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Rude

Where Are Our Manners?
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Gr 7 Up—What happened to the good old days when everyone was considerate and thoughtful? According to manners expert Judith Martin, there were no good old days. People have always been rude and have lacked civility. To find out more about the prevalence of current rude behaviors, host Valerie Pringle interviews six experts in the field of civility and etiquette who give suggestions on how to introduce manners to the masses and offer their opinions on the causes of our current lack of social graces. They agree that technology has a lot to do with it. With the advent of TV in the early 1950s through the introduction of cell phones and MP3 players, individuals have less face-to-face contact with other people and have forgotten that their behavior has an effect on those around them. Also, one expert believes that many baby boomers have raised narcissist children who believe they are entitled to do and say whatever they want. Along with the interview footage, there are scenes taken from YouTube and vintage footage of riots from the 1960s. These segments often contain offensive language and actions. The host is charming and skillfully engages viewers. This film is an excellent springboard for classes to discuss rude behaviors that range from not holding the door for someone to shaving one's legs in public. While there are no pat answers here, there are lots of questions to think about and discuss.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Oct 01, 2010

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