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I think we're well overdue for a surveillance DrStrangelove. Is it impotence that causes people to surveil? Some other voyeuristic impulse? Could be fun to exp

I think we're well overdue for a surveillance DrStrangelove. Is it impotence that causes people to surveil? Some other voyeuristic impulse? Could be fun to explore.

lmkg 13y ago
Strongly recommend The Lives Of Others. It's not absurdist like Strangelove, but it does address the psychology and motivations of those doing the surveillance.
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  Absolutely. Phenomenal movie. It also gets at the culture of corruption surveillance and power engender. Though when you realize that the surveillance required dedicated observers and resulted in paper records, you realize how vastly more capable current US operations are.
mcguire 13y ago
Not to mention something on "our precious bodily fluids".
arethuza 13y ago
Are there any contemporary figures as "interesting" as Curtis LeMay, Herman Kahn or Thomas Power - the latter being the man who said while head of SAC: "Restraint? Why are you so concerned with saving their lives? The whole idea is to kill the bastards. At the end of the war if there are two Americans and one Russian left alive, we win" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_S._Power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_S._Power
- hindsightbias 13y ago
  Look up Gen. Boykin among others.
- Zigurd 13y ago
  Dianne Feinstein is way over on the side of the surveillance state, while the BRIC market share withers out from under her constituents' companies. You have to wonder where that is coming from.
- jnazario 13y ago
  came here to suggest people who are interested in where kubrick got his model for the character dr strangelove to study herman kahn. just read a book about him - 'the worlds of herman kahn' - and cannot recommend it enough for this subject. his book 'on thermonuclear war' was widely talked about when it came out in the 60s, one of the huge impacts that RAND had on our society. it was an absurd time as the world changed so radically so quickly and strategists scrambled to figure out doctrine, policy, strategy, and how to use the emerging thinking of game theory. another book on the evolution of nuclear policy is 'the dead hand', which looks at the emergence of nuclear deterrence from the first bomb through the recent years following the breakup of the USSR. the dead hand referred to in the title is the failsafe the soviets built to strike back once they had been demolished.
bonemachine 13y ago
I think we're well overdue for a surveillance DrStrangelove. It wouldn't work. No film depiction could possibly be as absurd as what has already been foisted onto our everyday lives already.
- baconner 13y ago
  Ever see he SNL bit where Tina fey just read word for word quotes from Sarah Palin revealing their complete absurdity? Hilarious and very pointed commentary in one. Oh yeah. It could work.
- sroerick 13y ago
  Dr Strangelove started as a drama. Then Kubrick was reportedly overwhelmed by it all one day and realized it was a comedy.

I think we're well overdue for a surveillance DrStrangelove. Is it impotence that causes people to surveil? Some other voyeuristic impulse? Could be fun to explore.

lmkg 13y ago

Strongly recommend The Lives Of Others. It's not absurdist like Strangelove, but it does address the psychology and motivations of those doing the surveillance.

dredmorbius 13y ago
Absolutely. Phenomenal movie. It also gets at the culture of corruption surveillance and power engender. Though when you realize that the surveillance required dedicated observers and resulted in paper records, you realize how vastly more capable current US operations are.

mcguire 13y ago

Not to mention something on "our precious bodily fluids".

arethuza 13y ago

Are there any contemporary figures as "interesting" as Curtis LeMay, Herman Kahn or Thomas Power - the latter being the man who said while head of SAC: "Restraint? Why are you so concerned with saving their lives? The whole idea is to kill the bastards. At the end of the war if there are two Americans and one Russian left alive, we win" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_S._Power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_S._Power

hindsightbias 13y ago
Look up Gen. Boykin among others.
Zigurd 13y ago
Dianne Feinstein is way over on the side of the surveillance state, while the BRIC market share withers out from under her constituents' companies. You have to wonder where that is coming from.
jnazario 13y ago
came here to suggest people who are interested in where kubrick got his model for the character dr strangelove to study herman kahn. just read a book about him - 'the worlds of herman kahn' - and cannot recommend it enough for this subject. his book 'on thermonuclear war' was widely talked about when it came out in the 60s, one of the huge impacts that RAND had on our society. it was an absurd time as the world changed so radically so quickly and strategists scrambled to figure out doctrine, policy, strategy, and how to use the emerging thinking of game theory. another book on the evolution of nuclear policy is 'the dead hand', which looks at the emergence of nuclear deterrence from the first bomb through the recent years following the breakup of the USSR. the dead hand referred to in the title is the failsafe the soviets built to strike back once they had been demolished.

bonemachine 13y ago

I think we're well overdue for a surveillance DrStrangelove. It wouldn't work. No film depiction could possibly be as absurd as what has already been foisted onto our everyday lives already.

baconner 13y ago
Ever see he SNL bit where Tina fey just read word for word quotes from Sarah Palin revealing their complete absurdity? Hilarious and very pointed commentary in one. Oh yeah. It could work.
sroerick 13y ago
Dr Strangelove started as a drama. Then Kubrick was reportedly overwhelmed by it all one day and realized it was a comedy.