A short while ago a reader sent me an email with a link to the documentary “Ethos.” Here’s the explanation for the movie as given on Youtube:
ETHOS
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, Ethos lifts the lid on a Pandora’s Box of systemic issues that guarantee failure in every aspect of our lives, from the environment to our democracy and our own personal liberty.From conflicts of interest in politics to unregulated corporate power, to a military industrial complex that just about owns our government. We cannot change our system until we know how it works and this film, with interviews from some of today’s leading thinkers, will show you a simple but powerful way to start making meaningful and sustainable change. We can live in peace and justice in a clean environment and Ethos will show you how.
I let it sit in my email for a couple of days then decided to give it a look. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to get a lot from the movie, but after watching for about ten minutes and having a couple of “Aha!” moments I’ve got to say I was pretty impressed. As it mentions in the tagline above it’s a look at issues that could cause the eventual downfall of our country and what we – as consumers – can do to change it.
Honestly, I’m not sure if I agree with the stated solution for reasons I’ll divulge later; however, the movie itself is very informative and well worth a look if you have the time. It’s over an hour long, but if you’re like me the time will go quickly when you start watching.
It’s way too long to discuss all at once, so I’ll just mention a few things about the first section titled:
Politics
A couple of points made in the show are about the candidates who run for office. The media may try and show two candidates as vastly different, but in reality they’re very similar, at least on economic polices. In the example in the documentary they are both for Private Healthcare, are pro-NAFTA, are ok with High Defense Spending, and are usually pro-big business. Where they really differ will be on issues like gay rights or abortion, not on economics.
At one point Woody Harrelson, the narrator, says”
“There’s a couple of logical reasons why our politicians are so similar. The end game for politicians is to get elected. The people who vote are, for the most part, quite moderate in their views. Both parties try to occupy that middle moderate ground. They are simply responding to that majority to get elected. The second reason our politicians are so similar is much more sinister. They answer increasingly to the same master.”
The documentary then goes into a discussion of how politics now centers around how much money a candidate can raise during a presidential campaign and how Washington rewards the big spenders. One guy even goes so far as to say:
“We really don’t have an election any more. It’s more of an auction.”
I’ve said right along that the media can make or break a politician trying to get elected. For example, awhile back I posted about how Ron Paul was ignored on several large networks. Not only was he ignored, but the only press I did see about him was to make fun of him. This is just one example of how the mainstream media can manipulate the facts for their own – or a paid sponsors – good.
Peter Schiff talks a little about this same topic in his book “The Real Crash” that just came out. It’s interesting seeing the same thing pointed out by different observers.
It can’t be stressed enough how much influence the media – usually controlled by big business – has on the American people and we’ll talk about this later on the series. Here’s another quote:
The media in the hands of big business will only present us with politicians who will serve their interest. It would be completely illogical for them to do otherwise. It would also be illogical to expect politicians to change a system that puts them in power, but it certainly begs the question, just what kind of democracy do we have?
The answer?
A Polyarchy. This is where the power resides in the hands of the wealth of the nation, the responsible class of men and the rest of the country is fragmented.
I’m going to stop here and give you a chance to catch up. What I’ve discussed here is covered in the first ten minutes of the video, so if you’re interested in watching you can catch up in less than ten minutes.
What’s your take on all this?
-Jarhead Survivor
12 comments
Ecclesiastes 12:12
12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
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“We can live in peace and justice in a clean environment and Ethos will show you how.”.
An absolute lie! No need to proceed any further. We can not, we will not, and it will never happen as long as we are in flesh bodies.
Jesus said to go out and buy swords for a reason.
Jesus said we would always have the poor among us for a reason.
I am so over things that promise us an ideal utopia if we just listen to the words of a man. It has not worked for the last 100 years in the USA ever since they tried eugenics and banning alcohol.
I don’t bother viewing or reading these type of things any more, except if I do a Bible study with a troop of passing JW, to point out their misuse of the word “perfect” in describing everything, including man.
I might watch a Woody movie about zombie killing for pure entertainment, but, that is about it. If Woody does another movie and Burt Reynolds does a 2nd cameo, even better. imho, Woody is not the brightest bulb in the pack. Just a step above Sean Penn perhaps.
Our Constitution was designed for a religious (Christian) people. Why? The people that wrote it fully understood 1 Samuel 8. They lived it. It is a check on government of a religious people who will devolve to the lowest level, without God.
Our problem is very simple and so is the solution, stop borrowing money from other nations (deut 28:12). Then term limits to get rid of the princes.
“18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
All hail King Obama!
We got what we deserved and no video promising a perfect life, from anyone, including Woody will change it. Neither will Romney since he will not stopping borrowing from other nations and thinks Jesus and Satan are brothers. I couldn’t even get Ron Paul to acknowledge Deut 28:12 .
imho, We should concentrate on CYA and forget utopia promises, never going to happen in these flesh bodies. We can’t save the world and probably can’t save the USA either from what is coming, except by the grace of God.
You probably get a better shot of reality and useful information watching Lizard Lick Towing then wasting time watching something that promises utopia if you only “fill in the blank”.
