Fahrenheit 11/9

2 comments on Hacker News

1. Positivenebula8804Feb 3, 2026

   Its certainly a symptom. With corporate financing of elections in the post Nixon years, neoliberalism has run amok and led to the disaster we are in. What I worry about is that only about 50% of the country has a passport. Half the country have never seen how other places are run and now 40+ years later a large percentage of the country wouldn't even remember how things used to be. They just think this is how every place runs.

   The movie Fahrenheit 11/9 builds up understanding of the theory using specific case studies on the behavior you describe. They also discuss efforts to try and fight back. It is a recommended watch for anyone interested in understanding the underlying reasons for how we ended up where we are now. I can't believe the film is now eight years old yet feels like it was produced right now. Some of the people who were high school kids in the movie graduated college and are now even running for congress to try to fight back against neoliberalism! :O

   [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wf-Y2_I91A

2. Positivenebula8804Mar 10, 2025

   Redneck has labor roots, people like Michael Moore explain this in his documentary Fahrenheit 11/9. People have forgotten this history. The term "redneck" has multiple origins, but one significant historical source comes from coal miners in West Virginia during the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. Union coal miners wore red bandanas around their necks as a symbol of solidarity and collective action during their struggle against mine owners who exploited their labor. This protest, known as the Battle of Blair Mountain, was one of the largest labor uprisings in U.S. history, and the red bandanas they wore earned them the nickname "rednecks."

   This was beautifully expressed in the West Virginia teachers strike a few years back: https://youtu.be/JEjU-X57Wrc?t=4313