Domain: zeitgeistmovie.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to zeitgeistmovie.com.
Comments · 65
-
Re:I wonder if the hackers would stop..
See also their site, where you can download the ISO for free, and donate to them so they can make the next movie (Zeitgeist: Beyond the Pale). Thanks btw, I've seen the first two and didn't know there was a third. The torrent is fast.
-
Re:viva le WIKILEAKS
Maybe there was a *whoosh*-ing sound over my head as I read your post...
One word. . Zeitgeist
-
Re:Might as well get used to it
There are some mentions of this in Zeitgeist: Addendum. Of course the whole thing is conspiracy theorist's dream, so take it with a few cups of salt.
-
Re:Crowd-sourcing
Last I checked, they offer the videos free for download as torrents, physical copies cost some ducats, else-wise, I do agree with you wholeheartedly.
-
End the Insanity
Now It is important to point out that tidal, wave, solar and wind power requires virtually no preliminary energy to harness, unlike coal, oil, gas, biomass, hydrogen and all the others.
In combination, these four mediums alone, if efficiently harnessed through technology, could power the world forever.
That being said, there happens to be another form of clean, renewable energy, which trumps them all- Geothermal Power.
Geothermal energy utilizes what is called heat mining, which, though a simple process using water, is able to generate massive amounts of clean energy. In 2006, an MIT report on geothermal energy found that 13,000 zettajoules of power are currently available in the earth, with the possibility of 2000 zj being easily tap-able with improved technology. The total energy consumption of all the countries on the planet is about half of a zettajoule a year. This means about 4000 years of planetary power could be harnessed in this medium alone. And when we understand that the earth's heat generation is constantly renewed, this energy is really limitless and could be used forever. These energy sources are only a few of the clean, renewable mediums available, and as time goes on, we will find more. -
Re:And the definition of "work"?
You bring up an interesting point I'd like to add on to. You said, "Most products sold nowadays suck." This is absolutely true, but I want to explain why this is so. Companies are always striving to achieve profit. This is their sole motivation and every other conflicting interest is generally ignored. Since this is the case, they are always trying to balance their budget in such a way that their profits are maximized. What this usually leads to is shoddy products, because the company cut corners. The company uses less-than-desirable materials to build their product, designs the product to look cool (instead of having the design provide more functionality or add to the quality of the product in some way), and tries to cram as many "features" into the software before the deadline is up, often resulting in buggy software and not-fully-realized functionality. Clearly, most consumers would stray far, far away from a product like this, but that's where advertising comes into play. Companies are allowed to basically lie about their product to you on television, which might trick you into wasting your hard-earned money on it, and then you get screwed over by their customer service (not always the case, but sometimes the hassle is just not worth it).
As you can see, this process generates a lot of waste. People want products that last a lifetime, but companies make products that either break or become outdated in a relatively short amount of time. As a result, people are always buying the latest and greatest while their old products are sitting in a landfill somewhere. This process is called "cyclical consumption" and it is built into the social system. The more cyclical consumption going on, the more money there is circulating in the economy. Companies have no incentive to make products that last a lifetime, because it would hurt their profits.
In a saner world, products would be built to their peak technological efficiency and made from the longest-lasting, most durable materials. Cities themselves would be designed in such a way that everything about them was extremely efficient, with many aspects of the city serving more than one purpose simultaneously. Science and technology would be at the forefront of our concerns, instead of being hindered by monetary politics. Energy would be harnessed from non-polluting sources. Everything in our current day and age is about money, but money is not what it's about. This is the problem and until more of us start to realize this, social progress will be extremely slow. For more information regarding what I've just talked about, look up The Zeitgeist Movement. There is a ton of information on their website. You can also view a couple videos they've released here: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
-
In an ideal world...
...this would be a non-issue. Money wouldn't exist, most things would be automated, and humans would be freed from boring, repetitive, stressful tasks like this. Unfortunately, most are stuck with their heads up their asses with the idea firmly ingrained that, "it's just the way it is." Well, it doesn't have to be this way and all who blindly support the monetary system need to realize that.
The fact of the matter is, your boss, no matter where you work or what you do, is going to try to fuck you one way or another all while smiling to your face. Corrupt behavior is inherent in our social structure. It's no surprise that people get laid off, that banks get bailed out, or that companies are allowed to pollute our planet at astonishing rates; when the primary goal is profit, all conflicting interests lose out. You can't expect people to behave decently to one another in this kind of system, because the system rewards corrupt behavior.
