1 00:00:06,184 --> 00:00:08,762 (Jacque Fresco) Years ago, I used to ask people 2 00:00:08,903 --> 00:00:11,236 "Do you think we'll ever get to the Moon?" 3 00:00:11,375 --> 00:00:14,091 They said "Not in a thousand years." 4 00:00:15,085 --> 00:00:19,403 I said "Did you study rockets or space travel?" - "No." 5 00:00:19,544 --> 00:00:23,574 "Then how do you arrive at that?" - "Just common sense." 6 00:00:24,695 --> 00:00:28,792 If we had common sense, there wouldn't be war, poverty, hunger 7 00:00:28,932 --> 00:00:31,263 or the destruction of the environment. 8 00:00:31,765 --> 00:00:34,042 If we can put a man on the Moon 9 00:00:34,182 --> 00:00:36,974 surely we can solve these problems. 10 00:00:39,667 --> 00:00:43,130 [Jeff Hoffman, retired NASA astronaut] Like many kids, when I was 6 years old 11 00:00:43,270 --> 00:00:46,584 I dreamed of flying in space. I'm old enough that, 12 00:00:46,723 --> 00:00:50,686 back then, the only astronauts were Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. 13 00:00:53,847 --> 00:00:56,880 I went on and became a professional astronomer. 14 00:00:57,020 --> 00:01:01,535 I was lucky enough to get selected in the first group of shuttle astronauts. 15 00:01:02,857 --> 00:01:04,858 We trained for a long time. 16 00:01:04,897 --> 00:01:08,308 Of course, you go through many different types of simulators. 17 00:01:08,448 --> 00:01:11,564 But when you're actually sitting up there on the rocket, 18 00:01:11,704 --> 00:01:15,721 you realize that "Hey, this is not the simulator!" 19 00:01:21,972 --> 00:01:25,105 The whole vehicle is shaking a little bit on the pad. 20 00:01:27,144 --> 00:01:30,706 Then, you hear this roar down beneath you. 21 00:01:31,046 --> 00:01:33,618 The whole shuttle tilts forward a little bit. 22 00:01:33,759 --> 00:01:36,986 Then, as it comes back to the vertical position, 23 00:01:37,126 --> 00:01:40,126 all of a sudden, "Wham!" the solid boosters ignite. 24 00:01:40,266 --> 00:01:43,060 There's an incredible vibration and noise. 25 00:01:43,165 --> 00:01:46,339 For the next two minutes, there is just so much power 26 00:01:46,478 --> 00:01:48,786 that you're sitting on top of. 27 00:01:56,716 --> 00:01:59,016 I was just holding on, thinking to myself 28 00:01:59,150 --> 00:02:01,449 Woh! I hope this whole thing holds together. 29 00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:03,588 Sure enough, it did. 30 00:02:04,740 --> 00:02:07,188 By that time, we're looking out the window. 31 00:02:07,227 --> 00:02:11,203 The blue sky has already turned to the blackness of space. 32 00:02:11,443 --> 00:02:15,893 And I can see in the distance the coast of Africa coming up into view. 33 00:02:16,659 --> 00:02:20,436 I always remember that feeling on my first flight when I realized: 34 00:02:21,340 --> 00:02:23,673 Wow, you're in space! 35 00:02:29,556 --> 00:02:32,849 You see from orbit the sunrises and sunsets 36 00:02:32,990 --> 00:02:36,268 16 times every 24 hours. 37 00:02:39,187 --> 00:02:41,974 Flying over the Earth at night, in particular 38 00:02:42,114 --> 00:02:45,341 gives you a real sense of human civilization. 39 00:02:47,608 --> 00:02:51,896 During the day, you look down and you see the colors of the Earth. 40 00:02:52,036 --> 00:02:56,081 You see the forms of the landmass, of the continents. 41 00:02:58,479 --> 00:03:01,544 There's a lot of beautiful things to see during the day. 42 00:03:01,683 --> 00:03:06,528 There's also the view of the impact 43 00:03:06,669 --> 00:03:11,557 that humans have had on our planet, and that can be pretty scary. 44 00:03:11,697 --> 00:03:14,203 Over the course of 11 years of flying 45 00:03:14,342 --> 00:03:20,316 I watched as the Amazon jungle was continually being deforested. 46 00:03:20,455 --> 00:03:22,526 [Rondônia, Brazil 2010] [24 years of deforestation] 47 00:03:22,667 --> 00:03:25,909 At night, you'd constantly see agricultural burning 48 00:03:26,050 --> 00:03:28,276 all over the world. 49 00:03:29,756 --> 00:03:32,605 You could see harbors being silted up. 50 00:03:32,746 --> 00:03:38,246 You could see, in Africa, how the tree line would go up every year. 51 00:03:42,127 --> 00:03:46,027 We know about global warming and what we're doing to the atmosphere. 52 00:03:46,167 --> 00:03:49,415 That's the other thing you really get a sense of from space 53 00:03:49,556 --> 00:03:52,584 is how thin our atmosphere is. 54 00:03:56,787 --> 00:04:02,117 Basically, the idea that we're seeing this environmental damage 55 00:04:02,965 --> 00:04:06,030 on the Earth, created by humans, 56 00:04:07,163 --> 00:04:09,848 but we see it from a cosmic perspective, 57 00:04:09,987 --> 00:04:12,566 means that it's just not something that we can ignore. 58 00:04:12,705 --> 00:04:18,000 The planet is responding to the presence of humanity. 59 00:04:29,533 --> 00:04:33,812 [Carl Sagan, "Pale Blue Dot", 1994] The Earth is a very small stage 60 00:04:33,951 --> 00:04:38,639 in a vast cosmic arena. 61 00:04:41,293 --> 00:04:44,212 Think of the rivers of blood 62 00:04:44,648 --> 00:04:48,026 spilled by all those generals and emperors 63 00:04:50,706 --> 00:04:53,173 so that in glory and triumph 64 00:04:53,314 --> 00:04:56,183 they can become the momentary masters 65 00:04:56,322 --> 00:05:00,399 of a fraction of a dot. [Earth from 3.7 billion miles] 66 00:05:00,538 --> 00:05:03,240 Think of the endless cruelties visited 67 00:05:04,011 --> 00:05:07,075 by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel 68 00:05:07,214 --> 00:05:11,762 on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. 69 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,701 How eager they are to kill one another, 70 00:05:15,841 --> 00:05:18,300 how fervent their hatreds. 71 00:05:18,850 --> 00:05:20,860 Our posturings, 72 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,214 our imagined self-importance, 73 00:05:26,524 --> 00:05:30,471 the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe 74 00:05:32,031 --> 00:05:36,468 are challenged by this point of pale light. 75 00:05:37,478 --> 00:05:41,208 Our planet is a lonely speck 76 00:05:41,512 --> 00:05:44,802 in the great enveloping cosmic dark. 77 00:05:45,442 --> 00:05:48,230 In all this vastness, there is no hint 78 00:05:48,370 --> 00:05:50,911 that help will come from elsewhere 79 00:05:51,163 --> 00:05:52,927 to save us 80 00:05:53,382 --> 00:05:55,141 from ourselves. 81 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,596 The Venus Project presents 82 00:06:06,309 --> 00:06:09,837 The Choice is Ours 83 00:06:10,511 --> 00:06:14,336 Documentary film by Roxanne Meadows, Joel Holt Original score by Kat Epple 84 00:06:14,475 --> 00:06:16,475 PART I 85 00:06:19,168 --> 00:06:23,047 (Narrator) For the first time we have the capability, the technology 86 00:06:24,182 --> 00:06:29,318 and the knowledge to achieve a global society of abundance for all. 87 00:06:30,083 --> 00:06:32,170 We cannot continue as we are 88 00:06:32,310 --> 00:06:35,521 or the consequences will surely be dire. 89 00:06:38,699 --> 00:06:42,314 A 2012 UN report states that a global population growth 90 00:06:42,555 --> 00:06:47,490 from 7 billion to almost 9 billion is expected by 2040. 91 00:06:47,990 --> 00:06:51,211 Demands for resources will rise exponentially. 92 00:06:51,351 --> 00:06:56,378 By 2030, requirements for food are projected to rise by 50%, 93 00:06:56,562 --> 00:06:58,778 energy by 45%, 94 00:06:58,918 --> 00:07:00,983 and water by 30%. 95 00:07:01,291 --> 00:07:03,951 We are presently depleting natural resources 96 00:07:04,091 --> 00:07:07,769 50% faster than the planet can renew. 97 00:07:07,908 --> 00:07:11,985 At this rate, it is estimated that we'll need 3 more planet Earths 98 00:07:12,086 --> 00:07:15,206 to keep up with resource needs as they are today. 99 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:17,960 What is the sixth extinction? 100 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,641 Is it happening right now? What's the cause of it? 101 00:07:20,701 --> 00:07:24,071 What we, as human beings, are doing to the planet 102 00:07:24,211 --> 00:07:26,966 [is] changing the basic conditions of life 103 00:07:27,105 --> 00:07:29,713 very dramatically and very rapidly. 104 00:07:30,170 --> 00:07:34,167 (Narrator) And yet, from environmental disaster to war, 105 00:07:34,697 --> 00:07:38,562 our obsolete value systems perpetuate insanity, 106 00:07:38,670 --> 00:07:41,126 threatening us on many fronts. 107 00:07:42,927 --> 00:07:48,379 Is it the best we can do to just clean up after the fact? 108 00:07:49,230 --> 00:07:54,581 Are politicians capable or even competent to manage the world around us? 109 00:07:55,420 --> 00:07:57,657 (Gordon Brown) Let me explain. 110 00:07:58,016 --> 00:08:00,728 Order! The prime minister. 111 00:08:01,266 --> 00:08:04,149 (Narrator) Are we simply incapable of anticipating 112 00:08:04,290 --> 00:08:06,668 and planning for our future? 113 00:08:07,694 --> 00:08:11,098 Are we innately flawed in ways we can't change? 114 00:08:11,242 --> 00:08:13,427 (Journalist) Why not just use firing squads? - Aim! 115 00:08:13,987 --> 00:08:17,105 (Narrator) We often hear that human nature is fixed... 116 00:08:17,963 --> 00:08:19,629 It's only human nature! 117 00:08:19,971 --> 00:08:22,542 ...and our worst qualities are inborn. 118 00:08:22,682 --> 00:08:24,958 - How are they gonna stop being criminals? - Oh, nonsense! 119 00:08:25,098 --> 00:08:28,430 They were born that way and there is no use trying to change them. 120 00:08:28,887 --> 00:08:33,196 The Determinants of Behavior 121 00:08:33,380 --> 00:08:36,336 [Henry Schlinger Jr., PhD] I think it's difficult to talk about a specific human nature 122 00:08:36,476 --> 00:08:40,485 like we talk about fixed or modal action patterns in nonhuman species. 123 00:08:40,539 --> 00:08:42,982 But clearly in humans, learning plays the major role. 124 00:08:43,123 --> 00:08:45,706 In fact, I refer to humans as 'the learning animal', 125 00:08:45,846 --> 00:08:49,100 because humans learn more than any other animal. 126 00:08:50,278 --> 00:08:54,590 (Narrator) And yet, considering our history of aggression, 127 00:08:54,812 --> 00:08:56,927 warlike tendencies, 128 00:08:57,123 --> 00:08:59,401 jealousies and hatred... 