Blind Spot

Blind Spot

2008, Environment  -   49 Comments
8.58
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Ratings: 8.58/10 from 48 users.

Blind SpotBlind Spot is a documentary film that illustrates the current oil and energy crisis that our world is facing.

Whatever measures of ignorance, greed, wishful thinking, we have put ourselves at a crossroads, which offer two paths with dire consequences.

If we continue to burn fossil fuels we will choke the life out of the planet and if we don’t our way of life will collapse.

According to one review, it makes An Inconvenient Truth look like a sitcom.

There’s a lot of environmental films out there that while not painting a rosy picture still want us to feel a sense of hey things will still be ok, not so with Blind Spot. Director Adolfo Doring has, along with many of the scientists, economists and other experts, wisely decided that the time for coddling us is past, perhaps even too long past.

This absolutely beautifully shot ode to the end of our world as we have known it doesn’t even bother to try and convince us. Either you see the visual beauty of this world, city and country, and want to save it or you don’t.

Either you hear and heed the wisdom of the cadre of experts he presents or you don’t. There is no panic in this ?lm just an absolute and stark reality that we either choose to face or not.

Either way the film tells us it's coming and as one environmental advocate quotes nature as saying (and I paraphrase) either you do it or I will and if I do it I’ll remove things and most of them will be you.

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George T.
George T.
4 years ago

Of course, the graph of 1970's peak U.S. oil production was skewed (after this film was made) by the "shale revolution" when the 2008 global oil shock demanded new sources. So, people are once again ignoring the peak phenomenon by assuming fracking and tar sands are something "new" rather than another (final) oil bubble.

Jack C.
Jack C.
5 years ago

The comments dwelling on abiotic oil are typical of vague, denial-laden reactions to this predicament. Many admit that even if it does exist, the amounts are too small to matter . Peaking data from oil producing nations shows no evidence of an abiotic influence, just bell curves. And climate change makes burning more oil illogical, regardless.

Respect Silence
Respect Silence
5 years ago

From the video description: "Either you see the visual beauty of this world, city and country, and want to save it or you don’t."

Those who want to cover the world in ugly, noisy, lethal, futile wind turbines should heed the above sentence. We need to stop growthism, not build more machines all over the place.

Respect Silence
Respect Silence
5 years ago

Cool E Beans wrote: "I am sick and tired of hearing that you need a fuel to replace a fuel. Run an electric motor which drives an electric generator which produces enough power to run the electric motor. Any excess production of energy would power the world."

You're just describing a perpetual motion system with no net energy loss, like people who think a "magnet motor" is some ingenious new idea they can build and become billionaires. I hope you were being sarcastic!

Finite does actually mean finite, and you can't get most people to admit it because they are intellectual cowards or just too dumb. Humans evolved when nature was much bigger than Man and can't admit that it's now the converse (in terms of our leveraged ability to deplete and destroy). Most people are just trying to find some vapid feel-good angle, like religion.

DustUp
DustUp
6 years ago

Is the director doing his homework when all he does is find the same misinformed types to support his agenda? There is enough frozen methane off the coast of much of the populated world to last centuries. Japan started mining this stuff some years ago.

Is it really "science" when supposed scientists try to pass crap computer MODELS off as fact when the empirical data shows something far different?

If I had the resources I would dearly love to find a nice uninhabited island that is capable of growing food. Find a few like minded friends and exclude media, lawyers, socialists, politicians, and any other lazy corrupted minds. Producing energy is an easy thing. Ethanol, anyone can make it from soft vegetative matter.

It is getting way old having to tolerate and suffer for the mistakes of those who find it too much effort to check facts, turn a few pages in a history book, or even look around. Nope just reverse peristaltic (up chuck) the fake news and fraudulent govt emotification.

To bad we cannot go back a few thousand years for certain laws when they stoned false prophets to death. So long Al Gore and many other hypocrites.

Generic smith
Generic smith
6 years ago

Good doco, straight & poignant. Control & greed are really the heart of the matter. I think it is going to be a painful change (more than likely regressive) with some tough problems to face with basically a generation until reserves are all but depleted.

jandry
jandry
8 years ago

This should be shown to every high school student before he/she graduates, or at least every college student.

Even if you dont agree with the premise, the suggested timetable, or every detail, this is a much see doc. When you consider the growth of population relative to energy, its a humbling thought to consider how humanity handles an eventual decline in energy reserves.

We may be able to improve solar and wind technologies, we may get greater travel efficiency with electric cars and the necessary infrastructure, but ultimately 1 of 2 things will happen: 1) our standards and model of society will change to no drastically reduce energy consumption, or 2) calamity will drastically reduce our population.

