The Trap: Episode One (Adam Curtis, BBC)

                 

Check out part one of this amazing video series from Adam Curits called "The Trap: What Happened To Our Dream Of Freedom."  It combines great imagery with provocative theories on how the language of "freedom" and "choice" have actually been used to control citizens of the US, UK, and around the world instead of liberate them. More info on the series here. (Thanks Hugh!)

Comments

[Valerie]

Anyone know how to obtain dvd's for "The Trap"?

[blueinthefac]

Well my University has a fairly low quality but watchable DVD DTV copy of it. And of course there's always YouTube :-) I'll send you a copy if you like. Email me.

Whilst The Trap raised some interesting points and presented some enlightening statistics, especially in part 3, I disagree with many of the central tenets regarding the intentions of Thatcher/Blair's neobilerai economic drive. For example, it's presented as a 'paradox' that economic 'freedom' should end up increasing wealth divisions and reducing class mobility whereas in fact this is the driving motivation of economic neoliberalism, as Marx pointed out many years ago, no paradox at all.

It's also a 'paradox' that the attempt to bring 'democracy' to Iraq has resulted in chaos. Again, no paradox if you accept that democracy is a very low priority for Bush's regime.

Iraq is the most important oil reserve in the middle east, and control of the region is imperative to the US. In fact US intentions for the region (i.e. control of it) we're clearly spelled out by the PNAC in the 90's, and most of those behind the PNAC were or are major players in the Bush regime, including Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Bush's brother Jeb. For the same reasons any talk of withdrawal is to give the illusion of debate. It's not going to happen.

Nevertheless, The Trap still a wothwhile watch, but a side serving of John Pilger always helps dispel 'accepted wisdom'.