129 00:08:59,744 --> 00:09:01,000 (US soldier) Keep shootin' 130 00:09:01,404 --> 00:09:04,627 (Narrator) ...we still have much to learn. 131 00:09:05,754 --> 00:09:08,540 One would think it impossible to simply overlook 132 00:09:08,591 --> 00:09:11,153 the conditions we're immersed in. 133 00:09:12,971 --> 00:09:15,032 The culture doesn't know any better. 134 00:09:15,172 --> 00:09:19,367 They don't know what forces are involved in shaping human behavior. 135 00:09:19,629 --> 00:09:22,802 Therefore, they invent their own concept 136 00:09:22,942 --> 00:09:26,893 and project their own values into human behavior 137 00:09:27,193 --> 00:09:29,134 and say that's human nature. 138 00:09:29,274 --> 00:09:31,283 That's where they're wrong. 139 00:09:32,134 --> 00:09:35,563 Right now we have an explosion of technologies in our culture. 140 00:09:35,703 --> 00:09:39,230 I think many people think that technology is going to save us. 141 00:09:39,370 --> 00:09:42,405 Certainly technology has made our lives easier in many respects. 142 00:09:42,538 --> 00:09:44,673 - Find parking space. - Parking space found. 143 00:09:45,104 --> 00:09:47,115 Sometimes it's good; sometimes it's not so good. 144 00:09:47,254 --> 00:09:49,381 (Journalist) Drones armed with Hellfire missiles... 145 00:09:49,522 --> 00:09:52,955 How would you like to get paid to spy on your neighbors? 146 00:09:53,118 --> 00:09:56,233 There's one technology that we don't have that we sorely need 147 00:09:56,373 --> 00:09:59,546 if we're going to really change and that's the technology of behavior. 148 00:09:59,686 --> 00:10:03,434 The science of behavior needs to be applied like the sciences of physics, 149 00:10:03,573 --> 00:10:06,049 chemistry, and biology have been. 150 00:10:06,716 --> 00:10:11,592 That's that one missing ingredient in our culture. 151 00:10:11,847 --> 00:10:14,080 And that's the toughest one because 152 00:10:14,221 --> 00:10:18,187 it opposes the way that most people think about themselves. 153 00:10:20,491 --> 00:10:23,019 (Narrator) Examining human behavior in the same manner 154 00:10:23,158 --> 00:10:25,325 as any other physical phenomenon 155 00:10:25,465 --> 00:10:29,377 will enable us to understand the factors responsible for shaping 156 00:10:29,517 --> 00:10:32,414 our attitudes and our conduct. 157 00:10:32,951 --> 00:10:35,568 All natural scientists assume that their subject matters 158 00:10:35,708 --> 00:10:39,522 are lawful and orderly. If they're not, then you can't do science. 159 00:10:39,663 --> 00:10:42,188 Behavioral scientists assume that human behavior and 160 00:10:42,328 --> 00:10:45,412 the behavior of other organisms is also lawful and orderly. 161 00:10:45,894 --> 00:10:49,227 To not assume that means that you accept that 162 00:10:49,368 --> 00:10:52,456 human behavior is somehow separate from the rest of nature. 163 00:10:52,596 --> 00:10:54,423 We don't make that assumption; we make the assumption 164 00:10:54,563 --> 00:10:56,524 that human behavior is part of nature. 165 00:10:56,663 --> 00:11:00,043 (Narrator) Human behavior is just as lawful as everything else. 166 00:11:00,183 --> 00:11:03,833 The sunflower does not turn to the sun. 167 00:11:03,974 --> 00:11:06,039 The sun makes it turn 168 00:11:06,571 --> 00:11:08,258 by pulling in membranes. 169 00:11:08,514 --> 00:11:11,818 A sailboat cannot sail; the wind moves it. 170 00:11:13,181 --> 00:11:15,786 Plants can't grow. They are shoved 171 00:11:16,364 --> 00:11:20,240 by sunshine, soil, temperature, all kinds of things. 172 00:11:21,024 --> 00:11:23,826 All things are shoved by something else. 173 00:11:24,399 --> 00:11:27,956 All people are acted upon by other things. 174 00:11:29,072 --> 00:11:32,583 Remember, your mother said "cup, table, light 175 00:11:32,956 --> 00:11:37,106 papa, mama" over and over again until you did the same thing. 176 00:11:38,169 --> 00:11:40,836 Even race hatred is learned. 177 00:11:40,975 --> 00:11:44,522 (Announcer) ... as the ideals of intolerance and racial superiority 178 00:11:44,662 --> 00:11:47,117 are taught to succeeding generations. 179 00:11:47,256 --> 00:11:49,791 You could be brought up to hate Afro-Americans. 180 00:11:49,932 --> 00:11:53,777 You could be brought up to hate Jews, Swedes, all kinds of people. 181 00:11:54,277 --> 00:11:56,158 I hate Philippinos. 182 00:11:56,937 --> 00:11:58,535 I hate Mexicans. 183 00:11:59,091 --> 00:12:00,591 I hate them all! 184 00:12:00,854 --> 00:12:03,849 We could raise a Jewish boy in a Nazi culture. 185 00:12:03,989 --> 00:12:05,489 He becomes a good Nazi. 186 00:12:05,928 --> 00:12:07,048 A Prime Effector? 187 00:12:07,188 --> 00:12:11,533 (Narrator) Mechanical processes are based upon many interacting systems. 188 00:12:12,464 --> 00:12:14,998 - What you got there, son? - A plane. 189 00:12:15,138 --> 00:12:17,158 What makes it fly? Is it the propeller? 190 00:12:17,298 --> 00:12:20,869 - The propeller is not going to turn unless you have the motor, right? 191 00:12:21,009 --> 00:12:24,757 - So, it's the motor? - But the motor needs fuel. 192 00:12:25,445 --> 00:12:28,087 - So I'm guessing it's the fuel that makes it fly. 193 00:12:28,714 --> 00:12:31,556 - Almost, but if you don't have the spark plugs, 194 00:12:31,696 --> 00:12:34,336 and the oxygen, the fuel's not going to burn. 195 00:12:34,475 --> 00:12:36,715 - So it's spark plugs and oxygen? 196 00:12:37,215 --> 00:12:40,764 - You would think so, but actually even with all that working, 197 00:12:41,149 --> 00:12:44,916 if you don't have the wings and control surfaces to give it lift 198 00:12:45,056 --> 00:12:47,076 it will never get off the ground. 199 00:12:47,216 --> 00:12:50,084 - So it's the wings and control surfaces that make it fly? 200 00:12:50,224 --> 00:12:54,820 - Actually, it's all the above, son. It's a complicated machine. 201 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:58,778 It needs all these things working together to make the plane fly. 202 00:12:58,918 --> 00:13:02,241 That's a lot like other technologies and even human behavior. 203 00:13:02,381 --> 00:13:06,557 - So it's all those things that make it fly. - Exactly, kiddo! 204 00:13:08,999 --> 00:13:11,903 (Narrator) Just like mechanical systems, our behavior 205 00:13:12,043 --> 00:13:14,146 has no single cause. 206 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:19,258 God gives people good blood and bad blood, and there's an end to it. 207 00:13:19,884 --> 00:13:23,581 (Narrator) Our behavior is generated by the many interacting variables 208 00:13:23,721 --> 00:13:25,741 that we encounter. 209 00:13:26,533 --> 00:13:29,818 The environment can never be the same for any two individuals. 210 00:13:31,123 --> 00:13:35,895 That really counters claims that people make when they say 211 00:13:35,995 --> 00:13:38,465 "I have three children. They were all raised 212 00:13:38,605 --> 00:13:41,012 in the same environment, but they all turned out so different." 213 00:13:41,152 --> 00:13:43,511 Well, by that definition, the same environment 214 00:13:43,650 --> 00:13:46,346 refers to the house they lived in or the parents they had. 215 00:13:46,638 --> 00:13:49,632 There's no such thing as 'the same environment.' 216 00:13:49,772 --> 00:13:54,201 If you have two kids, one is 4 years old and you play with him, 217 00:13:54,341 --> 00:13:58,485 and the 7 year old is standing there with that lower lip sticking out. 218 00:13:58,980 --> 00:14:02,049 You say "What's the matter?" and the kid goes like that. 219 00:14:03,090 --> 00:14:06,672 You're making jealousy and envy. That's where it comes from. 220 00:14:06,812 --> 00:14:09,605 (Dr. Schlinger) But from a scientific perspective, the environment really consists 221 00:14:09,655 --> 00:14:12,686 of the moment to moment interactions between your behavior 222 00:14:12,826 --> 00:14:15,816 and those events both inside and outside you. 223 00:14:15,956 --> 00:14:18,379 So, the environment is in constant flux. 224 00:14:18,707 --> 00:14:21,523 You put the young kid on your lap and the older kid. 225 00:14:21,663 --> 00:14:23,315 You say "I love you both." 226 00:14:23,455 --> 00:14:27,150 You never play with any one kid or have a favorite. 227 00:14:27,289 --> 00:14:28,750 If you say "You can go to the movie 228 00:14:28,889 --> 00:14:30,919 but you can't because you didn't do your homework", 229 00:14:31,059 --> 00:14:34,619 when she falls down the stairs, you have a grin on your face. 230 00:14:34,759 --> 00:14:38,510 [It's] not that you're bad, but you feel you've been mistreated. 231 00:14:39,706 --> 00:14:42,200 (Narrator) Even our concepts of aesthetics and beauty 232 00:14:42,340 --> 00:14:45,668 are often attributed to an intrinsic quality, 233 00:14:45,808 --> 00:14:49,081 but closer investigation reveals that these perceptions 234 00:14:49,221 --> 00:14:52,833 vary greatly from place to place and throughout history. 235 00:14:52,974 --> 00:14:56,640 I think notions of aesthetics and beauty are for the most part learned. 236 00:14:56,779 --> 00:14:59,606 All you have to do are cross-cultural examinations 237 00:14:59,746 --> 00:15:02,380 of what people consider to be attractive and beautiful. 238 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,716 You'll find that they differ widely from culture to culture. 239 00:15:05,856 --> 00:15:08,149 Sometimes they differ widely within the same culture. 240 00:15:08,289 --> 00:15:11,278 There are people who wear brass rings around their neck. 241 00:15:11,418 --> 00:15:12,884 They stretch their neck. 242 00:15:13,024 --> 00:15:15,812 If you take those rings away, the head would fall over 243 00:15:15,951 --> 00:15:17,514 and they call that beauty. 244 00:15:17,653 --> 00:15:19,825 On some of the islands I went to visit, 245 00:15:19,965 --> 00:15:23,922 if the girl had her buttocks that stuck way out, that was beautiful. 246 00:15:24,062 --> 00:15:25,890 The other girls were nothing. 247 00:15:26,130 --> 00:15:28,703 (Announcer) Even a girl might find herself shut up in a cage 248 00:15:28,744 --> 00:15:32,143 until she's put on almost 265 pounds that make her almost, 249 00:15:32,283 --> 00:15:35,254 but not quite eligible for marriage in her country. 