Naomi Klein Throws In “The Shock Doctrine”
Kathy Chan
It has been seven years since the release of Naomi Klein’s anti-corporation bible, “No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies” and a lot has changed in the world since. From the 9/11 terrorist attacks leading to the war in the Middle East, to natural disasters, the world and its citizens have been smothered in this cycle of fierce change.
This September, brace yourself for Klein’s latest installment titled “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” is released, with critiques readily dishing out sharp criticisms already. Klein is prepared to face the reviews, and to make a statement by focusing on the post-9/11world and the controversial topics stemming from what really went wrong in Iraq.
Initially slated as a feature for Harper’s magazine, The Shock Doctrine is an extension of the thesis posed, using Iraq as an example of how a disastrous situation was exploited in order to meet and implement new radical policies that would otherwise be rejected. Other than Iraq, Klein discusses of the New Orleans Katrina disaster, as well the tsunamis that rocked Asia.
Far from the somewhat breezy read of No Logo, The Shock Doctrine is deals directly with recent history, with facts, figures, and names spelled out to indicate where fingers would be pointed to because of these overthrows of contrived capitalism. Klein had no idea that No Logo would revolutionize the way our generation reacts to branding and simply wanted her new project to make readers aware of their own interests and to foster their own defenses and opinions in order to shield their personal freedom.
Klein will be embarking on a book tour in support of "The Shock Doctrine". Canadian tour dates can be found on her website at http://www.naomiklein.org. |
