What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? Discussion

[Scott Stead]

This is where we're discussing What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?! Get it from Blockbuster here.
Get it from NetFlix here.
Buy it from Amazon here.
Or borrow it from your local library!

[Michael Ambs]

I remember seeing this film in the theater... before it was officially released. And I've watched it on DVD a handful of times since then - not always all the way through, but it's an eye-opening film. A bit cheesy in some of it's approach - but it's no reason to not see it.

I've wanted to see the follow up to this film - but I have yet to come across it. Anyway - I think I walked around for a week with my head in the clouds after seeing this. Thinking about all the things it touched on: especially the part where they talked about an experiment with words taped to jars of water... words like: love, hate, peace, i hate you, etc... and had people look at those words while they took microscopic (if I remember right) photographs and the water in each jar looked so different. When they brought up how much of the human body is made of water and how much other people's emotions and feelings must effect us... it made my head spin.

It's hard to see this and not at some level always be aware of interconnected everything we see and do is... it's an amazing perspective to keep in mind.

[Jen Consalvo]

I just watched the film and I'm bummed I didn't see it when my friends told me about it 5 years ago. Loved it. You're right about some of the cheesy script, but it still worked and, for me, retained it's credibility. Full disclosure though - I've been a "we're all connected, it's all energy, positive power of words" junkie for a while. So to me, this move was about validation.

BTW, a friend of mine was very into this film when it first came out and went to study with Emoto regarding the water experiments. There's a site about it here: http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm. To this day she writes positive words on all her water bottles.

Anyway, I've heard people compare this film to The Secret. Personally I thought this film was much better because it's more "grounded" (feels weird saying that) in science but also focused on quality of life, health - and evolution - versus just material wealth.

I'm tempted to make a new reading list out of all the experts/authors who provided the quantum physics information - so fascinating!

Michael Ambs said:

I remember seeing this film in the theater... before it was officially released. And I've watched it on DVD a handful of times since then - not always all the way through, but it's an eye-opening film. A bit cheesy in some of it's approach - but it's no reason to not see it.

I've wanted to see the follow up to this film - but I have yet to come across it. Anyway - I think I walked around for a week with my head in the clouds after seeing this. Thinking about all the things it touched on: especially the part where they talked about an experiment with words taped to jars of water... words like: love, hate, peace, i hate you, etc... and had people look at those words while they took microscopic (if I remember right) photographs and the water in each jar looked so different. When they brought up how much of the human body is made of water and how much other people's emotions and feelings must effect us... it made my head spin.

It's hard to see this and not at some level always be aware of interconnected everything we see and do is... it's an amazing perspective to keep in mind.

[Scott Stead]

All in all - in Michael's words "a bit cheesy...in it's approach." This film had good intentions but for me - ended up being a 'pseudo-documentary' about 'pseudo-science'. From the Emoto water experiment to talking about 'electrons popping in and out of existence', I felt like what they were basing their science on was loosely put together and not entirely based on the foundations of science. Sure - all of the facts about the chemicals and the receptors in our bodes responding to stimuli and making connections makes sense. But I hardly found the points that they were making to be 'reality shattering'. At points I felt like it was some sort of new-age infomercial that was going to ask me to get out my check book before the credits rolled. The Marlet Matlin mini film within the documentary, in its attempt to make spansive quantum theory digestible made the film less credible and more of a feature to be shown in an IMAX Theater (think 'journey to the center of the hypothalamus' meets 'those crazy ragin' hormones'). Right down to the hokey after school special "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, you're fat, you're ugly" being screamed into a mirror, followed by an impromptu washable tattoo "I-love-myself-bathtub-fest" - this film totally lost its way with trying to explain away their bogus theories.

As a footnote all three producers of this film are a members of the cult...errr uhh...students of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment. Ahhh now I get how they made the leap from subatomic particles to alternative universes and cosmic forces. Ramtha...I want my eight dollars back.

[MattHurst]

This continues to be one of my favorite documentaries to share with friends, so it's refreshing to hear the social context you all have watched this film in. If anyone else needs a copy, I'd be happy to lend it out.
I remember the first time I saw this wasn't so much of a revelation as a affirmation of some ideas I had. I think it would be worthwhile to watch this as a group to lead discussion afterward. Would anyone be up for that?