Everyone knew the system was failing, but no one could imagine any alternative to the status quo. Politicians and citizens alike were resigned to maintaining the pretense of a functioning society. Over time, the mass delusion became a self-fulfilling prophecy, with everyone accepting it as the new norm rather than pretend.
Politicians, financiers and technological utopians gave up on trying to shape the complex “real world”. Instead, they established a simpler “fake world” for the benefit of multi-national corporations and kept stable by neoliberal governments. Political technologists create mass confusion, turning politics into a bewildering piece of theatre.
The Century of Self and The Power of Nightmares are also really good docuseries that he made.
The only work of his that I really didn’t like was TraumaZone. I watched only the first video in the series and it came off to me as extremely anti-communist.
One thing I remember from this though, it’s pretty anti-communist isn’t it? Wasn’t the whole “hypernormalization” theory from how “evil” the CCCP was and apparently always lied about literally everything? It’s been awhile since I’ve watched it though…
It’s been a while since I watched it, but IIRC he does draw some parallels between the end of the Soviet Union and the current era under Trump.
To be fair, the USSR wasn’t doing so hot in their final years if I am not mistaken. But Adam Curtis is certainly no communist, wouldn’t be surprised if he slipped in a few jabs.
Everyone knew the system was failing, but no one could imagine any alternative to the status quo. Politicians and citizens alike were resigned to maintaining the pretense of a functioning society. Over time, the mass delusion became a self-fulfilling prophecy, with everyone accepting it as the new norm rather than pretend.
Politicians, financiers and technological utopians gave up on trying to shape the complex “real world”. Instead, they established a simpler “fake world” for the benefit of multi-national corporations and kept stable by neoliberal governments. Political technologists create mass confusion, turning politics into a bewildering piece of theatre.
For anyone else wondering this is from Adam Curtis’ documentary film Hypernormalisation.
Ahhhhh thank you! As I was reading it I was like wtf man I know I know this from somewhere!
this looks like a banger, saved to watch later.
Almost everything Adam Curtis has done has been
The Century of Self and The Power of Nightmares are also really good docuseries that he made.
The only work of his that I really didn’t like was TraumaZone. I watched only the first video in the series and it came off to me as extremely anti-communist.
One thing I remember from this though, it’s pretty anti-communist isn’t it? Wasn’t the whole “hypernormalization” theory from how “evil” the CCCP was and apparently always lied about literally everything? It’s been awhile since I’ve watched it though…
It’s been a while since I watched it, but IIRC he does draw some parallels between the end of the Soviet Union and the current era under Trump.
To be fair, the USSR wasn’t doing so hot in their final years if I am not mistaken. But Adam Curtis is certainly no communist, wouldn’t be surprised if he slipped in a few jabs.
what gave it away
40 minutes in that’s mostly it so far
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: