Documentary: The One Percent

[Xerxes]

Made by Jamie Johnson, one of the great-great-grandsons of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson):

From Wikipedia: "Johnson's second film, The One Percent, was premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival on April 29, 2006. The 80-minute feature discusses the challenges America faces as a society in which one percent of the people control nearly half the total wealth. The film was produced by Johnson with long-time collaborator Nick Kurzon also producing [4] and features Robert Reich, Bill Gates Sr., Milton Friedman, and many others, coming from various socioeconomic strata, including residents of Chicago's Cabrini–Green housing project and Hurricane Katrina victims. When Johnson interviewed Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, Friedman accused Johnson of advocating socialism and abruptly ended the interview."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HmlX3fLQrEc#!

There are several interesting segments but the most telling line comes from Jamie when he mentions that financial advisors like his father's know that they are doing their job when the wealth gap between the rich and poor is growing.

 

[ajseph 21]

The insights of this film really show conversive thinking in action. Gathering money to the amounts of billions isn't even practical because it would take thousands of years to spend it. Then you hear their moralizing talks about taxes and free enterprises, not realizing it's built on debt slavery, and you see how disconnected they are and they don't even wanna talk about it. I think alot of the 1% lack the ability to see past their own impotence and slavery to the system.

 

[The Mechanic]

Thanks for posting this documentary, I thought it was an informative look at the rich from inside their circles. The film maker has gone to some trouble to make this, with a lot of people not wanting him to do so for reasons that they were then too afraid to say, which was quite telling. The part about Warren Buffet disowning his granddaughter for participating in this movie was shocking but also quite telling.

 

[Nook]

Thanks Xerxes for sharing.

I pretty much agree with Mechanic.
The most interesting aspect of this documentary was that it was from the perspective of Jamie Johnson,
born a millionaire but still is not afraid to ask questions about the increasing wealth gap from his family And friends of their family,
some of whom are definitely in the top 1% and what his questions bring out of those folks and how they react.

And how his father actually did almost the same thing, helped produce a film on poverty in Africa in his early 20's and was bashed by his family.
And currently he cannot support his son's efforts to shed some light on this issue...

 

[Gwenllian]

Thanks Xerxes for sharing.

I pretty much agree with Mechanic.
The most interesting aspect of this documentary was that it was from the perspective of Jamie Johnson,
born a millionaire but still is not afraid to ask questions about the increasing wealth gap from his family And friends of their family,
some of whom are definitely in the top 1% and what his questions bring out of those folks and how they react.

And how his father actually did almost the same thing, helped produce a film on poverty in Africa in his early 20's and was bashed by his family.
And currently he cannot support his son's efforts to shed some light on this issue...

He still seemed afraid and numb, the father that is.

What I found painful to watch and what I didn't know was that these rich ones bought the land at the South Side of Chicago and started their gentrification, pushing out whole communities. How barbarian is that.
They are so sytematic. They get rid of the basket-ball courts, the schools, which forces people to move away. It is truly evil, OSIT. What I also found incredible was that there had been a police station on the ground floor of a large tower block of flats. But the people drove the police away, which I thought was pretty cool.

 

[seek10]

What I found painful to watch and what I didn't know was that these rich ones bought the land at the South Side of Chicago and started their gentrification, pushing out whole communities. How barbarian is that.
They are so sytematic. They get rid of the basket-ball courts, the schools, which forces people to move away. It is truly evil, OSIT. What I also found incredible was that there had been a police station on the ground floor of a large tower block of flats. But the people drove the police away, which I thought was pretty cool.

The story repeats in lot of places. If what I heard is correct, They did the same to extend the wallstreet across hudson river into Jersey city.

Though I felt that jamie did his best to interview his circle of influence, his last interview of father (probably mother too) sounded like a face saving act, thus questioning his sincerity. Try to portray his father doing what he does out of fear sounded weak for me, though that is possible.

Still, it is a brave attempt to expose top one percent thinking being part of it.

 

[Voyageur]

What I found painful to watch and what I didn't know was that these rich ones bought the land at the South Side of Chicago and started their gentrification, pushing out whole communities. How barbarian is that.
They are so sytematic. They get rid of the basket-ball courts, the schools, which forces people to move away. It is truly evil, OSIT. What I also found incredible was that there had been a police station on the ground floor of a large tower block of flats. But the people drove the police away, which I thought was pretty cool.

The story repeats in lot of places. If what I heard is correct, They did the same to extend the wallstreet across hudson river into Jersey city.

Though I felt that jamie did his best to interview his circle of influence, his last interview of father (probably mother too) sounded like a face saving act, thus questioning his sincerity. Try to portray his father doing what he does out of fear sounded weak for me, though that is possible.

Still, it is a brave attempt to expose top one percent thinking being part of it.

There were a number of interesting interviews; the grand daughter of Warren Buffet who spoke and then he, upon hearing of the film, seemed to write her off. There was the son of Oscar Meyer who denounced his inheritance (father seemed ok with his choice). The evangelist lumber baron. The Florida sugar cane brothers who live of tax payer subsidies. Then there was Milton Friedman (oh brother) and the movers and shakers for those who are in charge of protecting their wealth - it is another reality they live in and is dissociated with the world of the rest.

 

[PopHistorian]

[size=14pt][size=13pt]I didn't think it was a very deep or focused film. Basically just a guy with, apparently, some conscience, looking around wondering why he should be so privileged, and then asking the people around him about it. The main message I got from it was that these folks are not deep thinkers in regard to their wealth, whether they are first or later-generation holders of that wealth. And for purposes of defensive self-calming (those that have any conscience) they believe/take comfort in the Friedman philosophy that it's all OK, they serve a useful purpose in society, and yes, they seem to think that they are just a bit better and more deserving than everyone else. Of course, these people upon whom the documentary focused are not actually on the top tier with the banking and other financial elite. These were run-of-the-mill billionaire business people/families, if you will. I'd wager that a hedge-fund manager who takes home a 1.5-billion-dollar annual "compensation" (while producing really nothing) is in the next class up, and that there are several classes above that. [/size][/size]

 

[Iconoclast]

i haven't seen this doc yet, but i've watched jamie johnson's first effort - "Born Rich", which was quite fascinating. recommended.