[None of the Above raw #33]

Raw footage for the documentary "None  of the Above," an in depth ethnographic look at non voters during the 1996 presidential election. This video features interviews with Michael and Holly Bowser of Morro Bay, California. Bowsers #3.

00:00Copy video clip URL This tape begins with an interview with Michael Bowser at his home in Morro Bay, California. Bowser and journalist John Callaway talk about a slew of social and governmental issues. They begin by talking about the government’s involvement in smoking regulation. Bowser says, “I think that’s invasive. I truly do. I don’t think any government has the right to tell me what I can do where.”When asked if the government has been helpful to him in any way, Bowser states that it has provided a societal stability for the most part and that there are programs that help society work. Bowser goes on to talk about past California governors including Jerry Brown and Ronald Reagan.

08:18Copy video clip URL Callaway asks Bowser about his American spirit and the hypothetical of getting involved in the political process, specifically getting out to vote. Bowser explains that he would be unable to vote for any candidate because of their lacking of representation for his specific views. He also talks about his inability to take part in the voting process because of a former drug charge in his younger years. He goes into detail about his former drug habits and how drugs affect America’s youth. “I’ve watched an awful lot of good people ruin themselves with [drugs]. I’ve watched an awful lot of potential fade away, become lost in shaking hands, and lack of memory, and bad teeth, and death.” Bowser also believes in the legalization of drugs.

17:44Copy video clip URL When asked how the country could persuade Bowser to become a part of the political process, Bowser responds, “Tell me the truth. Tell me the truth. Tell me you’re going to line your pockets. Tell me you’re going to line all of your friends’ pockets. Be honest with me. Give me the credit for having the brains to see that you’re not, you know, that you sleep with other women besides your wife, you know, that you may have had an indiscretion in your life and maybe you did inhale. Tell me that you’re going to line your pockets and all of your friends’ pockets, but in the process, give me good government, give me roads that work, give me a tax system that I can understand that’s fair to all. Don’t give me something where if I go to court against a millionaire I’m going to lose automatically. Don’t give me this. Give me honesty, give me equality, fairness for everybody.”

19:29Copy video clip URL Callaway asks Bowser about his hobbies and who he is as a person. Bowser talks about his love and respect for nature. He goes into detail about his hunting habits and his spirituality. He talks about his disdain for organized religion as well. Wehn asked whether he would like his children to vote when they are of age. He states that he hopes they will based on the evolution of the voting process. The camera operator gets a shot of a large picture of Bowser’s grandfather that laid on top of the kitchen table.

30:12Copy video clip URL We watch as Michael and Holly Bowser sit down with Callaway for another interview. The Bowser children remain rambuncious as their parents try to send them to their room to play. This lasts for several minutes.

35:12Copy video clip URL Callaway begins to ask Holly Bowser about her voting habits. She goes into detail as to why she voted in the 1992 election and why she chooses not to vote now. Bowser and Callaway go on to talk about a variety of issues including crime, abortion, drug legalization, welfare, and her own family history. She states that she doesn’t believe that her vote will really make a difference. She emphasizes the need for less governmental involvement in her family’s life. She also goes into detail about a car accident she had been involved in with a drunk driver a number of years ago.

48:56Copy video clip URL Bowser talks about her views on welfare, citing it as a need rather than a want. She talks about the lack of jobs in her area. She also briefly talks about her aspirations to receive a higher education and her own family history. She goes on to talk about how she would change the government.

58:12Copy video clip URL Bowser talks about her interracial parents and what type of racial prejudice arose from that. She goes on to talk about her thoughts on the government being prejudiced as well.

01:01:54Copy video clip URL Tape ends.