Corporate Coup d'Etat, The

It's $10, and it is mostly Bernie Sanders Democrats trying to figure out what happened (it skews far left, they have an interview with Cornell West, which they tried to balance with a Ralph Nader interview for crying out loud), but I think that their assessment of the current state of American politics and voter attitudes is very close to spot on.I nearly turned it off in the first 10 minutes, the bias was almost unbearable, but it does get better.Their critique of Trump's tax cut and repeal of Dodd-Frank is legitimate I think. It is an issue that he is going to need to address, although he may be able to bury Dodd-Frank if the economy stays up. If there is another bank bailout before the election, there may be fire and brimstone to pay with voters.Politically I am an anti multinational corporation, conservative Republican.

This is one hour and twenty-minute documentary is, at its core, a Marxist/socialist propaganda work of art masquerading as a logical, rational assessment of the economic and sociopolitical scenario in which contemporary America finds itself. Like all good conspiracy theories, the one propagated in this film makes a lot of sense: The dark, evil forces of capitalism and corporations are at work behind the scenes, destroying America bit by bit, day by day. They are destroying you, your kids, your family and your neighborhood – right now, and you’re too dumb to recognize it because you don’t read books anymore. If it were not for corporations today, so the film goes, all would be well in society.Within the first 6 minutes, we’re shown no less than 5 clips from Donald J. Trump’s presidential inauguration day (January 20, 2017). This is an important launching point for the film because on that day, so the logic goes, the Earth trembled and the gods on Mt. Olympus wept, as the pinnacle of corporate filth was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. On that day, life as we know it went to hell-in-a-hand basket, teach-eth the film’s directors. .... Now, for anyone who can remember life *before* January 20, 2017, we know this is a load of crap because we are intelligent enough to realize that the theories put forth in this film – while convenient and logical – just simply are not true. Arguably, bits and pieces of them are, but for the most part, they are a convenient casting of America’s present-day ills into the Jell-O mold of …. Yup!..... the Trump administration.But the socioeconomic problems outlined in this documentary long pre-date the election of Donald Trump – and the directors are clever enough to recognize that, so they make sure to take 2 to 3 pot-shots at the Clintons and Obama. (You know, to appear fair and balanced and all that.)The documentary’s cast of characters includes the self-described “non-Marxist socialist” philosopher and Ivy League professor Cornel West; the economist-slash-historian (slash-champion-of-collectivism) Gar Alperovitz, who has called for the overthrow of the current capitalist system in America; and a stereotypically short-haired white feminist who enlightens us on how racism and gender issues are the “core” to, well….. EVERYTHING!But do not despair. No 21st century, far far left-winged documentary would be complete without several whacks at the Koch brothers; a montage of broadcast television news clips making Trump look like a buffoon; a few FOX News clips thrown in – all used in a pejorative, mocking manner, of course (while conveniently leaving out any CNN or MSNBC anchor buffoonery), with anti-capitalist, anti-corporatists, and pink hat-wearing Women’s Marchers in Washington (towards the end of the film) coming out as the heroes. The film is somewhat creative, however, with the mash-up of clips of Trump and Benito Mussolini – you know, just to drive home the crackpot theory that Trump must be (nay, absolutely, withoutta’ doubt, *is*!) a fascist dictator who is out to ruin the country he leads.BOTTOM LINE: Save your hard-earned money. Instead of watching this an anti-Trump flick that attempts to bathe itself in something intellectual and interesting, simply watch a 30-second Bernie Sanders campaign add and go yell at your neighbor the next time he mentions JP Morgan Chase, incarceration, or NAFTA. That’s much quicker, cheaper, and you’ll walk away with the same hefty dose of far-left rage.

