Global movement started by the video made by Peter Joseph in 2007
The Zeitgeist Movement (TZM) claims to have around 500,000 members worldwide. The videos have been watched by more than 20 million on Youtube. Clearly Peter Joseph (PJ) has produced a message which millions of people find inspiring. Almost every large town in the world now has a branch of TZM.
PJ started out as a percussion musician looking for a video to spice up his performances. Because he had no prior knowledge of economics, finance or politics his research was not coloured or limited by conventional wisdoms in these disciplines. As a result his analysis (set out graphically in the video) is perceptive and insightful. IN particular it exposes the hopeless mechanisms of our debt based privately run money creation system and the environmentally disastrous consequences of using a profit based “free” market to allocate resources.
While PJ is extremely perceptive in his analysis of the world dynamic his solutions are still very much “work in progress”. The core belief of the TZM is that scientific method should be used as the basis of resource use and allocation. The aim is to manage Earth affairs so the planet can support a good quality of life for all its inhabitants – wealth being distributed more equally so all have enough and Earth's complex life support systems are enhanced rather than degraded. The TZM calls this a “resource based economy”. This kind of idealism simply follows the “motherhood is beautiful” approach – nice idea but really no practical use!
Initially PJ was very attracted to the type of green fascism which appeals to those who think they know best. This was a brief love affair with sustainably “planned” city living and what is called the “venus project”. PJ has now moved away from this.
The Source Guide for the original 2007 video begins with a weighty expose of the Christian religion. The whole video is devoted to religion and the 9/11 conspiracy mysteries. PJ takes great pains to explain how the Romans took control of the religion and cleverly used it to exert authoritarian rule (original sin, hell and a Pope in charge) over their empire. They also presented christian teachings in a way which put “man” at the centre of a world provided by “God” for his use so animals and nature could be ruthlessly exploited. (This argument is set out more fully and clearly in the book “The Globalisation of God” by Dara Malloy)
The picture which TZM paints of the modern world clearly resonates with millions of people (mostly young). This popularity mirrors the growing dissatisfaction and disillusionment which characterises the feelings of the public toward politics and established institutions. As the global financial situation continues to worsen these pressures will grow and extreme political/social developments become more and more likely.
Anyone interested in understanding the major forces underlying social change should familiarize themselves with the TZM videos.
Zeitgeist – Moving Forward.