http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A&list=RD02NOzR3UAyXao<https://mail.lmu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=1e1da68ca0244308b799d827d5f2403f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dXbp6umQT58A%26list%3dRD02NOzR3UAyXao>
The video is interesting (and sometimes even fun), despite various factual errors. The "human farming" metaphor is useful, but the makers of the flick misinterpret the nature of the "farmers." They call the most recent version of human farming "democracy" -- when a much better name would be "capitalism." It's amazing that they can get away with such an explicit rejection of democracy! Of course, they do that by equating "democracy" with state coercion and manipulation. This is a mistake. The current system involves not just the state but the very rich (the capitalists); the one percent and the state's managers are in cahoots against the vast majority. Of course, the capitalists dominate the alliance, at least when it comes to economic issues. (Capitalist "tax" the majority via the extraction of surplus-value in the work process. The state helps this process, in addition to doing its own taxation.) The film (with its quote from Ronald Reagan and its friendly portrayal of the Teabaggers) seems to want to replace the state with an anarchist-tinged version of what's often called "libertarianism." I call this world-view "money libertarianism" because it proposes to allow people to use their money in any way they want in an allegedly free market. No other kind of freedom is important, while democracy goes out the window. This neo-neoliberalism, in my view, simply cements the power of the one percent. Likely, more state coercion would be needed, since it would be harder to create popular legitimacy. (By the way, it's interesting how various Marxist ideas have been incorporated in the film's interpretations of history. Some ex-Marxists must have been involved in its creation.) The alternative is to force the state managers and their capitalist allies to submit to actual democratic control, where this democracy's form would be changed to make it more (not less) democratic. The film has a major undercurrent of conspiracy theory: they (the state) are controlling us (the would-be free-marketeers) without our knowing it. It's true that most people are ignorant (including the film-makers) but every once and awhile there are counter-movements such as the Occupy folks. They create history just as much as our rulers do. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
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