The Shock Doctorine and American politics...

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by citybutch

I watched this the other evening... with my wife. Anyone else seen it?

Basically it is a book (movie made from the book) which the author, Naomi Klein, maintains that based on the ideas of Milton Firedman, free market systems around the world have been intentionally spread through a strategic "shock and awe" around the world... (nothing really new to many of us... think BP, Haliburton, and hundreds of others).



I was tempted to de-rail another thread because of a discussion of political parties. So decided instead to start a new thread to talk about how both major political parties in the US are so dependent on corporate dollars that neither one is innocent from the corporate oligarchy that controls much of the planet now, which is one of Klein's points.

Each platform has positive as well as negative policies. And each platform wants power.... power they will not have if it weren't for the various blocks of massive resources from both corporations as well as labor.....

Anyone want to join a respectful discussion?

I would love to engage but after 30 seconds of the video I can't even compose a complete thought.

[citybutch]

It is a very powerful book and film. I know I needed a few to be able to talk again myself. I have one other friend who watched it with her wife as well and am waiting for the time for a deeper discussion with her... She digs these conversations and does a tremendous amount of research...

Come back if you want...

Originally Posted by sassy_girl

I would love to engage but after 30 seconds of the video I can't even compose a complete thought.

[Sparkle]

Wow, that is an incredibly powerful clip.

I do want to see the whole film now.

The principles of her theory don't come as a 'shock' to me... not in the least.

Purported WMD and our 'war(S) on terror' post September the 11th are thinly veiled attempts to gain control over oil in the Middle East.

The only thing that shocks me is how many people are unaware. How huge percentages of the population choose to remain in their state of shock and refuse to really look around, to search out alternate news sources, to learn about the state of the world outside their own personal borders and to cast a critical eye.

'the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation' -hdt

on a side note: the banksy graphics are really effective.

[katsarecool]

Very interesting video! I learned about this theory after President Kennedy was assasinated from my mother. She warned me that the people behind his killing were big corporations that stood to benefit hugely from the Viet Nam war. She asked me to observe the behaviors of Lyndon Johnson who supported the war and stood to benefit financially as well.

So I observe that and the murder of Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, all the wars and conflicts up to and including 9/11. My mother was very intelligent and taught me to be ever watchful of behaviors of politicians and the events that follow disasters. So little can "shock" me now.