Teresa watches a lot of Rickolas Stein. She put on his Far Eastern Odyssey, this morning.
I love how Rick always mentions history and culture. So he alludes to the Viet Nam War, and quotes some Grahame Greene.
He makes a few remarks, almost as asides, that I think need a bit more unpacking. One is about the deforestation caused by Agent Orange, and another is how, although the Communist side won, capitalism ‘moved in’ anyway.
The war America waged was one that aimed to destroy the rural basis of Communism, eventually (via stuff like Napalm and Agent Orange) by destroying nature itself, and urbanising – and therefore making dependent – the people.
Capitalism (and maybe even modern Communism?) requires that the bulk of the populace are docile, pliable consumers, totally plugged in to and addicted to ‘the grid’.
And, whilst the popular history is that America lost in Viet Nam, the truth is, in practical terms, of what has happened to Viet Nam politically and economically, is that they’ve ultimately won.