[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Bloggers do Shock Doctrine

[Patrick Bond]

  Klein's doctrine: the bloggers' view

*The Shock Doctrine:* Our round-up from the blogosphere beyond Cif shows 
similarly polarised responses.


    Mary Clarke
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Jonathan Kay at Canada's National Post praises 
<http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2007/09/12/jonathan-kay-on-the-three-reasons-that-naomi-klein-is-a-rock-star.aspx> 
Klein's gift for "sticky symbolism" saying the metaphors of shock, pain, 
misery and exploitation she uses will stay with the reader. While he 
claims that at points the book reads like an extended conspiracy theory, 
elsewhere he likens Klein to a messiah figure: first she came to give 
the Seattle anti-globalisation movement their bible in No Logo and now 
she has returned to deliver the world from Milton Friedman.

Mark Mills at Shark Attack is much more scathing 
<http://sharkattackuk.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-shock-doctrine.html>: 
"Far from being the Marx of the 21st century, Naomi Klein is a 
conspiracy theorist whose work depends on a partial reading of history 
and offers no constructive vision."

Elsewhere Richard Marcus agrees 
<http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/09/03/222312.php> with Jonathan 
Kay that Naomi's work is no longer confined to the anti-globalisation 
rally: "This is a book for people of all political stripes to read. Even 
if you disagree with Ms Klein's politics, that won't matter. This is a 
book about 'economics, stupid,' and not about whether you are on the 
left or the right." Terence Corcoran, in a review for the National Post, 
is not so sure, he calls 
<http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?d=d72879f2-5064-44f1-9ece-1eaa09e4644e&p=1> 
the book an "ideological busload of leftist fantasy."

Blogger Tim Worstall doesn't have high hopes for the book's success: "I 
have a feeling that this new book ... is going to get a pretty thorough 
pasting." He joins 
<http://timworstall.typepad.com/timworstall/2007/09/naomi-kleins-th.html> 
the John Lloyd debate 
<http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/john_lloyd/2007/09/lost_in_the_mists_of_time.html> 
about the book's discussion of Russia saying: "The fall of the Soviets 
is a crime against democracy? What has that woman been smoking?"

New Athenian is "glad 
<http://newathenian.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/shades-of-grey/> to see 
that Jonathan Fenby calls her 
<http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_fenby/2007/09/the_tiananmen_square_peg.html> 
on her analysis of Tiananmen Square." But the majority of bloggers are 
impressed by Klein's investigative research. Godammitkitty at Hope and 
Onions thinks Klein's new book proves 
<http://hopeandonions.blogspot.com/2007/09/shock-doctrine-rise-of-disaster.html> 
"that she has the scholarly patience and rigour to make these important 
connections. Where others see only 'news,' Klein sees a multi-act play 
-often with many hidden actors." Cabog finds Klein's work refreshing 
<http://www.cabogue.com/2007/09/disaster-capitalism>: "Just when we were 
getting bored of the all the predictable, half-assed George Bush 
bashing, along comes a piece of proper research and economics to 
reinforce just how dangerous he and his cronies have become."

Meanwhile Severian is still coming to terms 
<http://severian-rants.blogspot.com/2007/09/are-we-baddies.html> with 
the shock of it all: "The double think required to believe we are 
bastions of free thought and liberty while at the same time crushing 
everyone who wants a little piece of the pie for themselves is 
staggering." Klein could be exaggerating, Lauren Woody claims 
<http://lrnwoody.blogspot.com/2007/09/naomi-klein-shock-doctrine.html>.

Many are sold on Klein's disaster capitalism theory. Steven G Brant, 
looking back 
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-g-brant/six-years-after-911-wha_b_64129.html> 
on 9/11, says Naomi's book shows "how entire societies have been taken 
advantage of (one might even call it "cultural rape") by those entrusted 
with leading them out of danger," making the wealthy wealthier and more 
powerful. JJ at Unrepentant Old Hippy is patiently waiting for her copy 
to arrive. She believes 
<http://unrepentantoldhippie.blogspot.com/2007/09/klein-on-shock-doctrine.html> 
the "ongoing disaster" of the last six years must have unfolded in the 
way it did because someone, somewhere was making money out of it.

Speaking of making money, many bloggers are impressed with Naomi Klein's 
publishers' marketing know-how. As Crawford Killian says 
<http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/09/11/ShockTherapy/>, Alfonso 
Cuar&oaccute; eight-minute trailer, "has spread across the web with a 
speed that viral marketers will study very seriously."

Tim from Baby Got Books was also floored by the trailer and his first 
commenter exclaims: "Whoa! Trailers for books? What'll they think of 
next?" Henry Midgley thinks 
<http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/6090/> Klein's latest venture 
"provides a new vision of the next front on the air war over the 
internet: the use of film and video to buttress words and pictures."

The Shock Doctrine was always going to cause a ruckus. At the moment the 
blogs are split down the middle. In the words 
<http://blog.markroseman.com/2007/09/book-the-shock-.html> of Mark 
Roseman: "it's one of those books that will either support your existing 
world view (in which case it does provide some new insights), or be 
dismissed as so much socialist, leftist propaganda and whining. No 
middle ground here."