250 00:15:35,394 --> 00:15:38,188 I know there are suggestions that there are genetic contributions 251 00:15:38,328 --> 00:15:40,601 to what we think is beautiful, 252 00:15:40,642 --> 00:15:44,541 but I think the most parsimonious explanation we can have for 253 00:15:44,681 --> 00:15:48,634 what constitutes beauty to a given individual has to come 254 00:15:48,774 --> 00:15:51,477 from that individual's environment, the culture they're raised in. 255 00:15:51,618 --> 00:15:56,060 If everybody had a nose a foot long, you'd have surgery done. 256 00:15:56,811 --> 00:15:58,912 There is no such thing as beauty. 257 00:16:00,239 --> 00:16:02,375 It's all projection. 258 00:16:04,091 --> 00:16:06,399 If you marry the most beautiful girl in the world 259 00:16:06,538 --> 00:16:08,903 and she turns out to be a pain in the butt, 260 00:16:09,043 --> 00:16:11,428 that face becomes ugly to you. 261 00:16:12,613 --> 00:16:15,338 (Narrator) Some researchers are posing that genes 262 00:16:15,477 --> 00:16:18,943 rather than upbringing, determine if someone might become a criminal 263 00:16:19,083 --> 00:16:20,886 and even a murderer. 264 00:16:21,389 --> 00:16:24,374 If you ask people to tell you what determines whether they become 265 00:16:24,514 --> 00:16:26,528 a doctor, or a lawyer, or whatever profession, 266 00:16:26,668 --> 00:16:29,107 most people will agree that it has to do with your upbringing: 267 00:16:29,248 --> 00:16:32,353 the influences from your parents, from teachers, from others. 268 00:16:32,493 --> 00:16:36,027 Not genes. Genes don't determine that you become a lawyer or a doctor. 269 00:16:36,477 --> 00:16:38,697 (Narrator) Genes don't give us a value system 270 00:16:38,836 --> 00:16:41,960 or a process level by which we operate. 271 00:16:42,317 --> 00:16:44,662 Genes don't shape our behavior. The genes themselves 272 00:16:44,802 --> 00:16:46,901 were shaped by our evolutionary history. 273 00:16:47,041 --> 00:16:49,950 But our behavior alone is squarely shaped 274 00:16:50,090 --> 00:16:52,759 by the environment that we're exposed to. 275 00:16:53,133 --> 00:16:55,826 (Narrator) Behavior does not occur in a vacuum. 276 00:16:55,966 --> 00:16:59,908 It is always dependent on considerable environmental input. 277 00:17:00,048 --> 00:17:04,439 I wanted to know whether men have a natural attitude toward women, 278 00:17:04,578 --> 00:17:06,761 or do they learn it? 279 00:17:06,902 --> 00:17:10,138 So I went to some island years ago. 280 00:17:11,295 --> 00:17:15,502 The interesting thing about the islanders is that they wore no clothing. 281 00:17:16,092 --> 00:17:19,921 I never saw a male stare at the female body. 282 00:17:20,298 --> 00:17:22,553 Children swim nude when they're babies. 283 00:17:22,692 --> 00:17:24,449 Boys and girls together. 284 00:17:24,872 --> 00:17:27,600 There were no 'peeping toms' on the island. 285 00:17:27,740 --> 00:17:32,249 There were no pictures of nude women up on the wall in their huts 286 00:17:32,788 --> 00:17:35,597 because it was a normal thing to be nude. 287 00:17:35,738 --> 00:17:37,708 They said to the girl "Me like you." 288 00:17:37,847 --> 00:17:40,855 They stroked them from the top of the head all the way down. 289 00:17:40,996 --> 00:17:43,049 They didn't go for the breasts. 290 00:17:43,189 --> 00:17:46,187 Men go for women's breasts in this country 291 00:17:46,326 --> 00:17:49,047 because they're taught "Hey, get a load of that chick!" 292 00:17:49,506 --> 00:17:51,442 The Blame Game 293 00:17:51,776 --> 00:17:55,502 - And whose fault is it? - It's not the Democrats' fault. 294 00:17:55,642 --> 00:17:57,064 - It's not your fault. 295 00:17:57,203 --> 00:17:59,913 - It's the media's fault, and the Republicans' fault. 296 00:18:00,054 --> 00:18:01,865 And it's also the fault of the insurance company. 297 00:18:02,006 --> 00:18:04,490 - And it's all Obama's fault! 298 00:18:05,305 --> 00:18:08,187 The traditional notion, which is one that gives the 299 00:18:08,326 --> 00:18:11,460 individual personal responsibility and autonomy 300 00:18:11,599 --> 00:18:14,708 is one that gives the individual credit for his or her behavior 301 00:18:14,848 --> 00:18:18,214 and also on the other hand blames the individual for his or her behavior. 302 00:18:18,597 --> 00:18:20,975 Blaming people for their behavior 303 00:18:21,115 --> 00:18:23,500 is one of the most detrimental things 304 00:18:23,641 --> 00:18:26,432 of our so-called advanced culture. 305 00:18:26,571 --> 00:18:29,814 Their behavior is shaped by the culture they are brought up in. 306 00:18:30,256 --> 00:18:33,588 That's built upon, or based upon, an assumption 307 00:18:33,728 --> 00:18:36,426 that we are free; we freely choose our behavior. 308 00:18:36,861 --> 00:18:40,563 But a scientific perspective actually takes the opposite viewpoint. 309 00:18:40,923 --> 00:18:44,090 The scientific perspective is a determinist one, which suggests 310 00:18:44,230 --> 00:18:47,826 that our behavior is lawful and orderly, our behavior is caused. 311 00:18:47,965 --> 00:18:50,502 There's no serial killer that doesn't have a background 312 00:18:50,643 --> 00:18:52,533 that made him that way. 313 00:18:52,673 --> 00:18:54,851 Every New York gangster 314 00:18:54,990 --> 00:18:58,824 is made that way, by associating with people like that. 315 00:18:59,979 --> 00:19:03,735 (Narrator) Our social and legal systems blame and punish the individual. 316 00:19:03,875 --> 00:19:07,559 Yet these attempts to modify conduct by punitive means 317 00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:10,626 ignores the person's background and surroundings 318 00:19:10,767 --> 00:19:12,871 which shape that behavior to begin with. 319 00:19:13,147 --> 00:19:15,326 (TV announcer) From old-school prison gangs 320 00:19:15,848 --> 00:19:17,887 to disruptive street gangs: 321 00:19:18,028 --> 00:19:21,011 it's a dangerous mix for staff and inmates alike. 322 00:19:22,776 --> 00:19:24,749 (Narrator) Research shows that learning 323 00:19:24,888 --> 00:19:29,016 also changes the physical and chemical structure of the brain. 324 00:19:29,156 --> 00:19:32,342 Obviously, there are many contributing factors, 325 00:19:32,482 --> 00:19:36,624 but genes play a small role in comparison to the effects 326 00:19:36,763 --> 00:19:40,109 of the overall environment on how we learn. 327 00:19:41,298 --> 00:19:45,749 No Chinese baby was ever born speaking Chinese. 328 00:19:45,888 --> 00:19:49,261 Did you know that? They had to go to school to learn the language. 329 00:19:49,665 --> 00:19:52,869 No French baby was ever born speaking French. 330 00:19:53,269 --> 00:19:55,878 No matter how many years the parents spoke French 331 00:19:56,019 --> 00:19:57,480 they have to learn it. 332 00:19:57,619 --> 00:20:02,126 Our cerebral cortex is really built on plasticity. 333 00:20:02,673 --> 00:20:05,935 Our behavior is very malleable and very adaptive. 334 00:20:06,076 --> 00:20:08,793 We're the most adaptive creature on the planet. 335 00:20:08,932 --> 00:20:10,903 If you look at the history of humankind on the planet 336 00:20:11,042 --> 00:20:13,012 you can see that we've learned to adapt to 337 00:20:13,153 --> 00:20:15,113 every single environment on the planet. 338 00:20:15,252 --> 00:20:18,672 The only difference between a preacher and a thief 339 00:20:18,811 --> 00:20:21,080 is the environment they're reared in. 340 00:20:22,586 --> 00:20:25,159 (Narrator) We don't come to our own conclusions 341 00:20:25,298 --> 00:20:27,840 without any outside influences. 342 00:20:30,984 --> 00:20:33,636 We don't change our minds. 343 00:20:33,777 --> 00:20:36,823 Our minds are changed by events. 344 00:20:39,690 --> 00:20:41,878 - Heard about them Wright brothers? 345 00:20:42,018 --> 00:20:43,143 - No. 346 00:20:44,099 --> 00:20:47,082 - They say they wanna build themselves a flying machine. 347 00:20:47,983 --> 00:20:50,577 - They ain't never gonna be no flying machine. 348 00:20:51,567 --> 00:20:54,201 If God wanted them to fly, he would give them wings. 349 00:20:54,525 --> 00:20:57,721 (Roaring laughter) 350 00:20:59,307 --> 00:21:02,188 (Narrator) Our minds are changed by events. 351 00:21:02,596 --> 00:21:04,269 - I changed my mind! 352 00:21:04,410 --> 00:21:06,455 - Yeah, me too. 353 00:21:08,332 --> 00:21:11,543 If you're born with a brain that's more effective, 354 00:21:11,682 --> 00:21:13,929 faster than the average brain, 355 00:21:14,068 --> 00:21:16,086 you become a fascist faster 356 00:21:16,226 --> 00:21:19,307 if you're brought up in a fascist environment. 357 00:21:19,857 --> 00:21:24,142 A good brain cannot describe that which is significant. 358 00:21:24,281 --> 00:21:27,480 The brain has no mechanism of discrimination; 359 00:21:27,906 --> 00:21:31,374 only experimental evidence determines that. 360 00:21:32,471 --> 00:21:36,600 If the surroundings that establish our values remain unaltered, 361 00:21:37,157 --> 00:21:41,094 in spite of the urgings of poets, priests, and politicians 362 00:21:41,234 --> 00:21:43,969 the same behavior and values will persist. 363 00:21:44,409 --> 00:21:48,509 If you tell people that you're not to fish in a certain area, 364 00:21:49,017 --> 00:21:51,767 if you don't provide food for those people 365 00:21:51,906 --> 00:21:55,669 and the means of living, they will violate those laws. 366 00:21:55,998 --> 00:22:00,555 All laws have to coincide with the nature of the physical world. 367 00:22:00,945 --> 00:22:03,550 But it isn't the law that prevents crime, 368 00:22:03,691 --> 00:22:05,872 it's if you meet the conditions. 369 00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:09,265 (Journalist) These days, rhino poachers come by helicopter 370 00:22:09,404 --> 00:22:13,271 armed with powerful tranquilizers, and a chainsaw. 371 00:22:14,609 --> 00:22:17,367 Rhino horn is now worth more than gold. 372 00:22:17,508 --> 00:22:19,303 If people are unemployed, 373 00:22:19,442 --> 00:22:23,471 they will do whatever they have to do to feed their family. 374 00:22:24,021 --> 00:22:27,656 If you make a law and say that you're not to steal food, 375 00:22:27,797 --> 00:22:31,714 they will steal food if that serves their family needs. 376 00:22:31,895 --> 00:22:35,184 Any law that's made by man that doesn't fit 377 00:22:35,325 --> 00:22:39,884 the circumstances of reality will be violated. 