Must-see video from 1946 on how to recognize "Despotism"

[Minstrel Boy]

A ten-minute classroom film from Encyclopedia Brittanica. I don't know if I've seen a more damning checklist for America in the Bush era.

As you watch, try imagining how "radical" or "communist" this message would be considered today. I doubt it would be allowed in most classrooms - it would be like using "Dude, Where's My Country?" as a textbook. Profoundly sad, to be reminded by this film how much America has lost.

Some amazing images: as the narrator tells how important it is to look beyond noble phrases to recognize despotism, a scene of a crowd reciting the Pledge of Allegiance fades to a lynching.

Ten minute video. Click right and save (warning, the server is verrrry slow):
http://www.archive.org/download/Despotis1946/Despotis1946.mpg

Streaming available from this page (as well as many other great documentaries):
http://mysite.verizon.net/res7dhyg/id3.html

screenshot:

[BlackVelvetElvis]

1. I would reply...

but I was coerced into signing a Bush Loyalty Form.
Good video! It applies to the media as well.

[amber dog democrat]

2. This is awesome.

Maybe we are half way there. Its scarey to see how Orwellian things have gotten.

[alittlelark]

3. wow. I don't know what to say.

That was deeply disturbing.

The past attempting to prevent the future from repeating their debacles.

I assume it was censored and left to rot in the Encyclopedia Britannica storeroom.

WOW.

[Protected]

4. Wow, all it's missing is "ownership society" jingoism.

Nice find.

[BeHereNow]

5. O h. M y. G o d.

THAT was incredible!
How do we get a copy to everyone on the planet?
FRONT PAGE- NOW!
Thank you so much MB!
BHN

[Flammable Materials]

41. Download, Burn As VCD, Make Lots Of Copies, Distribute.

Easy, quick, and cheap.

[alittlelark]

6. I have sent that link to a few friends

PLEASE post it in the AM if it is 2nd page - this is disturbing, and important.

[enigmatic]

7. Wow...

Thank you for this..

[Protected]

8. Other video links for this film

Despotism Internet Archive link

DivX, MPEG4/QuickTime, and streaming Real video available

Also, here's a rather amusing promo film from the manufacturer of a voting machine (1957)

[BeHereNow]

9. KICK!

This is a MUST see.
BHN

[Minstrel Boy]

10. morning kick - ya gotta see it

Shocking to see popular progressive values as a thing of the past.

[thebigidea]

11. yeah, its a fun one. I've used bits from it in my own video noodlings...

Rick Prelinger is a god! I bow down before his archives! And how cool to put it all online in quality formats, ripe for editing.

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. K...downloading now...

server doesn't seem very slow (I'm getting 230KB+/sec d/l)...

[ghostsofgiants]

38. ...

Yeah, I'm averaging around 280kb/sec download.

[Corgigal]

13. Spooky stuff

Makes me want to pack up my bags and get out of here.

As the community goes, so goes the nation. Yep, yep.

[bpcmxr]

14. Thank you dso much for this!

I just sent the link to everyone on my newslist. Great stuff.

[Wind Dancer]

15. Wow!

Powerful video, it is indeed a damning checklist for America in the Bush era. This is scary stuff - thanks for posting!

[HootieMcBoob]

16. Really important

This is well worth whatever time it takes to download it. Thanks for finding this and letting us all know about it.

:toast:

[Wind Dancer]

17. Controlling the mind.

The documentary "Propaganda and Control of the Human Mind" (1997) is another great watch. The media is far worse now and I don't know how we are going to take back control - truly horrifying what is happening to our country.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res7dhyg/id3.html


This is a great site with tons of documentaries to download.

[tom_paine]

18. kick

:kick:

[Wind Dancer]

19. Kick

[ComerPerro]

20. My God, that is terrifying

Yikes....

[Xenus Sister]

21. Streaming video of Bill Moyers NOW on 9/11 Commission?

Thanks for that. Do you or does anyone have a link for the Bill Moyers thing? I had it, I watched it, but then my Tivo got the television broadcast so I closed the window. Now I don't know what the link was or where I first saw the link.

I desperately want to send it to someone who lives in an area where the NOW was not shown.

