Naomi K's Shock Doctrine

Congratulations to Naomi Klein on winning the $90,000 Warwick Prize for Writing.

"Around the world in Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, there are people with power who are cashing in on chaos; exploiting bloodshed and catastrophe to brutally remake our world in their image. They are the shock doctors... Exposing these global profiteers, Naomi Klein discovered information and connections that shocked even her about how comprehensively the shock doctors' beliefs now dominate our world - and how this domination has been achieved. Raking in billions out of the tsunami, plundering Russia, exploiting Iraq - this is the chilling tale of how a few are making a killing while more are getting killed. "[1]

"In Iraq I saw this interplay between three distinct forms of shock, the shock and awe invasion, the economic shock therapy imposed by Paul Bremer and the shock of torture which was used to get the country in line when it began rebelling.

"[Corruption allegations were] just a parade of seemingly unconnected scandals that are forever written off as incompetence, maybe greed, and that's one of the main goals of the book, to take this serial scandal culture and put it in a stronger analytical framework." [2]

Congrats, Naomi. Thanks for calling attention to these matters.

_______________________________________________________

And for the others:

Journalists
activist writers
entering the Jungle
armed with a pen
take note.
You'll be criticized
hounded,
ridiculed,
dubbed a "ranter"
ignored
and in some countries
imprisoned or
permanently stopped.

To all those
for whom there is no recognition
no prize

thank you

thank you for your words
sent forth as verbal emissaries
equivalent to the banging of pots and pans
wake up, people
look!
Listen.
sometimes someone notices...