378 00:22:40,967 --> 00:22:44,740 (Narrator) Higher ideals and aspirations that people hope for 379 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,934 can't be realized when there is deprivation and war. 380 00:22:50,395 --> 00:22:54,336 [Andrew Bacevich - Boston University] If you want to go bomb somebody 381 00:22:54,446 --> 00:22:57,871 there's remarkably little discussion about how much it might cost. 382 00:22:57,971 --> 00:22:59,971 But when you have a discussion about whether or not 383 00:23:00,079 --> 00:23:02,312 we can assist people who are suffering, 384 00:23:02,452 --> 00:23:05,462 then suddenly we become very cost-conscious. 385 00:23:06,199 --> 00:23:09,381 (Narrator) No culture evaluates human behavior in this way. 386 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:14,337 If they did, they would question what is it that generates greed, 387 00:23:14,465 --> 00:23:18,743 bigotry, inequities, and war. 388 00:23:19,140 --> 00:23:22,810 They bring you up with the values that put them in power. 389 00:23:25,286 --> 00:23:27,825 (Narrator) Unfortunately, all societies to date 390 00:23:27,964 --> 00:23:33,257 have indoctrinated people toward values that perpetuate those in power. 391 00:23:35,644 --> 00:23:38,356 PART II 392 00:23:40,039 --> 00:23:42,908 If you made a movie of the present day culture 393 00:23:43,048 --> 00:23:48,388 and showed it in the future, it would be a horror film. 394 00:23:49,707 --> 00:23:52,497 (Narrator) So, let's investigate the key factors 395 00:23:52,636 --> 00:23:56,664 governing the lives of people and nations: 396 00:23:56,883 --> 00:23:58,103 Money, 397 00:23:58,242 --> 00:24:02,630 and the values, behaviors, and consequences 398 00:24:03,034 --> 00:24:04,622 it produces. 399 00:24:04,761 --> 00:24:07,740 - What's the headline here? - The stock market is rigged! 400 00:24:08,849 --> 00:24:11,913 - You don't know your credit score? - I don't know my credit score. 401 00:24:12,053 --> 00:24:15,777 - That's really important... Don't you want to buy a house? 402 00:24:16,317 --> 00:24:19,161 (Motivational speaker) Who are you? Are you the motivated professional 403 00:24:19,201 --> 00:24:21,105 that will stop at nothing to get what you want? 404 00:24:21,246 --> 00:24:24,759 (TV announcer) ...and all are found guilty of more than ten counts of fraud. 405 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,617 Profit motive. Competition. 406 00:24:26,758 --> 00:24:28,869 There's the basis of the capitalistic system. 407 00:24:29,009 --> 00:24:32,534 What's in your wallet? What do you drive? What do you want to buy? 408 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,703 (Reporter) Military contractors are celebrating record profits, near all time highs. 409 00:24:36,844 --> 00:24:39,361 ...by the military industrial complex. 410 00:24:39,401 --> 00:24:42,493 A disastrous rise of misplaced power. 411 00:24:42,633 --> 00:24:44,815 If you're part of the military industrial complex 412 00:24:44,954 --> 00:24:47,366 maybe the point of that is more war. 413 00:24:47,507 --> 00:24:50,690 ...talk about drones and whether or not they help or hinder... 414 00:24:50,789 --> 00:24:53,005 ...no civilians will be killed or injured. 415 00:24:53,145 --> 00:24:53,895 [Explosion] 416 00:24:54,036 --> 00:24:56,018 (TV voice) The vast majority of those killed 417 00:24:56,157 --> 00:24:58,437 have not been high-value targets... 418 00:24:58,577 --> 00:25:00,174 (Voice) ...And the power of money is ever-present... 419 00:25:00,315 --> 00:25:01,602 An Obsolete System 420 00:25:01,741 --> 00:25:05,406 and is gravely to be regarded. 421 00:25:06,114 --> 00:25:08,768 "It was difficult for early forms of life 422 00:25:08,907 --> 00:25:11,144 to crawl out of the primordial slime 423 00:25:11,284 --> 00:25:13,923 without dragging some of it with them." ~ Jacque Fresco 424 00:25:14,674 --> 00:25:17,067 (Narrator) As a remnant of Antiquity 425 00:25:17,669 --> 00:25:21,697 money now largely serves as a mechanism of corruption, 426 00:25:22,330 --> 00:25:25,884 deprivation, and control in the hands of a few. 427 00:25:26,025 --> 00:25:28,608 [Abby Martin, Journalist & Host] It has corrupted everything. 428 00:25:28,748 --> 00:25:31,340 Every institution that we live in is corrupted by money. 429 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,819 What's fascinating to me is that 430 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,668 we can become enslaved by something that we've created, 431 00:25:38,693 --> 00:25:41,263 not physically, but just mentally enslaved 432 00:25:41,304 --> 00:25:44,238 by a notion that was invented by humanity. 433 00:25:44,586 --> 00:25:49,192 It is archaic, because I think we've grown past what money can do. 434 00:25:50,346 --> 00:25:52,872 "It is well enough that the people of the nation 435 00:25:52,915 --> 00:25:56,153 do not understand our banking and money system, for if they did, 436 00:25:56,294 --> 00:25:59,243 I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." 437 00:25:59,383 --> 00:26:03,227 ~Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company 438 00:26:03,788 --> 00:26:08,557 (Narrator) In a desperate attempt to survive, many work multiple jobs. 439 00:26:10,355 --> 00:26:14,195 They may steal, lie, or embezzle. 440 00:26:14,336 --> 00:26:17,322 ...so stress producing to the average person. 441 00:26:17,461 --> 00:26:21,441 ...worries about rent, losing their job, can't pay off a house. 442 00:26:21,871 --> 00:26:24,009 On a bigger scale, the profit motive 443 00:26:24,148 --> 00:26:26,949 creates a ruthless cycle of devastation. 444 00:26:27,089 --> 00:26:31,841 Illness, pollution, and war are accepted as normal. 445 00:26:32,310 --> 00:26:34,894 You have sort of a wartime economy 446 00:26:34,904 --> 00:26:37,411 that begins to be self-perpetuating. 447 00:26:37,421 --> 00:26:42,397 You have powerful people inside of a power vacuum, really 448 00:26:42,406 --> 00:26:45,634 who see it as in their interest to perpetuate the conflict. 449 00:26:46,786 --> 00:26:50,375 (Narrator) But it does benefit the few at the top who live parasitically 450 00:26:50,516 --> 00:26:53,731 by the manipulation and control of money. 451 00:26:56,340 --> 00:27:00,760 [Dylan Ratigan, Author & Host] The banking system right now is effectively enslaving individuals 452 00:27:00,901 --> 00:27:04,129 enslaving students, enslaving institutions 453 00:27:04,269 --> 00:27:06,527 and sucking resources from them. 454 00:27:06,926 --> 00:27:11,246 [Karen Hudes, Economist & Lawyer] They set it up so that there would be private central banks 455 00:27:11,721 --> 00:27:14,528 that could charge everybody interest on the currency 456 00:27:14,667 --> 00:27:18,884 and allow themselves to get rich without having to do anything. 457 00:27:19,726 --> 00:27:23,706 Who's been doing all of this? It's a group of bankers, 458 00:27:23,846 --> 00:27:26,852 the Federal Reserve System; that's a private system. 459 00:27:27,825 --> 00:27:30,567 The Fed is a private bank owned by private stockholders. 460 00:27:30,708 --> 00:27:32,891 Do not let the name 'federal' fool you. 461 00:27:33,030 --> 00:27:35,250 [Erin Ade, Reporter & Host] They just serve the banking needs of government 462 00:27:35,351 --> 00:27:36,851 [that] is essentially what they do. 463 00:27:36,951 --> 00:27:41,360 In 1913, which is when Woodrow Wilson 464 00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:44,824 allowed the Federal Reserve System legislation to be passed 465 00:27:45,214 --> 00:27:47,393 most of the Congress people had gone home. 466 00:27:47,647 --> 00:27:50,326 (Narrator) This legislation turned the central bank system 467 00:27:50,465 --> 00:27:54,000 of the United States over to the Federal Reserve Board 468 00:27:54,141 --> 00:27:58,002 making them the only group that could issue Federal Reserve notes 469 00:27:58,142 --> 00:28:00,337 or US dollars. 470 00:28:01,967 --> 00:28:04,450 President Wilson regretted that. 471 00:28:04,490 --> 00:28:08,144 He said that he had just sold this country downstream. 472 00:28:08,344 --> 00:28:12,103 "A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. 473 00:28:12,242 --> 00:28:14,245 Our system of credit is concentrated. 474 00:28:14,385 --> 00:28:17,153 The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities 475 00:28:17,292 --> 00:28:19,065 are in the hands of a few men. 476 00:28:19,205 --> 00:28:21,573 We have come to be one of the worst ruled 477 00:28:21,713 --> 00:28:24,802 one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments 478 00:28:24,942 --> 00:28:28,503 in the civilized world; a government by the opinion and the duress 479 00:28:28,644 --> 00:28:31,407 of small groups of dominant men." 480 00:28:31,548 --> 00:28:34,538 ~ President Woodrow Wilson, 1916 481 00:28:34,678 --> 00:28:37,218 It's a fiat system that we operate under. 482 00:28:37,357 --> 00:28:40,046 It's actually someone punching numbers on a computer somewhere; 483 00:28:40,155 --> 00:28:42,211 that is how we manufacture money today. 484 00:28:42,351 --> 00:28:45,014 There's nothing backing it; there's nothing behind it. 485 00:28:45,153 --> 00:28:47,429 The money is backed up by the full faith 486 00:28:47,568 --> 00:28:50,298 one has in the US government. It's an IOU. 487 00:28:51,971 --> 00:28:54,781 (Narrator) When government spends more than it collects in taxes 488 00:28:54,883 --> 00:28:57,863 and needs money, it does not print its own money, 489 00:28:57,989 --> 00:29:01,626 but borrows from the Federal Reserve in exchange for US bonds 490 00:29:01,767 --> 00:29:03,577 which the Fed provides at interest. 491 00:29:03,718 --> 00:29:07,570 When people and corporations want money, they go to banks as well. 492 00:29:07,710 --> 00:29:11,311 The system is rigged. If a bank buys a $100 bond, 493 00:29:11,351 --> 00:29:15,396 the bank gets to lend out 10 times that amount, or $1000. 