"A Scarily Efficient Way of Organizing Society": Naomi Klein on China

"Security, central planning, surveillance state is an ideal cocoon for global capitalism." The Real News Network's Senior Editor, Paul Jay spoke with author and investigative journalist, Naomi Klein about the Olympic show hiding a scary backdrop.

Naomi Klein: "I think this is an incredibly efficient, actually, a scarily efficient way of organizing society that's actually being celebrated here, which is a hybrid of some of the worst elements of authoritarian communism--mass surveillance of the population, total lack of civil liberties, lack of a free press, lack of democratic rights, authoritarian central planning, all harnessed not to advance the goals of social justice, even in name, although there may be some lip service still paid to that, but to advance the goals of global capitalism. So it is Stalinism meets global capitalism.... There are 100,000 security officers just on Olympic duty. And to put that into perspective, the stadium itself, the Bird's Nest Stadium holds 90,000. So there's 90,000 spectators and 100,000 secret police keeping control of things in Beijing. So this is an incredible operation. But when you hear people like Lou Dobbs and other commentators talking about the problems in China, it's always red China, communist China, or the Chi-coms. And it's really this blast from the past of--you know, it's almost as if the Cold War never ended."

The full interview will be released in parts over the next 3 days. Visit TheRealNews.com to find out more.

Comments

[mccall63]

Americans don't get it. The Chinese, from an historical standpoint, have no more in common with Thomas Jefferson's ideas of government than the Iraqi's or the Iranians do. Americans arrogantly believe we have the best form of government, and the rest of the world must necessarily want to be just like us. So the media is on a China bashing frenzy. China has human rights problems, but so do we.

Consider these facts; The Chinese have 1.3 billion people and 1.5 million people in prison.
The United States has 300 million people and over 2 million people in prison. Statistically, U.S. citizens have a much higher chance of going to prison than their Chinese counterparts.

[drblack]

Everybody ever born was born Free. We are designed as individuals.

[dadw5boys]

Russia use to search your luggage when you were entering the country,
What wee they looking for?
Pornography and drugs !!!!

American were told this was illegal searches.
What do you think today?

[johnwinner]

Wonderful description of Bush Cheney America: "mass surveillance of the population, total lack of civil liberties, lack of a free press, lack of democratic rights, authoritarian central planning, all harnessed not to advance the goals of social justice, even in name, although there may be some lip service still paid to that, but to advance the goals of global capitalism. " I'm afraid there's no criticism the US can make about China anymore.

[DickTater]

1st things first, stop buying their stuff. I am not saying that as individuals, as a country (big business) has to stop selling us down the river to China. Of course, there really are no american companies anymore, just globalists who hailed originally from America.
So, they abandoned us to join the global capitalists in reaping profits from the whole world. At least the old nationalistic capitalism was semi-symbiotic. They needed us, they pandered to us, they lived here, their kids or grandkids went to school here, drank the water here, used the roads here, could have been invaded here, could have fought in our wars.

We have enabled all corporations to un-dock from america and join the global plundering, which doesn't even have a minimal symbiotic relationship. Of course, by default, we are thrown naked into the arena where global companies take aim on us.....we have no american business/sympathetic buffer. We won't be able to build our own stuff, and we can't keep our own quality high....we don't make it anymore. Soon we will only be hotels and service industries....and warehousing our seniors and ever expanding police-state prisoners.

[BlueTongue]

The bit of the opening ceremony I saw was both beautiful and terrifying. 2008 people all moving in sync... it looked like a computer had generated the image. The total subservience of the individual to the mass was amazing, and also Orwellian. Imagine what happens to the guy who screws up. The West had better get ready for an onslaught: Culturally, economically, politically, and militarily. China's power is only just beginning.