The Zeitgeist movement

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The Zeitgeist Movement (Engl .: The Zeitgeist Movement ) is a Founded in 2008, grassroots movement for advocacy of sustainability . It engages in community and awareness raising campaigns through a network of global and regional chapters, project teams, annual events, and media and charity work. The movement, initiated in 2008, promotes a replacement of the economies based on monetary means of exchange ( money ) with a resource-based economy.

aims

According to their statements, the movement pursues the goal of creating sustainable solutions with maximum benefit for people and thus strives for a transformation of society from "below" towards a society for the common good. This is to be achieved through education and awareness of current crises. The idea is to be promoted that fundamental social changes are necessary.

Poverty, corruption, crises, homelessness, war, hunger and the like should not be seen as the consequences of a few shortcomings in social institutions, the misconduct of individual people or a “flawedness” in “human nature”, but rather as symptoms of outdated social structures.

In a future global society in addition to the absolute respect is to human rights , the sustainability are considered as the most important criterion for decisions to be taken. The " scientific method" is to be used for the purpose of social change, making politics superfluous. Decisions, too, should be made in a scientific way, i.e. not based on opinions that may differ from person to person depending on interests and feelings. Politics, the balance between these different interests, would thus become superfluous.

Since the world is too complex for a comprehensive ideology to have the chance to offer a solution, the transformation should take place in an evolutionary way. To design this process, based on the processes in research, a hypothesis for an application complex is set up, simulated using computers and implemented in the sense of an experiment . After a while, the result will be checked. Adjustments are made where necessary. If the results show that the hypothesis was wrong, another one is set up and tried. In this way, society could develop in iterative steps.

The core idea of ​​the movement is to replace the currently existing economies with a money-free and “resource-based economy”. The Zeitgeist movement promotes the replacement of human labor with automation and that of government with the collective participation of citizens with the support of technology and advanced cybernetics .

The prevailing forms of human decision-making processes are seen as one of the reasons for the great social problems facing people today. Therefore, viable decisions should be made based on scientific methods that take into account the earth's resource capacity. The support of human decisions by artificial intelligence is called "social cybernetization". Property is not being abolished, but it should lose its importance during the desired cultural growth and should be solved by ensuring that things are available free of charge.

Activities and publications

Activists of the Zeitgeist movement at Occupy Wall Street in October 2011, Vienna

Every year in March, the Zeitgeist movement organizes the so-called “Z-Day” with local meetings. Filmmaker Peter Joseph , creator of the Zeitgeist film series , and Jacque Fresco , founder of the Venus Project, spoke to around 900 people for over two hours in the sold-out Borough of Manhattan Community College in 2009 . In 2010 there were more than 330 events in 70 countries.

In 2011, Peter Joseph and others spoke to around 1,100 people at the sold-out Friends House in Euston, London . Another global event of the movement is the annual Zeitgeist Media Festival. Each local section registers the event in the respective country on the associated website. Musicians and artists such as Natacha Atlas, Hierosonic and Banksy were represented at the main event in Los Angeles .

With the TZM Network, the movement maintains a social network for interested parties and members. It has similarities to Facebook , with which it is partially compatible.

As part of their own goals, members of the movement took part in demonstrations on various political issues, for example in the course of the protests against financial market and banking policy in those of the Occupy Wall Street initiatives in Frankfurt am Main , Hamburg , Zurich , Salzburg , Los Angeles and Vancouver .

organization

The members organize themselves in state, regional, federal state and local groups, which are represented worldwide and act in the sense of an advocacy organization. The groups are coordinated by volunteers who are familiar with the principles and direction of the movement. In 2010, the Zeitgeist Movement belonged to 46 country groups and over 200 regional sub-groups. In Germany in 2011 there were eleven local groups in major German cities that used sometimes unconventional methods to promote the Zeitgeist movement. With around 80 members, the Berlin local group is the largest in Germany.

The Internet is used as with other global organizations, as a connecting medium. Until April 2011, the movement was closely linked to the Venus Project , an initiative by the American author Jacque Fresco . Before that, the movement was seen as its activist arm. It was made in 2008 as a reaction to the film Zeitgeist: Addendum by Peter Joseph . The number of members cannot be precisely verified, is based on personal information and is given as at least 430,000. The Zeitgeist movement organizes public screenings of the Zeitgeist films, which are subtitled in different languages ​​beforehand.