494 00:29:15,536 --> 00:29:17,621 They created the extra funds from nothing: 495 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,533 no money, gold, or anything to back it up. 496 00:29:20,673 --> 00:29:24,118 The bank also gets back the loans with interest for all the money lent. 497 00:29:24,259 --> 00:29:26,426 Money is created in this way from the simple signature 498 00:29:26,527 --> 00:29:29,048 of a borrower with a promise to pay it back. 499 00:29:29,189 --> 00:29:32,647 To make matters worse, very often, people are paying the amount back 500 00:29:32,686 --> 00:29:35,153 many times over due to the interest. 501 00:29:35,993 --> 00:29:37,884 This is the process by which individuals, 502 00:29:38,023 --> 00:29:40,600 companies and governments acquire money. 503 00:29:40,740 --> 00:29:44,326 It is respectably referred to as 'fractional reserve lending' 504 00:29:44,465 --> 00:29:47,387 and is used globally by most other banking systems 505 00:29:47,528 --> 00:29:52,953 keeping people and entire nations in perpetual debt. 506 00:29:53,766 --> 00:29:57,942 If you just keep printing dollars with no backing, at a certain point 507 00:29:58,083 --> 00:30:01,874 people lose confidence in the currency, and that's what has happened. 508 00:30:02,063 --> 00:30:06,544 The banking system right now is in the business of manufacturing risk 509 00:30:06,683 --> 00:30:10,118 by creating debt for individuals and people. 510 00:30:10,259 --> 00:30:14,793 There is the risk that those people will not pay that debt back, 511 00:30:14,931 --> 00:30:18,144 but the liabilities for the risk have continually been assigned 512 00:30:18,284 --> 00:30:21,094 to the US taxpayer and the US currency. 513 00:30:21,653 --> 00:30:24,139 We're now sitting in a situation 514 00:30:24,278 --> 00:30:26,969 where the world's currencies are about to crash. 515 00:30:27,108 --> 00:30:31,218 Nobody knows how long it's going to take, but the Federal Reserve System 516 00:30:31,358 --> 00:30:34,322 has been printing dollars like there's no tomorrow. 517 00:30:34,394 --> 00:30:37,145 You have what is effectively a criminal enterprise 518 00:30:37,286 --> 00:30:40,351 based on the manipulation of people's attention, resources 519 00:30:40,490 --> 00:30:43,212 and time in order to extract value from them. 520 00:30:43,423 --> 00:30:45,960 They're stealing money from us that way. 521 00:30:46,099 --> 00:30:49,998 They're stealing the results of our efforts and our labor. 522 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,778 That is something that has grown as a cancer on our society. 523 00:30:55,022 --> 00:30:58,803 These bankers are all part of a system 524 00:30:58,903 --> 00:31:01,603 called the Bank for International Settlements. 525 00:31:01,742 --> 00:31:04,447 Most people even in business and banking don't understand 526 00:31:04,587 --> 00:31:07,148 this bank and its role, the BIS. 527 00:31:07,288 --> 00:31:10,618 They own 40% of the assets 528 00:31:10,759 --> 00:31:14,395 of the 43,000 companies that are traded on the capital markets. 529 00:31:14,536 --> 00:31:18,164 The bank runs itself. It has a board of directors which is composed 530 00:31:18,305 --> 00:31:21,116 of 15 governors of central banks from around the world. 531 00:31:21,257 --> 00:31:24,438 ...and they pull down 60% of the annual earnings. 532 00:31:24,478 --> 00:31:29,172 They bought off all our media, and that media is hoodwinking citizens. 533 00:31:29,311 --> 00:31:33,274 The media's morphed into just peddling the corporate interests of 534 00:31:33,414 --> 00:31:36,861 the money masters that control the political establishment. 535 00:31:37,001 --> 00:31:39,774 There's about 118 boards of directors that sit 536 00:31:39,914 --> 00:31:42,493 on these five giant media corporations. 537 00:31:42,634 --> 00:31:46,282 They all serve different boards, from Monsanto 538 00:31:46,323 --> 00:31:48,980 to weapons, to food. 539 00:31:49,119 --> 00:31:51,467 When you have all these interests bleeding together, 540 00:31:51,607 --> 00:31:53,471 it's that much harder to differentiate 541 00:31:53,611 --> 00:31:56,480 what interests you're seeing laid out in the mainstream media. 542 00:31:57,590 --> 00:31:59,751 (TV Announcer) Fair, balanced. 543 00:32:00,905 --> 00:32:03,685 (Dylan Ratigan) If you want to understand power, you have to understand 544 00:32:03,826 --> 00:32:06,189 who nominates candidates, 545 00:32:06,567 --> 00:32:09,583 not understand who votes for candidates. 546 00:32:09,643 --> 00:32:11,596 Our system is not a democracy. 547 00:32:11,736 --> 00:32:15,816 The percentage of our population that participates in the nomination process 548 00:32:15,955 --> 00:32:19,899 is literally less than 5% of the population 549 00:32:20,423 --> 00:32:24,805 and really less than 1% of the population. 550 00:32:24,952 --> 00:32:31,754 If I was in control of the nominating process 551 00:32:31,933 --> 00:32:34,353 of everything that everybody ate 552 00:32:34,492 --> 00:32:37,641 and I always nominated cheeseburgers or fried chicken, 553 00:32:37,781 --> 00:32:41,076 and I told you that it was a democracy and you could eat anything you want 554 00:32:41,215 --> 00:32:43,560 as long as it was a cheeseburger or fried chicken. 555 00:32:43,701 --> 00:32:46,130 Would that be a democracy? I could sell it to you as a democracy 556 00:32:46,269 --> 00:32:48,785 because I don't decide whether you eat cheeseburgers or fried chicken. 557 00:32:48,924 --> 00:32:53,057 You get to vote in a very large and well-publicized election 558 00:32:53,198 --> 00:32:56,186 as to whether we're going with fried chicken or cheeseburgers. 559 00:32:56,326 --> 00:32:59,221 And people organize into very tribal groups 560 00:32:59,362 --> 00:33:02,958 being very anti-fried chicken and very pro-cheeseburger 561 00:33:03,097 --> 00:33:06,184 or, they'll explain to you exactly why cheeseburgers are going to be 562 00:33:06,325 --> 00:33:10,221 the end of the world and why fried chicken is going to save you. 563 00:33:11,076 --> 00:33:12,426 (Narrator) Those who can afford it 564 00:33:12,537 --> 00:33:15,670 hire lobbyists who essentially buy politicians. 565 00:33:15,809 --> 00:33:18,499 Most of the time, either party will suit their needs. 566 00:33:18,638 --> 00:33:21,858 [Professor James Thurber] The definition of a lobbyist in the United States is someone 567 00:33:21,999 --> 00:33:25,993 who advocates for someone else and is getting paid for it. 568 00:33:26,567 --> 00:33:29,544 (Narrator) The laws then enacted are quite often written 569 00:33:29,683 --> 00:33:32,336 by the corporations to benefit themselves. 570 00:33:32,712 --> 00:33:36,545 (Narrator) Professor Thurber sees an underground explosion in lobbying 571 00:33:36,684 --> 00:33:41,609 and estimates the industry actually brings in more than $9 billion a year 572 00:33:41,750 --> 00:33:45,065 exceeded only by tourism and government. 573 00:33:45,737 --> 00:33:47,984 The reason that we aren't changing things right now is 574 00:33:48,044 --> 00:33:52,374 the banks have lobbyists in Washington in numbers I've never seen. 575 00:33:52,663 --> 00:33:55,424 (Narrator) Lobbyists are strictly there to buy access. 576 00:33:55,565 --> 00:33:58,978 They are not there to enhance the democratic process. 577 00:33:59,117 --> 00:34:02,980 Families and working people just don't have that kind of representation 578 00:34:03,119 --> 00:34:06,540 power or influence to look after their needs. 579 00:34:07,032 --> 00:34:09,420 There's actually a lobbyist for Citibank, when we're talking about 580 00:34:09,449 --> 00:34:13,689 Volcker Rule and Dodd-Frank, who literally rewrote 581 00:34:13,829 --> 00:34:17,387 an amendment to Dodd-Frank. It was not written by any politician 582 00:34:17,527 --> 00:34:20,620 [or] written by a politician's underling in his office. 583 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,199 It was written by a Citibank lobbyist! 584 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:27,535 They have designed the system to reinforce and, in a sense, 585 00:34:27,675 --> 00:34:30,724 finance themselves based off of special interests. 586 00:34:30,864 --> 00:34:33,502 Everything that was around in 2007-2008 587 00:34:33,643 --> 00:34:36,250 that we got so scared about, the mortgage-backed securities, 588 00:34:36,289 --> 00:34:38,657 the credit default swaps, the other derivatives: 589 00:34:38,697 --> 00:34:42,297 they still exist. They absolutely do. 590 00:34:42,436 --> 00:34:44,994 Yes, there are higher capital requirements for the banks 591 00:34:45,034 --> 00:34:48,840 so they can't be as leveraged, but those are not that high. 592 00:34:49,376 --> 00:34:52,523 If we don't have a media that's providing 593 00:34:52,663 --> 00:34:56,001 who's really writing these bills and passing this legislation 594 00:34:56,141 --> 00:34:59,449 and what it's all for and who it serves, 595 00:34:59,590 --> 00:35:01,805 then we're living in an illusion. 596 00:35:04,744 --> 00:35:08,795 [Paul Wright, Author] Generally the laws in this country are written by the wealthy 597 00:35:08,934 --> 00:35:11,224 and the powerful because I think, by definition, that's 598 00:35:11,364 --> 00:35:13,491 who controls the legislatures and 599 00:35:13,632 --> 00:35:18,094 the commanding heights of the power system in this country. 600 00:35:18,233 --> 00:35:20,831 That's a scary reality because 601 00:35:20,971 --> 00:35:24,213 you can pay your way into having laws implemented 602 00:35:24,353 --> 00:35:28,085 that serve you and your corporation as you'd like them to serve. 603 00:35:28,853 --> 00:35:32,177 The complete impunity that corporations have 604 00:35:32,318 --> 00:35:35,582 to operate unabated and pollute the entire planet... 605 00:35:35,722 --> 00:35:38,147 A major spill of toxic coal ash 606 00:35:38,286 --> 00:35:41,222 is raising questions again about the safety of water 607 00:35:41,362 --> 00:35:44,173 and the government regulators overseeing industry. 608 00:35:44,313 --> 00:35:47,384 There's zero accountability, other than the slap on the wrist 609 00:35:47,423 --> 00:35:50,445 of a couple fines here and then; I mean [from] slave labor 610 00:35:50,568 --> 00:35:54,485 to the exploitation of resources on the planet. 611 00:35:55,577 --> 00:35:58,503 (Reporter) The massive infernos sent flames into the night sky 612 00:35:58,643 --> 00:36:01,686 fueled by crude oil from ruptured tank cars. 613 00:36:01,827 --> 00:36:06,014 (Narrator) The transportation secretary Anthony Foxx can merely advise the industry 614 00:36:06,153 --> 00:36:09,637 that these railcars are not fit for service. 