Erin of RT’s Boom and Bust brings you Peter Joseph, a filmmaker and founder of the Zeitgeist Movement.
Joseph believes that our current system is unsustainable, and he explains how the Zeitgeist Movement’s approach can improve the economy and society.
How would a non monetary society be more sustainable?
Because it would be based on actual technical premises of sustainability, things that we don’t do in the monetary system because market needs turnover. Market needs inefficiency. If you want to have a very robust market economy, you need an immense amount of things to service.
I’ll give you an example, cancer. If we’re able to resolve cancer, if we’re able to actually go after lifestyle factors, the genetic propensities, and stop this massive growth of cancer which is continuing on this planet, there would be billions if not trillions and millions of jobs lost tomorrow if this actual resolution was put forward.
Abby Martin speaks with Peter Joseph, founder to the Zeitgeist Movement about the philosophy behind the organization, the current unsustainable economic system and the model proposed by the movement for a sustainable future that works harmoniously with nature.
Poverty and Structural Violence
If you have inequality, you’re going to have conflict and psycho-social stress caused by relative deprivation. Relative deprivation is insidious and has to do with our social nature and how we perceive ourselves in the social hierarchy. When we see other people doing “better” at a higher class status, it creates tension – unfortunately this is exactly what wealth division is doing in our society.
Take a person and stick them in a poverty-stricken environment, and they develop heart disease which is known to have a direct link to low socioeconomic status. Studies have shown that if you’re just in the existence of low social economic status, the relative deprivation, the way you think about yourself has incredibly inhibiting effects over the way your body and mind works and you will develop high stress levels and cardiac problems.
What if that person with heart disease dies early at 50 because of poverty and low social status? This is a completely avoidable circumstance, which the Zeitgeist movement’s argument.
There’s no reason for anyone to be in poverty, there’s no reason to have massive wealth gaps. This is structural violence, and it has killed more people than any dictator and war combined.
Gandhi agrees, he said “Poverty, is the worst form of violence.”
Constant Consumption
You have all these factors that force economic consumption, which forces resource consumption. The entire façade of market capitalism looks at the earth as one big inventory. At its core philosophical foundation, you can’t have a society of this nature and assume it will ever be sustainable ecologically.
Scarcity and Greed
The economic system we have today is culturally unsustainable because it perpetuates inequality by design. Take a look at the incentive structure: in a scarcity driven world view, narrow self-interest will prevail. If you have a self-interest world view in a scarcity driven society, you’re going to lead to competitive behavior.
Competitive behavior will always develop into power consolidation, like the State, Federal Reserve, or FDA. Massive collusion working for self-interest for small isolated groups of people. If you have these pockets of consolidation and constant interest in competitive advantage, you’re going to have a constant and increasing wealth imbalance.
The market has an inherent propensity to create inequality which people love if you believe in social Darwinism, because everyone walks around reinforced to think that they’re better than everyone else because of all their property and status.
When it comes to public health, inequality is one of the most caustic things a society can generate.
Culture in Decline is a satirical series that challenges various cultural issues existing today which most of society seems to take for granted.
Nothing is considered sacred in this series produced by Peter Joesph (The Zeitgeist Movement). The viewer is forced to step out of the box of “Normality” and to consider our societal practices without traditional baggage and biases.
What Democracy? – Culture in Decline #1
This opening show addresses the US Presidential Elections and the subject of what we perceive as “Democracy” in the world today.
Economics 101 – Culture in Decline #2
This episode deals with the subject of Economic Calculation, Market Rationale and its effects, along with considerations of the Scientific Principles of Sustainability.
Consumption Vanity Disorder – Culture in Decline #3
There is a new disease epidemic rapidly spreading across the world: “Consumption-Vanity Disorder” (CVD).
A disease spread not through a mutating virus or genetic predisposition – but through cultural “Memes” – turning the world into a cesspool of mini-malls, fashion obsessions, fake tits and belligerent gadgetry.
War on Nature – Culture in Decline #4
Peter Joseph investigates the nature of War and human conflict as the White House declares War On Nature itself.
Baby Go Boom – Culture in Decline #5
The subject of Security and True Safety is investigated in this episode. The evil terrorists are revealed to be at it again with a new airline scare.
Tale of Two Worlds – Culture in Decline #6
In this final episode of the season, Dr. Peter Joseph shows off his fresh new Time Machine, guiding the audience through a vision of two possible futures.
The first exploring the current trends that just may lead us all into vast new levels of decline.
The second showing what the world could be, if anyone actually gave a damn to make it happen. 😉
