1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,000
[Peter Joseph]

2
00:00:03,916 --> 00:00:06,393
Why the name 'The Zeitgeist Movement'?

3
00:00:06,668 --> 00:00:08,764
As some might know, I'm a filmmaker and I've used that term

4
00:00:08,864 --> 00:00:10,975
but it really has nothing to do with it.

5
00:00:11,075 --> 00:00:12,700
The term 'zeitgeist' is defined

6
00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:18,051
as the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era.

7
00:00:18,273 --> 00:00:22,400
The term movement simply implies motion or change

8
00:00:22,500 --> 00:00:25,030
so The Zeitgeist Movement by definition

9
00:00:25,130 --> 00:00:28,570
is an organization, which seeks to change

10
00:00:28,670 --> 00:00:32,954
the dominant intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of a time

11
00:00:33,054 --> 00:00:36,902
for reasons of which will be discussed in a moment.

12
00:00:39,175 --> 00:00:40,938
The Movement was founded in 2008

13
00:00:41,038 --> 00:00:43,643
and since that time it's gained over half million subscribers

14
00:00:43,743 --> 00:00:47,037
with about 1100 chapters across 70 countries

15
00:00:47,137 --> 00:00:50,000
(in a very short period of time which is quite impressive

16
00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:51,695
in my sense of history).

17
00:00:51,795 --> 00:00:54,139
Originally the movement was partnered with an organization

18
00:00:54,239 --> 00:00:57,069
called The Venus Project and we're still very much in support

19
00:00:57,169 --> 00:01:00,265
of the work of Jacque Fresco, of course, absolutely

20
00:01:01,015 --> 00:01:03,001
[Applause]

21
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,530
but this relationship has disbanded for a number of reasons

22
00:01:06,630 --> 00:01:10,500
and the two organizations coexist with very similar pursuits.

23
00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,207
The Zeitgeist Movement chooses not to be grounded

24
00:01:13,307 --> 00:01:17,156
to a singular institution or figure, or even data set.

25
00:01:17,256 --> 00:01:20,412
Rather, we're interested in developing an emerging train of thought

26
00:01:20,512 --> 00:01:23,100
and highlighting that train of thought for others to absorb

27
00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,230
and identify with and expand upon

28
00:01:25,330 --> 00:01:29,209
in the emergent nature of any type of intellectual development.

29
00:01:29,309 --> 00:01:31,950
The model of The Movement is really nothing original.

30
00:01:32,050 --> 00:01:34,815
It's fundamentally based on the Civil Rights Movements' structures

31
00:01:34,915 --> 00:01:38,377
that have proven effective over time in different areas of the world.

32
00:01:38,477 --> 00:01:41,700
This includes the use of educational programs, events

33
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,870
and eventually, as our phases unfold

34
00:01:44,970 --> 00:01:49,307
mass, non-violent protest actions.

35
00:01:49,501 --> 00:01:51,918
Jason is going to be talking about the basic structure

36
00:01:52,018 --> 00:01:54,380
and activism of The Movement later on but I want to quickly throw out

37
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,681
that The Zeitgeist Movement is really defined by its chapters.

38
00:01:56,781 --> 00:01:59,870
Everyone listening that's in a chapter, or maybe isn't in a chapter

39
00:01:59,970 --> 00:02:04,200
please understand that this is a chapter-based movement structure.

40
00:02:04,300 --> 00:02:07,163
We have project teams that emerge out of those chapters

41
00:02:07,263 --> 00:02:10,565
and the actual projects and events themselves

42
00:02:10,665 --> 00:02:12,478
are just another attribute of that

43
00:02:12,578 --> 00:02:14,871
of the communication process that we work on.

44
00:02:14,971 --> 00:02:16,982
The structural goal, which isn't something

45
00:02:17,082 --> 00:02:20,088
that's brought up very often for those that follow The Movement

46
00:02:20,188 --> 00:02:25,508
is what you could call critical mass on a global scale:

47
00:02:25,701 --> 00:02:30,200
a mass strong enough to affect the operation of society

48
00:02:30,330 --> 00:02:33,003
by its collective efforts from a grassroots level.

49
00:02:33,103 --> 00:02:35,300
The Zeitgeist Movement isn't a political movement

50
00:02:35,430 --> 00:02:37,900
nor, for many reasons I don't have time to explain

51
00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,600
do we identify with the political structure and the way it unfolds.

52
00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:44,100
It is basically an elitist structure

53
00:02:44,230 --> 00:02:48,100
coming out of a long history of elitist mentalities

54
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:49,700
and it's been an illusion

55
00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,223
that this sort of democratic process that everyone throws around

56
00:02:53,323 --> 00:02:56,968
has actually served the majority of the population.

57
00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,242
Why are we here then?

58
00:03:03,342 --> 00:03:07,847
I'm going to present a very generalize statement as the basic goal

59
00:03:07,947 --> 00:03:12,745
and then work backwards to define the terms that comprise this.

60
00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:17,318
As stated: "We seek a new economic model

61
00:03:17,418 --> 00:03:19,393
based not on the movement of money

62
00:03:19,493 --> 00:03:22,328
and the dynamics associated with such a system

63
00:03:22,428 --> 00:03:24,608
but rather on truly objective

64
00:03:24,708 --> 00:03:28,522
scientific resource management and allocation

65
00:03:28,622 --> 00:03:30,391
strategically seeking  to enable

66
00:03:30,491 --> 00:03:33,394
an equitable distribution of all goods and services

67
00:03:33,494 --> 00:03:37,569
to meet the needs of the entire, global human population

68
00:03:37,669 --> 00:03:41,357
while ensuring maximum environmental sustainability

69
00:03:41,457 --> 00:03:43,806
over generational time."

70
00:03:43,906 --> 00:03:46,517
That's a big mouthful.

71
00:03:46,617 --> 00:03:48,767
Let's break this down. What does this mean?

72
00:03:48,867 --> 00:03:51,832
First, we have the concept of an economic model.

73
00:03:51,932 --> 00:03:53,433
What is economics?

74
00:03:53,533 --> 00:03:55,033
The Greek root of the word

75
00:03:55,133 --> 00:03:57,265
basically means 'management of a household'

76
00:03:57,365 --> 00:04:00,836
also implying concepts of thrift or conservation

77
00:04:00,936 --> 00:04:03,958
hence the term 'economize'.

78
00:04:04,058 --> 00:04:06,900
Therefore, an economy is a method of organizing materials

79
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,712
that seeks to reduce waste, hence increase efficiency

80
00:04:10,812 --> 00:04:14,201
in its process of providing for a population.

81
00:04:14,301 --> 00:04:16,414
Simple enough.

82
00:04:16,675 --> 00:04:19,517
Next we have our qualifier.

83
00:04:19,629 --> 00:04:22,277
Where this economic model we speak of is quote

84
00:04:22,377 --> 00:04:26,770
'not based on the movement of money and the dynamics associated.'

85
00:04:26,870 --> 00:04:30,296
Why are we ruling out the monetary system?

86
00:04:30,396 --> 00:04:33,900
Because as radical as this may seem

87
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,687
the model cannot be logically considered a true economy

88
00:04:37,787 --> 00:04:40,883
by the definition we've just described.

89
00:04:41,145 --> 00:04:45,157
The inherent strategies associated with the monetary model

90
00:04:45,257 --> 00:04:47,725
actually reinforces the opposite

91
00:04:47,825 --> 00:04:50,660
of what a true economy is supposed to be

92
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:52,279
as we just defined.

93
00:04:52,379 --> 00:04:55,682
The notions of preservation, efficiency, sustainability

94
00:04:55,782 --> 00:04:59,420
hence the need to economize, are actually the enemies

95
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,972
as I will point out, of our current model.

96
00:05:03,072 --> 00:05:07,297
We live, in fact, in an anti-economy.

97
00:05:08,351 --> 00:05:09,851
The first thing to understand

98
00:05:09,951 --> 00:05:12,431
is that the only thing that keeps you employed in our system

99
00:05:12,531 --> 00:05:15,515
is constant or cyclical consumption.

100
00:05:15,615 --> 00:05:18,394
The fuel of our world economy

101
00:05:18,494 --> 00:05:21,459
is the interest to keep buying and consuming

102
00:05:21,559 --> 00:05:23,198
and buying and consuming.

103
00:05:23,298 --> 00:05:26,563
The more turnover, the greater our GDP

104
00:05:26,663 --> 00:05:30,644
and so-called 'economic growth' we keep hearing people talk about

105
00:05:30,744 --> 00:05:33,560
as though it actually represents something tangible

106
00:05:33,660 --> 00:05:35,160
in an empirical sense.

107
00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:38,757
If a computer company actually decided

108
00:05:38,857 --> 00:05:40,900
to make strategically optimized products

109
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,505
(Apple Computer for example)

110
00:05:43,605 --> 00:05:46,994
if they decided to create goods that would evolve

111
00:05:47,094 --> 00:05:50,758
they would be designed to last, not to be replaced.

112
00:05:50,858 --> 00:05:53,992
Product development would be with the most durable design

113
00:05:54,092 --> 00:05:56,796
scientifically evaluated, enabling structural updates

114
00:05:56,896 --> 00:05:59,033
to current equipment that's already in existence

115
00:05:59,133 --> 00:06:00,809
in the interest to extend the life

116
00:06:00,909 --> 00:06:03,089
and maximize preservation and efficiency

117
00:06:03,189 --> 00:06:05,488
rather than the constant replacement of things.

118
00:06:05,588 --> 00:06:08,049
I can assure you that computer company

119
00:06:08,149 --> 00:06:10,900
would suffer tremendously in profit

120
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:16,013
not to mention the labor levels they have would drop substantially.

121
00:06:17,077 --> 00:06:19,128
This train of thought goes for all industries.

122
00:06:19,228 --> 00:06:23,000
I would say the core driving force of the system today

123
00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:25,546
is really inefficiency.

124
00:06:25,658 --> 00:06:28,649
Efficiency and sustainability are the enemies

125
00:06:28,749 --> 00:06:31,285
and this issue is more apparent today than ever before

126
00:06:31,385 --> 00:06:34,381
because of the tremendous advancement in technology.

127
00:06:34,481 --> 00:06:36,900
When the monetary, market-exchange model as we know it

128
00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,298
began many centuries ago

129
00:06:39,398 --> 00:06:42,177
this inefficiency that's inherent was masked

130
00:06:42,277 --> 00:06:45,024
by the fact that there was a great deal of raw human labor

131
00:06:45,124 --> 00:06:48,420
involved in the production of goods and services.

132
00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:50,850
Imagine the amount of time and energy it took

133
00:06:50,950 --> 00:06:54,521
for a farmer with a plough to plant and harvest

134
00:06:54,621 --> 00:06:56,900
without the modern equipment we have today.

135
00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,988
When you compare the two you begin to see something very interesting.

136
00:07:01,088 --> 00:07:04,534
What's happened essentially, is that our technological ingenuity

137
00:07:04,634 --> 00:07:08,690
our ability to create tools that help us to ease our labor

138
00:07:08,790 --> 00:07:11,550
and make our lives easier in abstraction

139
00:07:11,650 --> 00:07:13,900
has 'shifted the tides'

140
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,796
from people being actually required to do work

141
00:07:16,896 --> 00:07:18,900
to get the necessities of life

142
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,775
in a very real, tangible, utilitarian way

143
00:07:21,875 --> 00:07:25,900
to the existence of this advanced automation society

144
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,832
that we're harboring into

145
00:07:27,932 --> 00:07:31,870
where we now have to invent arbitrary occupations

146
00:07:31,970 --> 00:07:35,814
over and over again, structurally purposeless jobs

147
00:07:35,914 --> 00:07:38,281
(if you're willing to take the time to see it

148
00:07:38,381 --> 00:07:40,537
even though it's very hard when you're born into this

149
00:07:40,637 --> 00:07:42,275
to recognize them as such)

150
00:07:42,375 --> 00:07:45,659
just for the sake of monetary circulation alone.

