Autobiographical Mode Response

There were several different moments in the past several days that I was very touched by the tenacity and strength of autobiographical documentaries. I think that there is just something so beautiful about the power that a single person's story can have. I also think that there is something really beautiful, and
almost of an ancient tradition to listen and learn from what other people have to say. Traditionally, history was passed through the stories of individuals, and I think that this tradition continues today was we share our own stories and our own experiences.

I also think that this type of documentary is a testament to the oneness of human life. In the short films that we watched today, people from all over the world, of all races, genders, backgrounds, and sexual orientations shared their stories. Many of these people are people that I would have never thought I would have anything in common with, at least initially. There was nothing from the outset that should have connected me to these individuals. However, once they began to tell their stories, I found that I could relate in some way to nearly every single video that was shown. "When successful, the example of the self is a means of accessing political and historical questions of larger social relevance. At its best, the autobiographical mode not only closes the gap between photographer and subject but also the space between filmmaker and audience" (Fox, 31). I think that people are more similar than we would ever expect them to be. In the end, we are all just people, despite the minor differences that may be between us. This reminded me of a class I once took, where we had to argue whether humans across cultures are more alike or more different. The point of that class was to realize that we are all just human, and we often have the same needs, desires, and wants as the people around us, as well as people who are thousands of miles from where we are at. Although I knew this in theory, it was touching to understand this concept in a way that hit very close to home, and in the process of connecting with these stories of people that I did not know.

Another thing that I have found interesting this week, was one moment from the film Nobody's Business. In this film, it was the moment when Alan Berliner asks his father about his feelings on the Holocaust. Although he did sound sad, and expressed sorrow over the loss of so many Jews, he did not seem nearly as upset as I was expecting him to be. This moment simply taught me that individuals are still able to have their own reactions, which are separate from the reaction as a whole. Individuals are individuals, and they cannot be expected to act the same as the organization overall.