If you'd really like to learn more about the situation we're in, it's in your best interest to watch this movie: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/. Please make an effort to educate yourself, because we need all the help we can get.
-
Re:Of course, there is another solution
I loved Religulous; Bill Maher is fascinating, and funny as well. Another great movie in the same spirit is Zeitgeist, the first third of which is devoted to describing the similarities of ancient religions.
The crucifixion myth is excellent. On December 21st, (in the northern hemisphere) we experience Winter Solstice -- the day during which the sun appears for the shortest amount of time. The days remain short for three days. On December 25th, the sun appears 1 degree higher in the sky -- the days stopped getting shorter, so the year has been reborn. Also the three kings/wise men are the three stars making the belt of Orion; follow them, and they point to Sirius, the "star in the East". Continue following the line that those four stars make, and you come to the spot on the horizon that the sun (Son) will appear on December 25th. So the three wise men "followed" the star in the East to find the Son (sun) on the day of its (re)birth.
"Ages" are pretty cool, too; previously it was Taurus, so Moses yelled at his followers for worshipping "a golden calf". We are currently in Pisces, the fishes; Jesus multiplied a bunch of fish as one miracle. The next one is Aquarius, and the bible talks about "a man carrying a pitcher of water, let him into your homes". Some of this is described in the wikipedia entry for zodiac. Each "age" is around 2,150 years long; the page for Age of Aquarius states that nobody really knows when that age actually began, some speculating it started a couple hundred years ago, one saying this past Valentine's Day, another the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21st, 2012 (hence the new disaster movie).
Anyway, just wanted to share something I've recently learned; if you look at my posting history you may think they're paying me, but they're not.
:) -
Re:Of course, there is another solution
Also, watch the first half hour of the first Zeitgeist movie. Does an excellent job of explaining why we're all sun (not Son) worshippers, what "ages" means, and how the zodiac influenced many, many religions.
-
Re:What a waste...
while the people really in charge are running off with everyone elses money before they finally implode the United States.
Citation: Zeitgeist and Zeitgeist: Addendum.
-
Re:Come on.
No religion has demonstrated any grasp upon "truth" at all.
Agreed. Burning a mod point to respond to this. Please watch the first 30 or so minutes of Zeitgeist: The Movie. It explains in great scientific detail why Christianity (and many other religions) had similar concepts, all of which flow from astronomy and astrology. It's pretty amazing, and the movie is a free download.
I prefer the second movie, Zeitgeist: Addendum, as it has a much more uplifting ending. Both movies are rather eye-opening; if you watch evening news, you'll see it in a whole different light after watching.
-
Re:To be honest...
For a really frightening look at centralization, watch the Zeitgeist movies. I prefer the second as it has a more uplifting ending, but they're both worth the 2 hours each you'll spend. See my posting history for my reaction and some background (very recent, last night and earlier today). These are free to view and download via BitTorrent, as well.
-
Re:What?
I just saw the free movie Zeitgeist Addendum last night. It explains how the US keeps the whole world under our thumb through the Federal Reserve, the fractional lending reserves, and the World Bank which gives loans to other countries in order for our corporations to go in there and build infrastructure -- in other words, we loan them money, they pay it to us (via our corporations), and then they still owe the entire amount of money.
And the fact that our money is created out of thin air, via debt, is just stunning. I urge everyone to watch this; it completely explains how international banking systems are corrupting the planet.
There are some flaws! You may want to fast-forward through the first 7 minutes or so, until they start talking about the banking system, as the beginning drags on (and doesn't follow the excellent speech-writer's take: "tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what you told them", but oh well -- it's full of great stuff). And the last hour is pretty out there; it makes sense, but it sounds more like a sales pitch for The Venus Project (which is not necessarily a bad thing, they're very forward-thinking). Also, you may want to watch it with the captions on, as many portions of the movie are rather dark, with no motion, so the captions helped both with recall, and also gave my eyes something to pay attention to.
Anyway, your post reminded me of a part from it, which describes how our corporations control the media (the thread on the ad for the medical marijuana reviewer had a post repeating what most of us already heard on-line, that Mexico recently reclassified pot with laws similar to how Amsterdam treats it, and rightly said "bet you didn't hear that on the six o'clock news") -- a few major corporations control almost every newspaper and TV station in the country. Politicians looking to gain media exposure need to "toe the line" or they won't get funding; or, more realistically, the corporations choose a politician that nobody has ever even heard of, but through constant repetition are able to convince us that we've known of that person for some time. Even someone as insipid as Sarah Palin.
