Video Review of "Nations United" - by Faith Brogdan

The United Nations released a video titled “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times”. This video touches on several topics that are negatively affecting people all around the world. They point out the problems and then provide solutions based on research they have conducted. It is a very informative video that does a great job of showcasing how people can use our voices united and take action. The video is separated into 4 chapters making it easy to follow along and letting the primary focus be on a single issue for each chapter.;

Chapter 1: Climate and Our Planet

When the first chapter of the video is introduced, it is a video of a woman recording herself in South Wales, Australia on New Year's 2019. Currently, Australia’s recorded temperatures were above 117°F and these temperatures paired with being in a drought for months caused these wildfires to break out. We can see this woman leaving out her house to hurriedly get into her car to seek shelter away from the fires as they are growing closer to her. The tone of her voice is one of urgency and fright because of the current situation she is in. The background music used at this point is like intense orchestral music setting the scene to give it an intense and frightful tone. After showing the Australian wildfires they move on to showing other disasters that are happening such as the Jakarta Floods, Locust Swarms in East Africa, and California Wildfires. While they are showing these other disasters happening, they are giving facts about what happened because of them for example since there were Locust Swarms in East Africa up to 25 million East Africans were threatened by food shortages due to the swarm.

The next part of the chapter is a 180 from the first part. The music has changed to an uplifting and inspiring tone. It shows videos of people on the streets protesting in the name of making the climate crisis a bigger issue and wanting to bring more attention to it. The people who are protesting are from all over the world and not just one place showing this is a worldwide issue. A man Don Cheadle who is a UNFP Goodwill Ambassador comes to talk about the climate crisis and the negative effects that are happening right now. They do a good job of not just showing what the problem is but by giving solutions to these problems. This shows that the United Nations has plans to help build our planet back up from these disasters and not just point out the problems. This section did use logical reasoning such as charts showing how temperatures have risen and the increase in CO2 emissions. Ethos was present from the start by starting the video with a woman living right next to the wildfires and actively trying to escape. With the information presented in this chapter, I was able to gain a better understanding of just how important the climate crisis is. This chapter makes me want to start to change aspects of my life to help the planet no matter how small I think it might be.

Chapter 2: Poverty and Inequality

The first thing we see as an introduction to chapter 2 is pictures of people in poverty, specifically children. A woman Michelle Yeoh is the first speaker in this chapter she talks about how poverty is universal, but it is manmade meaning that poverty is not inevitable. Michelle gives data about poverty about how in 1990 1.9 billion people were living in extreme poverty but in 2015 the number drops to 735 billion people. This data shows the audience that it is possible to decrease the number of people living in poverty and can give a message of hope.

The music present throughout this chapter has an uplifting tone to it and a hopeful one. There is a man Sugata Mitra who conducted an experiment in the slums of India across from where he worked. He puts a computer in a wall with a touchpad next to it to see what the people will do. With this experiment, Sugata can see how these young kids teach themselves without any formal teaching about computers. These kids teach themselves and they can teach the kids around them as well. There are pictures shown throughout the video so when talking about poverty they are showing pictures of kids living in harsh conditions appealing to the audience’s emotions. When the video shifts to the subject of inequality it shows pictures of people protesting in the streets and making their voices heard.

Chapter 2 did a good job of playing into the viewer’s more emotional side. As a viewer, it hurt to see these people, especially the children living in poverty and not having their basic needs fulfilled. As I previously stated the music throughout this chapter has a hopeful sound to it the pictures and topic still present feelings of sadness to its viewers.

Chapter 3: Justice and Human Rights

At the start of this chapter, we see a portrait of George Floyd which is a recent case that took over the media and nation. His brother is the one narrating and talking about George’s death and how he must be the one to step up and take care of his family and George’s as well. The background music is minimal this is done on purpose so that your focus is on what George’s brother is saying. While he is talking, we see more portraits of George done in different ways and people protesting in the streets. You then hear a crowd of people chanting “Black Lives Matter” it is so powerful and overwhelming hearing these many people coming together for this issue. Seeing these photographs and hearing this chant makes it known that there is power in the people and when the people all band together they can make their voices heard and spark a change.

Next is another powerful display of people using their voices with a performance by Burna Boy. In his song, the message is feeling like you can never go on or make it to the next level. But when you feel like this you must keep on pushing and continuing to persevere no matter what. The words never and stop are constantly repeated making the message come across as clear that you must never stop.

This chapter was powerful and did a wonderful job of showcasing just how powerful people can be. We see numerous photos and videos of people protesting from everywhere in the world which made me feel a sense of pride because I can see and know that there are people out there who use their voices for those who cannot speak up and for things, they believe in themselves. The part where you hear the crowd chanting “black lives matter” over and over caused me to get goosebumps because I could feel the power of the crowd throughout the video. Overall, this was a powerful chapter that made me realize the power is truly in the people.

Chapter 4: Gender Equality

This chapter starts with statistics about gender inequality. 75% of parliament is men, 73% of managerial decision makers are men, 67% of climate negotiators are men, and 87% of the people at the peace table are men. These numbers show just how big the gap is between men and women when it comes to holding positions of power. Malala Yousafzai is the credible speaker used in this chapter. We learn that it was the closing of her father’s school by the Taliban that made her want to campaign for the right of young girls across the country to go to school. We see Malala talk about these rights she has but then are shown videos of men holding guns and that even though she has these rights there are men who want to silence her. The tone of the video changes when the screen goes black, and a gunshot is heard. The music turns into a dramatic tone after it was said she had been shot in the head grasping the audience’s attention further. We see Malala triumph and overcome this obstacle by walking out of the hospital and continuing to use her voice with no fear. A quote that stood out to me was “women are half of the population, but society does not treat them as equals”. This lets it be known that the creators of this video understand the inequality women face and how little representation women get.

As a woman, I knew there was a gender gap when it came to people in power, but this chapter opened my eyes, even more, to realize just how big the gap is. It was heartbreaking to see how in society women are almost always seen as less even though some of the strongest people I know are women. This chapter appeals to both men and women because just how it was eye-opening for me it could do the same for a man. I believe the people who created this section wanted to show how little representation women got even though they make up half the population. It showcases women must try twice as hard as a man because they will continue to be seen as less or weaker.

This United Nations video was informative on a variety of different topics that are affecting our world right now. I could tell from watching the video that a lot of thought and research was put into this video to leave a lasting impression on its viewers. It left a lasting impression on me and hope it will do the same for others who watch. The overall message I received is we need to band together as the people and demand change now before it becomes too late.