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The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Naomi Klein's book delves into the history of economic shock therapy, analyzing how it has been used to advance capitalist policies in the wake of major disasters and conflicts. The book argues that these policies often exacerbate inequality and undermine democracy. more

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Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and activist recognized for her work on social justice and environmental issues. Born on May 8, 1970, she has authored several influential books that have gained international acclaim. more

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“Corruption has been as much a fixture on these contemporary frontiers as it was during the colonial gold rushes. Since the most significant privatization deals are always signed amid the tumult of an economic or political crisis, clear laws and effective regulations are never in place - the atmosphere is chaotic, the prices are flexible and so are the politicians. What we have been living for three decades is frontier capitalism, with the frontier constantly shifting locations from crisis to crisis, moving on as soon as the law catches up.”

CapitalismShockDisaster CapitalismFriedman
Book:The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
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“That is the untold story of what the IMF calls "stabilization programs," as if countries were ships being tossed around on the market's high seas. They do, eventually, stabilize, but that new equilibrium is achieved by throwing millions of people overboard: public sector workers, small-business owners, subsistence farmers, trade unionists. The ugly secret of "stabilization" is the vast majority never climb back aboard. They end up in slums, now home to 1 billion people; they end up in brothels or cargo ship containers. They are the disinherited, those described by the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke as "ones to whom neither the past nor the future belongs.”

Disaster CapitalismNeo LiberalismFriedman
Book:The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
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“When information about who is or is not a security threat is a product to be sold as readily as information about who buys Harry Potter books on Amazon or who has taken a Caribbean cruise and might enjoy one in Alaska, it changes the values of a culture. Not only does it create an incentive to spy, torture and generate false information but it creates a powerful impetus to perpetuate the fear and sense of peril that created the industry in the first place.”

SecurityDisaster CapitalismNeo LiberalismFriedmanism
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“The universal experience of living through a great shock is the feeling of being completely powerless: in the face of awesome forces, parents lose their ability to save their children, spouses are separated, homes - places of protection - become death traps. The best way to recover from helplessness turns out to be helping - having the right to be part of a communal recovery.”

HelpingHelplessnessPowerlessnessDisaster CapitalismCommunal Recovery
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“I had a dream about you. In my dream I stole all your money, kidnapped your parents, and mailed you mannequin parts spray-painted red in a series of packages that also included ransom notes. Then, towards the end of the dream, the cops surrounded my cave and swarmed in to arrest me. Sweating, my eyes shot open, and I realized it was a dream. “Of course it’s a dream,” I thought. “The cops have no idea where my cave is, and your first package has yet to be delivered.””

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“Colter searched for original Mexican tiles to use as patterns for copies, and during the search, a barrel of old tile letters was found in a cellar corner. She decided to use the letters on the walls of the Cocina Cantina to spell out old Spanish proverbs about eating and drinking. Above the bar was "A vuestra salud" [to your health], and in another room, "Not with whom you were born, but with whom you pasture.”

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Book:Mary Colter - Builder upon the Red Earth
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