Don't want to make this a huge rant, so I'll just end with: watch the movie. I actually haven't seen the first one, and am going to download it right now (from the first link, above). Enjoy!
-
Zeitgeist the Movie
Slashdot open your eyes to your corporate overlords! They are blinding you to the truth! Watch Zeigtgest, the Movie and no longer be part of the sheeple!
-
Re:MS CEO Steve Ballmer is a Liar
Maybe this will help you understand. http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
-
ZEITGEIST movie. predicts this very issue
just like the movie http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ zeitgeist...scary.
-
Religion
I think Robert Heinlein said it best:
"History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it."
All them evilangelists should probably also check this for "enlightenment":
-
Re:imagine
I think the movie Zeitgeist could be interesting to some of you here:
-
Re:any evidence
Although it's a little grim I recommend watching Zeitgeist:Addendum http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/.
This movie gives an insight in the workings of the global monetary system and gives a reason for the current economic malaise. I'm not an expert on economic issues but at the very least it seems plausible and made me think.
It's a must-see for anyone thinking we as society can do better.
-
Re:nothing to worry
Watch the zeitgeist movie. Skip to 01:48:50 and you'll know what I mean.
At 01:51:00 comes the part with the RFID chip. Damn scary. So I think might be more of an effort to get people used to carrying around remotely readable RFID chips carrying their ID.
-
Re:Ever wonder where 'money' comes from?
Can't beleive that someone hasn't mentioned ZeitGeist in this thread yet.
Anyway, they released an addendum to their original work a few days back that also brings a bit more light to the financial crisis.
Money is debt, debt is slavery.
-
Re:Imagine...
For sure. And I know it may be a little off-topic but this is basically the philosophy of the Zeitgeist people (along with some of the funniest tin foil shit I've ever seen in film). This is basically the "if everyone would play nice the world would be great" school of thought.. and the way to get there is to subjugate yourself to being "part of something greater". Apparently the problem is not religion.. it's the non-inclusiveness of current religion. If we had one religion that was all about people working together (presumably with flowers in their hair) then everything would be perfect.
-
Zeitgeist: Addendum
In related news, Zeitgeist: Addendum has been released to the public. Timing seems just perfect.
-
Make up your own mind
-
From the comic
"We do not want to minimize the impact of these crimes on the industry and artists, who are the victims."
It seems the comic text likes to bold 'Industry' but not 'Artists'.
---
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ I didn't know. -
Re:No offense, but...
You don't think that the US government did 9/11 themselves? Then you need to see Zeitgeist:
stream via Google Video: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm
bittorent: http://sector.yweb.sk/Zeitgeist.Final.Edition.DVDRip.XviD.torrent -
Scapegoat
-
Zeitgeist?
I just recently watched Zeitgeist [Zeitgeistthemovie.com], and found its theory that the government was the one that attacked the WTC towers, hard to stomach... but in light of Irwin's death, a high level official, and the osurce of the anthrax quite possibly from a US Bio-chem lab.... Zeitgeist is becoming frighteningly real.
-
Zeitgeist
-
Re:See guys!
presidents and congressmen don't run the country, they're just the puppets. the men behind the curtain pulling the strings are the international bankers and their central banks. watch Zeitgeist and a few others, find out what their on about before you just dismiss them as just another conspiracy theory. when does a conspiracy theory become a conspiracy?
-
Re:Yeah, about fake IDs
http://zeitgeistmovie.com/
when does a conspiracy theory become and conspiracy? -
terrorism...
Wanna talk about terrorism? Watch it fully: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ The most amazing it's really academically correct. >> Now, if you wanna hear about a good terrorist story: holy terrorists! They are closer than you think
;;;;;)))))))))) -
Speculations on why this could be bad
It is a bit too "tin foil hat" for me, but this FREE movie does provide valuable speculation as to why people should be worried about things like RealID. Here is a short youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo
You can download the movie for FREE and LEGALLY here:
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ -
The constitution is just a piece of paper
This is not a shock to me but what is the shock is the fact that people do not hold them accountable. They know they can get away with it because YOU let them.
The constitution is just a piece of paper, Bush is right, until YOU actually do something about it, that is all it will be, a piece of paper.
Watch this. http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ -
Re:WARNING: Contains references to BOGEY MAN
Good sounds like you've seen the following http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ Inside job all the way!
