriated with the crime committed against his own son. He was unable to relate to the plight of the farmer, yet he caused commotion during his son’s accident because he was directly affected.

About two weeks ago, Dr. Nerio gave us an article that was published in the New York Times entitled The Angry Rich.  The author focused on the recent anger that is spreading across America. Many wealthy upper class Americans that constitute 1% of the nation are upset that the Bush tax-cuts will possibly end shortly after the new administration decides to repel them and go back to the Clinton-era tax rates. The author states, “Look at the expenses of the people in that income class-the property taxes they have to pay on their expenses houses, the costs of sending their kids to elite private schools, and so on. Why, they can barely make ends meet.” The rich are claiming that they are struggling during these harsh economic times and should not have to pay higher taxes. Nevertheless, the majority of Americans is barely making ends meat and is losing homes and jobs. To top it off, the unemployment rate is rising. The author makes a good point about how the rich have more influence and they contribute to social pressure. Many politicians spend time with the wealthy and they “feel their pain when the rich have to pay more taxes.” The incomes of wealthy is sometimes weighed more than the plight of those losing their jobs and struggling to have any savings. The “little” people have to make the sacrifices. I could not help but to think that this same type of situation took place in the movie. When the wealthy Baron and the Doctor’s families were grieving, the rest of the workers needed to assume responsibility and feel their pain. But when the farmer’s wife died, the wealthy did not care. The wealthy influenced the society and more was done to help the wealthy when their loved ones were affected. In present day America, many Americans feel that politicians are not helping those who really need help and instead are focusing on the “plight” of the rich. In both situations, the wealthy is not connecting with the non-wealthy and the rich is focused on their losses and sacrifices.