When looking at the basic workings of human and sex trafficking, we see two conflicting subcultures: the victims and the exploiters. Both groups have entirely different roles and motives, yet we cannot have one without the other. Unlike many of subcultures we have studied so far, the subcultural world of trafficking is not meant to be seen. Again, I will quote Ken Gelder: “not every subculture is spectacular, or even ‘visible’” (11). In fact, Julian Sher’s Globe and Mail article “Sex trafficking: a national disgrace” reviews Benjamin Perrin’s book, entitled Invisible Chains. The article explains how sex trafficking is not only an issue in third-world countries, but also an issue right under our noses in Canada. Though we may not easily see this subculture, it is important to know that it exists.
However, bringing such awareness requires talking about issues that may be uncomfortable or unpleasant to talk about. Just as Perrin’s book brings these issues to the forefront in Canada, Michael Winterbottom’s film, In This World, attempts to show the desperation and malevolence behind human trafficking in the Middle East. The film is often seen as a documentary depicting the journey of two young Afghan refugees who rely on human trafficking to get them safely to England. However, the film is not a documentary, but a staged depiction of real people in inevitable circumstances.
Though I hesitate to call In This World a mockumentary to avoid its comparison to the likes of This is Spinal Tap and Borat, this genre is likely the most suitable for the film. One cannot help but to think that there are risks in filming such a tragic reality in this way, but the question arises: would anyone ever be able to make a true documentary about human trafficking and remain completely passive and objective?
There has been quite the ethical debate about conducting research among subcultural or marginalized groups without growing emotionally involved. Laud Humphreys describes his process of becoming a deviant in order to closely observe a subculture in his essay “The Sociologist as a Voyeur”. Though Humphreys emerges himself in an underground subculture of homosexual promiscuity, his concerns and methods could easily pertain to an outsider’s study of sex and human trafficking. He writes: “there is only one way to watch highly discreditable behaviour and that is to pretend to be in the same boat with those engaging in it” (350). I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to immerse oneself among the exploiters of this subculture. Not only would it be difficult to be accepted into the culture, but also to maintain composure as to not “distort the real world” (348).
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There are moments during In This World that the viewer may forget that they are not watching a documentary and begin to wonder how the camera crew is able to follow the refugees without being questioned. Humphreys explains that “observation us made doubly difficult when the observer is an object of suspicion” (350). With this obstacle in mind, the possibility of making a documentary about human trafficking becomes seemingly impossible.
Nevertheless, the activist nature behind the works of Perrin and Winterbottom encourages much needed discussion about this invisible subculture of hungry criminals and innocent victims. Suddenly, the apparent conflict between mainstream society and the skater subculture seems insignificant.
Works Cited
Gelder, Ken. “The Field of Subcultural Studies.” The Subcultures Reader. 2nd ed. Ken Gelder. London: Routledge, 2005. 1-15. Print.
Humphreys, Laud. “The Sociologist as Voyeur.” The Subcultures Reader. 2nd ed. Ken Gelder. London: Routledge, 2005. 347-357. Print.
Sher, Julian. “Sex trafficking: a national disgrace.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 15 October 2010. Web. 8 February 2012.
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