-
Re:Nothing wrong with data mining pizza delivery
Comon' what am I reading here, who are you all 9th graders? 9/11 was an inside job any student frem any good university knows this! It's not who "they" say its whats in this link http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ followed it and quit writing gibersheee. Get real!!!!
-
Most people in the U.S. don't know the history.
The cause of the violence is people who have control over the U.S. government wanting to make a profit. I don't have time now to give a lot of links, but there are some below.
What started the violence between the U.S. government and Arabs was the U.S. government, not the Arabs. Having the U.S. taxpayer pay for violence to make a profit works only because most voters don't know the history of U.S. government action.
See, for example, Coups Arranged or Backed by the USA. Most or all of that corruption happened for profit, such as kickbacks of U.S. government foreign aid. When the governments of Israel or Pakistan buy weapons from U.S. manufacturers using money from "foreign aid", that is embezzlement of taxpayer money.
For one example of profiting from violence, read How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power or Bush-Nazi Link Confirmed: Documents in National Archives Prove George W. Bush's Grandfather Traded with Nazis - Even After Pearl Harbor.
Apparently Slashdot editors agree with at least some of this, because now and for the last 2 months or more, this has been on the main Slashdot page, on the right, under Book Reviews: "The Creature from Jekyll Island is a compelling look at the history of the Federal Reserve system and asks if it's a system that has run it's course. (Michael J. Ross's review)"
"The Creature from Jekyll Island" discusses how the U.S. monetary system is manipulated by rich and powerful people for their own profit. It says that wars are started for profit.
The Cooperative Research History Commons is very valuable for those wanting to do their own research.
The poorly edited but very interesting free movie Zeitgeist explains in three parts that 1) People who believe in myths are easily manipulated. 2) It is common that people are manipulated through fear. 3) The U.S. monetary system is controlled for the profit of a few individuals. (Note that the movie used respected sources for the first part which were later shown to be somewhat in error. The underlying issues are correct, however.)
When you talk about U.S. government action, don't say "we". Whoever does the secret decision making would kill you and your family if they thought you would cause trouble for them.
When people try to calculate the total number the U.S. government killed, they arrive at figures like perhaps 3 million killed directly since the end of the 2nd world war, and perhaps 8 to 11 million total if the people killed by the destabilization the U.S. government caused are also included, not including the people killed in Iraq. Partly the killing happened as a result of the U.S. government invading or bombing 25 countries. -
Re:Insecure much?
-
Economy collapse
The economy was collapsed with the introduction of open source, ha!!
The economy will not collapse with the abolition of DRM and patents in the same way that not collapse with open source
The economy that will collapse with this abolitions will be the economy of fear that reign at this time in the world
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ has a good picture about how the world function now, let's break this situation as strong as we begin to fight with the climate change
How is possible that so many people is dieing every day in OUR world? Did you imagine that tomorrow every human in Manhattan die because Los Angeles is spending all the money in a war? This is the actual reality in OUR world
The copyright is the way to have more money not to protect anything and open source is the proof of that
Good luck and good job!! -
Re:slashkos
I love your straw man.
I mean really -- "gun fetishists who really just want to shoot someone without getting caught"
Lovely.
Maybe you should realize that the second amendment is in our constitution for protection from the government, as in fact is the purpose of the entire document. To Free the people from tyranny and slavery. Tyranny is the norm of thousands of years of abuse on this earth. Freedom is the new, odd occurrence. The Constitution was written by people who had experience with tyranny, with blanket warrants, no due process, abuse of power and being enslaved. They realized that the opportunity was there for a new experiment, one where the self evident rights of man were protected by legislation.
You're nothing but an astroturfing shill and a gatekeeper. You're here to push the agenda of those who enslave us. Just realize that we will fight back and people like you will be first against the wall. You have chosen an untenable position: You lose either way.
For those of you who do want to wake up, and don't want to listen to this dream killing life drain parent poster, I suggest you start your journey with a motivated speaker, one who can talk about the issues with cover to cover knowledge of the entire US criminal code and historical view of civil liberties and Freedom in our country: Judge Andrew Napolitano.
Remember: It's easy to spot a shill for social control and enslavement, think self empowerment, think Freedom, realize that we are all incredibly powerful beings who have capacity for enormous and drastic change to all around us.
When you find out along your journey that you are being enslaved, throw out your chains, stand up and be heard. Make this world your own and the truth will set you free.
If you want a real shock to the system. A dose of truth that will make your head spin, watch the excellent Zeitgeist Movie.