151
00:07:45,759 --> 00:07:48,182
That's what is needed to keep this model going

152
00:07:48,282 --> 00:07:52,425
and unfortunately it's not working. We can't do it fast enough.

153
00:07:52,525 --> 00:07:57,647
Inefficiency in a broad scheme

154
00:07:57,747 --> 00:08:01,685
is now the current path, whether advertent or not

155
00:08:01,785 --> 00:08:04,400
for keeping consumption and hence the system

156
00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:07,704
(outdated, archaic system) going

157
00:08:07,804 --> 00:08:10,000
and it comes in many forms.

158
00:08:10,100 --> 00:08:11,966
Fortunately for the system itself

159
00:08:12,066 --> 00:08:14,900
yet to our human and social detriment

160
00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,462
inefficiency is built right in to the structure, as noted prior.

161
00:08:19,562 --> 00:08:22,790
'Cost efficiency' is defined as:

162
00:08:22,890 --> 00:08:25,013
productive, relative to the cost

163
00:08:25,113 --> 00:08:29,309
or being effective without wasting expense.

164
00:08:29,479 --> 00:08:31,823
This modern economic concept based on money

165
00:08:31,923 --> 00:08:35,306
has nothing to do with materials or with design.

166
00:08:35,406 --> 00:08:39,263
It's about saving capital, not resources.

167
00:08:39,363 --> 00:08:43,441
This is a classic example of how our system is utterly decoupled

168
00:08:43,541 --> 00:08:46,661
from any natural state or processes.

169
00:08:46,821 --> 00:08:48,776
One of the most misleading statements

170
00:08:48,876 --> 00:08:51,048
about this capitalist system that we all share

171
00:08:51,148 --> 00:08:54,429
is the classic phrase you might have all heard in Economics 101:

172
00:08:54,529 --> 00:08:58,166
"The role is to produce the highest quality goods

173
00:08:58,266 --> 00:09:00,728
at the lowest possible prices."

174
00:09:00,828 --> 00:09:03,225
If you really think about that statement

175
00:09:03,325 --> 00:09:06,131
it is an explicitly circular rationale

176
00:09:06,231 --> 00:09:10,258
based only on the observation of money

177
00:09:10,358 --> 00:09:12,262
and the intrinsic value of money

178
00:09:12,362 --> 00:09:16,525
but yet completely decoupled and devoid of any physical reference

179
00:09:16,625 --> 00:09:19,172
or scientific integrity.

180
00:09:19,272 --> 00:09:23,522
It serves to support the false idea that market competition

181
00:09:23,622 --> 00:09:26,390
is a good thing.

182
00:09:27,341 --> 00:09:30,092
The result in short is the following:

183
00:09:30,347 --> 00:09:33,219
1. Every item produced in our society is immediately inferior

184
00:09:33,319 --> 00:09:34,900
the moment it is created.

185
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,000
It is a mathematical impossibility

186
00:09:37,100 --> 00:09:40,707
to produce the most strategically, conscious goods we can.

187
00:09:40,807 --> 00:09:42,633
This system simply will not allow it.

188
00:09:42,733 --> 00:09:45,156
The result is copious waste and pollution.

189
00:09:45,309 --> 00:09:49,708
2. Jobs will always be mechanized

190
00:09:49,808 --> 00:09:53,174
when it becomes cheaper than human labor.

191
00:09:53,274 --> 00:09:55,907
This is an ongoing, unstoppable process

192
00:09:56,007 --> 00:09:57,809
called 'technological unemployment'

193
00:09:57,909 --> 00:10:00,679
and is currently reducing employment and purchasing power

194
00:10:00,779 --> 00:10:02,279
at an accelerating rate

195
00:10:02,379 --> 00:10:04,925
even though very few people will ever have the nerve

196
00:10:05,025 --> 00:10:08,001
to talk about this in the economic or news media.

197
00:10:08,101 --> 00:10:13,000
3. Environmental negligence is built in. It's constant.

198
00:10:13,145 --> 00:10:16,745
Not only [are] disposal methods not done correctly

199
00:10:16,845 --> 00:10:18,700
in a scientific, appropriate way

200
00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,334
due to the need to cut costs (the cost efficiency mechanism)

201
00:10:22,434 --> 00:10:26,612
but there is also, elusively, a built-in indifference

202
00:10:26,712 --> 00:10:28,228
at the end of the day

203
00:10:28,328 --> 00:10:32,423
to the natural order and preservation of the environment.

204
00:10:32,523 --> 00:10:35,000
Problems generate profit.

205
00:10:35,100 --> 00:10:37,821
Industry thrives on problems

206
00:10:37,921 --> 00:10:41,865
and solutions, which are again a form of efficiency

207
00:10:41,965 --> 00:10:43,545
is the enemy.

208
00:10:43,645 --> 00:10:47,775
Tangible physical efficiency is inverse

209
00:10:47,875 --> 00:10:52,376
to actual market economic efficiency.

210
00:10:52,492 --> 00:10:54,298
If you took all the money spent today

211
00:10:54,398 --> 00:10:56,400
producing bottled water on this planet...

212
00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:58,428
I was just joking to someone earlier. I was like

213
00:10:58,528 --> 00:11:00,654
"God, we've got to get rid of these bottled waters on stage."

214
00:11:00,768 --> 00:11:03,247
But what do you do in this society? You walk around;

215
00:11:03,347 --> 00:11:06,625
this is what people do. It becomes normality to be so inefficient

216
00:11:06,725 --> 00:11:08,901
where you just accept it because our lives...

217
00:11:09,001 --> 00:11:11,467
It's built into our structure and

218
00:11:11,567 --> 00:11:15,186
it's hard for us to be conscious or sometimes to even be active

219
00:11:15,286 --> 00:11:17,647
with the type of preservation methods that are required.

220
00:11:17,747 --> 00:11:19,347
But if you took all the money

221
00:11:19,447 --> 00:11:22,844
spent on bottled water production on this planet for drinking

222
00:11:22,944 --> 00:11:25,900
and applied it to a massive public filtration system

223
00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,805
desalination, clean infrastructure channels

224
00:11:28,905 --> 00:11:32,000
I suspect it would be paid for many times over.

225
00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:35,853
But pollution, as alluded to prior

226
00:11:35,953 --> 00:11:39,065
is another form of inefficiency to be capitalized on.

227
00:11:39,165 --> 00:11:41,205
Pollution creates jobs and markets

228
00:11:41,305 --> 00:11:45,024
just as any other form of inefficiency does.

229
00:11:45,669 --> 00:11:49,202
Just as all of us having more cancer would improve

230
00:11:49,302 --> 00:11:54,314
the GDP of our country, because we'd have to be treated for it.

231
00:11:54,619 --> 00:11:58,188
A final form of inefficiency that I'm just going to throw in there

232
00:11:58,288 --> 00:12:02,788
is the creation of false needs for the populous.

233
00:12:02,888 --> 00:12:05,743
This is done through advertising and marketing.

234
00:12:05,843 --> 00:12:08,885
If you can convince a person that a $5000 handbag

235
00:12:08,985 --> 00:12:12,080
has more use than a $10 one, even though there's absolutely

236
00:12:12,180 --> 00:12:16,086
no real utilitarian difference between the two

237
00:12:16,273 --> 00:12:18,803
just because of relative status notions

238
00:12:18,903 --> 00:12:21,351
you've created a new level of emotional

239
00:12:21,451 --> 00:12:24,444
and status inefficiency to exploit

240
00:12:24,544 --> 00:12:29,743
and false needs to be filled to conform to the culture

241
00:12:29,843 --> 00:12:34,989
and this is a very rampant thing and you see this epidemic everywhere.

242
00:12:36,208 --> 00:12:37,708
The movement of money

243
00:12:37,808 --> 00:12:40,510
through the mechanism of systematic and intrinsic efficiency

244
00:12:40,610 --> 00:12:43,259
cannot be called an economy

245
00:12:43,359 --> 00:12:46,369
[and] therefore is not valid as a working methodology.

246
00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:48,101
Coming back to our statement

247
00:12:48,201 --> 00:12:51,124
"What would define a true economy?"

248
00:12:51,224 --> 00:12:55,623
This leads us to the next point where it says:

249
00:12:56,150 --> 00:13:00,900
"For the economic model we speak of

250
00:13:01,279 --> 00:13:03,605
needs to be based on truly objective

251
00:13:03,705 --> 00:13:07,309
scientific resource management and allocation."

252
00:13:07,409 --> 00:13:10,991
What does that mean? Throughout the course of human history

253
00:13:11,091 --> 00:13:14,103
we as a species have taken on many worldviews

254
00:13:14,203 --> 00:13:17,550
from superstitious notions of demons as the cause of illness

255
00:13:17,650 --> 00:13:21,372
to countless controlling gods that rule our lives.

256
00:13:21,472 --> 00:13:24,972
Humans have been seeking since antiquity

257
00:13:25,072 --> 00:13:28,400
to understand the causality of their lives.

258
00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:30,882
Fortunately, after much turmoil

259
00:13:30,982 --> 00:13:34,632
we've been guided by evolution to discover something truly useful

260
00:13:34,732 --> 00:13:36,853
and it's only been with the past couple of thousand years

261
00:13:36,953 --> 00:13:40,189
that this has emerged. This tool has stood the test of time

262
00:13:40,289 --> 00:13:44,078
providing us with continual confirmation of its effectiveness

263
00:13:44,178 --> 00:13:45,826
and we see it all around us

264
00:13:45,926 --> 00:13:49,783
and that's scientific causality.

265
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,740
If we recognize science as a tool

266
00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,000
and process a verified method of viewing the world

267
00:13:57,100 --> 00:14:00,331
and acting upon evidence rather than faith or blind assumptions

268
00:14:00,431 --> 00:14:02,573
we see that a true economy can only exist

269
00:14:02,673 --> 00:14:04,356
if organized and orchestrated

270
00:14:04,456 --> 00:14:08,069
within the confines of scientific discipline.

271
00:14:08,175 --> 00:14:10,182
For instance, science has shown us that we live

272
00:14:10,282 --> 00:14:13,780
yes, on a finite planet, with finite resources.

273
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,535
We understand the Earth as a single biosphere system

274
00:14:17,635 --> 00:14:21,220
literally symbiotically balanced in a natural order.

275
00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:26,398
Truly one system and hence, should be respected as such.

276
00:14:26,602 --> 00:14:29,542
We understand that each one of our resources, the materials we use

277
00:14:29,642 --> 00:14:33,465
have properties which are conducive to certain applications

278
00:14:33,565 --> 00:14:36,217
and simply not conducive to others.

279
00:14:36,436 --> 00:14:38,762
Just as we have the law of gravity

280
00:14:38,862 --> 00:14:40,462
which we use to calculate

281
00:14:40,562 --> 00:14:43,602
making airplanes fly

282
00:14:43,738 --> 00:14:46,593
the natural laws that govern human life

283
00:14:46,693 --> 00:14:50,296
and good health on this planet must be observed

284
00:14:50,396 --> 00:14:54,151
and when observed and identified, obviously must be respected.

285
00:14:54,251 --> 00:14:58,159
Nature really just doesn't care what any of us actually think

286
00:14:58,259 --> 00:15:00,282
or believe or have faith in

287
00:15:00,382 --> 00:15:03,797
and we can either listen and align with what we learn

288
00:15:03,897 --> 00:15:06,786
or we invariably suffer the consequences.

