Bresland - The Seinfeld Analog

I viewed a few of  John Bresland's video essays. Each one was diversely different. Mangoes discussed his son and all the paraphernalia that arrives with baby. He called it "injection molded plastic". There was also the issue of the baby Bjorne vs. the 1985 Harley that his landlord owns. A Harley is viewed as masculine but the baby Bjorne aka papoose is viewed as "gay" if worn on the front of a man.  However, a man could wear it on his back and that would be fine. It was an interesting view from a man's POV about being a father to a newborn.

Dust Off  was another interesting video essay. This was primarily done using stark winter scenes describing the deaths of three young males who died by doing things each thought were great things. The voice telling the story really captured the starkness in the scenes. The fact that perhaps a loneliness caused these things, an isolation. Propellant inhalation, speeding without lights on at night, and erotic asphyxiation all doomed these boys to death. Interestingly enough the boy speeding at night was juxtaposed amidst a watery glare by a sun that rose and a plane crossing a blue sky.

The video essay entitled The Seinfeld Analog was the one that spoke volumes to me. Maybe it was because of the atrocity's that humans do to one another, but perhaps because it is so true in what George Costanza's character says, "We live in a superficial society."  How harsh is this saying?  But, how true is it?  While Seinfeld was slotted against 60 minutes it shifted 3 million viewers to become the #1 rated television show. 60 minutes covered stories about holocaust deniers and Hutu's that denied killing Tutsi's in Rwanda. Seinfeld covered stories on masturbation and other things that were easier to remember.

Maybe our society wants to focus on what's pretty and ignore the reality of life that's out there. Bresland's stated that the Hutu's killed 8,000 Tutsi's a day for 100 days. That it was equivalent to 9/11 happening two times a day from Christmas through Easter. "Genocide" can only be used by considering lots of factors. All you have to do is look at the video where numerous bodies were being washed along the riverside to understand what the factors are. The fact that the U. S. did nothing is disheartening. The Pentagon wasn't even sure of the groups names.

I think it is one thing to write about things, but to reflect them against a visual is that much more moving. Maybe that is why historical facts obtained on a documentary are easier to remember. They are more etched in our brain. Maybe video essay moves us past the page and evokes feelings that the page cannot. How much more do we feel an emotional pull when music swells and comes splashing down?  We feel it. Video essays seem to move more than the page. If that statement is true, where does that leave writers?  Could we be the 60 minutes of our day?