Chris Hedges - so nice to see you again! and your words "it is evil that is impotent in the face of human kind" - so beautiful and I hope to god they are true...like the homeless woman in the documentary who was so enriched by being able to help others - I see that a lot in the homeless. I was driving by a homeless man with a dog - lots of miles on the man yet the dog looked good and was wearing a cool red bandana as a scarf. I pulled over - I just had to ask, "I'm on my way to the grocery store. Do you need anything?" The man, "YEAH! thanks - I need a big bag of dog food - not too big I have to carry it but about this size." and that was it - he just wanted food for the dog. I couldn't believe it. There was a happiness about him too, like an aurora of faith. I went to the store, got the dog food, bought him a jar of peanut butter and some pretzels, saw some hot plates of ribs and got those, and some beer - suddenly I wanted the guy to kick back with a beer. When I gave him all this he said, "Now I need a joint to go with all this." ….ahhh ya see? that's what it's like getting stuff, it begets wanting more stuff- I think the joke was on me- but he knew the value of lack is that if you embrace it, it can fill your heart to full.it was hard to drive away...despite this duos natural joy, I felt sad for them.I watched this great movie about surfing called Satori - I highly recommend it to clear your mind of ever needing to be a billionaireSo nice to see Matt Taibbi again - and I LOVE Cornell West but I think he is wrong about us not yet being at the most barbaric and bestial level of takeover. My daughter was killed in a hospital, only 26 and NOT terminally ill. Ive been reading her medical records and have discovered she was simply "processed" like a cow unwilling to walk down the shoot to slaughter (and not processed with the kindness of Temple Grandin) - it's horrible and it's sneaky - and the bodies, I assure you are pilling up. The hearses do not pick up the bodies where the ambulances drop off, they drive around back where the garbage gets picked up so nobody sees them being taken away. it's awful this ROUTINE too is just a business model that's successful (in a world where money is everything) with it's slick radio commercials and billboards claiming they just want to take care of HEALTHY people - who knew what that actually meant? I sure didn't. THIS IS THE FACE OF CORPORATE/PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERSHIP GREED that values Artificial Intelligence higher than people.....this is where it leads when it's unfettered ….and it IS unfettered, our Supreme Court made sure of that!but you know what, this horror sneaks up on people, even those that appear to be leading and especially those that are the "sonderkommandos" who run the front line - I look back now and can see the fear and regret in some faces. Despite the horror of my life and my daughter being brutally destroyed I think there is hope...I just feel like we are all trapped in this nightmare of our own collective making and hope that we break from this spell of division and all the isims melt away... and some beauty can return to the planet called sharingupdate 4hours later:just saw the Washington Post's excellent investigative journalism on the Afghanistan War - this is what I am talking about. Who knew those leaders of the war were in the background trying to stop it or at least were questioning it?thank you Jeff Bezos for allowing this kind of journalism to surface and not making us wait 20 years for the information; because as current news, it can be applied to the rest of the nonsense going on RIGHT NOW instead of just being dismissed as a distant piece of bad history. I think the question is if everyone in leadership was questioning the war, WHAT FORCES SILENCED THEM? When I look at what happened to my daughter, I see the parallels of silenced people assisting in what they had to know was just slaughter.THANK YOU JEFF BEZOS FOR ALLOWING THE CURTAIN TO BE PULLED AWAY...to let everyone know we are responsible for our silence when we participate - but to see those who remained publicly silenced in THIS war story while others died shows us their humanity how easy it is to slip down a slippery slope of going along...in these confessions of "why are we doing this?" means they were trying on some level...we all fall short on close examination when every hesitation, moment of confusion, not getting back up after overpowerment by a greater force, naïve attempt at diplomacy with a reinforced brick wall we don't even see...I see these things in me in these medical records : (I was having my dark night of the soul (another one, that is, after a long never ending escalating string of them)...and THEN this glimmer of hope after all hope was lost...and it came from the belief in truth and fairness and a belief that all men are created equal, this belief EMBRACED BY A BILLIONAIRE who financed this brave and determined journalism - and THIS TOO IS BIG NEWS it means there is more hope, more people who are the same than are different and some of the isms are melting away already....could it be true?thank you, jeff et al - you gave me hopeand even if it is just for todayit is a huge life boat on a calm seawarmed by a joyful high noon sunthat is not threatening mefor my annie and all of the rest of you,humbly,love lisa