Skeptic Project

Just seen the below email message pop up in my inbox, I read the first paragraph and ROTFCOPTER'd and knew I had to post it.

Also looks like he is still going to pimp Zeitgeist 1 but still complains about people "blurring the line" between it and the Movement. I'm shocked, I don't know why anyone would do that.

-----------------

PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE CREATOR OF THE “ZEITGEIST FILM SERIES”, PETER
JOSEPH:

RE: THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ASSOCIATION CREATED BETWEEN “ZEITGEIST” AND
THE TUCSON MURDERS.

It has come to my attention that various mainstream news organizations are
beginning to run an association between my 2007 performance piece/film,
“Zeitgeist: The Movie” and the tragic murders conducted by an extremely
troubled young man in Tucson, Arizona. They are also slowly beginning to
bleed the obvious line between my 2007 documentary work, my film series as
a whole and The Zeitgeist Movement, which I am the founder. Frankly, I find
this isolating, growing association tremendously irresponsible on the part
of ABC, NBC and their affiliates - further reflecting the disingenuous
nature of the America Media Establishment today.

It appears to have begun with a comment on NBC news referencing my film
along with other “influential” films as well, such as Richard Kelly's
film “Donnie Darko” and then spreading to ABC News where it singled out
"Zeitgeist: The Movie" and the Series itself, stating:

“Osler pointed to an online documentary series called "Zeitgeist" as a
possible influence on the man.
The series rails on currency-based economics.
"I really think that this 'Zeitgeist' documentary had a profound impact on
Jared's mindset and how he viewed that world that he lives in," Osler
said.”

abcnews.go.com/US/tucson-shooting-friend...ed/story?id=12597092

When we reflect on the history of seemingly random violence or other forms
of highly offensive, irrational, aberrant behavior, we see a common pattern
of reaction from the public and media in their attempt to explain such
extreme acts. Rather than deeply examining the Bio-Psycho-Social nature of
human social development and the vast spectrum of influences that create
and morph each of us in unique and sometimes detrimental ways, they take
the easy way out. The first thing they do is simply ignore all modern
scientific, social understandings of what generates human motivation in
both positive and negative regard, for to do so can only call into question
the social system itself and hence the “zeitgeist” (meaning:
spirit/intellectual climate of the time/culture) at large.

Generally speaking, it is historically accurate to say that the Mainstream
Media simply isn't in the business of challenging the Status Quo. The
limits of debate are firmly set. Virtually all ideas, persons or groups who
have succeeded in changing the world for the better, later to be hailed as
heros in the public mind, started out being condemned by those in the
Mainstream Media who latch on to the dominant world view of the time. Even
Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful, loving, wonder of a man who contributed
more to our social progress than likely any humanitarian in the US history,
was followed by the CIA and publicly humiliated as a “Communist” which
he even had to defend in front of a Congressional Committee. In fact, you
can rest assured that if King were alive in the current paradigm today and
seeking an equal form of justice - he would be given the name:
“Terrorist”.

So, again, rather than taking the scientific view, the Mainstream Media
often seeks out or implies one point of blame and runs with it. After all,
it is much easier, presentable and more simplistic for the public to think
that the troubling reality of seemingly random acts of mass murder is the
result of a “singular influence” and hence the logic goes that if that
one influence is removed, then the world will be back in balance. This
gives the public a false resolve and position of focus in an otherwise
ambiguous, complex world of social and biological influences. And as far as
the scapegoat itself, very often any group, media or dataset that is
counter-culture or even hints at wishing to challenge the status quo, is a
magnet for such blame.

For example, musical groups of a counter-culture nature have been a
favorite scapegoat for acts of murder/violence historically. In 1990, the
rock band Judas Priest was actually taken to court for their “role” in
the self-inflicted gunshot wounds in 1985 of 20-year old James Vance and
18-year old Raymond Belknap in Reno, Nevada. In 2008, the band Slipknot was
publicly tied/blamed to a high-school murder in South Africa. Even the
Beatles song “Helter-skelter” was associated to the murders incited by
Charles Manson. It goes on and on... and, frankly, it's simply pathetic -
avoiding the true nature of the problem - which is the Socio-Economic
Environment itself.

Make no mistake: The Social System is to blame for the rampage of Jared
Loughner – not some famous online documentary which is known as the most
viewed documentary of all time in internet history. Are the other 200
million people who have seen the film also preparing for murder sprees? I
think not.

In my new film: "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward", I feature a prominent Harvard
Criminal Psychologist by the name of Dr. James Gilligan who headed the
Centre for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School for many years.
In his life work of personally engaging the most dangerous, violent
offenders the US system produces, he found some basic trends. The most
common is the social issue of “shame”. Our socio-economic system
inherently breeds social division and there is a natural demeaning of
others generated as a result. It is a scientific fact that mass murderers
and those who many just dismiss as “evil” today, are the product of
years of being shamed, humiliated and demeaned. Their acts of violence is a
reaction from these highly oppressive feelings and the real resolve to such
acts can only come from removing the real source of such emotional hurt.
You will notice that most other countries don't come close to the level of
violence we see in the United States. The US is the capital of violence
with 30-300 times more acts of violence than any other country. We have
produced more serial killers in America than all other countries combined.
Why? You will notice the Mainstream never asks this question.

