A new three part documentary has just started its run on BBC 2. Called 'The Trap' it seeks to paint an individualist picture of modern western society and seeks to explain how we are all caught in the trap of private self interest. It is argued that this is ruining our lives and destroying community ties. This ideology was sprung out of the game theory based cold war lose-lose strategy and is diametrically opposed to the communist eradication of individualism and the belief in the collective. Modern target/league table driven culture has ruined education and the NHS. The first application of target driven management was in the Vietnam war when targets were set for kills of enemy soldiers. The US army duly met these targets by shooting innocent civilians.
I have only seen the first part of this meisterwerk but that was enough to stun me. This was, quite simply, the best hour that I have spent in front of a television in years and years. Writer and director Adam Curtis will no doubt be showered with yet more awards. I knew about the individual pieces of the puzzle but I have never seen before how they all slotted together. Being from South Yorkshire hatred of Thatcherism is in my blood but it has now reached new levels of concentration. Charlie Brooker has blogged about 'The Trap' from a TVphile/media perspective.
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