My Favorite Documentaries

One of my high school history teachers showed us this documentary about Robert S. McNamara, who oversaw a large part of America's war in Vietnam.

I remember nothing but fascination. I'm deeply, deeply captivated by watching men (or women) be confronted by irrefutable proof of their misdeeds, whether they're murderers or Secretaries of State (or both). Watching denial, shame, self-righteousness, and guilt play across the human mind is always riveting.

I think Elizabeth Holmes deserves to go to jail and I hope a jury is strong enough to see past her gender, age, ethnicity and socioeconomic class to put her there. The privileged older white men who placed her in a position of ensconced power weren't able to see her clearly, here's hoping justice can. Wealthy and beautiful young blondes can be criminals too!

I'm fascinated by Elizabeth Holmes and the history of her company, Theranos. From a feminist perspective, I have a lot of questions about the gender divide in this story. She played a long, deep con on a group of well-respected businessmen and politicians. What was it about her that made them eager to project success onto her idea? What was it about their power and privilege that blinded them to her?

From a humanist angle, how could a lying manipulator, who doesn't display any empathy for the people her company could've hurt, also possess this seemingly authentic urge to help others? How did her self-perception and the disappointing reality of her theories become so toxically disordered?