615 00:36:09,777 --> 00:36:12,772 But this advice is only voluntary. 616 00:36:13,262 --> 00:36:17,408 And so the slap on the wrist of industries that pollute, cut corners 617 00:36:17,547 --> 00:36:22,579 and violate policies will continue as long as it's profitable to do so. 618 00:36:24,010 --> 00:36:26,778 JP Morgan paid $13 billion in fines last year! 619 00:36:26,918 --> 00:36:29,278 If you have that much money in order to just pay fines... 620 00:36:29,418 --> 00:36:32,458 and they put away $19 billion, for paying fines! 621 00:36:32,896 --> 00:36:36,070 (Reporter) JP Morgan is paying $410 million to settle charges 622 00:36:36,170 --> 00:36:39,614 with the government but JP Morgan is not admitting any wrongdoing. 623 00:36:39,724 --> 00:36:43,664 Goldman Sachs settled early on in this case for $550 million 624 00:36:43,764 --> 00:36:45,039 without admitting wrongdoing. 625 00:36:45,139 --> 00:36:48,139 UBS has agreed to pay about $50 million. 626 00:36:48,260 --> 00:36:51,978 Under the terms of the settlement, UBS did not admit any wrongdoing. 627 00:36:52,117 --> 00:36:54,117 I think that people commit the crimes that they're 628 00:36:54,224 --> 00:36:56,272 in a social position to commit. 629 00:36:56,413 --> 00:36:59,021 I think it's Bertolt Brecht that asked "Which is a greater crime: 630 00:36:59,161 --> 00:37:01,329 to rob a bank or to own one?" 631 00:37:01,469 --> 00:37:05,494 I think as we've seen from everything from the savings and loan scandals 632 00:37:05,634 --> 00:37:09,259 to the Wall Street meltdown, that all too often the owners of the banks 633 00:37:09,398 --> 00:37:12,406 are frequently looting the institutions that employ them. 634 00:37:12,447 --> 00:37:15,300 They commit all manner of illegal acts 635 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:17,817 and yet they're very rarely prosecuted for them. 636 00:37:18,536 --> 00:37:21,945 (Narrator) To establish their footing, industries often hire politicians 637 00:37:22,085 --> 00:37:25,225 when they leave office, having direct ties and furthering the bonds 638 00:37:25,365 --> 00:37:27,764 between politics and business. 639 00:37:27,972 --> 00:37:30,650 (Announcer) On Wall Street, Cantor will be the vice chairman 640 00:37:30,730 --> 00:37:33,726 and managing director of an investment bank, earning 641 00:37:33,766 --> 00:37:36,675 more than $3 million over two years. 642 00:37:36,815 --> 00:37:40,110 I like to call it the "Washington-to-Wall Street revolving door" 643 00:37:40,251 --> 00:37:42,377 and the shenanigans that go on there. 644 00:37:42,516 --> 00:37:45,849 (Prof. Lessig) 50% of the Senate between 1998 and 2004 645 00:37:45,989 --> 00:37:48,558 left to become lobbyists, 42% of the House. 646 00:37:48,699 --> 00:37:51,744 Those numbers have only gone up. The average increase in salary 647 00:37:51,855 --> 00:37:57,597 for those who they tracked was 1452%! 648 00:37:58,282 --> 00:38:02,811 Throughout history, there's been very little pretense 649 00:38:02,951 --> 00:38:08,143 that the government has also acted as an agent for the wealthy class. 650 00:38:08,282 --> 00:38:11,512 Yes, there might be idealistic politicians that got into the game to 651 00:38:11,619 --> 00:38:16,205 change the world, but if they're good - any good at their job - 652 00:38:16,346 --> 00:38:18,650 they're no longer changing the world, they're serving the interests 653 00:38:18,789 --> 00:38:21,704 of their donors if they want to rise in the world of politics. 654 00:38:21,943 --> 00:38:24,351 They say, "Write to your Congressman." 655 00:38:24,492 --> 00:38:27,063 Who the hell is this jackass that you have to write? 656 00:38:27,202 --> 00:38:31,367 He should be at the forefront of technology and knowledge. 657 00:38:31,507 --> 00:38:32,846 You don't have to write to him. 658 00:38:32,987 --> 00:38:36,012 I'm sure most of you have flown in airliners. 659 00:38:36,152 --> 00:38:39,567 You don't have to write to the pilot saying "You're flying at an angle! 660 00:38:39,706 --> 00:38:42,315 Straighten out, god dammit!" 661 00:38:42,454 --> 00:38:45,293 He knows his business; that's how he got the job! 662 00:38:45,434 --> 00:38:48,334 The people in Washington now are lawyers and businessmen 663 00:38:48,434 --> 00:38:52,072 and can solve no problems. 664 00:38:52,949 --> 00:38:56,547 There are 317 million Americans, give or take. 665 00:38:57,286 --> 00:39:02,187 In 2012, 80% of the super PAC money 666 00:39:02,327 --> 00:39:05,313 was provided by 196 individuals. 667 00:39:05,452 --> 00:39:09,096 If the bottom line is a profit-driven world, then those interests 668 00:39:09,235 --> 00:39:12,259 are going to be served first, and everything [else] is going to be secondary. 669 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:14,914 That's the sad reality of it. 670 00:39:15,054 --> 00:39:18,704 (Narrator) Within the monetary system, consumers are viewed merely 671 00:39:18,844 --> 00:39:23,259 as part of a market, existing as potential sales for profit 672 00:39:23,398 --> 00:39:26,083 and proudly present their designer labels, cars 673 00:39:26,222 --> 00:39:29,413 and other branding to enhance their self-esteem. 674 00:39:29,554 --> 00:39:32,530 They become but another billboard. 675 00:39:32,670 --> 00:39:38,297 The values are just profit maximization, year after year. 676 00:39:38,436 --> 00:39:42,833 We use artificial pumping in animals to make them grow faster. 677 00:39:42,972 --> 00:39:47,922 If you can multiply the cells in a chicken faster, you can sell it sooner. 678 00:39:48,063 --> 00:39:50,492 Does that have an effect on the human body? 679 00:39:50,632 --> 00:39:54,214 They don't worry about that. They worry about the sale of chickens. 680 00:39:54,355 --> 00:39:57,574 There is no value system that is put out there 681 00:39:57,713 --> 00:39:59,693 that is actually beneficial to humanity 682 00:39:59,833 --> 00:40:03,206 because it's based on consumerism and profit making. 683 00:40:03,864 --> 00:40:08,335 (Narrator) Wealth is going to the rich faster than at any other time in history. 684 00:40:08,474 --> 00:40:11,469 (Narrator) People are talking about the fact that the richest 1% 685 00:40:11,610 --> 00:40:13,682 have so much more than everybody else. 686 00:40:13,822 --> 00:40:15,790 Let's take the whole world's population, 687 00:40:15,931 --> 00:40:19,335 and reduce to just a representative 100 individuals. 688 00:40:19,474 --> 00:40:23,028 Poorest people on the left, richest people on the right. 689 00:40:23,168 --> 00:40:27,036 Now let's show how the world's total wealth is distributed. 690 00:40:27,735 --> 00:40:31,836 The vast majority have practically nothing, while the richest 1% 691 00:40:32,342 --> 00:40:35,539 have accumulated 43% of our world's wealth. 692 00:40:36,532 --> 00:40:40,360 The bottom 80%, meanwhile, that's 8 out of every 10 people 693 00:40:40,500 --> 00:40:43,041 have just 6% between them. 694 00:40:43,181 --> 00:40:45,375 The richest 300 people on Earth 695 00:40:45,514 --> 00:40:49,232 have the same wealth as the poorest 3 billion. 696 00:40:49,373 --> 00:40:52,893 The number of people it takes to fill a mid-sized commercial aircraft 697 00:40:53,032 --> 00:40:56,768 have more wealth than the populations of India, China, 698 00:40:56,909 --> 00:40:59,718 the US and Brazil combined. 699 00:41:00,264 --> 00:41:05,324 The success of the industrialized world has been dependent on the failure 700 00:41:05,463 --> 00:41:08,121 and the lack of development of the developing world. 701 00:41:08,260 --> 00:41:10,503 The reason that they are stifled is because they are 702 00:41:10,643 --> 00:41:13,528 indebted to the first world; we wouldn't be prospering 703 00:41:13,668 --> 00:41:17,521 if it weren't for the labor that's going on and the indentured servitude 704 00:41:17,661 --> 00:41:20,219 that's going on in the entire developing country. 705 00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:23,425 So the power dynamic can never change in that respect 706 00:41:23,565 --> 00:41:27,132 because it's literally dependent on it being that way. 707 00:41:27,273 --> 00:41:30,074 (Reporter) The dirty and dangerous work done by children. 708 00:41:30,213 --> 00:41:33,195 The jobs down in the pits are typically reserved for teenagers 709 00:41:33,335 --> 00:41:36,195 with only tree limbs to brace the mine walls. 710 00:41:36,335 --> 00:41:38,702 The risk to them is real. 711 00:41:39,385 --> 00:41:42,635 Rich governments like to say that they're helping poor countries develop, 712 00:41:42,775 --> 00:41:45,132 but who is developing who here? 713 00:41:45,273 --> 00:41:48,218 Each year poor countries are paying about $600 billion 714 00:41:48,358 --> 00:41:50,211 in debt service to rich countries 715 00:41:50,351 --> 00:41:53,519 on loans that have already been paid off many times over. 716 00:41:53,659 --> 00:41:56,580 Then there's the money that poor countries lose from trade rules 717 00:41:56,721 --> 00:41:58,996 imposed by rich countries. 718 00:41:59,135 --> 00:42:03,773 Altogether, that's more than $2 trillion every year. 719 00:42:06,949 --> 00:42:09,500 (Narrator) Money systems have existed for centuries, 720 00:42:09,639 --> 00:42:13,159 and whether we realize it or not, have always been used to control behavior 721 00:42:13,300 --> 00:42:16,619 by limiting the purchasing power of the majority of people. 722 00:42:17,012 --> 00:42:20,355 One example of this is the criminal justice system. 723 00:42:21,862 --> 00:42:25,623 I think a lot of people that view our criminal justice system as 724 00:42:25,762 --> 00:42:27,958 a racist conspiracy is because of the fact 725 00:42:28,097 --> 00:42:31,717 that you have such massively disproportionate numbers of 726 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:36,009 especially black men that are incarcerated in our prison and jail system. 727 00:42:36,150 --> 00:42:38,742 40 to 50% of the people 728 00:42:38,882 --> 00:42:41,927 in our criminal justice system are black men. 729 00:42:42,068 --> 00:42:45,331 Black men make up roughly 5% of the nation's population. 730 00:42:46,032 --> 00:42:49,362 I think people can discuss and debate the causes for that; 731 00:42:49,501 --> 00:42:53,894 this goes for everything from institutional racism, policing practices. 