
Osama bin Laden filled a gap left by the Soviet Union. Who's the baddie now? - iuguy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/03/osama-bin-laden-soviet-union-baddie?1
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iuguy
If you enjoyed this, you might like Adam Curtis' documentaries, such as The
Century of The Self - a documentary about the rise of mass consumerism[1], or
The Power of Nightmares - an incredible 3 part documentary on how the neocons
needed an enemy in the east as much as Osama needed an enemy in the west in
order to strike terror into their own sides[2].

[1] - <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyPzGUsYyKM>

[2] - <http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares>

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bobds
I think it's gonna be China eventually. And instead of WW 3, it's going to be
Cold War 2.

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iuguy
China is the obvious option, although modern Russia is sufficiently non-
aligned to be viewed suspiciously (although it's not possible to form a simple
narrative as to why we should hate Russia anymore). China represents
everything that we seem to be moving towards, but under a banner that can be
summed up as the evil enemy. My concern is that in a quest to limit Chinese
control (The Chinese are the reason our economy is the way it is, the Chinese
are buying up all the rare earth metals to sell to us at inflated prices etc.)
we become the difference between us and the 'enemy' (in terms of freedoms,
surveillance and individual rights) narrows, leaving us in a bizarre situation
where we fight to sustain the very thing we become.

