The Century Of The Self

[nmarks]

This was a reply I posted in a different thread but I think it deserves a thread of its own.

If you haven't already I really must urge everyone to watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It explains exactly why we live in a society driven by consumerism and thus the obsession with property.

Please promise you will watch it. It is vitally important you do as it will enlighten your understanding of the UK/US way of life.

It ran on BBC2 about 5 years ago, on a Saturday evening quietly out of the way of the very people who should have been watchng it. (On a Saturday evening of course, the masses distract themsleves, getting drunk consoling themselves on their miserable existences).

The Century of the Self is a four part award winning documentary on the history of how psycho-analytical techniques developed by Freud have been used to turn ordinary folk into consumer droids - sheeple - namely how society wilfully buys into and is then controlled into a certain pattern of behaviour that benefits the elite.

You might also find Alan De Botton's Status Anxiety very interesting too, though not so revealing.

Other revealing stuff I have recently enjoyed:

Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

No Logo (Naomi Klein)

Hegemony or Survival (Noam Chomsky)

Assault on Reason (former Vice President Al Gore)

Giving (former President Clinton)

Has anyone read Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine : The Rise of Disaster Capitalism' yet?

[Saving For a Space Ship]

This was a reply I posted in a different thread but I think it deserves a thread of its own.

If you haven't already I really must urge everyone to watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It explains exactly why we live in a society driven by consumerism and thus the obsession with property.

Please promise you will watch it. It is vitally important you do as it will enlighten your understanding of the UK/US way of life.

It ran on BBC2 about 5 years ago, on a Saturday evening quietly out of the way of the very people who should have been watchng it. (On a Saturday evening of course, the masses distract themsleves, getting drunk consoling themselves on their miserable existences).

The Century of the Self is a four part award winning documentary on the history of how psycho-analytical techniques developed by Freud have been used to turn ordinary folk into consumer droids - sheeple - namely how society wilfully buys into and is then controlled into a certain pattern of behaviour that benefits the elite.

You might also find Alan De Botton's Status Anxiety very interesting too, though not so revealing.

Other revealing stuff I have recently enjoyed:

Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

No Logo (Naomi Klein)

Hegemony or Survival (Noam Chomsky)

Assault on Reason (former Vice President Al Gore)

Giving (former President Clinton)

Has anyone read Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine : The Rise of Disaster Capitalism' yet?

The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis in 4 parts here

Pt.1 http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...h&plindex=0

Pt 2

http://video.google.co.uk/url?docid=-67846...lxNKzyq_tSAexxA

Pt 3 http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...h&plindex=2

pt 4 http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...h&plindex=3

I've just ordered Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine. I posted on hpc earlier, but other posters may have missed it's significance.

Edit: my original post

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/ind...;hl=naomi+klein

£15 Hb (£10 off) at Amazon now.

I just watched the harrowing but excellent 4 part doc of 'When the Levees Broke' on the New Orleans disaster by Spike Lee on dvd. 'Shock Doctrine' is very relevant to the vultures circling that place. To what extent disasters are created, exclusively for extreme capitalism to exploit, is a fascinating subject.

When the Levees Broke 16 min intro clip

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...h&plindex=0

Might as well add 'Fantasy Island to your book list

cheapest new & used

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1...4171&sr=8-1

also

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&am...5039065_1:21:68

Edited October 11, 2007 by Saving For a Space Ship

[Compounded]

Giving (former President Clinton)

Thought this was a joke about that slapper in the black dress- so I looked on Amazon it is a real book

I will get my coat.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Compounded

[South Lorne]

This was a reply I posted in a different thread but I think it deserves a thread of its own.

If you haven't already I really must urge everyone to watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It explains exactly why we live in a society driven by consumerism and thus the obsession with property.

Please promise you will watch it. It is vitally important you do as it will enlighten your understanding of the UK/US way of life.

It ran on BBC2 about 5 years ago, on a Saturday evening quietly out of the way of the very people who should have been watchng it. (On a Saturday evening of course, the masses distract themsleves, getting drunk consoling themselves on their miserable existences).

The Century of the Self is a four part award winning documentary on the history of how psycho-analytical techniques developed by Freud have been used to turn ordinary folk into consumer droids - sheeple - namely how society wilfully buys into and is then controlled into a certain pattern of behaviour that benefits the elite.

You might also find Alan De Botton's Status Anxiety very interesting too, though not so revealing.

