This particular series examines the concept of freedom in the 20th and early 21st century. Specifically, he examines the most dominant conceptions of freedom that rise to power in the 20th century, such as those that come from Game Theory, Free-Market Economic Theory, U.S. Neo-Conservatism, Isaiah Berlin's twin concepts of Negative Liberty and Positive Liberty, and various revolutionary ideas of freedom inspired by intellectuals like Jean-Paul Sartre and Franz Fanon. But the notion of freedom which Curtis spends most time examining is the one that conceives of human beings as rational, self-interested, almost robotic, individuals whose ultimate motivation in life is to pursue their own, individualistic desires. And what Curtis convincingly shows is that such a notion leads only to new forms of tyranny and control, and to a meaningless, anxious world filled with self-interested individuals who trust each other (as two of his inter-titles put it: "Human beings will always betray you" and "You can only trust the numbers.")
I've watched a few of Adam Curtis' documentary series now, and what seems to be the guiding thread throughout these three at least is the concern with ideology, specifically the ideology of various elite groups and interests. In The Century of The Self Curtis looks at how ideas developed from psychoanalysis were appropriated by various elite groups for their own selfish ends: the Public Relations industry (which was almost entirely created by Freud's nephew Edward Bernays, who utilised his uncle's ideas), the corporations (who needed to persuade people to buy commodities which they didn't actually need), and finally politicians. In The Trap, Curtis looks at how these same elite groups appropriate ideas of freedom developed from various disciplines and fields, and then apply them both at home and abroad.
Whereas in the academic world the concept of ideology still has much value and is often used by political thinkers, the world of mainstream television and other media might lead one to believe that ideology is an old-fashioned, antiquated concept which became redundant with the fall of Communism. Adam Curtis' many documentaries are therefore an important exception to this general rule. Whilst he is not entirely alone in this respect - other names that spring to mind include John Pilger and Ken Loach - when put in the context of most documentaries, Curtis stands out. (When contrasted with most mainstream television in general Curtis' documentaries shine like a ray of light piercing dark clouds.)
This goes for interviews too. Witness the way in which BBC's Hardtalk programme, as well as their other interview programmes, present and then argue with thinkers like Noam Chomsky, Slavoj Zizek and David Harvey. The first thing one notices is the stance of bafflement: the BBC interviewer seems shocked that someone is presenting a different view than the consensus views we usually hear from the mainstream media. Andrew Marr's interview with Noam Chomsky, for example, tries to present Chomsky as a fool by suggesting the patronising view that the public would be baffled by his (Chomsky's) idea that propaganda is used in democratic societies. Surely ideology doesn't exist in democracies? Isn't that what we all believe in the West? Thankfully, Curtis, like Chomsky, is not afraid to stand up and invite us to critically examine the world we live in. And, thankfully the BBC broadcast Curtis' documentaries. Whilst the BBC's interviews seem to strive towards presenting some of their more intelligent guests as fools, simultaneously patronising its viewing audience, at least Curtis is allowed to present his views in a positive context and therefore engage the audience in a mode of respect, and invite them to think critically.
A predominant view in the U.K. (and no doubt in much of the Western world) is that everything is subjective, there is no absolute truth, and that partisan politics is both redundant and leads to violence and new forms of tyranny. It is highly likely that such a view is at least in part responsible for the large number of criticisms made of documentary makers like Curtis. Thankfully, there seem to be just as many around the world who support work like Curtis'. Hopefully this support will continue, and will deter measures which aim to cut funding for documentaries, as was being discussed only a few years ago in the British press. Curtis is not afraid to present his own views, and boldly examines the rise of dominant ideas in societies - like the notion that truth is always subjective.
Through his famous montage style, his inter-titles, and numerous interviews with important political thinkers, economists, and politicians, Curtis shows how ideology is still a useful concept today. Whilst we might not be ruled by a ruthless dictator and subjected to explicit propaganda and violence here in the West, are we not shaped, coerced and managed by other elite groups? Is advertising not a form of ideology in a sense? Are we not constrained in some sense by the institutions which dominate our society? Is it not clear to anyone who has thought about it and perhaps done some simple research, that there are some very powerful groups and institutions in the world which hoard wealth through exploitation? Ask yourself: why corporations spend enormous sums of money on advertising, where political candidates and parties get their money from, who owns the media, how and where can the public exercise their democratic rights? Or just watch Adam Curtis' documentaries and see for yourself how elite groups think and, more importantly, act.
Through comparative and historical analysis, Curtis demystifies, demythologises and deconstructs ideas that have become invisible, natural and taken for granted. Curtis can thus be situated in a line of radical thinkers that includes Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall, John Pilger, John Berger, David Harvey, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Arundhati Roy, and many, many more. I encourage everyone who reads this blog to check out Adam Curtis' work. Most of it is available through the "usual" channels of the internet. If you think it is natural, and a universal truth, that we are rational, self-interested individuals; if you think that propaganda is not used in democratic societies; and if you think that the world is ultimately getting better and going in the right direction, then I encourage you to watch Adam Curtis' documentaries. Hopefully, he'll open your mind.
Lastly, I'd like to make two further recommendations. Firstly, Adam Curtis has a great blog which can be found by clicking this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/
Secondly, my sister Emily works for a film company in Bristol called Testimony Films. They make excellent documentaries for various broadcasters. You can find out about their programmes at the following website: http://www.testimonyfilms.com/ I'd just like to add that I'm really proud of Emily. She works about as hard as anyone I know, and I was very impressed with the documentary she made for her undergraduate degree. I will post news here of her upcoming documentaries when they are due to be broadcast.
Thanks for reading!
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