289
00:15:06,886 --> 00:15:08,924
As simple as that notion may seem

290
00:15:09,024 --> 00:15:11,134
the great majority of people on this planet

291
00:15:11,234 --> 00:15:13,900
refuse to acknowledge this.

292
00:15:14,087 --> 00:15:17,569
Out of this comes a new, yet obvious, train of thought.

293
00:15:17,790 --> 00:15:20,832
First, inefficiency is unacceptable on a finite planet.

294
00:15:20,932 --> 00:15:23,430
We need to calculate industry.

295
00:15:23,530 --> 00:15:26,521
We need to calculate society.

296
00:15:26,621 --> 00:15:32,533
The free market is a haphazard and dangerous anarchy

297
00:15:32,633 --> 00:15:36,250
and the grace period of our irresponsibility is coming to an end.

298
00:15:36,350 --> 00:15:37,850
We either unify

299
00:15:37,950 --> 00:15:40,668
and get strategic in our management of the Earth's resources

300
00:15:40,768 --> 00:15:44,521
or we face immense hardships.

301
00:15:44,759 --> 00:15:47,900
We need a global resource management system

302
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,574
to account for a dynamic equilibrium and keep balance.

303
00:15:51,674 --> 00:15:53,575
We need to account for what we have.

304
00:15:53,675 --> 00:15:55,189
We also need to apply science

305
00:15:55,289 --> 00:15:58,042
in how we actually create our goods. Imagine that!

306
00:15:58,142 --> 00:16:00,929
strategically making them as efficient as possible

307
00:16:01,029 --> 00:16:03,391
meaning that they are made to last, not break down

308
00:16:03,491 --> 00:16:07,586
made with the expectation for updating, not replacement.

309
00:16:07,686 --> 00:16:12,628
These are very simple, obvious, fundamental truths.

310
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,400
We also need to use the most efficient methods

311
00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:18,522
for producing those goods

312
00:16:18,622 --> 00:16:20,645
and in this case, deliberate mechanization.

313
00:16:20,745 --> 00:16:23,065
Technological unemployment, I've talked about this in length

314
00:16:23,165 --> 00:16:25,176
and I'm not going to go into too much detail here

315
00:16:25,276 --> 00:16:29,953
but it is now inverse to productivity in most sectors.

316
00:16:30,053 --> 00:16:33,075
The more people are displaced

317
00:16:33,175 --> 00:16:36,900
the more mechanization comes in, the greater the productivity.

318
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,000
That's an amazing change in the paradigm

319
00:16:40,100 --> 00:16:43,370
as far as the way we've been operating for thousands of years.

320
00:16:43,470 --> 00:16:46,784
This means it is negligent, literally irresponsible

321
00:16:46,884 --> 00:16:49,433
for us not to mechanize on every relevant level

322
00:16:49,533 --> 00:16:52,000
if we wish to be truly efficient

323
00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:57,175
and respect the nature and habitat that we live in.

324
00:16:57,583 --> 00:17:00,521
This brings us to the next concept of our goal statement:

325
00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,000
"Strategically seeking to enable an equitable distribution

326
00:17:04,100 --> 00:17:05,633
of all goods and services

327
00:17:05,769 --> 00:17:10,643
to meet the needs of the entire, global human population."

328
00:17:10,983 --> 00:17:13,155
There's plenty of food to go around in this planet

329
00:17:13,255 --> 00:17:14,755
as stated many times over

330
00:17:14,855 --> 00:17:18,400
even by institutions you'd be surprised that would state such a thing

331
00:17:18,500 --> 00:17:20,631
yet over a billion people are starving.

332
00:17:20,731 --> 00:17:25,843
Every five seconds a person dies from starvation on this planet.

333
00:17:28,866 --> 00:17:31,314
But, hey! What does that have to do with me?

334
00:17:31,414 --> 00:17:35,116
You know, well...

335
00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:38,000
It has everything to do with you

336
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:40,434
for in the end, there's nowhere to hide.

337
00:17:40,534 --> 00:17:43,185
Our safety and security can only be as good

338
00:17:43,285 --> 00:17:46,155
as the safety and security of the world we inhabit.

339
00:17:46,255 --> 00:17:48,000
The more deprivation that occurs

340
00:17:48,100 --> 00:17:50,000
the more resentment, anger,

341
00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:53,628
and inevitable destabilization that will follow.

342
00:17:53,764 --> 00:17:56,653
It's not an altruistic notion to help others

343
00:17:56,753 --> 00:17:58,674
in this type of perception.

344
00:17:58,774 --> 00:18:03,225
It is a socially unsustainable practice not to.

345
00:18:03,325 --> 00:18:05,976
I personally don't even really believe

346
00:18:06,076 --> 00:18:08,000
that human altruism exists

347
00:18:08,100 --> 00:18:10,611
in the poetic context that many speak of.

348
00:18:10,711 --> 00:18:13,000
I think that deep down people know

349
00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:15,725
when they behave in seemingly selfless ways

350
00:18:15,825 --> 00:18:18,800
that they are actually personally at risk

351
00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:20,497
at one level or another

352
00:18:20,597 --> 00:18:23,129
if they do not act in those ways.

353
00:18:23,229 --> 00:18:26,000
Our self-interest can only maintain integrity

354
00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:30,110
if our societal reality is actually stable.

355
00:18:30,210 --> 00:18:33,900
The cliché staple of the modern-market, capitalist theory

356
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:38,000
"Live for yourself only, do only things for you"

357
00:18:38,100 --> 00:18:40,621
and somehow magically by the invisible hand

358
00:18:40,721 --> 00:18:42,224
it will work out for society.

359
00:18:42,324 --> 00:18:45,887
This is an incorrect, provably-so, truncated

360
00:18:45,987 --> 00:18:47,840
and utterly false concept.

361
00:18:47,940 --> 00:18:51,356
Self-integrity can only be maintained

362
00:18:51,456 --> 00:18:57,349
if the habitat you live in and the society you inhabit

363
00:18:57,449 --> 00:19:03,125
the world itself, maintains an equally high level of integrity.

364
00:19:03,225 --> 00:19:06,859
And that's one of those radical notions that, as obvious as it is

365
00:19:06,959 --> 00:19:10,547
will still be derogatorily associated

366
00:19:10,647 --> 00:19:13,058
and you can just be communist or...

367
00:19:13,158 --> 00:19:17,459
Even Martin Luther King Jr. was called a communist

368
00:19:17,559 --> 00:19:19,395
when he was attempting to bridge the difference

369
00:19:19,495 --> 00:19:21,042
between the blacks and the whites.

370
00:19:21,142 --> 00:19:23,726
He was a communist apparently to try and create that

371
00:19:23,826 --> 00:19:27,207
and the exact same propaganda and inhibited mindset

372
00:19:27,307 --> 00:19:30,638
is exactly what stops us from trying to make an economic unity

373
00:19:30,738 --> 00:19:32,947
on a tangible level in society today.

374
00:19:33,047 --> 00:19:35,529
Any time people throw out the communist stuff

375
00:19:35,629 --> 00:19:38,193
you have a tool to use.

376
00:19:38,431 --> 00:19:40,000
The majority of wars on this planet

377
00:19:40,100 --> 00:19:42,354
have always been about resource and territorial control.

378
00:19:42,454 --> 00:19:46,000
Most acts of so-called 'crime' are related to money and property.

379
00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:48,000
We must level the playing field.

380
00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:50,710
Meeting the needs of the human population is the first step.

381
00:19:50,810 --> 00:19:53,588
Notice I didn't say wants. Wants are contrivance.

382
00:19:53,688 --> 00:19:55,824
Wants are a different subject all together.

383
00:19:55,924 --> 00:19:57,711
People need their needs met

384
00:19:57,811 --> 00:19:59,713
and there's a lot that can be said about that

385
00:19:59,813 --> 00:20:02,000
which I'm not going to delve into at this time.

386
00:20:02,106 --> 00:20:04,738
We know we can provide the basic necessities of life

387
00:20:04,838 --> 00:20:06,353
for everyone on this planet.

388
00:20:06,453 --> 00:20:07,965
It's a scientific reality

389
00:20:08,065 --> 00:20:10,548
because of our advanced technological methods.

390
00:20:10,648 --> 00:20:14,000
This is one of the genius notions put forward by Jacque Fresco

391
00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:15,763
that really should be understood

392
00:20:15,863 --> 00:20:17,695
and everyone needs to understand this.

393
00:20:17,808 --> 00:20:21,081
We need to simply devise a system to do so and get it done

394
00:20:21,181 --> 00:20:24,423
in accord with the most scientifically efficient

395
00:20:24,523 --> 00:20:26,546
and responsible methods we understand

396
00:20:26,646 --> 00:20:29,839
hence the nature of a true economy.

397
00:20:30,298 --> 00:20:32,336
Finally we have

398
00:20:32,455 --> 00:20:35,955
"... while ensuring maximum environmental sustainability

399
00:20:36,055 --> 00:20:38,214
over generational time."

400
00:20:38,314 --> 00:20:41,846
This simply goes back to what the definition of an economy requires.

401
00:20:41,946 --> 00:20:45,413
We have the kind of specter of recycling initiatives

402
00:20:45,513 --> 00:20:48,234
and so-called 'green' industries.

403
00:20:48,334 --> 00:20:52,412
It's just a sad attempt at true ecological respect

404
00:20:52,512 --> 00:20:54,900
in a system that has no ecological respect

405
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,000
and can't have any for it to operate.

406
00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:01,383
A true economy doesn't have a notion of a 'green' practice.

407
00:21:01,483 --> 00:21:03,364
The fact that we even have such an idea

408
00:21:03,464 --> 00:21:07,000
that we even comment "Ooh, how sustainable!"

409
00:21:07,168 --> 00:21:11,737
that's a tremendous signpost of how far we've come.

410
00:21:11,941 --> 00:21:16,400
A true economy doesn't utilize anything

411
00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:18,855
for example, recycling is an afterthought.

412
00:21:18,955 --> 00:21:21,029
Even after all the years of our recycling practices

413
00:21:21,129 --> 00:21:23,900
very few initiatives are made in the production capacity

414
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,820
by industry to actually think ahead about this

415
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,400
because it isn't profitable for them to do so.

416
00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:32,779
The majority of goods have no capacity to be updated

417
00:21:32,879 --> 00:21:35,615
you know, the computer enclosures... I can go on long tangents

418
00:21:35,715 --> 00:21:38,400
about very logical, simple things that could be done

419
00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:40,000
to extend longevity

420
00:21:40,100 --> 00:21:42,326
but again, it will bring down cyclical consumption

421
00:21:42,426 --> 00:21:47,900
bring down the circulation of money, drop GDP, drop labor, etc.

422
00:21:48,064 --> 00:21:50,180
Recycling mechanisms are going to be built-in

423
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,583
in the future; they would have to be, in the production phase.

424
00:21:52,683 --> 00:21:56,420
Landfills would be an anomaly, not normality.

425
00:21:58,972 --> 00:22:00,991
To conclude my section of this meeting

426
00:22:01,091 --> 00:22:04,389
let's quickly take a look at where we are now.

427
00:22:04,742 --> 00:22:09,259
What is the consequence of all this inefficiency we speak of?

428
00:22:09,543 --> 00:22:12,372
As much as I hate to say it, our society

429
00:22:12,472 --> 00:22:16,089
rests on the edge of a cliff with a gigantic abyss underneath.

430
00:22:16,290 --> 00:22:18,900
The consequences of the monetary market model

431
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,353
are no longer mere inconveniences

432
00:22:21,453 --> 00:22:24,155
or theoretical assumptions put forward by people.

