Has Anyone Read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein?

[Perseid]

I just saw her on Bill Maher, and was greatly impressed.

If you've read the book, could you provide some information on it?

thanks

[madrchsod]

1. here`s some more

http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine/short-film
The Shock Doctrine Short Film | Naomi Klein

have`t read the book

[Perseid]

2. thank you! looking now. nt

[Perseid]

5. from a link that you provided

Fast Facts, Shocks and their Aftermath from the Shock Doctrine Short Film
Chile, 1973

* 50,000 tortured
* 80,000 imprisoned
* Public spending cut by 50%
* Incomes for the rich up 83%
* 45% of population in poverty

Wars – Falklands War, 1982

* 910 people die
* Thatcher's popularity doubles
* She privatizes gas, steel, airlines, telephones
* She declares war on unions
* Thousands are injured
* Unemployment triples
* Number of poor increases by 100%

Massacres

* China 1989 – hundreds killed
* Thousands jailed and tortured
* China becomes sweatshop to the world
* China embraces "free market" capitalism
* Factory wages: $1/day

Russia, 1993

* Yeltsin attacks parliament
* Hundreds killed
* Parliament burned
* Opposition arrested
* 72 million impoverished
* 17 new billionaires created

Terrorist Attacks – New York, 2001

* Attacks launch "War on Terror." It is privatized.
* US spy agencies outsource 70% of their budgets
* Pentagon increases budget for contractors by $137 billion/year
* Department of Homeland Security spends $130 billion on private contractors

Invasions – Iraq, 2003

* The most privatized war in modern history
* US decrees 200 state companies will be privatized
* Hundreds of thousands killed
* 4 million displaced

Natural Disasters – Sri Lanka, 2004

* 35,000 dead
* Coastline handed over to hotels and industry
* Nearly 1 million displaced
* Fishing people forbidden to rebuild homes by the sea

[EVDebs]

3. I plan to but you should also read ...

1. Kevin Phillip's Wealth and Democracy

2. David Cay Johnston's Perfectly Legal

these are the most incendiary books I've seen in quite awhile. For a good laugh also read

3. Thomas Frank's One Market Under God

[Perseid]

4. Thomas Frank's One Market Under God

I will absolutely have to read that one!

[IDemo]

6. There have been several threads on this:

http://tinyurl.com/34zs2q

[Perseid]

7. apologies

I didn't see them.

[IDemo]

8. Not looking for apologies! Just pointing to some previous commentary

Enjoy. :hi:

[robinlynne]

9. I saw that and plan to read it. It made a lot of sense.

also recommended: Naomi Wolf's new book

[applegrove]

10. It details one shock after another to countries that fall (or are put) into

the path of Freidman economics (privatization, undoing of social programs, selling off assets to the biggest corporations in the world). Usually there is a shock like a coup, war or economic meltdown and often there is repression or examples are made of people to keep the population passive (which in South America in the 1970s involved disapperances and just plain murder and torture). It is basically a history of right wing economics in the past 40 years and how it has "danced" with shock to undo mixed market economies. I haven't finished yet but if ya like political economy this is a great read.

She shows how people can fight back if they don't become to passive (like Seatle). I'm just a the year 2000 so I'll tell ya more when I get to the end of the book.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. That's next on my readying list

remember to pay cash for these books though