Naomi Klein Discusses "Disaster Capitalism" On Real Time With Bill Maher (VIDEO)

Naomi Klein, author of the book "The Shock Doctrine," was a guest on Bill Maher's HBO Show, "Real Time." Klein's book posits that certain people often like when there is a disaster because it allows them to rationalize making radical and unpopular changes that normally the citizenry would not go for. She discusses her theory of "disaster capitalism" within the context of the current economic crisis.

[WATCH]

Comments

[pavroviandog]

Kudos to Ms. Klein!! Watch out for the men behind the curtain: they will do everything to make the gullible American public think that they can continue to live in Disneyland. The real financial Tsunami to come is a $450 trillion global derivatives bubble...b­ut we need to focus on more important matters---­-lipstick, American Idol, the RNC faux-nativity Palin tableau, political "horse race" and its shallow discourse through polls, etc. Would that there were 300 million Americans that had the acumen and analytical skills of Naomi Klein....j­ust imagine how proud the profoundly intellectual founders would be had the "people" and truth stood up to power!

[northicus]

When are we going to confront the abuses of the Right-wing fantasies and complete mismanagement? It appears we have not suffered enough that we need more persuading, more spoon-fed crap. Where are the leaders who can see the crimes and are willing to step up and say enough is enough. We need a Goldwater from the left to shake it up and pin the blame on the Republicans for it has been under their watch,8 self- destructing years.

[Mylegacy]

I suggest we go to Boston.

Find a ship with a cargo of tea and start throwing it overboard. If we do - the American people will join us. Looks like it's time to back to square one - only this time we'll do it right!

[Kuroneko]

Just found a short film version of Shock Doctrine in YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kieyjfZDUIc

[2lib4oh]

Things are pretty bad on the economic front and no doubt will be an excuse to usher in radical changes that really won't fix the problems the conservatives have helped create.

Just as bad as is the election security scam created by the McCain campaign.Y­ou can see the Republicans trying to cook up other problems in the voting sector.Bad­ly designed absentee ballot applications that have a two-fold purpose:voter disenfranchisement and blame to the Democratic SOS in order to unseat her 2010.

In Ohio SOS Brunner is being blamed for not accepting a ballot that requires a box to be checked to signify the voter is registered­.The original ballot from the SOS has no box to check.Conf­used voters who missed checking the box were sent a authentic ballot application immediatel­y.This was not good enough for GOP lawyers who filed two frivolus lawsuits against the SOS with phony cries of
"voter disenfranc­hisement".­Meanwhile Ohio taxpayers will pick up the tap for this nasty trick.

They create havic in the economy and the voting booth.I wonder how they will blame this on Obama?

[gerix]

Naomi Klein "Shock Doctrine" does a great job of exposing current neo-con strategy.

However, I don't think she understands that Friday's impressive market action was substantially due to a government orchestrated short squeeze whereby the SEC disallowed short positions on 799 financial stocks and forced all short sellers to cover by 4 pm EST on Friday... which just happened to also coincide with September options expiration­... plus who knows how much help from the PPT.

[Kuroneko]

A fine Canadian journalist and social critic. Huff, you could cut the intro shorter and make her talk longer. I wanted to hear more. I guess I have to read her book, which I think was published about a year ago. Speaking of Canadian writer, I also highly recommend a new publication, What Is America?: A Short History of the New World Order, by Ronald Wright (2008).

[digoweli]

What a pity that the conversation was torpedoed by Andrew Sullivan who parroted the same old, same old Republican garbage about "markets". Such thinking makes it impossible for any kind of critical evaluation and his move into the "faith" issue was just as fatuous. Klein initially began well but Andrew just stuffed his words down her throat and it ruined the show. He should go fight Sharia in England or something. Digoweli

[LorettaSingbiel]

We CAN'T FIND MONEY to fix Social Security, Medicare, Education
We CAN'T FIND MONEY to provide health care to ALL Americans
We CAN'T FIND MONEY to help Americans losing their homes
We CAN'T FIND MONEY to fully help Katrina & Ike victims
We CAN'T FIND MONEY to fix our infrastructure
We CAN'T FIND MONEY to help ALL our veterans returning from war

BUT ...