433
00:22:24,255 --> 00:22:26,380
We see what's happening now.

434
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:31,150
It's a cancer that's slowly eroding the fabric of our stability.

435
00:22:31,864 --> 00:22:34,190
As many know, very briefly

436
00:22:34,290 --> 00:22:37,130
money is made out of debt and interest is charged on that debt.

437
00:22:37,230 --> 00:22:39,400
Anyone familiar with banking or the stock market knows

438
00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:41,088
that money is now treated as a commodity

439
00:22:41,188 --> 00:22:43,907
It always was, but more so today than ever

440
00:22:44,007 --> 00:22:45,750
and it's bought and sold.

441
00:22:45,850 --> 00:22:49,165
The profit generated by the sale of money comes from interest.

442
00:22:49,265 --> 00:22:51,804
However, unannounced to most.

443
00:22:51,904 --> 00:22:56,203
something you won't read in a Time Magazine or any economist's manual

444
00:22:56,303 --> 00:22:58,342
is that the interest-money charged

445
00:22:58,442 --> 00:23:00,635
doesn't exist in the money supply.

446
00:23:00,735 --> 00:23:02,484
It's not there!

447
00:23:02,994 --> 00:23:05,399
There's only so much there and every time they charge interest

448
00:23:05,499 --> 00:23:07,478
that money has to come from somewhere.

449
00:23:07,578 --> 00:23:09,477
It has to come from more monetary creation

450
00:23:09,577 --> 00:23:11,606
which is loaned out at interest again.

451
00:23:11,706 --> 00:23:13,755
There's always more outstanding interest

452
00:23:13,855 --> 00:23:15,631
than there is principle debt.

453
00:23:15,731 --> 00:23:18,332
If anyone's confused why we have skyrocket debt defaults

454
00:23:18,432 --> 00:23:20,812
across the world: personal, corporate, sovereign

455
00:23:20,932 --> 00:23:22,951
this is fundamentally the reason.

456
00:23:23,051 --> 00:23:25,085
It's not the sole reason. It's perpetuated by other things

457
00:23:25,185 --> 00:23:28,335
that are happening in derivatives markets, but it's an inevitability.

458
00:23:28,435 --> 00:23:31,324
The global market is one gigantic pyramid scheme

459
00:23:31,424 --> 00:23:35,060
and one way or another it's going to come crashing down

460
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,544
if it's not literally stopped in its tracks

461
00:23:37,644 --> 00:23:39,663
which is something, frankly, I advocate

462
00:23:39,763 --> 00:23:42,900
as difficult as that may seem.

463
00:23:43,176 --> 00:23:44,676
However, we're not only faced

464
00:23:44,776 --> 00:23:47,237
with ongoing, systemic, global debt defaults

465
00:23:47,337 --> 00:23:49,479
we're also faced with a coming labor collapse

466
00:23:49,579 --> 00:23:52,264
or a growing labor collapse across the world

467
00:23:52,364 --> 00:23:54,487
due to technological unemployment

468
00:23:54,587 --> 00:23:57,257
largely ignored by economists, who choose to see

469
00:23:57,357 --> 00:23:59,504
basically what they prefer to see, as best I can tell.

470
00:23:59,604 --> 00:24:01,612
The invention and application of technology

471
00:24:01,712 --> 00:24:05,400
is what has caused every major shift of human labor throughout history.

472
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:09,027
Given the exponential (literally) rise in our development

473
00:24:09,127 --> 00:24:12,933
in automation and computer technology, artificial intelligence

474
00:24:13,033 --> 00:24:16,194
I'm sorry to say... or actually I'm very happy to say

475
00:24:16,294 --> 00:24:18,537
that humans actually don't stand a chance

476
00:24:18,637 --> 00:24:20,932
to compete with what we've created.

477
00:24:21,032 --> 00:24:26,044
We can't personally evolve as fast as our technological ingenuity is

478
00:24:26,144 --> 00:24:29,718
and the effectiveness and application over time is just powerful!

479
00:24:29,818 --> 00:24:31,850
Either a shift happens

480
00:24:31,950 --> 00:24:34,977
or we just continue this constant grind down

481
00:24:35,077 --> 00:24:38,400
of destabilization through global unemployment.

482
00:24:38,626 --> 00:24:40,819
The final component, briefly worth mentioning

483
00:24:40,919 --> 00:24:43,195
is our energy collapse.

484
00:24:43,484 --> 00:24:47,392
Peak oil is very real and it is essentially here

485
00:24:47,492 --> 00:24:50,900
and the problem oddly is not really the 'running out of oil'.

486
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,457
It's the market psychology of what's going to happen

487
00:24:54,557 --> 00:24:58,159
when the public finally awakens to this very real reality.

488
00:24:58,259 --> 00:25:01,000
The psychology of this scarcity, when it finally hits

489
00:25:01,100 --> 00:25:04,188
is going to cause a unique form of panic.

490
00:25:04,366 --> 00:25:06,572
The combination of these three factors

491
00:25:06,672 --> 00:25:11,597
are on pace to causing a severe integrity problem, to put it mildly.

492
00:25:11,757 --> 00:25:13,774
Each one is not problematic on its own

493
00:25:13,874 --> 00:25:16,900
but the fact is they feed into each other.

494
00:25:17,284 --> 00:25:19,298
The more unemployment occurs, the less likely

495
00:25:19,398 --> 00:25:22,071
governments are going to be able to gain taxation support

496
00:25:22,171 --> 00:25:24,297
not to mention the less money in the economy itself

497
00:25:24,397 --> 00:25:26,714
circulated as purchasing power

498
00:25:27,056 --> 00:25:30,152
inhibiting consumption and economic growth

499
00:25:30,252 --> 00:25:33,941
triggering more personal, corporate, government defaults.

500
00:25:34,041 --> 00:25:35,630
The more energy prices rise

501
00:25:35,730 --> 00:25:38,937
which is inevitable in the hydrocarbon economy we have

502
00:25:39,063 --> 00:25:41,900
the less accessible it is to gain

503
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,377
and that creates an even more stifling economic effect on circulation

504
00:25:45,477 --> 00:25:47,352
since oil, among many other things

505
00:25:47,452 --> 00:25:50,570
is the sole driver of transportation

506
00:25:50,670 --> 00:25:54,400
but not to mention so many other facets I don't have time to go into.

507
00:25:54,962 --> 00:25:57,030
All it takes in the West Coast

508
00:25:57,130 --> 00:26:01,219
is for one big trucking company to get fed up with the oil prices

509
00:26:01,319 --> 00:26:06,332
and want more money from their going-bankrupt company to go on strike

510
00:26:06,432 --> 00:26:10,407
and then see a stifling of incredible amounts of materials

511
00:26:10,507 --> 00:26:14,307
and then systemic turmoil and panic.

512
00:26:14,421 --> 00:26:16,000
You don't have to think very far

513
00:26:16,100 --> 00:26:19,229
to see how it just takes a few little dominos to fall.

514
00:26:19,329 --> 00:26:24,582
We're in a very fragile state at this point in time.

515
00:26:24,682 --> 00:26:26,577
I hope people understand that.

516
00:26:26,691 --> 00:26:29,022
This is precisely, in a nutshell

517
00:26:29,122 --> 00:26:32,603
what The Zeitgeist Movement hopes to counter

518
00:26:32,888 --> 00:26:35,593
and find a way to adapt

519
00:26:35,693 --> 00:26:40,683
before we meet the proverbial 'point of no return'.

520
00:26:40,900 --> 00:26:43,892
That concludes my general overview. Thank you.

521
00:26:46,002 --> 00:26:48,056
[Applause]

522
00:26:52,371 --> 00:26:54,699
Now we're going to bring up, Jen?

523
00:26:54,799 --> 00:26:57,940
Yes, Jen Wilding, our US State Coordinator?

524
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,038
[Applause]

525
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,011
[Jen Wilding - US State Coordinator]

526
00:27:11,967 --> 00:27:13,520
Thanks for coming out.

527
00:27:13,620 --> 00:27:15,900
I'm so happy to see so much interest in an event like this.

528
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,519
We're hoping to do them regularly.

529
00:27:21,509 --> 00:27:25,960
So... The Movement... Look at you.

530
00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:29,000
The Zeitgeist Movement

531
00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:33,016
is comprised of pretty much two components.

532
00:27:33,116 --> 00:27:38,256
There is the portion that Peter was going into

533
00:27:38,403 --> 00:27:42,197
pretty much the body of ideas, the train of thought

534
00:27:42,300 --> 00:27:43,897
the idea that the Earth

535
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:49,831
should be declared the common heritage to all of the Earth's people

536
00:27:49,992 --> 00:27:55,078
using the scientific method and technological innovations

537
00:27:55,178 --> 00:27:57,860
in the service of social concern

538
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,000
and for human betterment.

539
00:28:00,100 --> 00:28:04,467
I'm all for that, which is why I'm here. I hope you are too.

540
00:28:04,775 --> 00:28:08,660
That's one piece of the meat of The Movement

541
00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,900
and the other piece is the people that are comprised

542
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,900
in the structure of activists.

543
00:28:15,075 --> 00:28:17,129
Basically, right now

544
00:28:17,229 --> 00:28:21,319
The Movement is geared toward awareness activism:

545
00:28:21,419 --> 00:28:25,521
helping people to learn these ideas, to understand the problems

546
00:28:25,683 --> 00:28:30,283
and to bring them along to talk about the solutions.

547
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,609
That, to me, seemed to be the way to go

548
00:28:33,709 --> 00:28:36,290
and so what you're doing here

549
00:28:36,612 --> 00:28:39,150
what we're doing here

550
00:28:39,250 --> 00:28:43,865
is all part of what's considered 'what the Movement does'

551
00:28:44,026 --> 00:28:46,900
and The Movement has a structure.

552
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:51,689
We have a holographic structure

553
00:28:51,806 --> 00:28:54,311
which means, basically, we're all tapping

554
00:28:54,411 --> 00:28:56,028
into a lot of the same material

555
00:28:56,128 --> 00:28:57,991
that talks about the ideas.

556
00:28:58,091 --> 00:29:00,000
We use Peter's films as tools.

557
00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:02,120
We have a lot of tools that are created

558
00:29:02,220 --> 00:29:06,809
by activists involved in The Movement that are shared

559
00:29:07,205 --> 00:29:11,483
and we basically are creating a structure

560
00:29:11,583 --> 00:29:14,049
that is replicating itself

561
00:29:14,149 --> 00:29:16,962
to spread awareness about these ideas.

562
00:29:17,167 --> 00:29:19,951
We have, pretty much

563
00:29:20,230 --> 00:29:23,570
a two-way flow of information.

564
00:29:23,805 --> 00:29:29,211
We have things that we are doing here:

565
00:29:29,475 --> 00:29:33,580
presentations that are going to be used by other chapters

566
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,020
and other teams in their activism.

567
00:29:37,167 --> 00:29:39,672
Come on in!

568
00:29:40,287 --> 00:29:42,195
We also have materials

569
00:29:42,295 --> 00:29:44,509
that are created by activists

570
00:29:44,609 --> 00:29:50,529
that end up getting adopted by the other pieces of the structure.

571
00:29:51,964 --> 00:29:55,205
There's a beautiful way

572
00:29:55,305 --> 00:29:58,939
that the information is flowing in both directions

573
00:29:59,158 --> 00:30:03,586
in that we have activism that happens on a local level

574
00:30:03,686 --> 00:30:07,497
that, when it's really successful and people are excited about it

575
00:30:07,597 --> 00:30:10,645
gets picked up and adopted on a global level

576
00:30:10,745 --> 00:30:14,900
and resources are shared to make that happen.