Its an overly simple example, but our current population is similar to any animal that suddenly finds an environment with plentiful supplies of food- their population numbers explode. And when the food supply is overconsumed or destroyed by an outside force (as we have done to many other animals), the population dies off. Food for our current system means energy- we are subject to the same possibility unless we make something happen. Wont be the elite that incites change, and it wont be them that dies off if no change is made!

ninjasmoke
ninjasmoke
13 years ago

'Change' is the natural state of the universe! 0ne hundred millions years ago, when all this fossil fuel we use was NOT even there! And yes it was a different atmosphere. But life was very abundant then and I believe 'man' could have lived then. The atmosphere was not poison to our present biological bodies. Different Yes!! What major geological event brought about the trapping of this organic material (carbon) and preventing it's natural and cyclic break-down by biological organisms on the surface thus releasing it back into the atmosphere, I do not know. But it happened and thus our present day atmosphere exists!

If man wants to work against 'change' then there is a answer to our world energy situation. This energy has been given to the earth for a very long time and is stored where we can get to it. Back when all this discovery of 'oil' was happening there was also knowledge of this other energy and 'man' went the fossil fuel way. Looking back it is obvious that was NOT the best choice! It is still not to late to switch over to a more abundant and more friendly way to NOT change our present environment. What I am suggesting is that we switch to Hydrogen and use the carbon for more sustainable uses like plastic's and fertilizers but stop using it to propel automobiles and even power plants. If we would have made this choice back then ... We would NOT be having the situation we are in now.

The sun dumps, an energy equivalent, of 250 billions barrels of oil a day on this planet. That is a lot of energy, yes? This planet is also 70% covered with water. This is where that energy from the sun is being stored! It is feasible for us to supply what the world is now using in energy and still have enough to supply six times more of that! It is called 'Mist Lift OTEC' (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) With this method we can make all the hydrogen we could ever want and then transport it to all the countries of the world. So now we do not need to give up our transportation or other comforts that we are all afraid we are going to loose. Think about it and Google and learn!!! and then ... DO IT!!!

Marian Helsby
Marian Helsby
13 years ago

A story of how we are destroying ourselves and our world, and, because it is so painful and because we can believe so heartily in tales of fantasy told by hollow men to comfort us, we choose blindness over truth. The people who tell this story speak with voices that don't scream out a drama of guilt and shame, they quietly tell us that the path we have chosen ends.....soon. Pensive, poignant and plain speaking.

Guest
Guest
13 years ago

I have met the enemy, and he is us!

The U.S. has one of the lowest international I.Q. standings in education (in what is considered one of the first world class nations!). I think the reason for that is obviously to dumb down the masses. Why? They don't want a informed society that would confront the status quo.

All of our problems would be solved if we, the citizens, had complete control over our lives rather then a Corporate/Commercial corrupt ideology called
"Democracy". Democracy, for many people, means "Corporate State". If you think this somewhat ludacrous the U.S. is now a Incorporated arm of the foundations of Wall St. and the (privately owned fraud) The Federal Reserve System. The "money changers" are now in control of our nation.

What does this have to do with this site? Documentaries are used, for the most part, as a form of propaganda by commercial interest. Commercial TV promotes the dumbing down of the "masses". My opinion has nothing to do with Vlatko's interest in documentaries. He has a great number of them and I do enjoy using his overall diverse archives and the historical development of the genre and the many varieties available in the documentary industry.

But if we don't wake up from our comatose state we will reap the outcome of complete destabilization of our culture, our government and nation and will be sold out to the highest bidder with a smile. They will justify it and call it progress. A uninformed people are a captured people. A "Blind Spot" for sure.

over the edge
over the edge
13 years ago

the problem with abiotic origins for oil is that anytime a site on earth is put forward for abiotic oil there are logical explanation to say that it is not (organic tracers, sedimentary rock nearby...). then there is the claim of the origins of the methane on titan, i don't know of any concrete evidence in any direction for its origins. i am not saying that abiotic oil doesn't exist (even tho i believe it doesn't) but in order to prove a theory or propose it as a viable alternative. there has to be direct repeatable and observable proof. the ball is in the court of the proponents of the theory. the onus is not on the people on the other side to prove it wrong. bring scientific proof for abiotic origins and we can talk.

Imightberiding
Imightberiding
13 years ago

...Boo!...scared yet? You should be. Thanks for another must see Doc Vlatko!

Kelly Mitchell
Kelly Mitchell
13 years ago

Methane seas on Titan prove abiotic origin to at least some hydrocarbons. Probably they are all abiotic. That does not mean they are in unlimited supply. Whatever is produced may be, and probably is, running down. Abiotic merely means that hydrocarbons are NOT produced by siltification and compression of dead organic material - no one knows what the real story is. Biotic hydrocarbons is poorly established. Ask a geologist - very few will say that oil definitely biological in origin. Most will tell you we don't know.
I worked as an oilfield geologist, btw.

jilted_generation
jilted_generation
13 years ago

Abiotic oil is BS you say ? Well I'm just a kid, tho if oil is produced from biomass, how do you explain traces of it in meteors, or better yet check out Saturn's moon Titan?

Someone earlier replied "Even Gold admits ....".

Abiotic oil theory was developed during the cold war, by some Soviet Union scientists,all papers and such at that time were written in their language (obviously), and this Thomas Gold brought the ideea to the so called civilized west. He isn't an expert, he was even accused by the scientists who came up with the theory, becouse he started taking facts, and adding wishfull thinking into them and taking the "hype/glory" for himself (typical isn't it?). Do your research.

