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Review - Generation Zero: The Truth About the Financial Meltdown
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Bannon's 'Generation Zero' is an attempt to explain what led up to and caused the financial disaster of Sept. 18, 2008. In short, the film goes out of its way to explain that disaster was not caused by capitalism, deregulation, and/or Wallstreet (Ya, I am laughing too). Many conservatives, Tea Party members, and Republicans see this film as a wake-up call for the ignorant American masses (a.k.a. couch potatoes) who value their freedom BUT the film fails to explain 'Freedom from What' and/or 'Freedom for Who.' In other words, what are the couch potatoes struggling to free themselves from? Weber's Iron Cage?? Or, is it simply a veiled attempt to trick the couch potatoes to labor, for free, so the Reaganites (those who advocate a 'small business society') can be come back into power???
Using (a) 'picture thinking' (which includes cartoons, rotting fruit, and other visual noise), (b) an all-star line up of conservative media and financial personalities (Gingrich, Lou Dobbs, Krauthamer, 5 employees from Fox News, and representatives from the Hoover Institution), AND (c) the last 40 years of history (minus the contributions of 8 years of Reagan and 12 years of the Bush family), the film blames three groups of people for the 2008 financial disaster, that the United States is still living and dealing with in 2012.
The 1st escape goat is 'Generation X' (those born between 1965 thru 1985), which Bannon and his assocaties rename or rebrand as 'Generation Zero.' If you are a member of Generation X, this is pretty insulting to be called a bunch of slackers, losers, and all around zeros. But don't worry, its not your fault - its your grandmother's. You didn't see that one coming, now did you. John J. Xenakis explains, "We have these mothers who raised their kids in the 1950's determined to make sure that their kids and grandkids would never have to suffer like they did during The Great Depression and World War II ... but in over protecting their kids they launched something in the 1950's which is a tidal wave that's now reaching our shores in the 2000's and they're bringing about exactly the tragedy that they had tried to avoid." In short, 'Generation X,' with its individualized morals and ethics it learned from its parents (the Baby Boomer - those born between 1945 thru 1965) is 1/3 the problem. The 2nd escape goat is the marginalized left and any one else who read Saul Alinsky's (1909-1972) Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (1971). This group includes all the usual suspects when the Right needs to blame someone for their greed and mistakes. The 3rd and final escape goat in Bannon film is then government, which is controlled by corporate America. You know, those new American citizens that can commit finical crimes and not be accountable for their actions (FMI - Read about Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission).
And what's the solution to this problem, you ask. Well Dick Morris summed it up nicely when he staired into the camera and said, with religious music playing in the background, "Stop. S-T-O-P. Stop, spending this kind of money. Stop, over regulating the economy. Stop, taking over health care and running it out of the federal government." In short, the solution is a kinder, gentler, capitalism. Now, fade to a picture of our current president talking to the American people so the viewer of this film can be given a sence that we should united and "Stop" President Obama.
The real solution to this reoccurring problem of financial disasters and corporate corruption is moving away from capitalism and towards socialism. This can be accomplished by, first, TAXING the RICH!!! Everyone seems to forget that profit is stolen surplus value. Meaning, any household or corporation that makes more that $100,000 a year should pay 25% of their income to the federal government in tax -- no loop holes, no decreasing you tax by giving to charities (this is how people like Mitt Romney, who allegedly has over 250 million dollars, pays little or no taxes), and no deductions what so ever. And second, 'We the People' need to nationalize the banking industry (i.e. there should be only one national bank), the power industry (this includes oil, gas, electricity), and the airline industry. By removing the profit incentive from these industries comes social stability, cheaper loans, free power, a gallon of gas for a quarter, high-speed trains, and free flights to see your friends and family.
First Posted 07-10-2012