Film series

The Zeitgeist film series Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward describes the movement as the artistic expression of Peter Joseph . It interfaces with the content of the Zeitgeist movement. The emergence of the movement can also be traced back relatively clearly to the time of the release of the film Zeitgeist: Addendum , but not, as is often claimed, to the film Zeitgeist, which was criticized for false facts, inaccuracies and tendencies critical of conspiracy theory and religion .

The movement's official YouTube channel only lists Joseph's films Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward , but not his first film. Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward have so far recorded 4.5 and 19.3 million viewers respectively.

The two most recent films seem to be supportive of the movement in view of the number of viewers on the Internet and the frequent performances by activists, but according to official statements should not be equated with the views of the Zeitgeist movement. The Zeitgeist movement expressly distanced itself from Joseph's films. Due to their popularity and their call for compassion, peace and sustainability, they should be understood more as “inspirations”. At the center of the movement are not the theories and explanations put forward in Peter Joseph's films.

reception

In the German-speaking countries, the movement has so far met with little media reception. In contrast, the media in the Anglo-Saxon and Russian-speaking areas paid more attention to it.

International

Rhonda Swan devoted a comment to the Zeitgeist movement in the Palm Beach Post 2009, in which she described the utopias of the Zeitgeist movement as an alternative that was at least worth considering.

In the same year Alan Feuer reported in the New York Times about "Z-Day" in New York. He described the films Zeitgeist and Zeitgeist: Addendum as the “subtext” of the evening. Peter Joseph turned away from the theory put forward in the first film that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were an inside job of the American government . However, the second film is also not free of conspiratorial ideas relating to the banking and economic system. The audience, heterogeneous in age and appearance, was enthusiastic about the event.

The musician Natacha Atlas called the Zeitgeist movement the inspiration for her 2010 concept album Mounqaliba .

American actress Michelle Rodríguez and musician Brandon Boyd took part in a Z-Day event in Los Angeles in 2011 . Rodríguez said in an interview that she found the films in the Zeitgeist series "great and very inspiring".

The Bulgarian TV channel On Air broadcast all three of Peter Joseph's films in 2011. In March, the last two parts of the Zeitgeist film series were broadcast on WTV in Australia . In May 2012, the Chilean broadcaster ARTV broadcast Peter Joseph's Zeitgeist: Moving Forward .

Germany

The magazine of the Süddeutsche Zeitung dedicated a longer article to Peter Joseph, including the third in the series, Zeitgeist: Moving Forward , and the Zeitgeist Movement in 2011. Despite all the criticism that could be summed up with the word “ conspiracy theory nonsense ” related to the films, the films are “a cultural phenomenon with an audience of millions” and essential components of a global subculture represented on the Internet. This is due to the fact that the theories put forward in the films, similar to Dan Brown's novels, are inherently coherent and exciting and provide simple explanations for complex problems, such as financial policy. The ideas of another world, as expressed in the film Zeitgeist: Addendum , correspond to those of a “ land of milk and honey ”. Attempts are made to create a "totalitarian society in which a few alpha people - scientists, technology geeks - operate the computers". For many of his followers, Peter Joseph is an authority whose theses they would repeat without reflection. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward seems serious, but has not always been researched in a serious way, since scientists involved in the film were left in the dark about the background of the film series and would otherwise not have participated.

An article on Weeyoo.com introduces the future vision of a money-free economy, where advanced technology enables people to get by with almost no work and the surface of the earth with automated, tightly planned cities “will take on a whole new shape in less than 15 years " should. Critics wrongly fear the rule of machines, but it is questionable whether the ideas of the Venus project can even be realized.

An article in the taz warned, referring to the Zeitgeist movement, that the protest campers of the Occupy movement should “watch out that they are not kidnapped by an obscure sect-like movement - if that has not actually happened.” Thereupon its Frankfurt activists distanced themselves from the Zeitgeist movement and took measures not to be instrumentalized by individual political groups.