577
00:30:15,348 --> 00:30:19,348
There are, right now, approximately 1100 chapters

578
00:30:19,450 --> 00:30:22,295
across 7 countries

579
00:30:22,395 --> 00:30:26,498
so we're coming up on about three years.

580
00:30:27,128 --> 00:30:30,468
[P.Joseph] 70 countries... Oh, 70!

581
00:30:30,952 --> 00:30:33,193
[Applause]

582
00:30:35,303 --> 00:30:39,933
70 countries. That's a big difference.

583
00:30:40,197 --> 00:30:43,379
(She's reading it, so she was caught up.

584
00:30:43,479 --> 00:30:48,607
She's ahead of me. You could even come up here and finish this).

585
00:30:49,017 --> 00:30:51,671
70 countries, which is pretty impressive

586
00:30:51,771 --> 00:30:56,096
and we're going to hear some more talk

587
00:30:56,196 --> 00:30:59,642
about how exciting that is when we actually do global events

588
00:30:59,742 --> 00:31:01,900
and the part that plays

589
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,203
when Shar is telling us about our screening events coming up.

590
00:31:06,804 --> 00:31:08,459
And

591
00:31:10,730 --> 00:31:12,591
basically

592
00:31:12,691 --> 00:31:18,176
the components of the structure are in teams.

593
00:31:18,276 --> 00:31:22,205
We have global teams and we have regional teams

594
00:31:22,305 --> 00:31:26,102
and the global teams are where people can utilize their talents

595
00:31:26,202 --> 00:31:28,000
whatever various talents they have

596
00:31:28,100 --> 00:31:30,451
to plug in and help us with awareness activism

597
00:31:30,551 --> 00:31:32,051
and the teams are:

598
00:31:32,151 --> 00:31:34,070
The Linguistics Team

599
00:31:34,170 --> 00:31:37,633
They do translations into all sorts of different languages

600
00:31:37,733 --> 00:31:40,255
so the information that is created

601
00:31:40,355 --> 00:31:45,647
is translated and used in 70 countries.

602
00:31:45,747 --> 00:31:48,782
Also they do proofreading:

603
00:31:48,882 --> 00:31:51,000
We have people that just go through

604
00:31:51,100 --> 00:31:54,760
and proofread a lot of the things before they're going out

605
00:31:54,860 --> 00:31:56,900
and especially when you're doing translations

606
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,000
proofreading is important.

607
00:31:59,197 --> 00:32:02,569
We have a Developers Team, and that's development

608
00:32:02,669 --> 00:32:07,284
in the sense of mostly website development right now

609
00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:12,310
and they're working on web and communication platforms.

610
00:32:14,757 --> 00:32:18,378
We have a News and Public Relations Team.

611
00:32:18,478 --> 00:32:21,470
We have that team that does a newsletter

612
00:32:21,570 --> 00:32:23,723
that was by-monthly for a while.

613
00:32:23,823 --> 00:32:26,129
I don't know when but

614
00:32:26,229 --> 00:32:30,258
I think we're getting ready to release a new one coming up.

615
00:32:30,536 --> 00:32:32,836
We also have a Technology Team

616
00:32:32,936 --> 00:32:34,978
and one of the things that they're known for

617
00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:40,400
is the creation of a website called zeitnews.org

618
00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:42,289
which is a good place to go

619
00:32:42,389 --> 00:32:44,309
if you're looking for information

620
00:32:44,409 --> 00:32:50,318
on how technology is coming up

621
00:32:50,418 --> 00:32:53,568
with so many different breakthroughs

622
00:32:53,861 --> 00:32:57,928
that could be used in a global Resource-Based Economy

623
00:32:58,028 --> 00:33:00,067
for those people who are just thinking

624
00:33:00,167 --> 00:33:02,523
"No, I don't really think we could really do that.

625
00:33:02,623 --> 00:33:04,164
It's not quite feasible."

626
00:33:04,264 --> 00:33:06,900
There are things that could blow you away

627
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,900
that you can uncover on this website

628
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,000
of developments that we have now

629
00:33:13,128 --> 00:33:16,485
even in a monetary system, that just need to be used

630
00:33:16,585 --> 00:33:18,126
in a global sense

631
00:33:18,226 --> 00:33:23,325
and for the benefit of basic human needs.

632
00:33:23,530 --> 00:33:27,900
We have a Media Project Team

633
00:33:28,321 --> 00:33:34,314
and they have a website: zeitgeistmediaproject.com

634
00:33:34,414 --> 00:33:38,624
where a lot of people create artistic materials

635
00:33:38,724 --> 00:33:41,393
or flyers and brochures

636
00:33:41,493 --> 00:33:43,122
and they even do videos.

637
00:33:43,222 --> 00:33:47,456
They can upload them to the Zeitgeist Media Project website

638
00:33:47,602 --> 00:33:51,309
and they can be picked up for use all over the world

639
00:33:51,409 --> 00:33:54,345
and that's really exciting. Something that you might create

640
00:33:54,445 --> 00:33:58,989
could be used by people all over to help further

641
00:33:59,089 --> 00:34:04,129
the education of new people to these ideas.

642
00:34:04,759 --> 00:34:07,900
Then we have regional teams

643
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:13,400
which are basically the Chapters Team.

644
00:34:13,726 --> 00:34:15,252
It is a team

645
00:34:15,352 --> 00:34:20,817
but it is quite a bit of the expansiveness of The Movement

646
00:34:20,964 --> 00:34:25,549
of actually getting into your community

647
00:34:25,974 --> 00:34:29,156
and interacting with people

648
00:34:29,256 --> 00:34:31,600
on a local level about these ideas

649
00:34:31,700 --> 00:34:36,900
and being connected to the global sense, the global teams

650
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,465
and part of the global communication structure.

651
00:34:40,684 --> 00:34:42,489
The Chapters Team

652
00:34:42,589 --> 00:34:46,900
is sort of the circulatory system of The Movement

653
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,628
in the flow of information.

654
00:34:48,728 --> 00:34:51,470
It's where people are getting together to volunteer.

655
00:34:51,570 --> 00:34:54,618
They're exchanging ideas, they're having meetings

656
00:34:54,735 --> 00:34:56,276
and getting all on the same page

657
00:34:56,376 --> 00:34:58,603
so that we know what's happening globally.

658
00:34:58,703 --> 00:35:00,261
When we're having global events

659
00:35:00,361 --> 00:35:02,415
we can do events all on the same day

660
00:35:02,515 --> 00:35:04,114
and know that they're being done

661
00:35:04,214 --> 00:35:06,265
in so many other countries at the same time

662
00:35:06,365 --> 00:35:08,400
and feel a part of something really big

663
00:35:08,500 --> 00:35:10,206
and getting bigger all the time.

664
00:35:10,306 --> 00:35:11,806
So with that

665
00:35:11,906 --> 00:35:17,313
I would like to... I want to show you one thing that...

666
00:35:20,023 --> 00:35:22,634
This is an image that is what I think of

667
00:35:22,734 --> 00:35:25,667
when I think of the chapters' structure

668
00:35:25,869 --> 00:35:31,830
and basically it's sort of a communication network that branches out

669
00:35:31,930 --> 00:35:33,839
like the branches of a tree.

670
00:35:33,939 --> 00:35:37,095
We're all rooted in the same values

671
00:35:37,195 --> 00:35:41,417
and people who support these ideas

672
00:35:41,517 --> 00:35:45,768
have volunteered to be a part of this structure

673
00:35:45,868 --> 00:35:48,886
to be a part of our efforts of activism

674
00:35:48,986 --> 00:35:53,297
and connect in the structure

675
00:35:53,397 --> 00:35:55,980
with other activists

676
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,400
to educate their communities.

677
00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:01,000
We're all connected

678
00:36:01,100 --> 00:36:06,000
in the sense of being on online platforms

679
00:36:06,100 --> 00:36:08,756
and having local interactions.

680
00:36:08,856 --> 00:36:13,225
I'm going to introduce, in a moment, Jason Lord

681
00:36:13,325 --> 00:36:15,642
of the California Chapter

682
00:36:15,742 --> 00:36:18,866
who is going to continue with the discussion

683
00:36:18,966 --> 00:36:22,400
on what exactly a chapter is

684
00:36:22,570 --> 00:36:25,283
that would be a part of this tree

685
00:36:25,383 --> 00:36:28,152
part of this living, breathing entity

686
00:36:28,252 --> 00:36:31,961
and give you a little bit of background on what that's about

687
00:36:32,061 --> 00:36:34,689
and hopefully encourage you to get involved

688
00:36:34,789 --> 00:36:37,268
with a local chapter, especially the Los Angeles Chapter

689
00:36:37,368 --> 00:36:38,868
if this is your area.

690
00:36:38,968 --> 00:36:41,575
If you've traveled in, thanks for doing that.

691
00:36:41,675 --> 00:36:43,539
There may be a chapter in your area

692
00:36:43,639 --> 00:36:46,689
and we can get you connected with who may be close to you

693
00:36:46,789 --> 00:36:48,900
so you can be involved in that.

694
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,000
Without further ado, Jason Lord.

695
00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:55,008
[Applause]

696
00:36:57,030 --> 00:37:01,030
[Jason Lord - California Coordinator]

697
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,252
I guess we're all sitting this evening. I need notes

698
00:37:05,352 --> 00:37:07,227
so I wrote it down.

699
00:37:07,374 --> 00:37:09,486
I don't know if she remembered to introduce herself

700
00:37:09,586 --> 00:37:12,780
that was Jennifer Wilding. She's the coordinator of the United States

701
00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:14,380
for The Zeitgeist Movement.

702
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:18,597
She helps pull this all together on a national level.

703
00:37:18,697 --> 00:37:20,777
I just wanted to make sure people had a reference

704
00:37:20,877 --> 00:37:22,377
of who was just speaking to you.

705
00:37:22,477 --> 00:37:26,900
Hi, my name is Jason. I volunteer to coordinate The Movement

706
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,900
at what we refer to as a state level. I'm a state coordinator

707
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,024
and there are multiples of me all over the place.

708
00:37:35,124 --> 00:37:36,826
If you travel across the country

709
00:37:36,926 --> 00:37:41,470
more than likely there's a Movement chapter in that area.

710
00:37:41,570 --> 00:37:44,356
I just wanted to give people a sense of how we're organized

711
00:37:44,456 --> 00:37:46,669
and how this all comes together.

712
00:37:46,769 --> 00:37:50,818
I'm just going to dive right into some notes I wrote down quickly.

713
00:37:50,918 --> 00:37:55,565
We use the term official chapters, and there's a reason for that.

714
00:37:55,665 --> 00:37:59,000
Official chapters are recognized as self-motivated groups

715
00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:02,509
of individuals that advocate and support The Zeitgeist Movement

716
00:38:02,609 --> 00:38:05,235
and the solutions proposed in our materials.

717
00:38:05,335 --> 00:38:08,177
The chapter structure consists of international

718
00:38:08,277 --> 00:38:13,000
national, state and local chapters (Los Angeles is a local chapter).

719
00:38:13,525 --> 00:38:16,985
Our structure is a communications network which is worldwide.

720
00:38:17,085 --> 00:38:20,501
Each new chapter that pops up in a specific region

721
00:38:20,601 --> 00:38:23,000
gives people a place to go

722
00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:25,788
to engage in these ideas.

723
00:38:25,888 --> 00:38:29,087
At the moment, The Movement's focus is on awareness activism

724
00:38:29,187 --> 00:38:31,795
of not only The Movement's presence in the world

725
00:38:31,895 --> 00:38:34,801
but also of the root causes to persistent social problems

726
00:38:34,901 --> 00:38:36,401
and a sustainable solution

727
00:38:36,501 --> 00:38:39,768
which can be briefly named a Resource-Based Economic Model.

