The Lottery of Birth

The video is OK, but there are better resources on the topic
The central message of this video is that what we believe and think are the results of our upbringing and experience moreso than a well conceived, rational thought process. Some of the interviewees could be accused of delivering this message with a tone of smugness that I found extremely off-putting. If you find the topic interesting and would like a more thorough (and palatable!) presentation, consider Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" or Jonathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind".

Beautifully shot, thought provoking and an all round must see
Over the years there are very few films I have seen that have left me with as many questions as The Lottery of Birth. On the face of it, you could say that it's a talking heads film where scientists, psychologists, historians and political thinkers discuss what the meaning of 'freedom' is to them and how the idea of 'freedom' is shaped depending on where you are born, your religion, gender, class etc. The idea that the belief system in any given country is fed to us from birth and that we as individuals are actively discouraged in questioning our place in society. There is a very clear message in this film and that is that every action or indeed inaction is in itself political. By being cynical, accepting the status quo and indulging in political inertia we are making the biggest political statement of all and that is 'consent.' We're saying yes to everything: war, health cuts, a rise in poverty. By doing nothing and being encouraged to believe that there is nothing we CAN do, we are...

A must watch
Challenging, thought provoking, bound to cause any open viewer to sit in silence for a bit. Reading the reviews, particularly the 1 star comments, is revealing and reinforces the point of the documentary.

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