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Newsjock

(11,733 posts) Wed Dec 31, 2014, 03:47 AM Dec 2014

Adam Curtis on 'the chaos that seems to be engulfing everything'

Tuesday night, BBC Two aired the year-in-review special hosted by Charlie Brooker ("Black Mirror&quot . About halfway through, he aired a five-minute film by Adam Curtis ("The Power of Nightmares&quot .

Charlie's introduction starts at 28:18 in the video in case YouTube loses the time cue. The film begins like this:

So much of the news this year has been hopeless, depressing, and above all, confusing. To which the only response is, "Oh dear." But what this film is going to suggest is that, that defeatist response has become a central part of a new system of political control.

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11 replies

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Highlight:

Adam Curtis on 'the chaos that seems to be engulfing everything' (Original Post) Newsjock Dec 2014 OP

Curtis makes a good point re. austerity for the proles and QE for the banks. CJCRANE Dec 2014 #1

Adam Curtis' analyses are always amazing deutsey Dec 2014 #2

This one's brilliant too-- use of deliberate confusion as propaganda technique Overseas Jan 2015 #6

He always opens my eyes and my mind deutsey Jan 2015 #8

I agree. Amazed at the range of great docs he has made Overseas Jan 2015 #9

Thanks for that link! deutsey Jan 2015 #10

kick Pharaoh Dec 2014 #3

That was entertaining, and insightful. zeemike Dec 2014 #4

Great entertainment! MrMickeysMom Dec 2014 #5

K&R. This was really fun to watch! Looking back with some humor! Overseas Jan 2015 #7

K&R KoKo Jan 2015 #11

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)

1. Curtis makes a good point re. austerity for the proles and QE for the banks.

Reply to Newsjock (Original post)

Wed Dec 31, 2014, 05:52 AM

Dec 2014

They take money out at the bottom and middle levels of society then pump it in at the top.

deutsey

(20,166 posts)

2. Adam Curtis' analyses are always amazing

Reply to Newsjock (Original post)

Wed Dec 31, 2014, 09:34 AM

Dec 2014

Thanks for posting this.

Overseas

(12,121 posts)

6. This one's brilliant too-- use of deliberate confusion as propaganda technique

Reply to deutsey (Reply #2)

Thu Jan 1, 2015, 05:34 PM

Jan 2015

And some recent history of its possible deployment.

I had speculated about the "Oh Dear!" factor for a while, without realizing it was a technique that had been used and discussed already.

I look forward to seeing Bitter Lake.

deutsey

(20,166 posts)

8. He always opens my eyes and my mind

Reply to Overseas (Reply #6)

Thu Jan 1, 2015, 07:29 PM

Jan 2015

I wish we had an equivalent filmmaker here in the US.

I like Michael Moore and Oliver Stone, but they're just not on the same level as Curtis.

Watching "Century of the Self" was one of those rare, life-changing, scales-falling-from-the-eyes moments for me.