The world is not a just place. This is a truism that we live by and acknowledge but rarely is it more brought home to us than when we are confronted by brutal clinical facts demonstrating just how unjust it really is. And while, this blog does not purport to be a political one, there being hundreds of others far more qualified than I, it often becomes necessary to take on a stance and to be on record. What started out as an assignment to do a book review of Naomi Klein’s the
Shock Doctrine evolved into something personal the longer I read it.
For every reading that we set out to do, we inevitably bring with us our personal history. Like it or not this includes our deepest associations with the country of our birth. We are who we are not only because of our family and friends but also because of our greater environment. Our environment shapes us just as surely as we shape it around us. Thus, where our personal history is shaped by the warp and weft of the history of our country, it cannot but leave an indelible mark on us, invisible most of the time but present nonetheless. In reading something like the Shock Doctrine which writes about the disenfranchisement of scores of people, the massive loss of human lives and the sheer greed that underlies human action, somehow, the word injustice doesn’t even come close to describing the way it really is. And I cannot help but remember the history of my own country and its current state. It is for this reason that the book hits far too close to home. And perhaps I am reading it far more with my heart than my intellect, but I think this is one of the times when the heart must rule. For it is only in such way that the intellect might be guided to try to put to right something that obviously went very wrong. And while there is very little that I can do right now, it is a reminder to me that we must be forever on our guard, to be prepared to fight and rail against what is unjust, cruel and greedy.
So now for the book itself…
The book defines, explains and sets out to repudiate the concept of the
Shock Doctrine. As conceived by its primary proponent Milton Friedman, the shock doctrine allows the imposition of otherwise unpalatable economic conditions on an unsuspecting populace through the haze that follows a catastrophic event. By taking advantage of a crisis or disaster (natural and increasingly man made) the three primary tenets of the doctrine, namely deregulation/free trade, privatization and severe cutbacks on social spending could be imposed with impunity and without regard for what is considered as nationalist safeguards. As envisioned by Friedman and his disciples (whose economic policy is forever known as the Chicago school of thought), the objective is to strip away all regulations until all distortions are removed and the markets are free to regulate themselves. The idea being that the free regulation of the market would allow all people to benefit from the wealth that is subsequently created. But in Milton’s hands and as practiced by his fervent disciples, it has evolved to pure corporatism coupled with a disaster capitalism. What this book has done is to show that its unfettered application all over the world has brought about the grossest violations of human rights and created and in numerous instances broadened and increased a hundredfold the inequality between the rich and poor. It has brought about the very opposite of what it purports to bring about.
Given such a highly controversial and potentially contentious subject, Klein has undertaken in depth research and from the wealth of information contained, has put in a significant amount of time to gather all the facts and to ensure that the facts speak for themselves. And the facts are damning indeed. The first half of the book is devoted to studying the cases of the countries where the doctrine was first applied. From Latin America, to South Africa, Poland, Russia, China, Korea and Indonesia, the book shows us how the application of the doctrine necessitated the most brutal repressions (i.e. Chile’s Pinochet and Argentina’s generals) and wide application of torture. Indeed the stringent economic measures required that torture be applied. It was the means of ensuring compliance of the people and to remake the society in accordance with the vision of its creators. As such it was carried out systematically and clinically both on individuals and on whole societies. And the result of such experiment was the almost complete privatization of its national industries, the lay-off of thousands of state employees, huge national debts to the IMF and World Bank, and the enrichment of a very tiny segment of society. It does not even begin to describe the misery, exploitation and deprivation that was endured and in some cases, still being endured today by the ordinary people of these countries. And because the interests of big multinational companies are involved, it comes almost as no surprise to learn that the US backed several coups which subsequently put governments in place that supported the Chicago School.
The second and third parts of the book deals with the application of the doctrine to the country of its birth-the US. And we see how the evolution of the doctrine and its accompanying disaster capitalism has lead to the Iraq war and even more disastrously, the privatization of all but the most basic government functions. What has happened is the logical next step in the process. Where the national industries of other countries were once the target, it only makes sense that the target now is what may be the richest prize of them all, the US Government. From the findings of the book, it appears that any and everything that could be contracted out has been contracted out, reducing and stripping away functions that have traditionally belonged to the State. Thus, we see how the reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina has lead to rich gated communities (built by private contractors) and huge blocks of poor areas that are still without water or electricity. In the words of the book, what has evolved is the hollow state. If the previous chapters have already been already sickening in its detail of torture, murder and poverty, this chapter is perhaps the most sickening as it enumerates in painful detail the huge amounts of public money that have gone to line the pockets of very select corporations (in many cases owned by prominent individuals). It is cronyism and corruption at the highest levels and banana dictators have apparently nothing on them when it comes to amassing enormous amounts of money.
Klein concludes the book by showing that at the moment there is a growing move to reject the policies of the Chicago school and this is by no means an easy task. Despite the experience of countries under the shock doctrine, there are ominous signs of its continuing power. A quick look around us confirms the continued presence of big gaps between the rich and the poor. And should the shock doctrine continue this gap could eventually become unbridgeable. But as with everything else, there is hope. Latin America is now on its first attempts to bring back a democratic socialism, which attempt was brutally cut short in the 70s. They have before them a few models, namely Scandinavia, but it remains to be seen whether it can be applied everywhere else. An important insight to take away from reading the book is the idea that we owe it to our collective existence to fight against the continuing hold of this insidious doctrine whether or not we are from countries that have been under shock. As pointed out by the author, disasters have traditionally united humans; it cuts across religious, cultural and political ties and alliances. We must learn to do so again and we must learn to rebuild our society into a more just version of what we have thus far created.
Fleurs
Historicisme
Organized by the group Fifties Sound, the vide-grenier revolves around a Fifties inspired theme. As such, most if not all the stands carry vintage items. There are a great deal of leather jackets, baubles and bangles, plates, glasses and furniture, spectator shoes, fur coats and stoles and of course dresses. And contrary to what naysayers may believe, there are treasures to be found. One participant carries Courreges skirts and dresses, some of which have never been worn. Another carries wonderful aviator style leather jackets that are completely in fashion nowadays for a less hefty price tag. Yet another carries a wonderful selection of vintage belts, include some Gucci looking corset type ones. As with all other flea markets, perseverance is key and you have to contend with the absence of dressing rooms or mirrors. The patient however can be greatly rewarded.
An interesting set of photos are those taken in the beginning of the 50’s all the way till the 70s. It was during this time that the developments of photography were put to good use in fashion and advertising. Present in this collection are colored photographs taken by Robert Doisneau which advertised all manner of things and places. And the city took on a new role; that of a setting for some of the most innovative designs of the day. Robert Capa, William Klein and again Robert Doisneau all captured Dior models with the New Look fashion along the environs of Paris for leading publications of the day, Vogue being one of them.