-
Re:*Shudders with fear*
If you really want to know there are places you can go to start finding out.
-
See the Zeitgeist Movie. Read The God Delusion.
Anyone wanting to have a general sense of how the world is presently seeing the bad side of religion can watch Part 1 of the excellent free movie Zeitgeist. The Zeitgeist Movie is valuable but far from perfect; it needs heavy editing. For example, some of the comparisons of traditional Christian religious belief with belief in ancient pagan gods have been found to be exaggerated by the sources the makers of the Zeitgeist Movie used. Also, it is a preposterous exaggeration to suggest that Jesus Christ did not exist; if he didn't exist, someone originated the ideas; Jesus Christ is simply the name used for the originator. The need for editing is understandable considering the enormous expense of making a movie, which the makers of the Zeitgeist Movie are giving away free.
Another resource is the book, The God Delusion. That book also has theories that could use considerable improvement.
The best point of both is that what people call "religion" has done some harm as well as good. The movie and the book simply express something of the present quality of thinking surrounding that very old idea. Even some officials of the Catholic Church agree that Catholics killing Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, Catholics killing Muslims during the Crusades, and the U.S. government killing Iraqis now are evidence that what people call religion is sometimes not good but mixed with evil.
George W. Bush could not have been elected without support from those U.S. voters who call themselves "Christian Evangelists", who sometimes feel that their ideas are so superior that they should decide who to kill, even if it is people who live in places many of the "Christian" Evangelists could not find on a map of the world. George W. Bush was elected because Karl Rove's research discovered that if Bush claimed he was a Christian, he would get strong support from people who wanted to believe that an alcoholic magically became a loving person because of religion. -
Re:U.S. government has killed 11,000,000 people...
if anyone can keep an open mind long enough to watch this movie in its entirety they could gain some insight about the big picture http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
-
U.S. government has killed 11,000,000 people...
The U.S. government has often used its "cooperation" with the governments of other countries to corrupt those governments. See, for example, Coups Arranged or Backed by the USA. Most or all of that corruption happened for profit, such as kickbacks of U.S. government foreign aid. When the governments of Israel or Pakistan buy weapons from U.S. manufacturers using money from "foreign aid", that is embezzlement of taxpayer money.
The Cooperative Research History Commons is very valuable for those wanting to do their own research.
The poorly edited but very interesting free movie Zeitgeist explains in three parts that 1) People who believe in myths are easily manipulated. 2) It is common that people are manipulated through fear. 3) The U.S. monetary system is controlled for the profit of a few individuals. (Also see The Creature from Jekyll Island, an excellent but not perfect book about financial corruption.)
The U.S. government has killed directly or indirectly caused the death of an estimated 11,000,000 people since the end of the Second World war, partly by invading or bombing 25 countries. -
Zeitgeist
Probably got something to do with Zeitgeist: The Movie.
But Wikipedia agrees it is "quasi-public (part private, part government)". The detail about it's relationship to the government describes it in more detail, including a quote from an 9th circuit appeals court that "the Reserve Banks are not federal instrumentalities for purposes of the FTCA [the Federal Tort Claims Act], but are independent, privately owned and locally controlled corporations". It ends with "The member banks are privately owned corporations."
As I understand it the Federal Reserve is not a body it's a system. The Board of Directors is a government agency, the Federal Reserve Banks are not.
As to where the power lies? Who knows.
P.S. I'm not even from the USA, feel free to ignore if it's balls. -
Re:Bizarre
Have you seen this? It is a nice documentary from a compelling conspiracy theorist debunking myths about religion, 9/11, and the corrupt monetary system that started from the elite few including Rockefeller.
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
(Start movie at around 5:00 for part 1 on religion, 37ish for part 2 on 9/11. Not sure where part 3 starts).
It certainly opened my eyes and questioned where this country is heading. -
Re:Could you speak up?
First of all, I agree with the divide and conquer. It was, according to google's sponsored film http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ the bankers who are guilty of it all. What bothers me as a human, is that we really had no fear about life until Bush came on the scene. I frankly believe that 99 percent of the fear in the USA is generated by the White House and the Propoganda machine. I for one would like to have some interviews with Al-Quaida or the Taliban shown on TV, or understand their motivation. I don't believe it is religious fanaticism. Is it the sucking of the cream from the milk, the resources of the land for WASP consumption. I bet that is it. I am in Canada, and our TV is a trifle better then the Americans. We have 8 minutes of programming and two minutes of commercials, non-stop. (6 breaks per hour). Most of us have abandoned TV for the internet, where we an have a discourse, as we are now doing. Leslie PS. Why are there massive killings in SUDAN (DARFOUR), and now in other parts of Africa. Who is behind it. What is the motivation?
