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Forum Post: Commanding Heights Documentary Series (3 parts) and Underdog goes underground

Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 15, 2012, 7:13 p.m. EST by Underdog (2971) from Clermont, FL
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Commanding Heights - Part 1 - The Battle for the World Economy (1:55:31)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omIM4SF1oQQ

Commanding Heights - Part 2 - The Agony of Reform (1:55:26)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEReH2HDUWs&feature=related

Commanding Heights - Part 3 - The New Rules of the Game (1:55:31)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KubaKsWmiNY&feature=related

This absolutely excellent, intelligently written, and engagingly presented 3 part documentary, each 2 hours long, is a global economic history lesson of the 20th century. It covers all aspects of how the global economy evolved, providing insight into the economic history of many nations around the world including the US, Great Britain, Germany, India, the USSR/Russia, Poland, China, Southeast Asia, South American countries such as Chile and Bolivia, and many others. If you are unable to watch all three due to their length, then at least try to watch Part 1, although I highly recommend that you make time to watch all three.

Part 1 focuses on the early 20th century and its deregulated environment that led up to the Great Depression of the 1930s. As a response to the deregulated capitalistic business practices of the era that crashed the economy, the economic theory of regulated economies proposed by John Maynard Keynes was instituted by FDR. This stood in place until the Reagan administration in 1980, whereupon the free market economic theories of Friedrich von Hayek were followed resulting in deregulation of businesses as existed prior to the 1929 stock market crash. So, one begins to understand the great cyclic nature of deregulation that leads to regulation that leads to deregulation again, and so on.

As a person who is philosophically aligned with Taoism (but not religiously aligned), I can appreciate the cyclic nature inherent in the world and, indeed, the entire universe (according to Taoism). This is most easily symbolized by the well-known black-white symbol of Yin and Yang as each force reaches its maximum, then declines, as its opposite ascends and reaches its maximum, then declines, while the first reascends to its maximum, then declines, and so forth forever. Within this context of cyclic forces at work, one can see that the great inequities in wealth characterized by the 1% vs.the 99% indicate that the Yang of wealth inequality has reached, or is about to reach, its zenith in the cycle and will move toward Yin. Movements like Occupy, or another like it, or another, or another, will inevitably drive the distribution curve toward a more equitable level. So Occupy is to be viewed as a counter-force to the ascendancy of the small minority of mega-wealthy power-elite.

For me personally, these 3 videos have proven to be a transformation. Yesterday I was a citizen of the United States who was aware of the global economy and it's impact on the US, but did not necessarily feel any empathy for the rest of the world. Today I am a citizen of the World who happens to live in the United States. This film series will move your perspective from living in a nation of 300 million people to living in a world of 7 billion. This is something that I think Americans have a difficult time relating to, particularly if you belong to the older generation like myself. We have personally witnessed the decline of the US economically as jobs have gone overseas, national debt has increased incredibly, labor unions have lost their impact, illegal immigration has impacted job availability domestically, and so on. This has resulted in the attitude of many Americans that they have somehow been betrayed. If those who hold that view can detach themselves from their emotions, and watch these 3 videos objectively, they may gain a different perspective on how the US is not now to be viewed as a declining economic empire as much as a nation that must join the rest of the global community of nations as a contributor to world economic stability. Whether we like it or not, we are all globally interdependant now. Having this global perspective enables one to view the US in an entirely different light. If you are among the ranks of the unemployed, this is a bitter pill to swallow. But it is a pill that needs to be swallowed regardless. Fyi, I am among the ranks of the unemployed, and I have now swallowed the pill.

Lastly, I must announce that, because of this new awareness provided by these 3 documentaries, I must now step back from my current level of input into these Forums and integrate this information within my person. I am not leaving the Forum discussions or Occupy entirely. I will continue to read the discussions and, perhaps, provide some input here and there, but my level of participation will be less.

Let me reiterate that I strongly support the purpose of Occupy to raise awareness of the inequities associated with our Corporatocracy and the evils thereof. I will continue to support and argue for the transformation of our political/economic system toward a more just system for all Americans. I still believe that the US needs an Economic Constitution and/or Economic Bill of Rights resulting in the eventual elimination of publicly-traded corporations in excess of 500 employess, and the rise of cooperatives to take their place. I also believe that the social-democratic model of Sweden and other scandinavian countries should provide the model for our country to look up to moving forward.

Again, I emphasize that I am not abandoning Occupy, but merely stepping back for a while. You will most likely see me resurface again, but quite possibly a changed man.

I urge all world citizens who are seriously committed to Occupy worldwide to objectively watch and consider seriously these 3 episodes of Commanding Heights.

Thank You.

Underdog.

(not signing off, but laying low for awhile)

Commanding Heights - Part 1 - The Battle for the World Economy (1:55:31)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omIM4SF1oQQ

Commanding Heights - Part 2 - The Agony of Reform (1:55:26)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEReH2HDUWs&feature=related

Commanding Heights - Part 3 - The New Rules of the Game (1:55:31)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KubaKsWmiNY&feature=related

1 Comments

1 Comments


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[-] 0 points by BlackSun (275) from Agua León, BC 12 years ago

Nationalism forever!