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One of Putin's advisers is sacked and while that's not major news in itself it reminded me of HyperNormalisation, the excellent Adam Curtis documentary where Surkov and his political theatre figured prominently.
It was probably a fair bit ahead of its time when this was made as we were just dealing with the idea of Trump getting elected and what was happening with Brexit. But now that we've got used to it and even seen where our own government has ended up with Johnson and Cummings, I think the documentary probably makes more sense and will resonate with a lot more people.
It's a long film but pretty easy to watch in bite-sized chunks.
[Post edited 19 Feb 2020 10:23]
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Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 14:17 - Feb 19 with 1272 views
I remember first hearing about Surkov about 10 years ago, a Russian ex described him as essentially mixing politics with postmodern theater. I thought the whole thing was bonkers and then forgot all about it until Trump and Brexit... If you can get your hands on a translation of any of the books he (supposedly) wrote I'd recommend them too.
Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 14:17 - Feb 19 by BigManBlue
I remember first hearing about Surkov about 10 years ago, a Russian ex described him as essentially mixing politics with postmodern theater. I thought the whole thing was bonkers and then forgot all about it until Trump and Brexit... If you can get your hands on a translation of any of the books he (supposedly) wrote I'd recommend them too.
Cheers. I'll have a look.
I've been holding off using a Kindle or ordering books online as I am too attached to wandering around bookshops. But this might bring me into the 21st Century.
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Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 14:30 - Feb 19 with 1252 views
Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 14:26 - Feb 19 by Darth_Koont
Cheers. I'll have a look.
I've been holding off using a Kindle or ordering books online as I am too attached to wandering around bookshops. But this might bring me into the 21st Century.
You may well be able to find Close to Zero in physical form (but online is probably your only option)... If it's any consolation, I'm sure this is exactly how the author intended it!
Have you read Peter Pomerantsev's books? He refers to this and the wider phenomenon in 'This is not Propaganda'. It probably expands on the theme quite nicely:
'Nothing is True and Everything is Possible' is good too but focused only on Russia.
As an aside, I like Curtis but I think the ties things up a little too neatly into pre-planned events - it's not quite conspiracism but leans that way a bit - whereas I think there's more down to the world being complex and sh1tty things happening.
Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 14:31 - Feb 19 by Steve_M
Have you read Peter Pomerantsev's books? He refers to this and the wider phenomenon in 'This is not Propaganda'. It probably expands on the theme quite nicely:
'Nothing is True and Everything is Possible' is good too but focused only on Russia.
As an aside, I like Curtis but I think the ties things up a little too neatly into pre-planned events - it's not quite conspiracism but leans that way a bit - whereas I think there's more down to the world being complex and sh1tty things happening.
I'll take a look. Cheers.
Yes, not sure this stuff is as neat and planned either. I think it's more about opportunism and the people who game the system to promote their own needs.
But I do think looking at these things on a macro level and seeing the forces in society is a lot more useful than the traditional news and current affairs consumption which is all about noting events like one dot after another. And never stepping back and seeing how these dots are connected and what picture that reveals.
And our "politics as news" fetish where current affairs is dominated by politicians positioning their "brands" and getting their "products" into the marketplace is possibly the worst example. It's an absolute diversionary show that distracts us from the real stuff.
[Post edited 19 Feb 2020 15:40]
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Vladislav Surkov and HyperNormalisation on 15:55 - Feb 19 with 1176 views
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