Power Networks

Watching A Single Spark was very moving: the films follows two plot lines, present day (then 1980s) and five years before (1965-1970), mapping the struggle of two groups of people discovering their place in society, learning about their rights, and fighting for justice in an unfair system.

What was most striking to me was the frustration suffered by the characters due to the power dynamic. Obviously there is a power structure between Tae Il and his boss--Tae Il is learning the truth about workers' rights and sticking up for his coworkers, while his boss works hard to shut him up--but that isn't all. Tae Il turns to people higher up (government/newspaper) for help, but several times is shut down.

This got me thinking about those 'higher up' people and who they decide to take seriously, as far as reporting things go. Why did the authority not listen to Tae Il when he complained about the conditions of his workplace? Was it because he was so young and unwealthy that they did not take him seriously? Or was the problem simply too common and unexciting for the newspapers? I decided to look into the idea of authority's decision to take people seriously.

I first looked at the police, as they are a crucial authority who has to judge constantly what is serious enough to address. Today, even if the police are called and they suspect that it is a prank or that it is a child who called on accident, police are obliged to send a patrol car out anyway. I think this is due to the modern obsession with safety first and also to avoid having to be sued (imagine what would happen if it was revealed that the police ignored what was actually a major issue and people were hurt as a result). I've seen other even more modern movies where the polices are shown rolling their eyes at a kid's call and then ignoring it, even if the call was serious. In actuality, mis-reporting to 911 is extremely serious and results in fines nowadays. The police are more likely now, I am sure, to take reports seriously, for everyone's sake.

Obviously when it comes to the Press, journalists can pick-and-choose what they find sensational. They are not legally obliged to report on just any information that they are given. In a way the press is an authority because they dictate the spreading of important information, but it is interesting to consider that they are not exactly a dependable authority and that their job is not to help people...

So, what? Have things changed since the 1980s when it comes to taking reports like Tae-Il's seriously? Hmm...