Other revealing stuff I have recently enjoyed:

Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

No Logo (Naomi Klein)

Hegemony or Survival (Noam Chomsky)

Assault on Reason (former Vice President Al Gore)

Giving (former President Clinton)

Has anyone read Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine : The Rise of Disaster Capitalism' yet?

...do any of these books go back to the South Sea Bubble....1711.....?....

"Dubbed the “Enron of England”, the South Sea Bubble was one of history’s worst financial bubbles."

http://www.stock-market-crash.net/southsea.htm

.....the history of self and human greed is as old as history itself.....anyone grow tulips...?..

[Cogs]

...do any of these books go back to the South Sea Bubble....1711.....?....

"Dubbed the “Enron of England”, the South Sea Bubble was one of history’s worst financial bubbles."

http://www.stock-market-crash.net/southsea.htm

.....the history of self and human greed is as old as history itself.....anyone grow tulips...?..

It was amazing that in the early 18th century the future financial fortunes of an energy company located in an as yet non-existing nation in the 21st century were so well known.

I'm surprised more people weren't shorting it.

[South Lorne]

It was amazing that in the early 18th century the future financial fortunes of an energy company located in an as yet non-existing nation in the 21st century were so well known.

I'm surprised more people weren't shorting it.

...you have never heard of the Brahan Seer ...I am sure there were others like him.....

http://www.highlandclearances.info/clearan..._brahanseer.htm

[R K]

Thanks for the great links.

So, any thoughts on what the Shock Doctrine tells us about what Stalin (or young Dave for that matter) has instore for us following the housing crash?

[Lone_Twin]

An interesting book (though it could be condensed by about 50%) is

Nasim Taleb's, The Black Swan. Read it on holiday, very relevant to

the US sub prime fiasco which what evermany of us say took most of

the world by surprise.

.

ST

[Cogs]

...you have never heard of the Brahan Seer ...I am sure there were others like him.....

http://www.highlandclearances.info/clearan..._brahanseer.htm

Hehe.

Anyone less responsible than me with an interest in internet prankery might find this the perfect time to manufacture a prophesy from any of the recognised sources.

How about Nostradamus?

The Grim Northern King will send armies to a battle that never occurs,

Whilst in the distance an ill wind from across the seas will blight the flow of the rivers down to the capital.

Many dwellings will sink into the sands and, lo,

I doth foresee this in real terms, not just nominal and even after adjustment for seasonal variations and a flawed inflation metrics.

Feels a tad inauthentic in places though I fear so it will need some work before I "leak" it to the Daily Mail.

Getting back on topic (sorry Mr Kharma, sir) I'm a little unclear of what the "shock doctrine" actually is, insofar as:

First, suggesting politicians are anything other than opportunistic does not seem like a new idea (although "good day to bury bad news" is probably where the line can be marked, usually)

Second, consider the "pay off matrix" that exists for politicians. The nature of the job (which isn't entirely their fault) is that the public have unrealistic demands. This leads to the equivalent of what is found in US healthcare where the legal climate is such you go in with a splinter in your finger and wind up with a dozen X-rays, scans, bloodtests and psychiatric counselling just in case they get sued for something. It is very hard for politicians to defend doing too little on the basis of "chilling effects" or threats to "freedoms" that a the majority of the population don't really understand they have. That said, this is why we need altogether better politicians than we currently have with big enough swinging appendages (real or metaphorical) to make the arguments.

[Charlie Don't Surf]

I have actually found the BBC's 'Spendaholics' quite insightful into the mind of out of control consumerism. These people always have something missing from their lives and think shopping is the answer

[South Lorne]

It is very hard for politicians to defend doing too little on the basis of "chilling effects" or threats to "freedoms" that a the majority of the population don't really understand they have. That said, this is why we need altogether better politicians than we currently have with big enough swinging appendages (real or metaphorical) to make the arguments.

...the solution is to have leaders with empathy ...not egocentric narcisists.....

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

I'm so cool, handsome, popular and sexy. I watched it all

Edited October 11, 2007 by DissipatedYouthIsValuable

[Injin]

Hegelian dialectic.

When the powers that be want somethoing to happen, they first engineer a crisis for which the answer is the thing they want.

For instance......

If your bailiffs and coppers are getting mauled by dogs when they go to collect taxes, fines etc - then you want to first find out and second reduce the numbers of these effective guard dogs. As these guard dogs also maim a tiny amount of the innocent, the course of action is easy - pictures of the very rare kids in the paper who have been hurt by the dogs with the solution soon to be begged for of a national register/licence/ban etc.

You may also want to notice that changes which are purely social are ignored in favour of ones controlled by the state if there is even the outside chance of getting away with it.