The owners of the online community studiVZ had "so-called Zeitgeist groups" deleted from their network in 2009, including the group "Zeitgeist-Revolution.de". As a justification, they cited conspiracy-theoretical and structural anti-Semitic tendencies that they had identified in Peter Joseph's films. In the statement from StudiVZ it was said, among other things: “It is not our intention to hinder or prevent alternative opinions and news, but we have been watching with great concern the development of theories, e.g. B. were initiated by the Zeitgeist films. The ideas of gray eminences, elites or secret societies pulling the strings in the background are not new. "

Web links

Commons : The Zeitgeist Movement  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The Zeitgeist Movement: Mission Statement ( Memento January 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 5, 2013
  2. ^ A b c The New York Times on March 16, 2009: They've Seen the Future and Dislike the Present . Retrieved October 8, 2011 .
  3. ^ The Zeitgeist Movement: Orientation Guide ( Memento January 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed January 5, 2013
  4. ^ Jacque Fresco Construction , The Venus Project
  5. ↑ The Zeitgeist Movement: FAQ ( Memento from May 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ Jacque Fresco: urban systems ( Memento of 3 January 2011 at the Internet Archive ), Cybernetic Government The Venus Project
  7. ↑ Peter Joseph: The Zeitgeist Movement Orientation Guide ( Memento of January 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), p. 69.
  8. ↑ a b Newsletter of the Zeitgeist Movement 2010. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010 ; accessed on October 9, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Zeitgeist Media Festival website. Retrieved March 13, 2012 .
  10. ↑ TZM Network: Social Network of the Zeitgeist Movement ( Memento of the original from December 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / tzmnetwork.com
  11. ↑ Zeitgeist Movement supports 26th March London Peace demonstration Zeitgeist Movement supports demonstration in London on March 26th
  12. ^ The daily newspaper on October 21, 2011: The dark side of the bank protest. Retrieved October 21, 2011 .
  13. ^ The Polish Zeitgeist Movement ( Memento from April 22, 2009 in the web archive archive.today )
  14. ↑ Zeitgeist Movement Activism: THE VIRAL CAMPAIGN Slightly changed euro notes from activists of the Zeitgeist movement
  15. ↑ "This idea is based on the Venus project by the American Jacques Fresco, even if the Venus project no longer wants to be associated with" Zeitgeist "." FM4 on February 1st, 2012: Hostile takeover? Retrieved February 17, 2012 .
  16. ↑ “The Zeitgeist movement arose in 2008 from the call at the end of the film“ Zeitgeist: Addendum ”to join forces via the website www.thezeitgeistmovement.com. […] The movement includes those who identify with the points of view formulated on the website and want to actively contribute. ” Interview on the“ Zeitgeist ”movement. Retrieved October 8, 2011 .
  17. ↑ a b “There is even a movement named after the films, the“ Zeitgeist Movement ”with around 430,000 members, a few thousand of them in Germany, who meet online or at congresses and want to change the world in real life in the way that director Peter Joseph offers as a solution. ”in: Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, Issue 18/2011: Servant of Truth. Retrieved August 26, 2011 .
  18. ↑ Public performance of Zeitgeist: Moving Forward on September 2, 2011 in Frankfurt / M. Retrieved October 9, 2011 . Public performance of Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist: Moving forward on September 4th, 2011 in Hamburg. Retrieved October 9, 2011 .
  19. ↑ Official YouTube channel of the Zeitgeist movement: TZMOfficialChannel
  20. ↑ FAQ: Is The Zeitgeist Movement related to Peter Joseph's Film Series? ( Memento of May 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed January 5, 2013
  21. ^ The Palm Beach Post on April 30, 2009: A dream worth having. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009 ; accessed on October 9, 2011 .
  22. ↑ Arabamerica.com: Natacha Atlas Illuminates the Shifting Global zeitgeist. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013 ; accessed on October 9, 2011 .
  23. ↑ YouTube: Michelle Rodríguez in an interview about the Z-Day event in Los Angeles 2011
  24. ^ Message on the On Air website
  25. ^ Announcement of the Australian chapter of the Zeitgeist movement ( Memento of May 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  26. ↑ Program announcement at ARTV
  27. ↑ YouTube: Zeitgeist announcement : Moving Forward on Chilean television
  28. ↑ Weeyoo.com: Economy Without Money. Jaques Fresco and the Venus Project. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011 ; Retrieved October 9, 2011 .
  29. ^ Occupy Movement - The Dark Side of the Bank Protest, Die Tageszeitung, October 21, 2011, accessed October 6, 2012
  30. ↑ The daily newspaper on October 31, 2011: No space for "Zeitgeist" . Retrieved October 31, 2011 .
  31. ↑ Gulli.com on August 18, 2009: StudiVZ: Holtzbrinck deletes 9/11 conspiracy group. Retrieved November 5, 2011 .
  32. ^ Copy of the statement from VZ. Retrieved February 18, 2012 .