Playlist for Show: Long Waves

Moussaui says Saudis funded Al Qaeda. Golly. Stop the presses.  The history is well known as is the history of the Saudis funding insurgent Sunni groups throughout the middle east.

The truth must be kept from us so that the existing narratives of power and control and wealth may permeate culture, law, and perception without distraction or debate. Narratives and stories offer explanation of the world and templates for thought and action. The show explored the history of cultural changes as arising from changes to narratives and knowledge. The great transformation of Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries arose with the reintroduction of classics of Greece and Rome. The establishment of the Royal Society in the UK was another example of narrative change contributing to cultural change.

The argument is made that our narratives haven’t collapsed so much as they have run away, over the fence, down the street, barking and growling and often biting someone. Our story telling is unable to cope with the speed, scope and media of delivery of our stories and narratives.

There was as well a discussion of Malinovski’s work on magical thinking and Korzybski’s writings on general semantics. The show concluded with an analysis of the recent film, Bitter Lake, by BBC filmmaker, Adam Curtis.

 

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