Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection

March 15, 2026 By: Michelle Anderson

I believe that civil disobedience is an important, sometimes necessary strategy that works best when it is nonviolent, strategically targeted, persistent, and focused on Indigenous leadership and community objectives.

A recent regional example is the Fairy Creek blockades and related actions on Vancouver Island, which used persistent civil disobedience to delay logging, generate public scrutiny, and pressure governments toward policy reviews and old‑growth protections (see coverage in The Narwhal: https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-old-growth-update-2024/). Similar to this, the Wet’suwet’en opposition to Coastal GasLink forced a nationwide debate about Indigenous title and pipeline approvals; although legal outcomes are still up for debate, the campaigns changed public opinion and increased political costs for projects (overview: https://thenarwhal.ca/wetsuweten-coastal-gaslink-rcmp-overview/).

Documentaries and media in this unit explain why civil disobedience often emerges. The Lightbulb Conspiracy (2010) demonstrates how systemic drivers, planned obsolescence and industrial incentives, that routine regulation struggles to address, making disruptive public action a means to expose harmful systems. The Rossmann video on corporate repair practices shows how targeted, sustained pressure can shift consumer norms and policy toward right‑to‑repair reforms (Louis Rossmann: https://youtu.be/NVAmnV65_zw). The documentary that I chose , Fairy Creek: The Last Stand  (https://youtu.be/C-DitozPh98?si=y1uizCI1p4PkanLd) reinforces how community organizing and public education amplify the impact of direct action by widening support and translating protest into policy pressure.

My local energy footprint informs my view of needed change. My house is fully electric (no natural gas for heating or appliances), I commute by car about 15 km each way to work using gasoline, and I still enjoy occasional wood bonfires for cooking, as well as using gas BBQ. These mixed choices reflect both the constraints and cultural habits of suburban life: electric household energy reduces fossil fuel use at home, but car dependence and recreational campfires persist. Tracking that consumption highlights how government policy and infrastructure (public transit, EV incentives, renewable electricity) shape individual choices.

In conclusion, civil disobedience works when coupled with public education, legal strategy, and political advocacy, especially when Indigenous leadership and long‑term stewardship goals are central. Fairy Creek and Wet’suwet’en show that even if immediate legal victories are partial, direct action can buy time, protect places, and force policy reconsideration; paired with documentary exposure and community organizing, it helps move the larger system away from a growth‑at‑all‑costs paradigm toward more sustainable energy and land practices.

References

Dannoritzer, Cosima, and Joan Úbeda, producers. The Lightbulb Conspiracy. 2010. Film. The

Video Project. Accessed March 15, 2026.

https://www.environmentandsociety.org/mml/light-bulb-conspiracy-2010.

Louis, Rossmann. “Apple Uses Spite to Force Planned Obsolescence.” YouTube video,

 September 16, 2015. https://youtu.be/NVAmnV65_zw. Accessed March 15, 2026.

 

The Narwhal. “B.C. Old‑Growth Update 2024.” The Narwhal. Accessed March 15, 2026.

https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-old-growth-update-2024/.

The Narwhal. “Wet’suwet’en and Coastal GasLink: Overview.” The Narwhal.

https://thenarwhal.ca/wetsuweten-coastal-gaslink-rcmp-overview/. Accessed March 15,

2026.

Peace Arch News. “Surrey Students Collaborate with First Nation in Garden Project.” Peace

Arch News. https://www.peacearchnews.com/local-news/surrey-students-collaborate-       with-first-nation-in-garden-project-8078965. Accessed March 15, 2026.

YouTube. “Cited Community Organizing / Education Video.” Accessed March 15, 2026.Video,

https://youtu.be/C- DitozPh98?si=y1uizCI1p4PkanLd.