The documentary, The Witness  tells the story of Eddie Lama. Eddie Lama grew up in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn and speaks with the stereotypical New York accent. Do to a few life transforming events, Lama became an unlikely animal rights activist. He agreed to cat-sit for a women who he was trying to woo (i.e. get some from) and ended up bonding with the cat. When the cat was sitting on his lap, he felt the cat’s body and the bones in it. While doing that, he could not help think how similar the cat’s leg bone structure was similar to a chicken’s. This led to forsake eating chicken or any meat when he was at a family member’s house later and was served chick legs and reminded of his beloved cat. 
    There is another story that Lama Recounts in the documentary, that helps explains why he turned from stereotypical Brooklyn tough guy into an animal rights activist. One night while walking home, Lama was mugged, knocked to the ground, and repeatedly beaten with kicks all over his body. During the attack, he tried to scream out for help, but his cries went unheeded. Lama made a connection with the helplessness (more on that later) that he felt during the attack and animals who are exploited that don’t have a voice and thus have their cries unheard as well. Thus, Lama became an activist and used his work van as a billboard with pictures and even T.V. screens projecting out to people the suffering that animals grow through especially when it comes to the fur industry. 
    Mostly because my mind is kind of twisted, but when ever I watch any documentary or commentary that is one sided such as this video, I cant help trying to think how I would attack the message whether I agree with that message or not. In this case, here are a few of the scenes that would be in my documentary if I where to make a counter film to The Witness. 
    In The Witness scenes of the animals living in horrid conditions, in confined cages, and screaming in pain before they are slaughtered are shown. At these scenes in slaughterhouses and farms you also get brief glimpses at some of the workers. In my documentary I would find one of those workers. He would be a white male, early forties, have a wife and 3 children, live in a small run down house, and have a tired look on his face. I would have the worker explain how his father worked in that same slaughterhouse to support him growing up. The worker would go on to discuss how outsourcing has taken away many of the job opportunities in the area and he has few options for decent employment. Then you cut the scene to the workers house; on a beaten down sofa watching cartoons on an old T.V. with rabbit ears is the workers 3 children. Fighting back tears, the worker points to his children and says, “We don’t have much, but everything I do, I do for those little guys over there. If you want to shut down where I work, to save some animals, I want you to look at the sofa with my children there because you are going to be taking food out of their mouths and a roof over their heads because we are pay check to pay check trying to pay for our mortgage. You can save the animals all you want, but I hope you know you are choosing them over me, my wife, and my 3 young children. (End Scene)
    Going back to the actual movie, it is interesting to note that Lama relates to the helplessness of the animals. As a whole, I think there are a lot more women who are animal rights activists then men. One of the reasons for this is the whole idea of helplessness. That feeling is not something our culture allows men to feel. If you were to ask me to name a time in my life where I was or felt helpless, I could not come up with one. Like most men I believe that I am never helpless and there is always something that I can do to fight and or help my self. This can be never helpless ideal can be seen in pop culture all the time when one looks at the current male icons such as Jack Bauer, James Bond, and Jason Borne. What all those fictional characters have in common (aside from the intials J.B.) is the fact they are men who no matter how tough the sitation are never helpless and always find a way to help themselves and or the world. Because of that mind state, it is harder for men to feel empathy for a helpless cow that is about to be slaughtered. 
    There was actually a story last year that illustrates this further. I can’t remember too many of the details, but there was a cow that escaped from a slaughter house, ran off, and was only captured after a long and hard chase. I remember public opinion and eventually the cow’s owner felt that the Cow that ran off and gave such a valiant chase should be spared from the slaughterhouse. We anthropomorphized that cow and gave it the attributes of having a fighting spirit and being an individual. Those are 2 of the things we value most in this culture. Thus, many had both respect and empathy for that cow and its life was sparred. However, the escape of that cow did not change anyone’s mind set regarding slaughtering the rest of the cows. Now I must end this paper, because all this cow talk has made me hungry for a tasty burger.