Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, discussed the concept of the shock doctrine and the current financial crisis in California during the Mario Savio Memorial Lecture today at UC Berkeley.
After giving a brief nod to Chelsea Chee and Timothy DenHerder-Thomas (the recipients of this year's Mario Savio Young Activist Awards), as well as the participants of the September 24th walkouts, Klein proceeded to define the shock doctrine with an example. Three months after the levees of New Orleans broke, free-market advocate Thomas Friedman wrote an op-ed column in which he claimed the disaster presented an opportunity for converting the desolated public schools in New Orleans into private schools. Soon enough, it happened. The 5 charter schools occupying New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina multiplied into 40 post-Katrina, and the teachers' union that existed before the hurricane was largely disbanded after their union contract was shredded. In fact, a staggering total of 32 free-market "solutions" were presented for New Orleans, among which included breaking unions, converting New Orleans into a tax-free enterprise zone, distributing vouchers for private schools, and replacing public housing with mixed-use housing.
At this point, Klein spells out the definition of shock doctrine: using shocking situations to push through legislation that would not be passed under normal circumstances. The shock doctrine is, as she states, a "democracy-avoidance strategy."
Klein transitions to the current Californian crisis with a short excerpt from a documentary that highlights Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's strong free-market ideals and the numerous struggles and frustrations caused by public funding cuts: "If you don't want to lead the government," one irate woman says to a state panel, "stand aside and let someone else who does." Klein notes that one-third of teachers in Santee were laid off while the state is still giving millionaires 6-figure tax cuts. She also addresses the letter sent out by University of California President Mark Yudof yesterday, calling the fee increases discussed in the letter a "physical embodiment of a great injustice."
Klein then delves into the topics of banks, debt, and the prospects the UC system. She notes how Goldman Sachs's bonus payment last year, around $23 billion, is roughly equal to the current debt in California. The 2 critical situations creating the debt, Klein explains, were the collapse of a tax base and the transformation of private sector debt (belonging to banks) into public sector debt. She emphasizes that when people are not present to fight for their communities, as was the case of New Orleans where residents were provided one-way trips to other areas of the country, public spaces are eroded. However, she notes that the current situation in the UC system may be the opposite of the shock doctrine, where, instead of passing legislation when the community is panicking and disbanding, legislators and UC officials are actually uniting an opposition group with their extreme proposals. Klein offers hope for activists here in Berkeley, observing that the UC system, "...for all their flaws, [is] the embodiment of what you are fighting for."
In the spirit of the lecture series and as a tribute to Mario Savio, the great Free Speech Movement activist, Klein concludes her lecture with the uplifting sendoff, "You can win this thing, because this is a Mario moment!"