-
Zeitgeist
It's happening:
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ -
The Second One They List and MilgramWhen I read the second experiment: 2) Terror in the Skies
Another 1960s experiment, in which ten soldiers on a training flight were told by the pilot that the aircraft was disabled, and about to ditch in the ocean. They were then required to fill in insurance forms before the crash -- ostensibly so the Army was not financially liable for any deaths or injuries.
They were actually unwitting participants in an experiment: the plane was not crippled at all. It revealed that fear of imminent death indeed causes soldiers to make more mistakes than usual when filling in forms.
It immediately reminded me of Stanley Milgram's Experiments. Where the test subjects are 'set up' and are tested on something different than appearances would indicate. They're tested in extreme conditions and caused such a shock at their time that I surely think they should be #1 on this list. I think Milgram started working on a really incredible part of human psychology: the unconscious rules that we live by so that our society can function. The weirdest part of what his research led to, imho, is that these un-knowing rules are so secretive; we hide them from ourselves. They have not been studied before, or since as far as I know. Until recently...
A group of Internet geeks got together on alt.seduction.fast and started working together to combine resources and model these secret behaviour rules in order to improve their success with women. They have had great success at what they call The Game. As these rules emerged they quickly realized that they are useful in all social situations rather then just the art of the 'pick-up'. Consequently several of these previous geeks are now somewhat superstars in their circles.
What's ironic to me though, is that knowledge of the built-in secret social rules be it Milgram's or the pick-up artists, does not translate to ease of their manipulation. There seems to be a built-in restraint component that does not go away merely because a subject knows it exists. As anthropologists would say, the system is protecting itself...Now, when one starts to ponder what is often called 'High Level' game. Is it unusual for it to drift into analyses of people in the highest strata of society who use these rules to maintain their already dominant position? I don't want to go all 'Alex Jones' on this, but how much truth resides in conspiracy students who aren't content with staring at the surface veneer of the mass propaganda force-fed to us? Zeitgeist would translate more or less to 'spirit of the age'. Is Zeitgeist the true spirit of our age? Be your own judge, but be enlightened by the journey.
Thank you. -
The Second One They List and MilgramWhen I read the second experiment: 2) Terror in the Skies
Another 1960s experiment, in which ten soldiers on a training flight were told by the pilot that the aircraft was disabled, and about to ditch in the ocean. They were then required to fill in insurance forms before the crash -- ostensibly so the Army was not financially liable for any deaths or injuries.
They were actually unwitting participants in an experiment: the plane was not crippled at all. It revealed that fear of imminent death indeed causes soldiers to make more mistakes than usual when filling in forms.
It immediately reminded me of Stanley Milgram's Experiments. Where the test subjects are 'set up' and are tested on something different than appearances would indicate. They're tested in extreme conditions and caused such a shock at their time that I surely think they should be #1 on this list. I think Milgram started working on a really incredible part of human psychology: the unconscious rules that we live by so that our society can function. The weirdest part of what his research led to, imho, is that these un-knowing rules are so secretive; we hide them from ourselves. They have not been studied before, or since as far as I know. Until recently...
A group of Internet geeks got together on alt.seduction.fast and started working together to combine resources and model these secret behaviour rules in order to improve their success with women. They have had great success at what they call The Game. As these rules emerged they quickly realized that they are useful in all social situations rather then just the art of the 'pick-up'. Consequently several of these previous geeks are now somewhat superstars in their circles.
What's ironic to me though, is that knowledge of the built-in secret social rules be it Milgram's or the pick-up artists, does not translate to ease of their manipulation. There seems to be a built-in restraint component that does not go away merely because a subject knows it exists. As anthropologists would say, the system is protecting itself...Now, when one starts to ponder what is often called 'High Level' game. Is it unusual for it to drift into analyses of people in the highest strata of society who use these rules to maintain their already dominant position? I don't want to go all 'Alex Jones' on this, but how much truth resides in conspiracy students who aren't content with staring at the surface veneer of the mass propaganda force-fed to us? Zeitgeist would translate more or less to 'spirit of the age'. Is Zeitgeist the true spirit of our age? Be your own judge, but be enlightened by the journey.
Thank you.