The film "The Gods Must Be Crazy" illustrates the stark contrast between the culture of the Bushmen and modern society through the interactions between socialized members of each of these very different cultures. The cultural contrasts are evident in the characters' actions, values and differing world views. The film paints an exceptional portrait of the differences between human cultures, as well as the belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group, that runs common to all.
The Bushmen culture is one of simplicity and contentment. The pace of life in the Bushmen culture is relaxed and slow. The Bushmen culture was one without social classes. They never punished or even spoke harshly to their children and yet the children were surprisingly well behaved. The Bushmen place the greatest value on their family and their relationship with god. The Bushmen seem to have a deep respect for all life both human and non-human. In the film, the Bushman shoots an animal with a tranquilizer dart and waits until the animal lays down to go to sleep; before taking the animal's life the Bushmen would apologize for having to kill the animal and explained that he must do it so that his family could eat. His action was important because it showed that the Bushmen hunted only out of necessity and never for sport. Although the Bushmen lived in circumstances that we think of as squalor they seemed to be very happy and completely content with their lives.
The most striking aspect of the Bushmen culture was the complete lack of conflict among its members. The Bushmen seemed to have no concept of private or personal property and readily shared their food with others. This situation changed abruptly upon the discovery of the "gift from the gods" which was in reality a discarded coke bottle. The Bushmen found a variety of uses for this bottle as a music-maker, tool and toy. The bottle