No one is ever going to get away with banning the NHS for smokers (for ex) even though it makes tons of sense, there is no power or control in that solution for our glorious leaders. On the contrary, it would let people take responsibility for themselves and that cannot be encouraged, ever.

Knowing this is rather good for investing, btw. You can look at "government figures say" type articles from the major news outlets and quickly work out where the larger state programmes will be in 6 months time.

[Guest mattsta1964]

This was a reply I posted in a different thread but I think it deserves a thread of its own.

If you haven't already I really must urge everyone to watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It explains exactly why we live in a society driven by consumerism and thus the obsession with property.

Please promise you will watch it. It is vitally important you do as it will enlighten your understanding of the UK/US way of life.

It ran on BBC2 about 5 years ago, on a Saturday evening quietly out of the way of the very people who should have been watchng it. (On a Saturday evening of course, the masses distract themsleves, getting drunk consoling themselves on their miserable existences).

The Century of the Self is a four part award winning documentary on the history of how psycho-analytical techniques developed by Freud have been used to turn ordinary folk into consumer droids - sheeple - namely how society wilfully buys into and is then controlled into a certain pattern of behaviour that benefits the elite.

You might also find Alan De Botton's Status Anxiety very interesting too, though not so revealing.

Other revealing stuff I have recently enjoyed:

Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

No Logo (Naomi Klein)

Hegemony or Survival (Noam Chomsky)

Assault on Reason (former Vice President Al Gore)

Giving (former President Clinton)

Has anyone read Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine : The Rise of Disaster Capitalism' yet?

Fantastic documentries

So relevant to what is happening today

[Boarder]

Last century should the the century that remembers the disaster of COLLECTIVISM.

The slavery of whole nations by vile communist and marxist idiocy.

Much more than 100 MILLION people where murdered last century by their own countries.

If anyone is a drone, it's a disposable slave in a marxist hive.

The politics of envy that underlie marxism is the biggest killer on the planet.

[Fishfinger]

It was amazing that in the early 18th century the future financial fortunes of an energy company located in an as yet non-existing nation in the 21st century were so well known.

I'm surprised more people weren't shorting it.

I believe the Scots virtually bankrupted themselves back in the 17th Century on some ill advised venture in Panama the result of which the English had to bale them out and hence the 1701 Act of Settlement!

[Cogs]

No one is ever going to get away with banning the NHS for smokers (for ex) even though it makes tons of sense, there is no power or control in that solution for our glorious leaders. On the contrary, it would let people take responsibility for themselves and that cannot be encouraged, ever.

Remove smokers and the generous subsidies they provide and you'd need to work out where you are getting the 9 billion a year net shortfall from.

Smokers more than pay for themselves. Its non-smokers who don't take responsibility for their actions sponging off generous tobacco tax recepits to fund their healthcare.

The dependency of the NHS on tobacco taxation is a profoundly unattractive truth. You don't for example see GPs campaigning to have their pay cut or having hospitals closed so they can wash their hands of it.

And that is why politicians are never going to go near the issue, it isn't "responsibility" its that they'd be put in the position of having to turn down all that extra money (typical smoker = 5 quid a day into the NHS extra) and trying to find it somewhere else.

Edited October 12, 2007 by Cogs

[South Lorne]

I believe the Scots virtually bankrupted themselves back in the 17th Century on some ill advised venture in Panama the result of which the English had to bale them out and hence the 1701 Act of Settlement!

...true but only after the English King's skullduggery:

"Meanwhile, the King had instructed the English colonies in America not to supply the Scots settlement and inadequate provisions, combined with the unfamiliar hot and humid climate, soon caused fever to spread and many settlers died. In July 1699 the colony was abandoned."

.....it's not just the clearances to remember......!..

http://www.rbs.co.uk/Group_Information/Mem...illust_hist.htm

[Injin]

Remove smokers and the generous subsidies they provide and you'd need to work out where you are getting the 9 billion a year net shortfall from.

Smokers more than pay for themselves. Its non-smokers who don't take responsibility for their actions sponging off generous tobacco tax recepits to fund their healthcare.

The dependency of the NHS on tobacco taxation is a profoundly unattractive truth. You don't for example see GPs campaigning to have their pay cut or having hospitals closed so they can wash their hands of it.

And that is why politicians are never going to go near the issue, it isn't "responsibility" its that they'd be put in the position of having to turn down all that extra money (typical smoker = 5 quid a day into the NHS extra) and trying to find it somewhere else.

Read what I wrote again.

