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Jasmine Calvillo
SOC 1
Professor Ortega
Video/DVD Analysis
The title of the video I selected was Oren Yakobovich: Hidden cameras that film
injustice in the worlds most dangerous places. In the video Yakobovich starts off by telling us
about a woman named Mary. In her African village people were being constantly harassed and
threatened by the ruling political party. Her village had to sit through intimidation meetings
where they were told if they did not vote for their party bad things would happen. Mary had a
hidden camera and with the images she captured she and Yakobovichs organization, Videre,
were able to get the footage back to the community and world. The ruling party was frightened
and stopped the intimidation. Yakobovich tells us while in the Israelian army he came across
prisoners tied and blindfolded. He did not like what he saw so he refused to serve in the army
anymore and was sent to jail. It was after that where he wanted to start filming injustices not only
from Israel but from all over the world. He wanted to contribute to the struggle for human rights.
He explained four very important things, one, it is important to film injustices in rural areas far
from the publics eye. Second those who are recording must feel safe and the proper
accommodations must be made. Third, verification is important, and lastly, the images collected
must be used to make a positive change.
Emile Durkheim would see this video as a step towards enforcing social order on a
global scale. In many parts of the world and even in the countries where these injustices are
happening it is not a social norm to be behaving in such threatening and violent ways. These

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groups that are terrorizing people are trying to force their views and norms on the people who
live in their communities. Places where this happens suffer from what Durkheim calls anomie.
The videos being collected and shown are meant to combat that and help society regain control
once again.
Karl Marx would see this video as a way to combat social inequality. The communities
where these injustices happen are alienated from the rest of the population. It is hard to know that
these injustices are even going on when the main population is far away. For the groups that are
taking control their main resource is guns and fear. This is how they are able to rule. With the
cameras from Yakobovichs organization they can combat the fear and combat the guns when
others find out about what is happening.
Auguste Comte would see this video as a part of social dynamics. This video is creating
change and guiding as to where that change will lead. Those who are purposefully trying to cause
harm are going against the laws of society. The change they are bringing is not for the better.
However, this video is helping to create change for the better which makes this change socially
acceptable.
The paradigm most represented in this film is the conflict perspective. We have several
areas shown in the video where people are struggling with inequality. There is a struggle between
the people trying to oppress and the people fighting back. Documenting these struggles is a key
way of fighting back. These videos well help shift the power and authority back to the right
people which are those not trying to commit harm. Change is a main point in the conflict
perspective and it is the main point in this video.