Craigslist Joe and Jeremy Ruskin

  Craigslist is a very misunderstood website and tool that people of the up and coming generation are not experiencing. In the film Craigslist Joe the main character Joe attempts to live off Craigslist. Thirty one days, no money, and no contact except his ability to contact people through Craigslist. Joe's life now depends on the goodness of other people and their ability to accept and help others. The film is a real feel good movie and everything Joe wanted to accomplish was shown and more. People and Craigslist in general get a bad rep but some of the people and experiences Joe has during his journey will stay with him for the rest of his life. People can still work together and help each other out, "Some say we have lost the sense of community that used to carry us through tough times"(Joe Garner). Meeting a complete stranger and not knowing what's going to happen next has become such an issue now because of some disturbing people but what Joe proved is that this country is still filled with kind and helpful people. Craigslist Joe also does a really good job of showing the importance of technology and how we can use it to help ourselves and one another, "We can take care of each other"(Joe Garner). One of the most important parts of the film is when Joe stays and eats with the family from Iraq. These people have been treated like the worst of the worst since 9/11 and Joe was able to listen and understand what they have to deal with every single day of their lives. They are American citizens and were long before 9/11 and get told daily to return to where they came from and leave this country. Something they had no part of and are against makes them a target and Joe realizes that first hand and it definitely changes his life. Craigslist Joe is the best example of interdependence and how us and a country wide community and even world wide community in the big picture can all help each other.

Joe receiving an Iraq soccer jersey as a gift from the family

The idea of community and Joe being able to fit in with everyone

  "We are soft wired to actually experience another's plight as if we are experiencing it ourselves"(Jeremy Rifkin). If we watch a spider crawl up somebody's arm we will feel there same fear and this is because of our mirror neurons and our ability to be humans and feel for each other. When you really begin to learn about humans like this our ability to understand each other is something extremely underestimated now and technology is playing a role in that. Our frist drive as humans beings, "the drive to actually belong"(Jeremy Rifkin). We has human beings thrive to fit in and to be understood by others. After about two and half years of being alive you begin to possess mature empathy and that's when the very beginning stages of wanting to fit in occur. So if you think about it humans have been trying to fit in since they were two and a half years old. Our idea of our image to society is so controlled by others and social media now that the thrive to fit in has become more intense. Some people have even began to determine there social status just by how many likes they receive on a photo on Instagram or Facebook and that's insane. Technology has only increased the want to fit in for the human race and will only continue with the advancements in technology. 

The desire to fit in

Social media beginning to take over our lives