Naomi Klein- The Shock Doctrine

[mojo]

Has anyone read this?

I am beginning to gain an interest in economics, and moreso the social struggle between the mass and the government, subversion and all things under the table. I am thinking about picking it up as some airport reading as I have a hefty lay-over ahead of me on route to Cuba.

Yay/Nay? Like i said i am a beginner here so don't want anything too heavy.

Gracias.

[Gusto]

i haven't read anything by her since no logo, which was great. i'll check this one out though.

[decypher]

Yeh it's very interesting and well sourced. I've only read about 100 pages into it when she discusses how shock therapy used in psychiatry, and applied to prisoner torture, is much like how economies are "shocked" in the wake of disaster. She points to some obvious examples like Chile and Iraq but also sources other examples like Katrina.

It's a good brush up on the history of neoliberal economics and how it effected foreign policy and politics; Milton friedman and the Chicago School etc. It definitely has more politics and heavier concepts then No Logo but it's still written in an accessible language. She keeps it interesting and relates it well so that it's not like an international relations journal or anything.

There has been lots of debate on this topic. Check out The Trap: BBC Documentary on googlevideo. It's a bet repetitive but it will drive the concepts into your memory.

Populist revolutions versus the free market is definitely an interesting topic. I have a reader on resistance topics that goes into all sorts of subculture movements as well.