Along all my 124 EC Blog posts, I've published many of them with the title: picture of the day, quote/word/idiom of the day, joke of the day, tweet/fb post of the day, youtube video of the day, story of the day and even 'funny stuff' of the day. But now I come here with some more serious stuff: This is the MUST WATCH Documentary of... not 'the day', but the Century. Ladies and Gentlemen: Professor Chomsky.
"The advertising industry, which is dedicated to creating consumers it's a phenomena that developed in the freest countries, and the reason is pretty clear (...) It was not going to be so easy to control the population by force (...) so, you had to have other means of controlling people. And it was understood and expressed that you've to control them by control of beliefs and attitudes. Well, one of the best ways to control people in terms of attitudes is what the political economist Thorstein Veblen called "Fabricating Consumers."
Walter Lippmann, the major progressive intellectual of the 20th Century wrote a famous progressive essay on democracy in which his view was exactly that: "The public must be put in their place, so that the responsible men can make decisions without interference from the bewildered herd." They're to be spectators, not participants, then you get a properly functioning democracy(...) The advertising industry just exploded with this as its goal fabricating consumers... And the "ideal" of this is what you actually see today (...) The idea is to try to control everyone; to turn the whole society into the "perfect system..."
I could quote each word said by Chomsky in this documentary, that is not only about the American system and society, but also about all these countries who call themselves 'free' just for having a democratic system (that is not actually real).
I know this blog is not gonna be too popular: Is not funny, is not short, is not 'amusing', it talks about politics and history, and probably none of you is not gonna end up watching it. But I felt the NEED to share it 'cause it shows the 'Whys' and 'Hows' of our actual society.
A MUST WATCH documentary if you really wanna know what's going on in our society and politics.
"Requiem for the American Dream"
Full Doc: https://youtu.be/RIgebDs6PoM
(It has french subtitles tho, I can't find it with english sub or none)
Noam Chomsky is a major figure in social critic and analytic philosophy. He's one of the most cited scholars in history and widely regarded as the most influential intellectual of our time.
Comments
Mary we are lucky for not to have lived in such time even for not to have now an extreme right party represented like in some countries in EU are.
Of course I agree that we could or should reach a more humanistic society in general terms but we can get it also individually in our daily life around us with our family, relatives, at work, with friends, our neighbors, with NGO...perhaps that revolution has to start from here.
Yes Estanis, Mary 'serious mode' On is merciless ¬¬
Franco died but not their supporters. Lot of them are still hanging around the Congress and unfortunatelly we can't make them disappear as you suggest. So, is not that we're living in our past, is that our past is not leaving us. Is right there, is powerful and is taking part in our everyday's politics.
Anyway, I'm not any activist and I even dislike politics (nowadays' politics, the ones I don't even consider like that 'cause it's just a bunch of rats in a suit making dirty business) But I wish one day there'd be a real humanistic movement willing to change all the system. Then I'd be glad to join :P
Rosemary, I like that you used the word 'community', that's how I'd like to see the society: a group of people working together for a common good. But something like this can be just reached through a good education, instilling people a serious and strong principle of equality. A society with this 'sense of community' doesn't need to be 'controlled' but just 'organized'. I think that would be the ideal system.
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts :)
AG, yeah that's another point to discuss I guess: Who deserves to be paid more depending on how important and necessary is that contribution/work for the society. Taking that in mind, a street cleaner deserves to be paid much more money than a Hollywood Star... or maybe there should be just that strange thing called 'equality' in a society and we all could have the same salaries...
But oh well... I've the feeling that all these "poor" people who rule the world don't really like that :P Thanks for dropping by and sharing your opinion.
very good blog... and I agree with you that unfortunately such blogs are not very popular usually because they are not regarded as "amusing"..
Anyway, I will add a little note to the "fabricating consumer" system which Chomsky spoke about.. I am not sure you would like or agree with my note, but it's just a personal opinion that I feel it so strongly in my mind concerning this topic...
The system of "fabricating consumer" has not suggested only a products or codes of conduct in our modern societies... Unfortunately, low people with law roles in life are fabricated nowadays and presented to the audience as stars or artists, such as: actors, singers, painters, or football players... etc.
Comparing the advertisement of those people, the huge amount of wealth and wages that they obtain, and the generous spot of attention that they receive in society with the law wages and very narrow spot of light on the other major roles in life such as: teachers, farmers, technicians, engineers, doctors..etc.. I feel really scared of the coming future of the new generations and what ideas they could inherit from our modern codes..
every new competition.. every posh advertisement that is pushing teenagers everyday towards this path... it all makes me very scared of our future..
Here, I am not denying the role of sport or art in life.. but it just scares me the imbalance that I am seeing everyday about fabrication of "Stars"
But yes I think if we never stop shaking old ghosts they will never disappear. Past is not to be forgotten but not to be living in it continuously too. Sorry for not to be so activist.
Yes, they're some of the countries I thought of among others. I know you're a fan of Mújica and his policy, well I just know he ruled one of the most equal and less corrupt countries in América, he was a charismatic president with a humble lifestyle, yep many should take note of this point.
I respect that man a lot and used to know about his philosophy.