728
00:38:39,868 --> 00:38:45,245
The chapters themselves are focused on on-the-ground awareness

729
00:38:45,391 --> 00:38:48,749
projects and social interactions in regards to this direction.

730
00:38:48,849 --> 00:38:52,366
This event is an example of that in action.

731
00:38:52,497 --> 00:38:55,208
Our greatest challenge isn't the technical application

732
00:38:55,308 --> 00:38:57,144
of the solutions that exist

733
00:38:57,244 --> 00:38:59,782
to create an access abundance for the world's population.

734
00:38:59,882 --> 00:39:02,000
It is the value systems which are perpetuated

735
00:39:02,100 --> 00:39:03,957
by established institutions

736
00:39:04,057 --> 00:39:06,228
that comprise a large part of our society

737
00:39:06,328 --> 00:39:09,900
namely the monetary, political, and religious establishments.

738
00:39:10,055 --> 00:39:12,105
The hardened value systems that are created

739
00:39:12,205 --> 00:39:14,284
are the most difficult for us to address.

740
00:39:14,384 --> 00:39:15,943
Someone I admire stated to me once

741
00:39:16,043 --> 00:39:18,062
"The truth isn't something that is told to you.

742
00:39:18,162 --> 00:39:20,042
It is something you realize

743
00:39:20,142 --> 00:39:22,579
through taking in new information."

744
00:39:22,679 --> 00:39:26,196
The purpose of the chapters is to be holographic, as a network

745
00:39:26,342 --> 00:39:28,900
and in on-the-ground and in-person presence

746
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,458
which takes on the task of engaging the public

747
00:39:31,558 --> 00:39:35,400
inputting new information into the current value system

748
00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:37,512
communicating with people as best we can

749
00:39:37,612 --> 00:39:40,117
so that the possibility of a sustainable world can exist

750
00:39:40,217 --> 00:39:43,853
beyond the ultimate decay of an over-consumption model

751
00:39:43,953 --> 00:39:46,136
such as we have right now.

752
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,759
As noted before, our structure is holographic

753
00:39:48,859 --> 00:39:52,336
in the sense that each chapter contains the same information

754
00:39:52,436 --> 00:39:54,490
and the purpose of The Movement itself

755
00:39:54,590 --> 00:39:57,400
engaging in awareness activism in their region.

756
00:39:57,500 --> 00:39:59,559
Having organized in this way helps keep

757
00:39:59,659 --> 00:40:03,176
the internal noise of conflict and opinion to a minimum.

758
00:40:03,278 --> 00:40:06,475
We have chapters which are comprised of volunteers. We're all volunteers

759
00:40:06,575 --> 00:40:08,714
who desire to forward The Movement's direction.

760
00:40:08,814 --> 00:40:10,838
Projects and events that are accomplished

761
00:40:10,938 --> 00:40:14,457
by members that show merit to The Movement itself

762
00:40:14,633 --> 00:40:17,932
and success in the communication of these ideas to new people

763
00:40:18,032 --> 00:40:21,000
tend to get picked up by other chapters as we go around the world.

764
00:40:21,100 --> 00:40:23,790
The usefulness of feedback becomes self-evident

765
00:40:23,890 --> 00:40:25,899
and ultimately is brought to the attention

766
00:40:25,999 --> 00:40:28,027
of the global and national coordinators and then

767
00:40:28,127 --> 00:40:30,766
the whole feedback-loop of communication is flowing both ways

768
00:40:30,866 --> 00:40:35,291
so we can all stay in touch and move together.

769
00:40:35,409 --> 00:40:37,900
I introduced myself as the California coordinator

770
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,317
and the term coordinator is a descriptive title

771
00:40:40,434 --> 00:40:44,258
of what actions one is doing within The Movement's chapter structure.

772
00:40:44,624 --> 00:40:48,187
Coordinators as well as all TZM members, again we're all volunteers.

773
00:40:48,287 --> 00:40:52,758
Our time and efforts are purposed by the necessity of transitioning

774
00:40:52,858 --> 00:40:55,000
out of the current monetary market paradigm

775
00:40:55,100 --> 00:40:58,865
into a sustainable resource-based model.

776
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:04,843
Our meetings consist mainly for planning of activism events

777
00:41:05,019 --> 00:41:07,102
for feedback, for a completed project

778
00:41:07,202 --> 00:41:09,944
as well as being a communications portal

779
00:41:10,044 --> 00:41:13,798
for the movement-wide efforts that are happening around the world.

780
00:41:13,898 --> 00:41:15,524
We've done some global events

781
00:41:15,624 --> 00:41:19,277
which you're going to hear about in a second from Sharleen.

782
00:41:19,377 --> 00:41:22,710
We learn effectiveness of our activism by experience

783
00:41:22,810 --> 00:41:26,102
and we work with the resources available

784
00:41:26,202 --> 00:41:28,598
within our chapter regardless of its size.

785
00:41:28,698 --> 00:41:30,517
Everyone goes through a growing process:

786
00:41:30,617 --> 00:41:32,786
We started out with a couple of people in a coffee shop.

787
00:41:32,886 --> 00:41:35,656
Then, we moved to four people in someone's house

788
00:41:35,756 --> 00:41:37,794
and then for our first global event

789
00:41:37,894 --> 00:41:41,003
I had people come over to my house to watch Zeitgeist:Addendum

790
00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:45,254
and now it has blossomed into a group of about 400 people

791
00:41:45,354 --> 00:41:48,665
that are interested in this Movement, in the direction that we advocate.

792
00:41:48,765 --> 00:41:51,706
Now these events can be a little bit larger

793
00:41:51,806 --> 00:41:53,825
and reach out to more people at one time.

794
00:41:53,925 --> 00:41:56,636
There's an efficiency in doing that.

795
00:41:57,500 --> 00:42:00,811
On a fun note

796
00:42:00,973 --> 00:42:03,771
social aspects are certainly part of what we do.

797
00:42:03,871 --> 00:42:07,378
This is a social movement but our focus is on engaging social values

798
00:42:07,478 --> 00:42:10,423
via public awareness campaigns

799
00:42:10,555 --> 00:42:13,356
which is a race against time

800
00:42:13,456 --> 00:42:16,395
in regards to the mounting bio-social pressures

801
00:42:16,495 --> 00:42:18,906
forming in the human experience that we call civilization.

802
00:42:19,006 --> 00:42:21,012
You could see some of those that Peter addressed

803
00:42:21,112 --> 00:42:23,211
at the end of his lecture with the debt collapse

804
00:42:23,311 --> 00:42:25,710
energy collapse, and the like.

805
00:42:27,649 --> 00:42:30,483
These pressures can show up (I've made some notes for this too)

806
00:42:30,583 --> 00:42:33,413
as physical, which would be a resource depletion example.

807
00:42:33,513 --> 00:42:36,505
They could be abstract pressures, like monetary inflation.

808
00:42:36,605 --> 00:42:40,871
They could be physiological pressures, such as stress on individuals or

809
00:42:40,971 --> 00:42:44,431
environmental pressures, which is ecological degradation.

810
00:42:44,531 --> 00:42:50,274
(We're polluting the environment at an enormously fast rate.)

811
00:42:51,315 --> 00:42:53,808
This also shows up as the ultimate human failing

812
00:42:53,908 --> 00:42:56,000
which is warfare with other nations.

813
00:42:56,164 --> 00:42:58,921
These pressures, along with many others can be referenced

814
00:42:59,021 --> 00:43:03,258
in a recently published book from the UK called 'The Spirit Level'

815
00:43:03,358 --> 00:43:06,000
and I can let anyone know how to find that afterwards.

816
00:43:06,933 --> 00:43:09,482
We use the designation as an official chapter.

817
00:43:09,582 --> 00:43:11,170
There's a reason for that:

818
00:43:11,270 --> 00:43:13,910
The event that you're at now has been put on

819
00:43:14,010 --> 00:43:20,000
by what we acknowledge as Los Angeles' Official Chapter, Official Group.

820
00:43:20,486 --> 00:43:23,000
Just to note, it's not necessary to really maintain the status.

821
00:43:23,100 --> 00:43:25,631
There are a lot of people that get into this that don't have the time

822
00:43:25,731 --> 00:43:31,459
don't have... really they have other causes they wish to address.

823
00:43:31,559 --> 00:43:33,616
They may want to fight something single-focused

824
00:43:33,716 --> 00:43:37,909
like pollution in the oceans or the homeless specifically

825
00:43:38,009 --> 00:43:39,752
as a single focus.

826
00:43:40,016 --> 00:43:41,525
While these things may tie into

827
00:43:41,625 --> 00:43:43,696
what we advocate as The Zeitgeist Movement

828
00:43:43,796 --> 00:43:46,111
they are not what we are about on the whole

829
00:43:46,211 --> 00:43:50,345
because we're trying to address the social issues on a global scale.

830
00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:54,975
Finally, to wrap things up

831
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:01,000
(I think that's it for me actually), I just wanted to lay that out

832
00:44:01,100 --> 00:44:04,237
so people had an understanding of how we organize

833
00:44:04,337 --> 00:44:06,344
what a chapter is and what we're doing.

834
00:44:06,444 --> 00:44:10,754
This event is an example of the Los Angeles Chapter in action

835
00:44:10,854 --> 00:44:12,862
so thanks for coming.

836
00:44:13,163 --> 00:44:17,819
I think we're going to move on to having Eva and Brandon

837
00:44:17,919 --> 00:44:21,306
who are the coordinators for the Los Angeles Chapter

838
00:44:21,406 --> 00:44:24,148
(again all these terms and names in place).

839
00:44:24,248 --> 00:44:26,000
There's a structure here, so people

840
00:44:26,100 --> 00:44:29,909
they are involved in the in-person, in-face, on-the-ground engaging

841
00:44:30,009 --> 00:44:31,855
of the public, of people like yourselves

842
00:44:31,955 --> 00:44:33,967
and trying to get this information out there

843
00:44:34,067 --> 00:44:35,866
in as fastest time as possible so

844
00:44:36,006 --> 00:44:38,085
I'd like to introduce them.

845
00:44:38,973 --> 00:44:41,010
[Applause]

846
00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:49,053
[Eva Omori - Los Angeles Coordinator]

847
00:45:01,199 --> 00:45:03,000
Hi, good evening, my name is Eva

848
00:45:03,100 --> 00:45:06,535
and I am the Los Angeles coordinator along with Brandon, here tonight

849
00:45:06,635 --> 00:45:09,931
and again thank you from the LA Chapter as well.

850
00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:13,816
I had a series of notes of things I wanted to talk about

851
00:45:13,916 --> 00:45:17,465
and most of it's been covered very thoroughly

852
00:45:17,565 --> 00:45:20,700
so you'll hear the words such as efficiency, root cause

853
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:22,461
things such as this.

854
00:45:22,561 --> 00:45:25,948
Let me talk a little bit about my experience

855
00:45:26,048 --> 00:45:28,776
as someone being introduced initially a couple of years ago

856
00:45:28,876 --> 00:45:30,695
through a friend, through a DVD

857
00:45:30,795 --> 00:45:33,124
and then finding myself a year later

858
00:45:33,224 --> 00:45:35,879
coordinating the Los Angeles Chapter.

859
00:45:36,099 --> 00:45:39,893
What the Chapter really is at this level, as a local chapter

860
00:45:39,993 --> 00:45:41,725
is where we get an opportunity

861
00:45:41,825 --> 00:45:44,712
to actually put into action the goals and tenets

862
00:45:44,812 --> 00:45:46,831
and the ideas that have been presented.

