Boys State
- Director: Amanda McBaine; Jesse Moss
- Producer: Shannon Dill, Davis Guggenheim, Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, Sarah Regan, Jonathan Silberberg, Nicole Stott
CGiii Comment
Mostly white. Mostly middle-class. All young men.
Too terrifying to be ignored. Too cultish to be taken seriously. Too bleak...the future politicians - according to this - are in it for their ego-stroking selves.
Over 1000 young men indulge in this every year, in every state! That's a lot of young, impressionable minds being cajoled and manipulated...there's an even spookier, more elite annual gathering: Boys Nation.
Forget about the issues that actually matter...it's all about winning. Say what needs to be said, study the demographics...win the hearts and minds...and then, when you win [by any and all means necessary], do [when in office] what you want.
We've seen this played out many times in adult politics...it's just so bloody chilling to watch the younger generation eagerly follow - like lemmings - in their predecessors' footsteps.
There is a Girls State...but why the American Legion separates the sexes is testament to their antiquity, redundancy and downright misogyny.
Hopefully, the documentary will be watched by parents of young impressionable minds...seeing the The American Legion as it ought to be seen...this is patriotism by way of brain-washing.
Democracy in America...c'mon, the Electoral College basically silences the more rural communities/less populated states...making their votes trivial. Presidential voting turnout rarely goes above 60% - is that democracy? Or, just the well-heeled getting their way!?! Well, sadly, it looks like the kids will continue with this well-oiled, well-heeled tradition.
Really...this is a terrifying film...and, what's even more terrifying, they all look like members of that faux tax-exempt religious cult!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
In an unusual experiment, a thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas join together to build a representative government from the ground up.