Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My wife had attended a public screening of the Thrive movie, put on by a local holistic/ progressive group, and she later told me that I would probably love it. She borrowed a Thrive DVD, and we watched it at home. I've read much about the Zero Point Field ('free energy'), crop circles, the influence of ET's in our ancient history, and about our economy, and so I did find the movie interesting. But as the movie began to suggest the old conspiracy theory that the world is run by a handful of super-rich, evil puppeteers intent on global domination, etc., etc., my antenna went up. Where politically was this movie going? My jaw dropped when the movie made the fallacious point that the sub-prime loan meltdown was orchestrated by this 'global elite' conspiracy. I have spent most of my life working in the mortgage business, and I've read many objective books about the meltdown, and it was clearly the de-regulation of the banking and Wall Street industry, combined with their unfettered and short-sighted greed, that caused the meltdown. Why try to blame the Wall Street meltdown on anyone but the obvious culprits--the Wall Streeters and big banks--who were allowed to pursue their greedy capitalism by the politicians who receive millions from them for their campaigns. As I continued to watch the movie I looked for the political punchline, the proposed solution to all of our problems. And then, about three quarters through the movie, it came: Foster Gamble said that he agreed with the views of libertarian Ludwig Von Mises. And I groaned audibly. I couldn't believe it. Somehow, after all of the film's apparently progressive, populist, and new- physics build-up, the so-called solution was the antiquated and largely dismissed views of the 'Austrian School', an absolutist libertarian philosophy from the '40's. This is all about Libertarianism, the absolutist economic philosophy that is as far to the right-wing as Marxism is to the left-wing. At first glance Libertarianism can seem appealing, because of its proposed exaltation of individual freedom. It says that our freedom is limited by laws, and laws are made by the government. But this makes 'the government' the enemy in their view, and un-regulated capitalism is our salvation. The extreme libertarian goal is to get rid of government and let private companies and corporations run everything. Think about it. They would lead us to toll roads and freeways, privately run prisons and law enforcement, private schools and colleges, and so on. Our government would supply our military, and that's about all. This is the basic Republican stance (although Republicans are certainly not libertarians when it comes to social issues such as gay rights, women's rights, and about which drugs we can use). Ron Paul is very libertarian in his views, as is his son. Paul Ryan, the architect of the Republican budget which would dismantle Medicare, tear down Social Security, and lower taxes on the wealthy, gives Ayn Rand books to his staff. The main problem with Libertarianism is that it is based on the almost religious doctrine that only the government is our problem. Governmental rules and regulations, taxes, the societal safety nets, the EPA and Department of Energy, are all the enemy. They would have us dismantle just about everything the government does to protect our air, water, food, and meds. Libertarians say that only the government can restrict your rights. So, get rid of it. Some of our super-rich families such as the Koch brothers and the Waltons love Libertarianism. If you want a conspiracy theory, you need to go no further than the Koch's, Walton's, Big Wall Street companies, Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Big Health Insurers. They want even lower taxes and even less regulation of their industries, so that they can amass even more power and wealth for themselves. They don't care that the rest of us would lose whatever freedom and democracy we still have left. And when I went to the thrivemovement website, there it all was. Along with quotes and pictures of Ron Paul and other libertarians were Gamble's narratives regarding points made in the movie. His 'Solutions' section is full of half-baked and superficial libertarian ideology. To make matters even worst, the website features many quotes from Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio. Research this guy for yourself. He's an anarcho-capitalist who not only bashes government for all of our problems, but adds all religions, especially Judaism to his list. And he hates parents, too. Yes! He reaches out to all teenagers in his forums and podcasts and persuades them to leave their families and never look back. Parents, all parents, are abusive and controlling and the only solution is to leave them and break off all contact with them. Really unbelievable stuff, and many critics see his organization as a 'therapeutic cult'. What's going on with Thrive, the thrivemovement website, and with Foster Gamble? Is this rich heir to the uber-wealthy Proctor and Gamble fortune just looking to indoctrinate the progressive/ spiritual/ community into extreme libertarianism in order to ensure his wealth and elite status? I really don't think so, although this argument could certainly be made. It is clear, though, that Thrive is a slick piece of propaganda. It sucks us in with its seamless graphics, topics, and interviews. And then when we've all become convinced that he's truly an open, honest man, just looking to transform the world, he finally brings in Von Mises. Very smooth and slick. In neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), this hypnotic device is called "pacing and leading". This extreme Libertarianism would lead to a government with no power to counter the super-rich elite and their agenda. Thrive's Libertarian propaganda is the total opposite of progressive. It would take us back to the 1800's. No child labor laws, no unions, 12 hour workdays, and few safety rules in the workplace. Fans of Thrive have been duped.