863
00:45:46,931 --> 00:45:49,493
Now that's kind of a big stretch because everyone shows up

864
00:45:49,593 --> 00:45:52,156
with their own idea of what that's supposed to look like

865
00:45:52,256 --> 00:45:53,756
so as a coordinator, what we do

866
00:45:53,856 --> 00:45:55,690
is we facilitate those ideas

867
00:45:55,790 --> 00:45:57,806
showing up at the table: your idea, your project

868
00:45:57,906 --> 00:45:59,924
and seeing how far we can go with it.

869
00:46:00,024 --> 00:46:03,083
We've had projects such as the Z-Day which is a global project

870
00:46:03,183 --> 00:46:05,360
that we had at the Convention Center recently.

871
00:46:05,460 --> 00:46:07,900
We assisted with Zeitgeist: Moving Forward

872
00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:10,119
as far as that being a global release.

873
00:46:10,219 --> 00:46:14,676
We're pretty much up to whatever anybody shows up with

874
00:46:14,852 --> 00:46:17,110
but there's a certain amount of personal education

875
00:46:17,210 --> 00:46:18,751
that goes along with this.

876
00:46:18,851 --> 00:46:20,524
I've heard quite often

877
00:46:20,624 --> 00:46:22,453
"It was like all the pieces were there

878
00:46:22,553 --> 00:46:25,078
and when I saw the movie someone put it together for me."

879
00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:29,510
That application of putting that together, that learning, never stops

880
00:46:29,610 --> 00:46:31,729
and that's one of the things when you become

881
00:46:31,829 --> 00:46:34,088
or when I became active in The Movement

882
00:46:34,188 --> 00:46:36,770
I had the ability to further.

883
00:46:36,887 --> 00:46:39,410
What I'm saying is: These are ideas that are presented

884
00:46:39,510 --> 00:46:41,224
and you may with agree some, all...

885
00:46:41,324 --> 00:46:43,554
I had some I put on the back shelf and waited

886
00:46:43,654 --> 00:46:46,689
until I had a better understanding of the terminology and uses

887
00:46:46,792 --> 00:46:50,105
and really, actually just looked at the world around me

888
00:46:50,205 --> 00:46:53,534
to see if maybe that is a correct interpretation.

889
00:46:53,634 --> 00:46:55,993
Maybe I need to just shift and look.

890
00:46:56,124 --> 00:46:59,480
We're not here to try to convert or convince.

891
00:46:59,580 --> 00:47:02,632
We're presenting information that gives you a better tool

892
00:47:02,732 --> 00:47:05,062
to look at the world as it is.

893
00:47:05,238 --> 00:47:07,640
OK, what does that mean 'as it is' ?

894
00:47:07,787 --> 00:47:10,148
That's something that you yourself have to determine

895
00:47:10,248 --> 00:47:12,624
and that is one of the things that I highly value:

896
00:47:12,724 --> 00:47:15,423
your individual ability as well as mine

897
00:47:15,523 --> 00:47:19,552
and to come to an agreement and actually take action on this.

898
00:47:19,713 --> 00:47:22,133
To me that is what we do.

899
00:47:22,233 --> 00:47:25,415
We've had many opportunities, Brandon and I, out on the streets.

900
00:47:25,515 --> 00:47:28,400
Brandon is one of those who'll go up to complete strangers

901
00:47:28,500 --> 00:47:30,543
and just start a conversation about The Movement.

902
00:47:30,643 --> 00:47:33,180
I'm one of those people that goes up "How's your day going?"

903
00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:36,000
standing in the grocery line, there's fifty of us, right, one cashier.

904
00:47:36,100 --> 00:47:37,634
You get kind of tired of this

905
00:47:37,734 --> 00:47:40,000
and I kind of work my way into that conversation.

906
00:47:40,210 --> 00:47:41,913
So this is a great place to start.

907
00:47:42,013 --> 00:47:44,374
It's because it is local. We're in your neighborhood

908
00:47:44,474 --> 00:47:47,232
and if we're not, we'll come and visit you and we'll assist.

909
00:47:47,332 --> 00:47:49,351
That's part of what we do at a local chapter.

910
00:47:49,451 --> 00:47:51,130
That's part of our commitment.

911
00:47:51,230 --> 00:47:53,671
It's a personal commitment that's not everyone's commitment

912
00:47:53,771 --> 00:47:55,781
but how else are we going to get the word out there?

913
00:47:55,881 --> 00:47:57,673
How else are we going to have these discussions?

914
00:47:57,773 --> 00:47:59,588
How else are we going to flush all this out?

915
00:47:59,688 --> 00:48:01,285
How else are we going to learn this?

916
00:48:01,385 --> 00:48:03,128
Our ideas are bound as well

917
00:48:03,228 --> 00:48:05,924
whether they're workshops or understanding the material

918
00:48:06,024 --> 00:48:07,552
or presenting the material

919
00:48:07,652 --> 00:48:10,028
or understanding fallacies when they're presented.

920
00:48:10,128 --> 00:48:12,710
How do you deal with someone when they're just up in your face

921
00:48:12,810 --> 00:48:17,146
and won't listen to anything you have to say?

922
00:48:17,308 --> 00:48:19,640
All of it's OK. That's a big part of it.

923
00:48:19,740 --> 00:48:23,684
We've been so conditioned to think that things aren't OK with us

924
00:48:23,784 --> 00:48:26,086
and there must be something I'm doing wrong.

925
00:48:26,186 --> 00:48:29,720
This is an opportunity to step back, relax

926
00:48:29,820 --> 00:48:31,938
take a look at the world in a different viewpoint.

927
00:48:32,038 --> 00:48:35,082
Take your time with it. Engage with like-minded people.

928
00:48:35,182 --> 00:48:38,965
[You] have an opportunity to redesign your life

929
00:48:39,065 --> 00:48:40,899
and with it, the world.

930
00:48:40,999 --> 00:48:44,237
The whole humor aspect of changing the world

931
00:48:44,735 --> 00:48:46,610
to me isn't humorous any longer.

932
00:48:46,710 --> 00:48:48,911
It seemed at some distant point "Yeah, OK

933
00:48:49,011 --> 00:48:51,958
one person changing the world."  That's not how it's going to work.

934
00:48:52,090 --> 00:48:54,962
What it is, is one person willing to look at things differently

935
00:48:55,062 --> 00:48:56,562
willing to change their mind

936
00:48:56,662 --> 00:48:58,510
willing to look at things a little bit differently.

937
00:48:58,610 --> 00:49:01,115
It is a step-by-step process.

938
00:49:01,247 --> 00:49:03,000
Now this step-by-step process

939
00:49:03,100 --> 00:49:05,247
I'm going to let Brandon talk about a little more

940
00:49:05,347 --> 00:49:06,847
in the most literal sense

941
00:49:06,947 --> 00:49:09,935
of what we physically are doing out in the real world.

942
00:49:10,053 --> 00:49:11,553
Brandon

943
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:14,000
[Applause]

944
00:49:14,580 --> 00:49:17,964
[Brandon Kristy - Los Angeles Coordinator]

945
00:49:18,580 --> 00:49:22,289
Hey everyone, good evening. My name is Brandon Kristy.

946
00:49:22,389 --> 00:49:25,832
I coordinate the LA chapter with Eva

947
00:49:26,081 --> 00:49:29,834
and I'm going to do a quick run down of what the activism is like

948
00:49:29,934 --> 00:49:33,539
for the Los Angeles Chapter, and in The Movement in general.

949
00:49:33,700 --> 00:49:37,421
Our main purpose with the activism is to

950
00:49:37,685 --> 00:49:39,780
engage the public in the ideas

951
00:49:39,880 --> 00:49:44,293
the concepts that Peter laid out and Jason and Jen.

952
00:49:44,820 --> 00:49:47,428
It's the logic and the reasoning behind

953
00:49:47,528 --> 00:49:49,907
that lies at the core of our communications

954
00:49:50,007 --> 00:49:53,658
which is sustainability and peaceful coexistence

955
00:49:53,758 --> 00:49:56,647
and the world working together as a whole

956
00:49:56,747 --> 00:49:59,841
to benefit the integrity of the whole

957
00:49:59,941 --> 00:50:03,735
and adapting and being emergent to the best way

958
00:50:03,835 --> 00:50:06,801
the best methods of what we know of

959
00:50:06,901 --> 00:50:08,980
and hopefully these concepts

960
00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:11,693
become a major part of the culture.

961
00:50:11,793 --> 00:50:16,438
That's really, at the end of the day, what the activism is about.

962
00:50:16,570 --> 00:50:19,869
This picture up here is... we do a lot of different things...

963
00:50:19,969 --> 00:50:22,885
This is a picture of us at UCLA

964
00:50:23,060 --> 00:50:25,903
and one of our main things is to have discussions.

965
00:50:26,005 --> 00:50:28,865
We hand out materials, obviously information.

966
00:50:28,965 --> 00:50:32,400
We're an educational movement. I'm sure you've heard that before.

967
00:50:32,500 --> 00:50:34,000
We're really focused on awareness

968
00:50:34,100 --> 00:50:36,220
so we talk about things with people.

969
00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:39,370
That's one of the main things we do: discuss

970
00:50:39,470 --> 00:50:42,854
and, at the very least, get people thinking in that direction.

971
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,831
The idea here is that a critical mass

972
00:50:45,931 --> 00:50:49,000
or a massive movement worldwide will take to this

973
00:50:49,100 --> 00:50:52,000
and a lot can happen at that point

974
00:50:52,217 --> 00:50:54,253
when we get

975
00:50:54,868 --> 00:51:00,846
a massive, dedicated, committed, determined movement behind us.

976
00:51:01,500 --> 00:51:03,178
This is just one picture here.

977
00:51:03,278 --> 00:51:05,461
We do banner activism.

978
00:51:05,561 --> 00:51:07,794
I coordinate 'The Banner Project'.

979
00:51:07,894 --> 00:51:11,149
I see some faces here in the audience that have done that.

980
00:51:11,249 --> 00:51:14,891
We go over freeway bridges. We display these massive banners.

981
00:51:14,991 --> 00:51:16,900
(Actually you can see one right over there.)

982
00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:20,434
We display them over freeway bridges. Hundreds of people see those

983
00:51:20,534 --> 00:51:23,395
when they drive underneath the freeway bridge.

984
00:51:23,495 --> 00:51:25,226
We go to busy intersections

985
00:51:25,326 --> 00:51:28,900
because sometimes we get kicked off the freeway bridges.

986
00:51:29,343 --> 00:51:32,217
We, you know, busy intersections...

987
00:51:32,317 --> 00:51:34,207
we go to...

988
00:51:34,456 --> 00:51:35,956
so also

989
00:51:36,056 --> 00:51:41,138
in a California-statewide coordinated effort and

990
00:51:41,240 --> 00:51:45,000
because a lot of the chapters in California actually have banners

991
00:51:45,100 --> 00:51:49,840
we all go out on the same day and just display them.

992
00:51:50,013 --> 00:51:51,513
It's building

993
00:51:51,613 --> 00:51:54,000
where more chapters start to do it

994
00:51:54,100 --> 00:51:57,400
and it makes more of an impact, more of a message out there.

995
00:51:57,500 --> 00:52:00,244
The banner project is always fun to get out there

996
00:52:00,344 --> 00:52:02,927
and talk to people

997
00:52:03,027 --> 00:52:05,183
because it sparks discussion. It sparks conversation

998
00:52:05,283 --> 00:52:09,869
and people, when they see it, eventually look into it.

999
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,787
So the colleges here...

1000
00:52:12,887 --> 00:52:16,000
We're trying to get into the colleges, speak and attend events.

