Why Are Governments Increasing Their Power in Today's Society?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived increase in governmental power and control, as prompted by a documentary that draws parallels to Orwell's 1984. Participants explore themes of information control, the military-industrial complex, and the motivations behind government actions, with a focus on historical and contemporary implications.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern over governments revealing less information to the public and questions the motivations behind increasing governmental power.
  • Another participant requests clarification on the documentary's content and suggests that the government has historically not been as transparent as perceived, citing modern technology's role in information dissemination.
  • A participant describes the documentary "Why We Fight," suggesting it presents a conspiracy theory regarding the U.S. military-industrial complex and its historical involvement in wars.
  • Another participant critiques the documentary's claims, arguing that the assertion of a long-term plan for the Iraq war lacks evidence and characterizes the film as propaganda.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of the documentary, with some seeing it as a valid critique of government actions and others dismissing it as conspiracy theory and propaganda. There is no consensus on the motivations behind government power increases or the accuracy of the documentary's claims.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various interpretations of historical events and the role of information control, indicating a reliance on differing definitions of transparency and government accountability. The discussion includes unresolved claims about the motivations for military actions and the accuracy of historical narratives presented in the documentary.

WiFO215
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I saw this documentary today and it was absolutely mind-blowing. It reminds me a lot of Orwell's 1984. It seems that the government is revealing lesser and lesser to the public and trying to enlarge their power. I cannot fathom why they want to. What comes out of more countries coming under your belt? 'Just' money? What are they trying to accomplish? Please explain to me. I am quite naive when it comes to all this.

Any other points of discussion on this topic welcome.
 
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I am unsure what this documentary is about exactly. Perhaps you could provide us with a synopsis of those points in the documentary that you are interested in. The more particular the better. And if you are aware of anyplace it may be viewed for free (legally) online that would be great as well.

To this point...
Anirudh said:
It seems that the government is revealing lesser and lesser to the public and trying to enlarge their power.
I believe that modern technology has left the government with little control of information flow. I also do not believe that government has been as free with information in the past as you might think. In previous times we were reliant upon the government to release information to us regarding government activity. With the incredible growth in numbers of people with information on government activity, and persons paying attention, as well as the ease of releasing such information to a very wide audience the government can no longer very easily control what happens with that information. The result is that it is not so easy for the government to keep a thing a secret, disperse misinformation, or tell only part of the truth. Any number of people may come forward, anonymously, with information on government activity at any time and out a secret, expose misinformation, or tell the whole truth. Restricting the flow of information and not saying anything unless it needs to be said reduces the likelihood that any discrepancies may arise.
 
anirudh215 said:
I saw this documentary today and it was absolutely mind-blowing. It reminds me a lot of Orwell's 1984. It seems that the government is revealing lesser and lesser to the public and trying to enlarge their power. I cannot fathom why they want to. What comes out of more countries coming under your belt? 'Just' money? What are they trying to accomplish? Please explain to me. I am quite naive when it comes to all this.

Any other points of discussion on this topic welcome.

The title was?
 
Here is the documentary for reference:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgDBOuJn9G0&feature=related
 
The synopsys reads like a conspiracy theory:
Why We Fight describes the rise and maintenance of the United States military-industrial complex and its fifty-year involvement with the wars led by the United States to date, especially its 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The documentary asserts that in every decade since World War II, the American public was misled so that the Government (incumbent Administration) could take them to war and fuel the military-industrial economy maintaining American political dominance in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight_(2005_film)
 
Watching the first segment of the film, yes, this is conspiracy theory (and propaganda). The idea that a group of Washington power-brokers had been plannig the Iraq war since 1992 is absurd and unsupported by evidence... As is the assertion in the second segment that the atomic bomb drop in Japan was motivated primarily by the desire to demonstrate it to the USSR and the US had been stalling by ignoring Japanese attempts to surrender all summer in order to gain the time needed to finish and drop the bombs.
 
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