Disaster has its own rewards

No, read this book. Read this book. And watch this short from Alfonso Cuaron and his son Jonas. Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine is a concise, readable history of the effects of a certain ideological malaise affecting us all, or at least a diagnosis of the symptoms. She travels the globe and even spends time in Iraq with a heady thesis - that the now legalized (shakily) forms of torture that were researched and created by our government and now for the first time directly used thusly are the micro version of the macro: a larger form of shock therapy.

Its intentions are to capitalize upon disaster as the economic model of infinite growth cannot be sustained. So conversely we need blank slates to begiin again. The tsunami in Asia, Iraq, New Orleans, Sept 11th... All are opportunities for a certain type of capitalism, a chance to put into effect a great experiment that promises an economic utopia: an unrestrained free market. And then stretching further back to Latin America throughout the 60s, Indonesia and East Timor she finds earlier already well documented instances of the same and the missing, the imprisoned, the murdered who get in the way. Klein makes a convoluted history a page turner; a frightening, shocking and darkly funny thing. And she's right to say that there isn't an obvious conspiracy going on; rather it's a mindset, a philosophy, a tacit acceptance of reaping profit from misery.



It's a funny thing that in Europe and Canada Klein's book is a zeitgeist churning discussion in the public, it is examined and pilloried and praised and lauded and debated. Here it's a minor thing. It ought to be part of our national conversation, as it isn't an attack on liberals or conservatives. It's a damning indictment and litany of truths that need reflection. It may be the most galvanizing book in the post 9/11 world for those who want a better world where this won't happen again.

Check out her site here.

And here is an amazing article she did for Harper's earlier this year about her observations in Iraq.

Quirk plus Natalie Portman naked

Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier, a sort of prologue for The Darjeeling Limited is available today on the iTunes store for free. It was screened at festivals before the film but won't be theatrically, so enjoy it at home. I haven't yet watched it. If you have iTunes installed click on this link here. I have yet to see it, but in an effort to have the most viewed giant robot blog entry ever I will say that everyone seems to be discussing Portman's nudity more than the film itself. For those who don't care, here's a very thorough article on Wes Anderson from nymag that addresses some of the prevailing common wisdom about his work - becoming too insular and self satisified.

I am alive, blogging to come - all sorts of things to share.