1001
00:52:16,110 --> 00:52:18,162
Speaking of events

1002
00:52:18,262 --> 00:52:21,209
we also do sustainability events

1003
00:52:21,561 --> 00:52:24,696
about green festivals and energy.

1004
00:52:24,828 --> 00:52:26,574
We're trying to be everywhere

1005
00:52:26,674 --> 00:52:29,885
because this movement touches every subject out there.

1006
00:52:29,985 --> 00:52:32,520
There's nothing that it doesn't relate to.

1007
00:52:32,637 --> 00:52:35,160
We're trying to be everywhere.

1008
00:52:35,260 --> 00:52:40,461
We're going to be at the Abbot Kinney Festival in September

1009
00:52:40,578 --> 00:52:46,000
and we... Am I leaving anything out as far as events?

1010
00:52:46,204 --> 00:52:49,254
We do screenings. This is an event right here

1011
00:52:49,354 --> 00:52:51,056
and just to show you

1012
00:52:51,156 --> 00:52:54,162
to describe what it's like to put on an event:

1013
00:52:54,262 --> 00:52:57,518
booking the event, it's committing to a date

1014
00:52:57,618 --> 00:53:01,327
it's getting the team together, it's getting an RSVP function

1015
00:53:01,427 --> 00:53:04,609
it's promoting it, it's doing a webcast.

1016
00:53:04,709 --> 00:53:08,023
There's a lot to it and this is all a volunteer movement.

1017
00:53:08,123 --> 00:53:10,191
It just goes to show how much we can actually do

1018
00:53:10,291 --> 00:53:13,900
if we come together and work together as a chapter.

1019
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:16,696
Individual efforts are always fine, are always great:

1020
00:53:17,796 --> 00:53:20,000
sliding a card in somewhere

1021
00:53:20,100 --> 00:53:21,663
a little Zeitgeist business card

1022
00:53:21,763 --> 00:53:24,212
but when you work together with a chapter

1023
00:53:24,312 --> 00:53:27,400
it really just makes more sense.

1024
00:53:27,500 --> 00:53:29,384
It can make more of an impact

1025
00:53:29,484 --> 00:53:33,194
and I encourage everybody to get involved in the Los Angeles Chapter

1026
00:53:33,294 --> 00:53:37,076
and work with us to create a massive movement throughout Los Angeles.

1027
00:53:37,176 --> 00:53:38,676
People out in the world

1028
00:53:38,776 --> 00:53:41,662
that are tuning in right now to the webcast

1029
00:53:41,762 --> 00:53:43,916
I encourage you to join a chapter and let's

1030
00:53:44,016 --> 00:53:46,773
create a massive movement.

1031
00:53:46,873 --> 00:53:49,249
Thank you.

1032
00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:53,000
[Applause]

1033
00:53:57,630 --> 00:54:00,152
I just want to add one little thing to this before Shar steps up

1034
00:54:00,252 --> 00:54:02,259
and talks about the global event coordination

1035
00:54:02,359 --> 00:54:03,991
that she's been very active in

1036
00:54:04,091 --> 00:54:07,390
and that is: Currently, you can go anywhere in the world

1037
00:54:07,490 --> 00:54:09,541
and go to the zeitgeistmovement.com

1038
00:54:09,641 --> 00:54:12,779
and from there, go into your country, go into your state

1039
00:54:12,879 --> 00:54:14,393
and then find these local chapters.

1040
00:54:14,493 --> 00:54:16,974
That's why typically I don't talk about the LA Chapter.

1041
00:54:17,074 --> 00:54:18,901
We have URLs. We have all that good stuff.

1042
00:54:19,018 --> 00:54:20,518
We have websites and stuff like that

1043
00:54:20,618 --> 00:54:23,323
but always look for the zeitgeistmovement.com

1044
00:54:23,423 --> 00:54:25,221
and you can find us.

1045
00:54:25,321 --> 00:54:26,893
Shar

1046
00:54:27,481 --> 00:54:29,376
[Applause]

1047
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:33,000
[Sharleen Bazeghi- Event Coordinator]

1048
00:54:33,975 --> 00:54:36,828
Hi, welcome everyone and happy first day of summer

1049
00:54:36,928 --> 00:54:42,012
and for our global audience, happy winter solstice!

1050
00:54:44,537 --> 00:54:46,759
You've just heard about The Zeitgeist Movement

1051
00:54:46,859 --> 00:54:50,125
the history, the definition, the chapter structure.

1052
00:54:50,225 --> 00:54:53,036
I'm here to tell you about four events that we've done

1053
00:54:53,136 --> 00:54:54,768
and are doing the rest of this year

1054
00:54:54,868 --> 00:54:58,218
that illustrate how 2011

1055
00:54:58,318 --> 00:55:01,115
is really the year that The Zeitgeist Movement flourished

1056
00:55:01,215 --> 00:55:03,742
as an operational organization

1057
00:55:03,904 --> 00:55:07,724
capable of pulling off, simultaneously coordinated

1058
00:55:07,871 --> 00:55:11,265
international, multi-country, multi-language

1059
00:55:11,941 --> 00:55:14,762
top of the line, state-of-the-art productions.

1060
00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:16,966
[Applause]

1061
00:55:17,363 --> 00:55:19,552
It's no small feat when it's all volunteer.

1062
00:55:19,652 --> 00:55:22,872
It's as Jacque says "The best that money can't buy."

1063
00:55:23,151 --> 00:55:28,650
We skipped off the year January 15th with Peter Joseph's third movie

1064
00:55:28,750 --> 00:55:31,321
featured film 'Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'

1065
00:55:31,453 --> 00:55:37,021
and that was premiered internationally in over 350 locations

1066
00:55:37,139 --> 00:55:40,268
over 60 countries, over 30 languages

1067
00:55:40,371 --> 00:55:45,058
and tens of thousands of people saw the movie during the premiere.

1068
00:55:45,212 --> 00:55:48,426
Hollywood would be impressed. The places we got in

1069
00:55:48,526 --> 00:55:53,315
vary from Singapore, Mongolia, Africa

1070
00:55:53,415 --> 00:55:55,005
We were all over the map.

1071
00:55:55,105 --> 00:55:56,789
Every time zone brought us in

1072
00:55:56,889 --> 00:56:00,341
so that was a huge event and then just two months later

1073
00:56:00,441 --> 00:56:02,751
we went into Z-day which is

1074
00:56:02,851 --> 00:56:07,685
the intellectual and educational event that's done annually.

1075
00:56:07,785 --> 00:56:12,930
That was over 300 events worldwide, multi-language, multi-country.

1076
00:56:13,030 --> 00:56:16,762
Then just a few months later we're kicking off with you all tonight

1077
00:56:16,910 --> 00:56:19,703
the monthly, global Townhall meetings.

1078
00:56:19,803 --> 00:56:23,906
Thank you for being part of our kick-off tonight.

1079
00:56:24,567 --> 00:56:26,067
[Applause]

1080
00:56:28,091 --> 00:56:31,792
Then finally we're kicking off another new event in September.

1081
00:56:31,892 --> 00:56:36,071
It's globally the weekend of September 9-11

1082
00:56:36,171 --> 00:56:39,392
and that's the The Zeitgeist Media Festival

1083
00:56:39,492 --> 00:56:42,469
which is a different way to approach the public

1084
00:56:42,569 --> 00:56:47,575
through the arts, music, dance, by-passing the intellectual

1085
00:56:47,693 --> 00:56:49,193
and going on the creative level

1086
00:56:49,293 --> 00:56:51,383
(socially-conscious art, music and dance)

1087
00:56:51,483 --> 00:56:57,434
but that will be at the Music Box in LA, Sunday September 11

1088
00:56:58,536 --> 00:57:01,107
(worldwide throughout the whole weekend)

1089
00:57:01,207 --> 00:57:04,384
You can find out information about the bands and performers

1090
00:57:04,484 --> 00:57:08,836
on ZeitgeistMediaFestival.org.

1091
00:57:09,863 --> 00:57:13,767
I just want to say that I'm very honored and privileged

1092
00:57:13,870 --> 00:57:17,049
to be part of helping coordinate these global events.

1093
00:57:17,149 --> 00:57:19,549
To see The Movement be able to pull off

1094
00:57:19,649 --> 00:57:23,117
these kind of productions worldwide is astonishing

1095
00:57:23,217 --> 00:57:25,838
because I've worked on other productions in the entertainment business

1096
00:57:25,938 --> 00:57:29,729
and there's something about the passion of volunteers doing it.

1097
00:57:29,829 --> 00:57:34,225
These translators alone, they've turned around

1098
00:57:34,988 --> 00:57:39,220
hundreds of pages I think of text from the movie in record time

1099
00:57:39,320 --> 00:57:41,232
over the holidays, like two weeks.

1100
00:57:41,332 --> 00:57:43,451
It's really impressive to see that

1101
00:57:43,551 --> 00:57:46,272
and everyone feels so fulfilled from doing that.

1102
00:57:46,390 --> 00:57:49,158
I just want to end with saying two things that I saw

1103
00:57:49,258 --> 00:57:50,854
'bumper sticker wisdom'

1104
00:57:50,954 --> 00:57:53,604
but could tie into prompting you for questions tonight

1105
00:57:53,704 --> 00:57:56,998
because really what we want is you to ask questions

1106
00:57:57,586 --> 00:57:59,599
to understand that there's alternatives.

1107
00:57:59,699 --> 00:58:02,831
Usually when you tell people there is a way outside of money

1108
00:58:02,931 --> 00:58:04,939
they say "Oh no, we can't live that way.

1109
00:58:05,039 --> 00:58:07,239
We're not going to go back to trading chickens and cows and stuff"

1110
00:58:07,339 --> 00:58:09,428
but that's not what we're talking about

1111
00:58:09,528 --> 00:58:13,236
so please feel prompted to ask, but just two short things.

1112
00:58:13,336 --> 00:58:15,541
These are quotes that I actually heard on Facebook

1113
00:58:15,641 --> 00:58:17,706
which is like the new bumper sticker wisdom

1114
00:58:17,806 --> 00:58:20,594
if you have socially-conscious Facebook friends.

1115
00:58:21,711 --> 00:58:24,638
"Humans are the only species that pay to live on Earth"

1116
00:58:24,753 --> 00:58:28,249
and secondly, "Without money we'd all be rich."

1117
00:58:28,349 --> 00:58:32,848
Just to get you started thinking on these concepts, right? Yeah!

1118
00:58:33,083 --> 00:58:34,699
[Applause]

1119
00:58:34,799 --> 00:58:36,299
So...

1120
00:58:36,448 --> 00:58:40,062
Without any further ado, we'll bring up the panel and get started

1121
00:58:40,162 --> 00:58:43,650
get you guys energized!  Summer Perry can you come up, sweetie?

1122
00:58:43,750 --> 00:58:47,694
She is going to be a roving moderator with a wireless mic

1123
00:58:47,794 --> 00:58:50,612
so just raise your hand and she'll go up to you

1124
00:58:50,712 --> 00:58:53,925
and please feel free to ask any questions. That's why we're really here.

1125
00:58:54,025 --> 00:58:57,328
Please stay tuned for the announcement on next month's

1126
00:58:57,444 --> 00:59:00,544
monthly Townhall. We're hoping each month to increase it

1127
00:59:00,644 --> 00:59:03,512
so we may get to larger and larger spaces.

1128
00:59:03,967 --> 00:59:06,732
Most of them, unless we have a special guest or something

1129
00:59:06,832 --> 00:59:09,741
we'll be mostly just interactive with the public.

1130
00:59:09,841 --> 00:59:12,719
Thank you so much for being here.

1131
00:59:13,415 --> 00:59:17,088
[Audience questions and answers not transcibed]