Thursday, May 7, 2009

In Which The "Shock Doctrine" Lady Confirms Some Of My Worst Fears


I can't even wager a guess of how many hours we dedicated fans of TRMS have spent watching segments on the economy since Rachel launched in Sept. 08. They are almost uniformly depressing. (Thanks, Rachel's pessimistic nature! And...the really depressing economy.) They are usually hair-on-fire sorts of reports and interviews. But none of them has made the impression on me that Naomi Klein's interview tonight made.

If you haven't read "Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism," get going. I was late to the party, reading it last year when I heard it mentioned during election politics. It is chilling, and carries with it an authority built on logic and evidence. Her interview above seemed the same to me. When she said that we have had a "massive transfer of public wealth into private hands," I actually shuddered. To hear it stated so simply was like getting the news for the first time.

I have written about the Glass-Steagall Act before, and Klein mentions that FDR used the leverage of public outrage to have GSA passed in two days. Two days! Have we lost our leverage to force regulation? I can't imagine a time in which our government could move so quickly. I've not seen it in my lifetime.

Sometimes when I'm watching the MSNBC lineup, I am so filled with impotent rage against those who enjoy "the impunity of the elites," whether they be in the economic sector or the governmental sector. I have fantasies about all of us impotently angry people marching in numbers so great that we cannot be denied our satisfaction! And accountability will reign o'er their heads! Why yes, the mood leveling drugs are working great; thanks for asking.

Whew. On a lighter note, I noticed that Rachel was communicating via eye semaphore again: "Ana...Marie...Cox...&...Naomi...Klein...stop...too...much...brains...and...hotness...stop...head...may...explode...stop"

2 comments:

  1. Hey, I missed this post of yours until today, but I was as blown away as you were! I cannot believe how much sense it all makes - and the vast amount of solid, conrete evidence behind her theory. The Green 960 podcast I mention in my post is a great interview - I'll try to find you a link to download it - really fleshes out what they talked about on the show.
    Okay, I read that Anna Marie Cox is a married straight woman like me, but I gotta say, as a fag hag from way back, my gay-dar beeps like crazy...am I totally off on this one? The Hubby has observed that she seems to get butchier and flirtier the more she's on the show...
    Great post, my like-minded friend!

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  2. I will check out the Green 960 podcast. As far as AMC and RM go, here is my theory: a huge majority of us are somewhere in the 90-90 range on the Kinsey scale. Rachel is about...maybe 97% gay, and AMC is...80% straight. (Like the way I grabbed those numbers out of my ass describing people I have never met?) So, they meet halfway between, and definitely have some chemistry. AMC doesn't set my gayar screaming, just a little beep. I do love the idea that TRMS is bringing out the butch in her. I also wanted to bring to your attention that in the column to the left that shows the beginning of your latest post. It hasn't updated as you post. The other ones do, so I wondered if it has something to do with your settings.

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