Thanks in advance!

[JohnyCanuck]

22. Military Dictatorship USA,

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

James Madison, while a United States Congressman


Military Dictatorship USA

We usually think of a nation being controlled by a military dictatorship when a military leader seizes control through a putsch, as in the case of General Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan or Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The previous government is overthrown and a military strong man places himself in power with few if any constraints from judicial or legislative oversight.

But we must look for the essence of a military dictatorship, those features which are present whenever this form of oppression occurs. In essence, a military dictatorship is a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a repressive ruler or a small clique who use military and police power to dominate the people mentally and physically.

Military Dictatorship USA

[tom_paine]

23. Another KICK

This is too important to let it sink.

[Wind Dancer]

24. Kick!

A must see!

[crickets]

25. Chilling

A fantastic find - I have a list of people I want to send this to tonight. I usually visit archive.org just to use the Wayback Machine; I haven't paid near enough attention to the other amazing things at this site. There's a movie called The Rapture listed on the Open Source Movies page that I'll be watching by stream this weekend and a ton of other resources as well.

Thanks so much for posting the links.

Open Source Movies
http://www.archive.org/movies/opensource_movies.php


The Rapture
http://www.archive.org/movies/movies-details-db.php?collection=opensource_movies&collectionid=RAPTURE&from=BA&PHPSESSID=94a1f53bb501ae5a5e774e570ae0437c

Truly amazing piece of religious propaganda from 1941. Alternately terrifying and hilarious; depending on your point of view. This short was featured prominently in Diane Keaton's film "Heaven".

[ret5hd]

26. i'm going to give this one more kick...

just cause the message is so good.

[OneTwentyoNine]

27. Watch the part about Media control over and over.....

They had it nailed almost 60 years ago,now look what we have.

David

[Minstrel Boy]

28. That's the segment that shocked me the most.

Not much Chomsky could disagree with.

[w4rma]

29. Kick. Folks need to learn from the past. (nt)

[UNIXcock]

31. many parallels w/today's society

scary

[Unforgiven]

30. Kick

Thanks for posting this, gonna burn it to disc and pass it around work. Great info.

[EstimatedProphet]

32. That was really interesting

At first, some of the imagery looked contrived (especially the training of teachers section), but as I watched more of it I realized that it is a pretty accurate representation.

[Wind Dancer]

33. Kick.

[CHIMO]

34. Thanks for the Links eom/

[LifeDuringWartime]

35. havent watched yet

but this is archive.org...always fast speeds! its just a big file, so it takes awhile

255k/sec on cable

[BMJ]

36. Scary how the "Economic balance / Information control" reflects today

[LibertyorDeath]

37. Going by their criteria it seems we're well on our way

Now what to do about it. Is there a part deux.

[WLKjr]

39. Um like DOWNLOAD THIS MOVIE AND SHOW IT EVERYWHERE

Who said you couldn't learn something from something old and put it to new use?

[cosmicvortex20]

40. I wouldnt use that spectrum...

Democracy vs despotism isnt the way to go, but instead I use

liberty vs coerciveness

A democracy can turn against its minorities just as in the south in the first half of the 1900s. Democracies doesnt imply that peoples rights wont be violated, only that the majority of people get their way.

Most the time, the masses will use this power to rob and plunder goodies for themselves. When people figure out they can vote themselves goodies, it doesnt take long for the system to unravel.

You can spot people positioning to plunder via democracy generally anytime you hear the terms "public good" and/or "for the children" used. Coercive measures seemed to always be followed by some kind of crazy rational like those. Whenever you hear these terms, better watch that wallet - cause their next move is to go for it.

[GreenArrow]

42. kick kick

kickity kick

[gollygee]

43. Wow! That is amazing! Thanks for posting it. n/t

[abcdan]

44. Pledge of Alliegance!

Early on in the clip they show people finishing saying the Pledge of Alliegance. Notice how they don't say the line "One nation under God" (the way it used to be before it was changed during the Eisenhower admin.) It makes a cool visual aid to shoot down anyone who believes the Pledge is sacred and shouldn't be messed with.

[LibertyorDeath]

45. kick