Synopsis
Why do we let so many basic needs fall by the wayside, yet desperately grab for anything labelled modern? If only half the electorate turn up to vote, and only one quarter understand and are informed about the real issues at hand, can this be described as a democracy? If capitalism is a system of wealth creation open to all, then why has contemporary global capitalism created so much poverty? And what’s so bad about globalisation?
Every way of life is circumscribed by its own political, economic and ideological systems, yet none in history have had the global influence, and destructive power, of contemporary systems. Few people really understand how they work, how they relate to one another and, as is often the case, how they contradict each other in practise. In this four part documentary series, Dylan Moran goes about removing our misunderstandings of them in a revealing and often satirical manner.
The End of Modernity: Dylan reveals how modernity has become the forward moving ideal of our way of life. Borne from the technological advances and racial arrogance of the Victorian era, it is a blanket ideology, identifying any progress deemed part of modernity as necessary and acceptable for ‘mankind’ as a whole, despite the negative effects they may have. As such, it can often narrow our idea of what a human could and should be, picking away at the alternatives as we pray at the altar of modernity. Is it time for a new ideology to drive our continually globalised society into the new millenium?
A True Democracy? It is no revelation for us to say that we do not live in a true democracy, despite what our politicians may preach from the pulpit. What we have is a representative democracy that gives us the freedom to live within other systems. Yet, the workings of other contradictory political, cultural and economic systems ensure that we do not live in an equal society. Taking examples of events since 1945, Dylan tries to work out what kind of democracy we really have, who really holds power within that diluted democracy, and what that means for the future of global politics.
Capitalism, The Way Forward? So we find ourselves dedicated to contemporary global capitalism as the way forward. Any other economic system is fantasy. But didn’t the slave traders and colonialists believe that also? Do we really wish to live within an economic system that makes a marketplace out of the world, and ensures that everything is there to be exploited, bought and sold? Are there alternatives and do we have a choice in the matter? Aren’t there any other systems of wealth creation; other ways to prosper?
Globalism vs. Globalisation. And so the modern, democratic, capitalist systems hold a monopoly over continued global uniformity, the economic aspect of which is termed ‘globalisation’. The abuses inherent in the process too often put a scar on contemporary attempts at expanding international trade, communication and co-operation. Yet this continued uniformity is inevitable, and will accelerate into the future in ways we never thought possible. How then could this monopoly be broken and the abuses removed? What ideologies, practices and personalities will inform ‘Globalism’ in the 21st century?
Throughout, Dylan will be conducting experiments to test accepted ideas and meeting those who have taken the road less travelled in living outside of our ‘reality’. Keeping a close eye on contemporary issues and events, while utilising the visceral and often apocalyptic style of Niall Ferguson’s ‘War of the World’, this documentary series gets to the heart of Western-led global systems, with the central message that the future is open, and nothing is set in stone.
[...] The West Is The Best [...]