Nerds That Geek Documentary Review: ‘13th’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of the past few weeks, a great many people have been introduced to the phrase; systemic racism. Especially in regard to how black people and black communities are treated in America and the sole reason that particular phrase is being used often, is simply due to the fact that eyes are opening up in regard to this long-standing problem in our nation. For people are crying out for it to be addressed so that continued police brutality will come to an end by way of reforms and so that African Americans will finally be treated as equals in 2020.
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But while it is wonderful to see people talking about this after all this time, this is still a phrase that seems foreign to a great many people. For they simply don’t see or understand what systemic racism looks like or how it exists in our country, which is another reason why so many are crying out for people to listen and learn, and it just so happens that Netflix released a documentary in 2016 that addressed the core issues of systemic racism and how it persists centuries after the end of the Civil War by way of 13th. Which is in a nutshell a powerful documentary that holds nothing back in its quest to help people understand how we’ve come to this point and how important moments in American history have failed black people as a whole.

Something that it accomplishes, by removing some historical stigma. Because all too often, we look at significant moments in U.S. history, especially ones related to Civil Rights, with rose colored glasses. Since we reflect heavily on the wonder of said moment and immediately move on in the history books. Or we look upon eras of growth in our history as inclusive, where everyone benefitted and profited, especially during the Post World War II era. But this documentary takes the time to point out that the collective desire to only celebrate the best parts of what America stands for, has allowed for us to turn a blind eye to the fact that freed slaves were placed into a different type of servitude by way of the loophole that lurks within the 13th Amendment. Or how the celebration of Americana leaves out African Americans since they were relegated to a second class status and their own specially designed world, while everyone else relished in in a false Rockwell-ian vision of idyllic life and prosperity.

But truly where this documentary truly shines, is in its exploration of what truly serves as the cause of systemic racism, which is related to America’s addiction to fear. Because we consistently have a prevailing belief that our nation is constantly under siege from external forces that wish to topple the American way of life, which is a false narrative for certain. But it exists, and we’ve fed that fear by turning on our own people, specifically black people. For the narrative that they are all criminals has indeed taken root in modern America and that is systemic racism. Since it allows for a negative stigma to hang over African Americans, the kind that immediately puts them under suspicion and motivates the criminal justice system to be harsher upon black offenders since the prevailing belief is that lessons must be made out of individuals that falsely represent a constant criminal element in our nation.

Which is a horrifying and eye-opening point to make, but one that needs to be said aloud. Because that is the narrative that’s been on our television screens for decades and it has resulted in a ridiculous number of incarcerations, creating a new form of slavery since newer corporations take full advantage of cheap labor that operates under the guise of reform and that makes this documentary a stunning look at issues in modern America that we are just now waking up to. Which does gives one hope that perhaps the time has finally come to see systemic change occur, since we are finally discussing and acknowledging this. But considering the current climate, and the unfortunate resurgence of empowered individuals who feel that now is the time to bring back ‘the good old days’, the fight for equality will likely be long and winding. Which means education on these matters are paramount right now, and that’s why this documentary is a must see, because it really does help the audience listen and learn more, about an aspect of our modern world that has been hiding in plain sight for far too long.

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