732 00:42:54,034 --> 00:42:57,080 But I think at the end of the day it boils down to class as I think 733 00:42:57,221 --> 00:43:00,606 that the reason racial minorities are disproportionately incarcerated 734 00:43:00,746 --> 00:43:03,345 is because they're also disproportionately poor. 735 00:43:03,485 --> 00:43:07,102 The case seems to speak to a two-tiered justice system. 736 00:43:07,242 --> 00:43:10,840 This is a rich guy who got a very skilled attorney 737 00:43:10,980 --> 00:43:13,519 to work the system for him in a way that 738 00:43:13,659 --> 00:43:16,179 most wouldn't get that type of justice. 739 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:19,994 No one is claiming that rich black men 740 00:43:20,134 --> 00:43:23,324 are being incarcerated in massive numbers or even significant numbers. 741 00:43:23,463 --> 00:43:26,532 Rich, black men get pretty much the same treatment that 742 00:43:26,672 --> 00:43:29,708 rich, white men get, which is they don't go to prison. 743 00:43:29,847 --> 00:43:34,943 Environment shapes values. You don't work on the individual. 744 00:43:35,083 --> 00:43:38,105 You don't work on a person that has emotional problems. 745 00:43:38,244 --> 00:43:42,192 They may have emotional problems because they earn minimum wage. 746 00:43:42,818 --> 00:43:45,719 Psychologists try to adjust you to this system, 747 00:43:45,858 --> 00:43:47,829 so they have to be stupid. 748 00:43:48,827 --> 00:43:51,510 (Narrator) The recidivism rate from prisons is high 749 00:43:51,650 --> 00:43:54,780 and many proclaim prisons don't work because of this. 750 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,240 But ultimately, prisons are a resounding success 751 00:43:58,380 --> 00:44:01,255 as a tool for social control to safeguard 752 00:44:01,394 --> 00:44:04,862 the political and economic established system. 753 00:44:05,297 --> 00:44:08,175 If you hire people whose only expertise is caging 754 00:44:08,315 --> 00:44:10,915 people to try to fix social problems, 755 00:44:11,047 --> 00:44:13,085 you’re not going to get a very good solution. 756 00:44:13,186 --> 00:44:15,938 But I think they’re very good at caging people 757 00:44:16,079 --> 00:44:19,284 and I think that’s why mass incarceration has been 758 00:44:19,423 --> 00:44:23,413 a huge success for the ruling class in this country. 759 00:44:24,150 --> 00:44:26,836 (Narrator) According to the World Health Organization, 760 00:44:26,976 --> 00:44:29,716 the greater the economic inequity of a society 761 00:44:29,856 --> 00:44:34,427 the higher its rates of violence, from homicides to war. 762 00:44:34,567 --> 00:44:38,932 And the US has the highest murder rate of any developed country. 763 00:44:39,072 --> 00:44:41,458 The United States is really number one in a lot of things 764 00:44:41,599 --> 00:44:44,346 and I think the biggest thing where we can say we’re number one in 765 00:44:44,485 --> 00:44:46,177 is how many people we lock up. 766 00:44:46,318 --> 00:44:49,797 The United States has roughly 5% of the world’s population 767 00:44:49,936 --> 00:44:52,599 but we’ve got 25% of the world’s prisoners. 768 00:44:52,867 --> 00:44:56,067 China has 4 times as many people as the United States does 769 00:44:56,168 --> 00:44:57,686 and half as many prisoners. 770 00:44:57,826 --> 00:45:01,041 The United States has more prisoners than the Soviet Union did 771 00:45:01,181 --> 00:45:03,729 at the height of the purges and the collectivization 772 00:45:03,869 --> 00:45:06,980 in the 1930s in the infamous Soviet Gulag. 773 00:45:07,273 --> 00:45:10,190 Consequences of Poverty 774 00:45:11,661 --> 00:45:15,894 (Narrator) Poverty is a vicious cycle rarely escaped by the poor. 775 00:45:16,253 --> 00:45:20,051 Studies found that scarcity can reduce mental capacity 776 00:45:20,192 --> 00:45:22,144 and cognitive performance. 777 00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:26,103 In children it affects their brain development and memory. 778 00:45:26,420 --> 00:45:29,769 Poverty is a bigger risk factor for mental illness 779 00:45:29,909 --> 00:45:32,594 than being exposed to war. 780 00:45:38,195 --> 00:45:40,208 (Narrator) Socioeconomic exclusion 781 00:45:40,349 --> 00:45:42,873 also prevents people from buying healthy foods 782 00:45:43,012 --> 00:45:46,761 since processed package foods with high sugar and sodium levels 783 00:45:46,902 --> 00:45:50,186 is much cheaper than nutrient-dense fresh foods. 784 00:45:50,646 --> 00:45:53,000 No Grocery Stores 785 00:45:53,356 --> 00:45:55,911 In recent years, a disturbing trend has emerged. 786 00:45:56,050 --> 00:45:58,945 There’s a tremendous history of disinvestment from grocery stores 787 00:45:59,085 --> 00:46:01,589 that have moved out of lower-income communities 788 00:46:01,699 --> 00:46:03,699 deliberately as a business decision. 789 00:46:03,811 --> 00:46:05,411 Health Problems 790 00:46:05,541 --> 00:46:09,321 (Narrator) The stress of poverty is also linked to health problems 791 00:46:09,460 --> 00:46:11,922 such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, 792 00:46:12,063 --> 00:46:15,439 elevated rates of obesity and diabetes. 793 00:46:15,836 --> 00:46:19,248 Statistically, they are far more likely to smoke. 794 00:46:19,802 --> 00:46:22,201 Additionally, the poor are often forced 795 00:46:22,342 --> 00:46:24,972 to live in areas of low air quality. 796 00:46:26,592 --> 00:46:29,592 Far from being a problem for only the poor, 797 00:46:30,121 --> 00:46:32,932 all areas of the socioeconomic spectrum suffer 798 00:46:33,072 --> 00:46:37,197 when our air, food and water are polluted by fossil fuel emissions 799 00:46:37,583 --> 00:46:40,435 and radiation from nuclear accidents. 800 00:46:42,206 --> 00:46:46,267 (Reporter) Because of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima power plant 801 00:46:46,407 --> 00:46:49,510 the whole area is now a radioactive wasteland 802 00:46:50,032 --> 00:46:53,601 and the people who lived there don't know if they'll ever be able to go home. 803 00:46:54,224 --> 00:46:56,892 Deaths from Pollution 804 00:46:57,688 --> 00:47:02,601 [Prof. Mark Jacobson, Civil & Env. Engineer] The current energy infrastructure results in about 2.5 to 4 million 805 00:47:02,742 --> 00:47:06,627 deaths per year worldwide from respiratory disease, 806 00:47:06,766 --> 00:47:09,985 cardiovascular disease and complications from asthma. 807 00:47:10,126 --> 00:47:12,575 We’re in downtown Beijing and the pollution readings 808 00:47:12,715 --> 00:47:14,667 have once again gone off the charts. 809 00:47:14,806 --> 00:47:19,217 Readings are around 25 times World Health Organization’s standards. 810 00:47:19,358 --> 00:47:23,191 ...including 50 to 100 thousand deaths per year in the United States 811 00:47:23,331 --> 00:47:25,657 and 16,000 alone in California. 812 00:47:26,068 --> 00:47:28,732 "We have allowed ourselves to believe, and live, 813 00:47:28,871 --> 00:47:30,643 a mated pair of economic lies: 814 00:47:30,782 --> 00:47:34,143 that nothing has a value that is not assigned to it by the market, 815 00:47:34,284 --> 00:47:36,690 and that the economic life of our communities 816 00:47:36,829 --> 00:47:39,058 can safely be handed over to the great corporations." ~ Wendell Berry 817 00:47:42,699 --> 00:47:45,588 The economic system that we’re living in today is destroying the planet 818 00:47:45,728 --> 00:47:48,692 because it is based on an unsustainable model. 819 00:47:48,831 --> 00:47:50,949 We’re seeing proof of that right now. 820 00:47:51,090 --> 00:47:55,338 The current energy infrastructure, which has been going on for a long time, 821 00:47:55,478 --> 00:47:59,542 has resulted in the accumulation of green house gasses and 822 00:47:59,682 --> 00:48:04,108 particles that cause warming of the Earth’s climate. 823 00:48:04,248 --> 00:48:07,480 The Earth’s climate is warming at a rate faster than any time 824 00:48:07,619 --> 00:48:10,224 since deglaciation from the last ice age. 825 00:48:10,364 --> 00:48:15,106 What are the Real Costs? 826 00:48:15,246 --> 00:48:18,855 If you were to integrate the cost of war 827 00:48:18,996 --> 00:48:22,807 the cost of pollution and the cost of environmental disruption 828 00:48:22,947 --> 00:48:27,368 a gallon of gasoline would cost between 15 and 20 dollars a gallon. 829 00:48:27,509 --> 00:48:30,864 Now, the US taxpayer subsidizes gasoline 830 00:48:31,003 --> 00:48:34,807 by absorbing the cost of pollution, by absorbing the clean up cost of spills 831 00:48:34,947 --> 00:48:37,871 by absorbing the cost of a global predatory military 832 00:48:38,012 --> 00:48:40,865 to secure those resources 833 00:48:41,005 --> 00:48:44,303 on behalf of private energy companies 834 00:48:44,443 --> 00:48:47,820 that then sell the oil at 3 to 4 to 5 dollars a gallon 835 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:50,358 which perpetuates the system. 836 00:48:50,498 --> 00:48:51,817 Planetary Impact 837 00:48:51,956 --> 00:48:54,616 In addition, the higher CO2 levels: 838 00:48:54,757 --> 00:48:58,835 CO2 is an acid... [well] it dissolves in water and becomes carbonic acid 839 00:48:58,974 --> 00:49:01,636 and has resulted in the acidification of the oceans. 840 00:49:01,777 --> 00:49:04,106 This is destroying coral reefs. 841 00:49:08,572 --> 00:49:12,375 We have to realize our planet does have a certain amount of 842 00:49:12,514 --> 00:49:16,310 regenerative power and there is no question that 843 00:49:16,451 --> 00:49:20,661 we’ve been through numerous worldwide extinctions. 844 00:49:20,802 --> 00:49:24,861 We have fossil records of that and the Earth has recovered. 845 00:49:25,001 --> 00:49:27,707 There is a limiting carrying capacity though. 846 00:49:28,130 --> 00:49:32,682 In addition, you increase the incidence of wild fires and forest fires 847 00:49:32,822 --> 00:49:37,112 and that increases air pollution as well, with higher temperatures. 848 00:49:40,201 --> 00:49:45,134 I’d like to think that some day we will become a multi-planet species 849 00:49:45,277 --> 00:49:48,861 but we still have to take care of our home planet. 