The question is when people live in a community. Do they need to be under control or not ??? In my humble opinion. Yes they do and it is what civilizations all about controlling the crowds. I did believe in the freedom of individuals. Nevertheless, the ability of leading others to the right direction isn't the role of everyone but who knows where are we heading to the pastures or. Massacres to be slaughtered, thinks for sharing dear Mary
Franco "the poor man"??? really??... I have other descriptions for him, but any of them are allowed in this site. Would you say the same about Hitler?: "poor Hitler, let's leave him rest in peace for once"? Yeah... poor psychos, let's leave them alone and forget all the people they killed... sigh. And that's another big mistake: People just forget (or want to forget) the History.
What anti-imperialist countries you mean? Cuba? Venezuela? These governments are corrupted, it's not any secret, so they are not a valid example. Take instead a look at the José Mujica's Uruguay. THAT'S they way. That's the alternative and is not any utopia.
When I named M. Moore was because I watched time ago a video comparing their American social policy with the ones in some European countries.
As for 'living beyond our means' I know well why I'm saying it since I have seen with my eyes in my surroundings how people went to the banks asking for loans to build wonderful houses, drive luxury cars... but when the prosperity times came to an end... well I guess you can imagine the rest. Have you heard of the fable of the cicada and the ant? That's it.
Franco!? Ohh..I'm surely hearing his name more than my grandparents did. Let's the poor man rest in peace once and for all.
I repeat I'm not for such capitalism Chomski talks but also say that those governments from some countries whose reason for living is to fight against the evil imperialism are totally wrong, do you really think their citizens have a good quality of life? I don't think they'd say that (if they could speak openly)
In any case you're so right that we could reach a more humanistic society and I belong to the ones who see the glass half full so I know with many people like you we will get it little by little :)
Some day we'll discuss this with a cup of coffee, I promise surprising with some sweets :D
Erm, no Estanis, he's not the American version of Pablo Iglesias at all... The American left wing has nothing to do with the sadly-very-bad-managed Spanish left wing. Chomsky is a philosopher and a highly reputed social critic... the more expert social analyst we have today.
I'm not really fan of Michael Moore even if I like some things he had the chance to show in a mainstream media. Again, I think you're having prejudices about what you think is my 'political side' (I don't have any btw, I'm also just in favor of a Humanistic System)
Spain and the EU don't have a 'wild' capitalist system? erm... yeah right... if you say so. I must be living in other side of the world where the richest companies and corporations have all kind of tax benefits.
"our society haven't ever raised such a wellfare and rights before, no?" -- Not even in times of Franco's dictatorship spaniards had the precariousness employment that we have now. We have lost all the labour rights we won 50 years ago. For not to mention what is gonna happen soon with the public health system and the retirement pensions (someone like you who have kids should worry about this more than me)
"living beyond our means"?????? - Do you REALLY believe that???? I even find it offensive... Estanis, if you really believe that sh*t politicians made us believe for covering their f*cking business then... I dunno how to explain it if you didn't see that racket yourself after all what have happened with the 'crisis' and the banks (the only ones who won more money with the 'crisis' they made themselves. And you better get ready 'cause they are gonna keep preparing more very-convenient-'critial-situations' for the coming years)
What's the alternative?
The only alternative for a more fair social system is a more humanistic politic. The thing is that those who rule the word don't want that, and they want to make ppl believe that any other alternative is an utopia or the devil in disguise. Ofc, it isn't. But people are already very well indoctrinate to believe that there's no other alternative... right, Estanis?
"In our 'Asspain' the great majority of working citizens can afford a decent home, change their old car or going on holidays in August and i,m not talking of the high class society. the ones who can't work aren't helpless." ----Erm... I must be living in other 'Spain' Estanis... you're really lucky if these are your surroundings. I live other very different reality.
I really hope you can keep enjoying this public health system that you say yourself you're lucky to have (and yes, we really are)... But if things keep going like right now (and they will), I'm 100% sure that when your kids reach your age they are not gonna have that luck. And neither I.
It's obvious that we don't live in an ideal world but our society haven't ever raised such a wellfare and rights before, no? I'm not telling we should be more conformists but being continuously the pain in the ass won't help. We can compare it with a small company; whenever workers and managers pull together to achieve a goal, all them will take advantage of benefits. The key is to be skilled enough to make this relationship works.
By other hand I can't disagree with him on his principle 6 about regulation of banks, we know very well how annoying is to rescue them with public money (even more if you became a victim of them) and we can state that a part of the economic crisis we've had was this misrule. In any case it doesn't exonerate our culpability living beyond our means.
Summing up, Just in my opinion an exacerbating capitalism like this one Noam Chomski talks in the video doesn't create a fair or equal society, by other hand it does create much wealth, actually the first so far in the world. But... can you tell what's the alternative? Maybe the question is... what do we prefer, an equal society of feeble working class? Or an unfair capitalism but with a numerous wealthy middle class?
In our 'Asspain' the great majority of working citizens can afford a decent home, change their old car or going on holidays in August and i,m not talking of the high class society. the ones who can't work aren't helpless.
I've had the luck (or the unforunate) to compare the national health system of other country (not poor at least regarding to weapons industry) with the one I know in Asspain and it leaves a lot to be desired. maybe I'm still alive because of a simple insurance I did before going. That's why I always suggest to compare before criticise, but yes that's a common feature in our Spanish genes :/
There're other of his principles I could be more or less agree. Ohh... I like the one of fabricating consumers haha... it sounds to me once you posted something similar :D
Thanks for posting Mary, I do like your non popular blogs :)
''Bewildered herd''
Accurate.
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