It is indeed sad that wikipedia, for many people, has replaced the bible.

Guest
Guest
13 years ago

"An Inconvenient Truth looks like a sitcom?" It is a criminal sitcom, that why!

An Ex Vice President of the United States, is now known as a International Con man! Who Knew!

Yea, Are there any other movies under the category Sitcom Realities?

My major question is where do documentary film makers get funding? Or why. by who? About 90% of film makers have to tow the company line. Do it our way or no way!

If you believe that Armageddon is around the corner, it will be corporately owned. They hold the copyrights and of course, disclaimers. This way the can't be sued for not registration with a foreign agent, I mean, lets keep it Kosher.

Guest
Guest
13 years ago

Blind Spot is a documentary film that illustrates the current oil and energy crisis that our world is facing. Is facing what? "A sucker born every minute"?

There is no "crisis" concerning oil. It's a manufactured scam. Look up Abiotic Oil and check out the secret being kept from consumers. This lie is part of the "Big Oil" Companies ploy to fleece the public by not informing the them about the nature of the constant process of deep oil which constantly reproduces oil in the earths core.

The United States Government is purposely destroying its country for the Internationalist so they can dominate control of our natural resources and our economy.

oddsrhuge
oddsrhuge
13 years ago

I agree with Lester Brown; "WE", meaning the proletariat, aren't prepared for the decline of oil production. However, there are so many clean and alternative options that we, the proletariat have NEVER been told are viable opitions, simply because they have a low probability for MAXIMUM profit. But you wanna bet that if there is no more oil, our governments will still find a way to bomb some other country, in the interest of progress.

Oil, is just another paradigm that follows the flow of money up that hill to the already very rich.

mmjvnt
mmjvnt
13 years ago

every thing about oil is a carsinagen,use hydrogen,water,elec.,to power things,use helicopters and hovercrafts for transportation and deliveries and clean powered trains[no diesal]use peanut oil for tractors.build with real wood,organic food and medicine.catch rain water,use a windmill like the ranch ones of 100 years ago.think about the next generation are cell phones or towers good for people or nature.question everything[i stole that].

French Toasty
French Toasty
13 years ago

Very nice! Not at all the environmentalist propaganda film I thought it might be, rather this doc lays out some basic facts without overly promoting anything except the obvious.

Hard to believe so many people turn a blind eye to facts that should be well known... but this will likely remain the case until people are forced into lifestyle changes.

At some point, oil will run out, and life will change for most, if not all of us. Maybe modern man will find other ways to power it's machine-filled lifestyle, but we may very well be forced to abandon many things and ways of life that we take for granted today.

alans
alans
13 years ago

They keep talking about some "crisis". There is no crisis. Use oil and enjoy it. When oil runs out, electric, solar and hydro will replace it. The planet constantly goes through cooling and warming, so relax.

Stephen W.
Stephen W.
13 years ago

Also this biodiesel and ethanol arguments that come up are pretty flawed. For one its always painted as if some farmers got together and decided this- when that's just not the case. The farmers grow whats cheap and processing companies are the ones who help to lobby the government to make it cheap. Farmers are closing down all over the US everyday because the government has made corn so damn cheap. The farmers here are just as much victims as anyone else. And secondly when we bring how many people are starve to death the dark corners of the world, it always failed to mention that if even we didn't turn this corn to fuel these people would still starve. Its not a problem of production when it comes to feeding the world - its a problem of economics. In many countries where famine is a regular occurrence not far from where malnourished children parish someone just finished a dinner and tossed their scraps. We have food - we have lots of food - but those people have no money. we make some bio-diesel they still don't have money. I just feel like when these issues arn't addressed the bio-diesel question is grossly misrepresented.

Stephen W.
Stephen W.
13 years ago

Cool_E_Beans, I'm failing to see what is blatantly eugenic about this film.

smartnup
smartnup
13 years ago

Very informative and made a lot of commonsense thinking. Great doco.

Peter Ehrlich
Peter Ehrlich
13 years ago

I'm going to show this to my Mom.

Cool E Beans
Cool E Beans
13 years ago

This is one of the most blatently eugenic ideals presentations I have ever seen. Forget about the lack of oil in the coming decades, we the people have to go.

I liked the chart (the same type Al Gore used in 'An Inconvenient Truth') showing world population growth with a marked indicator of maximum sustainable population world wide. There has been NO study regarding the carrying capacity of the world especially considering the amount of cropland being used for fuel substitutes instead of food either for people or food animals. Moreover, if we used our own cropland for our own food, only exporting what we overproduce to our nearest neighbors and each of them doing the same, cutting out the continuous fuel consuming transportation of foods world wide, the oil we have could be used for a much longer period of time giving us a better chance to establish new mechanical means of locomotion to replace what we use now ie: all electric vehicles which could run on themselves.

I am sick and tired of hearing that you need a fuel to replace a fuel. Run an electric motor which drives an electric generator which produces enough power to run the electric motor. Any excess production of energy would power the world.