30 days

The second season of an FX hit “30 Days” has proved to be rather controversial. With issues on, Immigration, Religion, and Jail the show may leave some viewers feeling a bit heated. According the FX website, the executive producer, Morgan Spurlock, is known for the production of his own movie, “Super Size Me”, where he documents his daily eating habits at a fast food restaurant chain. Spurlock captured the essence of reality television by allowing his life to be filmed without any outside interference.
The hit show “30 Days” continues his success by looking at more charged issues and allowing viewers to experience life from a different point of view. A person from a different culture or background is put in a setting for 30 days that they are not familiar with and they have no control as to what happens to them. The show documents the 30 days to see what changes, if any are made by this enriching experience.
A recent episode on Immigration allowed a self appointed Minuteman, “Frank”, to move into a home with a family of illegal immigrants. Frank was born in another country, but migrated with his family legally. He feels that it is his duty to pick up the governments slack and enforce the immigration laws. His new family for the next 30 days feels that they should be granted citizenship and immigration should be accepted in the United States.
The opening scene is a view of the Statue of Liberty while her message, “The New Colossus”, is narrated in the background, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" This is a message that seems to go against the laws of the country. The illegal family, Paty, Rigo, and their children are confused as to why they cannot be part of this country; they are tired, poor, yearning to breathe free and pretty much homeless. Frank feels that they would be welcomed if they immigrated legally. What he does not yet realize is how hard legal immigration is for a poverty stricken family coming from nothing to a land of opportunity. The want, the need and the desire to be an American is overwhelming. The challenge of the film is for Frank to overcome his preconceived stereotypes, but it may prove to be harder some think. Author Walter Lippman discusses that people tend to associate with those that are most like them and make treaties and laws that benefit them, but what they do not know is how these laws will affect those who are not like them. The documentary forces Frank to experience a different culture and makes him examine his beliefs about the laws of the country that he calls home.
The documentary covers many different angles and is brilliantly filmed, which gets two thumbs up review from me. The producers do an excellent job at allowing both sides to be shown without focusing more on one side or another. The main gatekeeper for this show is the viewer. It is up to the viewers to watch the documentary that is pitted up against other hour long shows at this hour. The agenda setting is done by the schedule of the show in many different ways, such as the time it is aired, and also what the producers want the viewers to see from each episode in the way that it is filmed and edited. The filmmakers only have an hour to get across the information they want their viewers to see, feel and interpret. Controversial topics allow viewers to form their own opinions through the agenda of the producers. The documentary will keep viewers on the edge of their seats if they feel particularly strong about a certain subject. I would definitely recommend anyone to challenge themselves by watching this program for an hour, or even better yet: live the life of someone else for “30 days”.