If anyone would like to understand why more and more people in the modern
world end up like Jared Loughner and why these patterns are only going to
get worse as time goes on in this system, I suggest the book “Violence”
by Harvard Criminal Psychologist Dr. Gilligan.

In conclusion, let it be stated that the Zeitgeist Film Series is about
critical thought regarding various social issues which challenge many
erroneous notions held as fact in the modern culture. It also explicitly
promotes non-violence, human unity and prosperous human development based
on truth and science.

Anyone who wishes to really understand the works can view them for free
online at zeitgeistmovie.com and my new film, which will detail how a new,
humane social system can work, will be in 315 theaters in 60 countries and
in 30 languages starting Jan 15th 2011. www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com

I am also in contact with my legal team and considering legal action
against ABC.

-Peter Joseph

I'm going to have a lucid dream where I shit on Merola's face.

Mindless rant and Shamless plug.
"Anyone who wishes to really understand the works can view them for free
online at zeitgeistmovie.com and my new film, which will detail how a new,
humane social system can work, will be in 315 theaters in 60 countries and
in 30 languages starting Jan 15th 2011. http://www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com"

I heard from a friend back home that Zeitgeist was also mentioned yesterday (today?) morning on NBC's Today Show.

The US is the capital of violence
with 30-300 times more acts of violence than any other country. We have
produced more serial killers in America than all other countries combined.

Even if that's true, it's definitely not per capita (I'm sure some countries in Africa are much, MUCH more blood-soaked per capita), which makes it a completely useless and misleading statistic.

It is a scientific fact that mass murderers
and those who many just dismiss as “evil” today, are the product of
years of being shamed, humiliated and demeaned. Their acts of violence is a
reaction from these highly oppressive feelings and the real resolve to such
acts can only come from removing the real source of such emotional hurt.

[citation needed]

So apparently, crazy people didn't exist before the monetary system (fiat or otherwise) existed. Good to know! Everyone, get in the time machines! Everything was totally fine with the world 10,000 years ago!

He's considering legal action against ABC for this, but it's okay for him to edit clips of 9/11 survivors and many other people out of context to make them say whatever he wants? What a slimedog.

I disagree with the current monetary system..MUST KILL...MUST KILL

Come on, who knows what some crazy chooses to be influenced by. I don't think zeitgeist can really be blamed for this. JD Salinger would agree.

They did get their wish though....they finally got mentioned on the news!

wow I saw this connection between that dude in Arizona and zeitgeist stuff translated into a shit load of languages all of the world.Their screwed not only that most of the articles make the connection between the 2007 film, TZM, and then connect it to the kid. this goes to show you just because Dr. Peter Joseph Merola says the movies are not the movement does not make it so, and anybody with an IQ can see that. Anyways Peter should be happy he's getting the publicity even if it's negative publicity that will always be there as the first impression on peoples faces when they think about his Zeitgeist Movement they will be thinking about cults. XD

I just don't see how Peter could be successful in any legal action, though. ABC didn't make the accusation. One of Jared's friends declared that he believes it to have been a big influence on Jared. I think he'll be hard pressed to take legal action against the opinion of an individual in that way. (Correct me if I'm wrong).

JARED'S FRIEND IS LYING "HIS TEARS ARE FAKE" (thats what a youtube comment said lol, conspiracies are everywhere in Zeitgeist.)

But all they said, as far as I can tell, is that he watched it and it was about the economy. They didnt say it was a fringe conspiracy theorist film, did they? We already know he was a nutter that believed in lots of crazy things. And Sarah Palin seems like she is being blamed not Zeitgeist where they didn't even accuse Zeitgeist of anything, other than it influenced him somehow in regards the economy.

Peter is just being an idiot as usual.

Really?

"Osler said he instead suspects that Loughner was motivated by a documentary called, "Zeitgeist: The Movie," which slams currency-based economics.

"I really think that this 'Zeitgeist' documentary had a profound impact upon Jared Loughner's mindset and how he viewed the world that he lives in," he said.

Is there more I have missed?

"slams currency-based economic" doesn't really mean anything and saying it had a profound impact on him doesn't tell you anything. They prephased that with "slams currency-based economic" which doesn't sound bad.

If they wanted to they could have said much worse things about it.

He didnt say it motivated the shooting, where did he say that?

It sure is negative, but not THAT negative. And ABC didn't say anything, it was his friend.

Sure it probably did motivate it in some way but it appears he had a lot of "influences".

The reason Peter is an idiot is that he thinks it was done intentionally to make Zeitgeist look bad. But ABC didn't make the connection, his friend did, so Peter has to be saying that the friend is a liar and a government plant or something AND that "they" are incompetent for NOT describing Zeitgeist as a conspiracy theorist film that says the government is trying to enslave us and carried out 911.

Osler said he instead suspects that Loughner was motivated by a documentary called, "Zeitgeist: The Movie," which slams currency-based economics.

Oh, yeah, I agree he has no case against ABC.

Even if ABC did say it was a fringe conspiracy film, that's still not anything worthy of litigation.

Wait, what am I saying. The article I linked was from Fox anyway.