We CAN FIND MONEY to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns, AIG, Morgan Stanley
We CAN FIND MONEY to pay for an unnecessary TRILLION DOLLAR war

CORPORATE WELFARE to protect CORPORATE WEALTH!

Our founding fathers would be APPALLED with a government of the CORPORATIONS, by the CORPORATIONS, and for the CORPORATIONS.

This nation shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, for the PEOPLE, shall not perish from the earth. CHANGE WE (and our founding fathers) CAN BELIEVE IN!

Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?

YES WE WILL!

YES WE CAN!

OBAMA/BIDEN '08!

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!

HOPE and CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!!

[popfolly]

Darwinian neoliberalism is not the natural condition, as many believe. It is not supernatural. It can be challened and replaced. An infinitesimally small fraction of what the befuddled true believers want to give away in corporate welfare would be enough to provide a decent life for every person on earth.

[Marlyn]

"Darwinian neoliberalism " ???

Call it what is it: Neoconservatism, Yes NEOCON!

[Mason]

I think the correct term is social darwinism and it was one of the central tenets of Naziism. Many neocons are jewish; many aren't. They don't advocate a master race; they practice machiavellism where the ends justify the means.

[Marlyn]

"a government of the CORPORATIONS, by the CORPORATIONS, and for the CORPORATIO­NS."

A rose is a rose is a rose. Smells like fascism to me.

[Delaware22]

When I first read her book, I was intrigued by the theory; now, seeing it come to fruition, it's frightening.

[landoffools]

And Naomi Klein's credentials are ?

That she stayed at a Holiday Inn close to the Fed ?

[GrainOSand]

I do not Know what Mrs. Klein's credentials are but Alan Greenspan is said to have a serious resume and I have heard accounts that he is partially to blame with his endless rate cuts. It seems, that on the economy, experts are as fleeting as the moment. Mrs. Klein's description matches what many are seeing -- an end run, a shell game in progress.

[waitforme]

Just read her books, and then see if the question you pose is entirely irrelevant. The girl is way way ahead of most culture observers. She is observing and researching all the time. She is an amazing original.

[waitforme]

I've seen her, read her and now just looked her up (thank you for that). Here is part of what I found.
She is a former Miliband Fellow at the London School of Economics and holds an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of King’s College, Nova Scotia. She was voted 11th, the highest ranked woman, in the Global Intellectuals Poll—a list of the world’s top public intellectuals compiled by Prospect Magazine, in conjunction with Foreign Policy Magazine.

Naomi Klein’s latest book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, is an international bestseller and was published worldwide in September 2007.

Beyond that, Klein is a super-caffeinated woman who is seriously concerned about injustices and hypocrisy she sees in the world and is WILLING TO SPEAK ABOUT THEM, OUT LOUD, EFFECTIVELY AND ARTICULATELY. That is what we all should be doing, and I hope we are, on this site and other places.

(I called her a girl before as a friendly gesture -- not my usual style to call a woman a girl, but she is younger than my own offspring, thus....a great girl! this woman.)

[Dire wolf]

I see...sinc­e you don't know her credentials, her comments aren't worthy. Is that how it works? Or do you actually have something substantive to say?

[northicus]

read her book

[sean6886]

You choose to stay blind.
This may not affect your world this very second, but if you think you are far from it's reaches you are sadly mistaken.
Continue to stay on a blind path and you get what you deserve.
Educate yourself.

[sposton]

Naomi Klein is absolutely right! I highly recommend her book. Much of what is happening now is a recognizable pattern that has been used in the past to impoverish people around the world by enacting radical agendas that under normal circumstances would never be accepted. Watch out America!