British Comedy Guide

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Good to see interesting and provocative polemical documentaries that get your brain ticking in a way that factual documentaries don't always succeed.

One problem with Adam Curtis's seductive narration is that he could be talking about his favourite kind old granny and make her sound sinister and dangerous.

If I'm right Curtis's thesis is that non-hierarchical organisations, espoused by right wing libertarians and 60s new left, just end up with Napoleon the pig taking over if you have no democratic structures and legal institutions in place.

This is probably true but youthful ideals are tapered and matured to match the realities around them and it doesn't mean to say their influence is always malevolent.

The West Coast libertarian hippy computer buffs he exemplifies ended up running normal, private and public companies making an array of products, which have little to do with systems analysis. What many bought with them was some positive and flexible working practices.
This maybe a minor bread and butter point for Curtis but people who work for Silicon Valley type companies generally report that it greatly enhances the quality of their life.

I shall repeat my opinion on this show

"'es making it up as 'e goes along!"

Fun though.

Quote: Timbo @ May 25 2011, 9:18 PM BST

Finally got round to watching the new Adam Curtis, Watched over by machines of loving grace, apparently the collapse of the western economy can be traced back to Steve Jobs reading Atlas Shrugged when he was fourteen, or something.

I am never entirely convinced by Curtis' explanations of how intellectual theory has shaped society, but it is stimulating viewing.

I have not got round to watching the second episode yet, but from the blurb I suspect it is going to irritate me enormously.

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