I agree with you, but you aren't seeing it.

The NHS is also a state organisation, and the idea of doing things without them being in control of the state is not to be contemplated. People taking responsibility for their own health by avoiding illness and injury in the first place provides no excuse to tax and control whatsoever.

[Compounded]

I cannot understand why the government has been so anti smoking.

Smokers generally work a full productive tax paying life and die soon after.

Non smokers live to a ripe old age consuming benefits and pensions and not contributing significant tax revenue at all after retirement.

Consumption of health services is generally high in the last year of life but the amount consumed is little different between smokers and non smokers.

Edited October 12, 2007 by Compounded

[Compounded]

I believe the Scots virtually bankrupted themselves back in the 17th Century on some ill advised venture in Panama the result of which the English had to bale them out and hence the 1701 Act of Settlement!

Not sure if you are a scot nationalist, I am English.

Either way it make a complete joke of the EU, if England and Scotland after 300 years of union are struggling to remain committed to the union, what is the hope for the EU remaining united.

[babesagainstmachines]

I cannot understand why the government has been so anti smoking.

The smoking ban politicized me. From a financial perspective, it makes no sense to stop your population from smoking, but there are far greater political rewards to be had down the line I think. When the EU and member governments can proclaim that average life expectancy has increased by 2 years purely as a result of the smoking ban, the sheeple will rejoice and praise the Party.

Edited October 12, 2007 by dazednconfused

[Crash Buyer]

This was a reply I posted in a different thread but I think it deserves a thread of its own.

If you haven't already I really must urge everyone to watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. It explains exactly why we live in a society driven by consumerism and thus the obsession with property.

Please promise you will watch it. It is vitally important you do as it will enlighten your understanding of the UK/US way of life.

It ran on BBC2 about 5 years ago, on a Saturday evening quietly out of the way of the very people who should have been watchng it. (On a Saturday evening of course, the masses distract themsleves, getting drunk consoling themselves on their miserable existences).

The Century of the Self is a four part award winning documentary on the history of how psycho-analytical techniques developed by Freud have been used to turn ordinary folk into consumer droids - sheeple - namely how society wilfully buys into and is then controlled into a certain pattern of behaviour that benefits the elite.

Excellent programme (from the BBC as well !).

I also highly recommend two other series by Adam Curtis, for those that haven't seen them.

The Power of Nightmares (war on terror and the Neo-cons)

BBC summary

The Trap - What Happened to our Dream of Freedom (a good demolition of NuLab)

Wikipedia summary

[steve99]

...the solution is to have leaders with empathy ...not egocentric narcisists.....

However as it stands, 90% of the population believe that to do a job properly you realy need to be good looking, charming, charismatic, youngish, slightly flambouyant, lead at least a semi-glamourous lifestyle. This is how shallow the vast majority of society is, they read the sun/mirror/DMail for intellectual stimulus and watch east enders. This attitude also spreads into many aspects of life, eg, many jobs will run through this list of predjudices before you even get to an interview, being able to actualy do a job effetively is only 10% of the deal. Imagine the inquest after a plane crash, '' Yes your honor, our pilot was the best dressed, good looking pilot we had, the girls loved him cause he was better looking than the older pilots, yes thats why he was promoted early'' pleaded the airlines lawyer. '' In which case the fault cant have been with the pilot then'' determined the Judge investigating the crash. If we carry on in this direction for much longer, that is what it will come to. Maybe a big recession, mass unemployment, HPC and a host of other things will re-align the population with reality.

[Austin Allegro]

Hehe.

Anyone less responsible than me with an interest in internet prankery might find this the perfect time to manufacture a prophesy from any of the recognised sources.

How about Nostradamus?

The Grim Northern King will send armies to a battle that never occurs,

Whilst in the distance an ill wind from across the seas will blight the flow of the rivers down to the capital.

Many dwellings will sink into the sands and, lo,

I doth foresee this in real terms, not just nominal and even after adjustment for seasonal variations and a flawed inflation metrics.

Feels a tad inauthentic in places though I fear so it will need some work before I "leak" it to the Daily Mail.

Hilarious, thanks for a good laugh! Here's my recently discovered Nostradamus prophesy:

Honi soit qui mal y pense

Fait vos jeuxs, reconnaissance

Hammersmith Palais de dance

Badinage, ma crepes suzette

Which roughly translates as:

The sheep will indebt themselves to buy the land they graze on

Rather than be subsidised by the shepherd

They will borrow much and earn little

Spending their ill gotten gains on wagons driven on all four wheels