850 00:49:49,001 --> 00:49:51,349 Rising Sea Levels 851 00:49:51,626 --> 00:49:54,453 There are many additional impacts of global warming. 852 00:49:54,592 --> 00:49:58,248 Sea level rise is a very big concern, for example: 853 00:49:58,389 --> 00:50:02,938 right now there are about 65 to 70 meters of sea level stored in ice 854 00:50:03,077 --> 00:50:06,407 mostly in the Antarctic, but also in glaciers in Greenland 855 00:50:06,547 --> 00:50:09,744 and also sea ice in the Arctic and other places. 856 00:50:09,884 --> 00:50:12,652 If the temperature is warm enough that we melt all this ice 857 00:50:12,791 --> 00:50:15,463 that means the sea levels will rise 65 to 70 meters 858 00:50:15,603 --> 00:50:20,308 and that will cover 7% of all the world’s land and 859 00:50:21,108 --> 00:50:24,117 ...all this is along the coast where most people in the world live, 860 00:50:24,257 --> 00:50:26,474 this will cause a significant disaster. 861 00:50:27,144 --> 00:50:31,025 It’s almost certain that the regenerative power of the Earth 862 00:50:31,164 --> 00:50:35,175 does have certain limitations. If we push things too far, 863 00:50:35,315 --> 00:50:38,610 what’s to say that we couldn’t have a runaway greenhouse effect 864 00:50:38,751 --> 00:50:40,940 on the Earth like we did on Venus? 865 00:50:41,039 --> 00:50:43,295 Raging Storms 866 00:50:43,416 --> 00:50:48,728 We’re also seeing enhanced storminess, increased intensity of hurricanes, 867 00:50:48,867 --> 00:50:52,980 and greater extremes of weather associated with global warming. 868 00:50:53,121 --> 00:50:57,273 There are significant problems associated with this and these are all 869 00:50:57,413 --> 00:51:00,844 tied back to the emissions from coal, oil and gas combustion 870 00:51:00,983 --> 00:51:04,237 that have been occurring since the industrial revolution 871 00:51:04,376 --> 00:51:07,668 that started in the mid to late 1700s. 872 00:51:08,597 --> 00:51:13,329 We have a finite system, just like we do inside our spacecraft. 873 00:51:13,469 --> 00:51:17,476 There, of course, we know the environmental limits a lot better than 874 00:51:17,617 --> 00:51:20,952 we do for the planet Earth, because the planet Earth is much more complex 875 00:51:21,092 --> 00:51:24,373 than the environmental control system we have in a spaceship. 876 00:51:24,514 --> 00:51:27,175 But it is finite, the Earth is finite 877 00:51:27,315 --> 00:51:32,103 and it’s been carrying life for billions of years. 878 00:51:32,242 --> 00:51:35,315 Hopefully, it will continue to do so but 879 00:51:35,456 --> 00:51:40,925 let’s not stress the Earth past the point at which it can recover. 880 00:51:41,722 --> 00:51:47,094 Is Earth the insane asylum of the universe? 881 00:51:48,092 --> 00:51:52,048 (Narrator) It is probable that war itself could be our undoing 882 00:51:52,188 --> 00:51:54,870 let alone the environment. 883 00:51:55,010 --> 00:51:57,730 (Megaphone voice) We want to send a message to America! 884 00:51:57,871 --> 00:52:01,110 The more drone attacks you conduct, the more people will resent you! 885 00:52:01,251 --> 00:52:04,718 The drones create suicide bomber factories. 886 00:52:11,159 --> 00:52:15,619 (Narrator) Our brutal competitive behaviors are not human nature 887 00:52:15,759 --> 00:52:20,826 but simply a result of scarcity, making us all competitors 888 00:52:20,965 --> 00:52:25,672 in the fight to attain what we need to survive. 889 00:52:29,422 --> 00:52:33,211 While scarcity is naturally occurring, 890 00:52:33,351 --> 00:52:38,010 it's also intentional in industries and governments for profit 891 00:52:38,150 --> 00:52:40,408 and national interest. 892 00:52:41,639 --> 00:52:44,711 As long as nations are immersed in scarcity 893 00:52:44,851 --> 00:52:48,923 we will continue to have conflicts between people. 894 00:52:49,521 --> 00:52:51,737 Crimes, murder 895 00:52:52,628 --> 00:52:54,885 and other violence 896 00:52:55,925 --> 00:52:58,323 to all-out war 897 00:52:58,463 --> 00:53:02,494 the ultimate expression of human stupidity. 898 00:53:03,990 --> 00:53:05,490 - Bomb the heck out of them! 899 00:53:05,958 --> 00:53:09,516 These behaviors must be surpassed if we wish to survive. 900 00:53:09,657 --> 00:53:13,172 - Drop the bombs on them! - It's the best recruiting tool for al-Qaeda. 901 00:53:13,311 --> 00:53:16,684 This guarantees the cycle of violence will go on. 902 00:53:16,824 --> 00:53:20,300 (Narrator) With our technological ability to provide for all 903 00:53:20,440 --> 00:53:23,679 we must take steps toward a different approach. 904 00:53:24,221 --> 00:53:27,097 Or the endless cycle of booms, busts 905 00:53:27,237 --> 00:53:30,069 and war will continue. 906 00:53:32,291 --> 00:53:35,990 - (sarcastic) Oh, no! Peace in our time. Aye yai yai. 907 00:53:36,963 --> 00:53:43,355 "If we don't end war, war will end us." ~H. G. Wells, 1936 908 00:53:44,449 --> 00:53:47,195 Nobody, including -most of all- the United States 909 00:53:47,335 --> 00:53:50,555 goes to war to liberate or spread democracy. 910 00:53:50,704 --> 00:53:53,635 The only incentive on a practical level to go to war 911 00:53:53,775 --> 00:53:56,427 is to acquire resources. 912 00:53:56,728 --> 00:54:01,211 In the United States' case, it frequently is either energy resources 913 00:54:01,710 --> 00:54:04,545 [or] shall I say supporting political alliances 914 00:54:04,686 --> 00:54:07,584 to preserve access to energy resources. 915 00:54:08,681 --> 00:54:12,166 (Narrator) Smedley Butler, a US Marine Corps General Major, 916 00:54:12,306 --> 00:54:15,375 who was the most decorated marine at the time of his death 917 00:54:15,514 --> 00:54:18,543 stated it well when he wrote: 918 00:54:18,684 --> 00:54:22,734 "I spent 33 years and four months in active military service 919 00:54:22,873 --> 00:54:25,369 and during that period I spent most of my time 920 00:54:25,510 --> 00:54:28,481 as a high class muscle man for Big Business, 921 00:54:28,621 --> 00:54:30,974 for Wall Street and the bankers. 922 00:54:31,465 --> 00:54:33,983 In short, I was a racketeer, 923 00:54:34,527 --> 00:54:36,735 a gangster for capitalism. 924 00:54:37,166 --> 00:54:40,601 I helped make Mexico safe for American oil interests. 925 00:54:41,146 --> 00:54:44,192 I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place 926 00:54:44,333 --> 00:54:47,943 for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. 927 00:54:48,505 --> 00:54:51,992 I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics 928 00:54:52,132 --> 00:54:54,608 for the benefit of Wall Street. 929 00:54:55,148 --> 00:54:57,239 I helped purify Nicaragua 930 00:54:57,378 --> 00:54:59,777 for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers. 931 00:54:59,916 --> 00:55:03,964 I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests. 932 00:55:04,105 --> 00:55:07,896 I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies. 933 00:55:08,036 --> 00:55:12,951 In China, I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. 934 00:55:14,518 --> 00:55:18,137 Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. 935 00:55:18,277 --> 00:55:22,287 The best that he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. 936 00:55:22,878 --> 00:55:25,186 I operated on three continents. 937 00:55:26,155 --> 00:55:29,372 War is a racket. It always has been. 938 00:55:29,512 --> 00:55:33,577 A few profit and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. 939 00:55:33,717 --> 00:55:36,341 You can't end it by disarmament conferences. 940 00:55:36,481 --> 00:55:41,554 It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war." 941 00:55:45,751 --> 00:55:50,365 Our universities today are better equipped than ever: 942 00:55:50,505 --> 00:55:54,347 the best microscopes, the best scientific equipment... The bombs are getting worse. 943 00:55:54,487 --> 00:55:57,818 The wars are getting worse. The killing is getting worse. 944 00:55:57,958 --> 00:56:01,365 You don't need to kill people, [or] bomb cities. 945 00:56:01,505 --> 00:56:04,242 There's something wrong with our culture; very wrong! 946 00:56:04,998 --> 00:56:07,471 (Abby) So, we cannot survive in this system. 947 00:56:07,612 --> 00:56:10,188 I think it's time to reinvent the wheel and figure out 948 00:56:10,327 --> 00:56:13,615 how can we really survive, not only as a species 949 00:56:13,755 --> 00:56:16,946 but as a planet because time is running out. 950 00:56:17,590 --> 00:56:20,019 (Narrator) To blame any individual or corporation 951 00:56:20,159 --> 00:56:24,359 does not get at the root causes of the problems. 952 00:56:24,500 --> 00:56:28,521 The structure of our socioeconomic system itself has everyone out 953 00:56:28,661 --> 00:56:31,260 to meet their own needs, 954 00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:34,896 creating a predatory, competitive environment. 955 00:56:35,971 --> 00:56:38,949 Attempting to find solutions to the monumental problems 956 00:56:39,090 --> 00:56:43,380 within our present society will only serve as temporary patchwork 957 00:56:43,519 --> 00:56:48,389 prolonging what is quickly becoming an obsolete system. 958 00:56:53,873 --> 00:56:57,945 (Narrator) In our next episode, we will explore more perspectives 959 00:56:58,085 --> 00:57:01,666 in the fields of automation, science 960 00:57:01,806 --> 00:57:04,085 and sustainable energy. 961 00:57:05,518 --> 00:57:09,804 And The Venus Project will present an innovative social design. 962 00:57:10,635 --> 00:57:14,110 Its primary concern is the well-being of people 963 00:57:14,251 --> 00:57:18,011 enabling everyone to have a high standard of living 964 00:57:18,150 --> 00:57:21,865 while protecting the planet's ecosystem. 965 00:57:23,001 --> 00:57:26,367 We will explain and illustrate many proposals: 966 00:57:26,507 --> 00:57:29,569 total city systems, 967 00:57:31,507 --> 00:57:34,044 canals that bring rising sea waters 968 00:57:34,184 --> 00:57:36,315 into below sea level deserts, 969 00:57:37,889 --> 00:57:41,934 cities in the sea for reclamation of our ocean environment, 970 00:57:43,065 --> 00:57:46,691 and other exciting scenarios for global redesign. 971 00:57:52,291 --> 00:57:55,891 To Be Continued 972 00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:10,000 Translations by Linguistic Team International http://forum.linguisticteam.org