That is my take on all this.
Did you figure all this out talking too your imaginary friend?
The Tea Party has the demunuts all in a blather !! The RINO’s are a near second !! Paul Rand is running around with a budget that slashes government spending and the media is treating him like a mental patient. The media is 85 % progressive / liberal and they are not worried about the $ 16 trillion debt. The SHTF is really going to become a reality when we start trying to pay the INTEREST on that debt and that will start at about the end of this year. Digitizing the debt is just another way of trying to let inflation solve our problems. Didn’t work for the Vinmar Republic in Germany and it won’t work here. We need some fiscal responsibility and put some couch potatoes back to work. The election in November will truly be the turning point of this nation.
We cannot dilute the Tea Party — let ’em become even more radical.
A polyarchy would be a fragmented society. Too many voices saying different things may lead to a weaker nation. What really needs to be done is to remove all lobbying and corporate influence from the DC arena. Our founders never imagined that corporations would have more power than the people who make up our electoral college. We need to go back to what made the US strong for the people by the people.
Perfectly stated, amen.
Sounds interesting, Jarhead. Where did you get it? Is it available on Netflix?
I watched it on Netflix & later found it was available on Youtube & sent the link to my son. It is just over an hour & found it very interesting.
Perhaps the reason our forefathers never realized the future was because they had a different view of the future – one that did NOT include federal or governmental control of the individual. Now that we have it, we can never go back to this principle – ever. We can blather on all day about it, but it will never come to pass – for it to come to pass all aspects of a political spectrum must agree to it – and while the power exists NOBODY will champion the elimination of the power itself – only that the power be “controlled for the public’s good”.
When they say “money, spent wisely, can solve our problems” what they really mean is “money, spent how we tell you to, will solve our problems”
What we don’t see in this statement is the underlying assumptions that are evident, but never addressed by Harrellson or the others in the film Assuming this is true, what becomes paramount is having the power to declare exactly WHAT is a “problem”. Definition of these problems is what they wish to do. Whatever they tell us is a problem is what we should REALLY worry about. Overfishing of tuna, growth hormones in cows, drilling in ANWAR (sp), automobile pollution. Their clearcut goal is to first get us to move in the direction they say “for our own good” then for them to point us at every problem they perceive.
Every time a speaker would come on to talk in this film I hit wikipedia – each and every one of the persons used as direct commentators are progressives, or if not progressive, then a useful idiot for the progressive cause.
This isn’t a “take back your country” film it’s simply another power grab by progressives, who simply want the power for themselves (i.e. the intellectual elite) so that they can benignly lead us into the SAME situations that corporations or governments would. They are only different because they say they are different, in truth, they are not.
Perhaps the only simple way to combat the problems we face IS as individuals, but not as collectivized individuals, as true individuals. I might think that all gun owners are the same, but many years back when I went with this assumption in my daily social contacts, I found that “hunters” didn’t support my views of the 2nd amendment, and that they considered me a crazy paranoid for even owning an AR15. When people get together to grow a “community garden” they almost always run into the little bureaucrats that want to tell us how to grow food “responsibly”. Every time we humans try to do something collectively SOMEONE will seek to exercise power over the thoughts and actions of others, and it will devolve into what we have ALWAYS HAD with the weaker being dominated by the stronger – just because the weaker seek to redefine what strength is doesn’t make the strong weak – the strong ADAPT and overcome and end up on top – every single time.
The film, IMO, was so much progressive hogwash, that I had to fidget endlessly to sit through the whole thing. If it was non-partisan then I’m entirely stupid.
Useless progressive, intellectualist drivel.
J Holmes
Unfortunately, the Republic is lost, completely lost and is not recoverable. The progressives have insured that by the laws paassed during the first 2 years of the Obammy/Palosi/Reed administration. We no longer have governance by law, but by executive order. The Constition is thier toilet paper. I believe the only individual option is to remove ones self from this corrupt society in every way possible. Go Galt, Hide in plain sight. Manage your life very carefully now becuase you need the practice for the coming totalitarian system.
carl,
perhaps you should consider that our constitution was turned into toilet paper way back during the Wilson presidency, with the final coffin nail being driven in by Roosevelt. Pelosi, et al, are just the CURRENT crop of tranzis to seek to rule us. Bush was no better.
By believing that any political party is going to “save” us forgets the decades of history we’ve had of BOTH parties since the depression that have ALL dug our hole deeper.
Oh yes I agree that Progressive’s have been spitting on the Constitution for generations perhaps even before Teddy Roosevelt. You are correct that the current traitors are just that, the current group. Like I said, go galt now.
Thanks for your reply.
carl,
It is truly sad that we can probably both remember events over the past few decades that have led up to this, sort of like living through an underground cold-war.
Agreed, Galt is perhaps the only way, except that some politician will figure out a way to tax it – or someone will move to Galt and decide they need some form of rule…
I like L. Neil Smith’s “Hyperdemocratic” principle – which goes “one man, one veto” no changes unless EVERYBODY agrees.