Naomi Klein
From MediaStudies
Contents |
Who is Naomi Klein??
Topics She Discussed at Lecture
The idea of the Shock Doctrine is that after a large catastrophe or crisis, those in power use the resulting state of shock to push through legislature and free-market ideas that would not usually be able to take place under normal circumstances. She cited the Patriot Act as one example, and even the Iraq War as a large-scale example. Another is that of post-Katrina free-market reforms that were suggested only two weeks after the hurricane hit, which have little or no relevance to the aftermath of Katrina. She has posted them on her website: Pro-Free-Market Ideas for Responding to Hurricane Katrina and High Gas
Klein gave many examples relating to South America and compared it to what is going on today in the U.S. She said that when Americans say that they've never seen anything like this before, she says that she has. She saw it in Argentina when the market crashed, impoverishing all but the highest class of citizens. Argentina's plan was the same as the U.S. bailout that, at the time of the talk, was being considered, and has now been passed. Klein strongly urged her audience to protest the bailout.
Important Video Clips to Watch
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and Alfonso Cuaron
Lecture Attended By
Caitlin Pierce Lindsay Talbot
