Shock Doctrine
The other day I was stumbling through Salon.com’s site as I normally do and happened upon a touching essay by Garrison Keillor. The profound message that I took away from this writing was that hope and cheer are the results of an inward, personal discovery, and we should keep this in mind and in dark times such as these look for such panaceas right in front of our faces. True that, Mr. Keillor. Unfortunately, I sometimes find such forays eventually hollow, as if I were on some drug trip that however wonderful it felt, was somehow slightly pulled away from reality. And this is the duality of living during the plague of Cheney and Bush; alternating between being pulled down into the murky depths of the daily news, or floating in the ignorant bliss of escapism.
And then enter Naomi Klein, and her latest book The Shock Doctrine. While I haven’t read the book yet (I hope to pick up a copy soon), it was the video she made with Alfonso Cuarón that really made me stand up and notice. Not only is it a video with an incredible impact for its short duration, but it does a wonderful job of maintaining that tenuous marriage between hope and reality. Unlike the end of An Inconvenient Truth, where it seems as if all hope is exterminated by the time the credits roll and then they ply you with “we can do it!” and “you can change the world!” and flowers and bunnies; too stark of a contrast. And while the Klein/Cuarón film does tread on that line, I have to say I came away somewhat uplifted by it. More and more people are speaking out and trying to change things, and yes the process is very slow, but this is the American Spirit I thought had disappeared 6 years ago when someone who made Dan Quayle look brilliant got put into the highest office in our land. And then somehow re-elected.
But hey, I was talking about an improvement in mood, so let’s not dwell on the war criminal that needs his speeches written in phonetics. Check out the video if you like; it does start off dark but it does grow, and I especially love the flowers blooming. You can watch a higher-quality version of the short here, or check out the YouTube version:
In addition, you should check out Ariana Huffington’s latest blog entry about Klein’s book contrasted with Alan Greenspan’s tripe, in particular note the collaboration between Klein and John Cusack (in particular, the preview for War, Inc.)!
-c
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September 26th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Wow. That was tough to see, but I am glad for the information. It reminds me on a world wide scale of a concept that I have been working on with the girls that applies to their relationships and learning ability: when your brain is flooded with stress hormones, it is almost impossible for you to empathize or to comprehend new things or see a situation logically. Not a good time to introduce a new, dubious economic plan, or for a puppet leader to be in office offering false peace and safety. The answer yet again seems to come down to our own responsibility to soothe ourselves after a shock, seek for full information, and be the change we want to see in the world.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I’m half playing devil’s advocate but also half really curious: What do you make of the fact that that video was, in essence, a commercial?
October 6th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Honestly, I’m totally fine with that. It didn’t arrive via unsolicited mail, I wasn’t forced to watch it while I was on public transportation, and it wasn’t mailed to my house. Honestly, I don’t mind advertisements if it is my choice to view them. Most climbing magazines are 40% advertisements and I’m OK with that- I like looking at them. It’s the advertisers that prey on trapped audiences, and try to fill every moment of your life with advertisements that I feel need to be drawn and quartered.
Weird personality quirk- I like movie previews before films (but I hate commercials played ad nauseum while you are waiting for previews to start). You didn’t ask, but now you know.
-c
October 6th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I totally agree with you regarding “commercials” as a general category. But whether solicited or unsolicited, commercials are masterful works of manipulation. I’m not saying that what was said in that video isn’t true, but I do think it was low on evidence and high on things (images, music, etc.) that bring up strong, disturbed emotions…all for the ultimate purpose of selling someone’s book. I would have found it much more compelling and powerful if it didn’t include a call to enhance someone’s bank account at the end of it.
Oh, and as regards movie theaters, I completely agree–previews=awesome, other commercials=ass I shouldn’t have to watch because I’m paying to sit there.
S
October 6th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Absolutely! And this is a great example of using imagery and style to create an emotion that packs a bigger punch than the words themselves. I wonder though, if Klein’s words would be more or less read if they were released for free on the net?
Speaking of, I’m halfway through Naomi Wolf’s “The End Of America”, which is *fantastic*, BTW. And this is coming from someone who is really tired of the political scene these days.
-c