Watch a trailer for Slay The Dragon, a political documentary exposing the dangers of gerrymandering
Yes, our democracy is collapsing. Our president repeatedly violates the Constitution as his Republican sycophants smooch his soles, the 2016 Democratic primary was a mess, and presidential candidate/newly-minted meme king Mike Bloomberg is doing everything he can to buy his way into the Oval Office. And now, thanks to Slay The Dragon, us everyday folk are about to learn just how much of threat gerrymandering has become in the modern political landscape. Hope you’ve got space for a little more anxiety in your day-to-day.
If you’re unaware, gerrymandering is a shady political practice in which bad actors seek to skew voting maps based on demographic data, thus favoring a particular party around election time. Arnold Schwarzenegger, of all people, has been outspoken in his efforts to end the practice, but, as the below trailer for Slay The Dragon shows, it’s an uphill battle. One talking head in the clip calls gerrymandering an “astonishing manipulation of democracy,” while the film’s synopsis says it “exacerbates the already polarized atmosphere in Congress and state houses across the country.”
The documentary, which comes from filmmakers Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance, follows Katie Fahey, the founder of Voters Not Politicians, and the grassroots efforts of various citizens’ groups to, as the synopsis puts it, “fix serpentine districting maps drawn to silence voters.”
Slay The Dragon hits select theaters on March 13.