The Choice Is Ours Page #3

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So I went to some island years ago.

The interesting thing about the islanders

is that they wore no clothing.

I never saw a male stare at the female body.

Children swim nude when they're babies.

Boys and girls together.

There were no Peeping Toms on the island.

There were no pictures of nude women

up on the wall in their huts

because it was a normal thing to be nude.

They said to the girl "Me like you."

They stroked them from the top of the head,

all the way down.

They didn't go for the breasts.

Men go for women's breasts in this country

because they're taught

"Hey, get a load of that chick!"

THE BLAME GAME:

- And whose fault is it?

- It's not the Democrats' fault.

- And it's all Obama's fault!

(Henry) The traditional notion,

which is one that gives the

individual personal responsibility and autonomy

is one that gives the individual

credit for his or her behavior

and also, on the other hand,

blames the individual for his or her behavior.

(Jacque) Blaming people for their behavior

is one of the most detrimental things

of our so-called advanced culture.

Their behavior is shaped

by the culture they are brought up in.

(Henry) That's built upon,

or based upon, an assumption

that we are free; we freely choose our behavior.

But a scientific perspective

actually takes the opposite viewpoint.

The scientific perspective is a determinist one,

which suggests

that our behavior is lawful and orderly,

our behavior is caused.

(Jacque) There's no serial killer

that doesn't have a background

that made him that way.

Every New York gangster

is made that way, by associating with people like that.

(Narrator) Our social and legal systems

blame and punish the individual.

Yet these attempts to

modify conduct by punitive means

ignores the person's background and surroundings

which shape that behavior to begin with.

(TV announcer) From old school prison gangs

to disruptive street gangs:

it's a dangerous mix for staff and inmates alike.

(Narrator) Research shows that learning

also changes the physical

and chemical structure of the brain.

Obviously, there are many contributing factors,

but genes play a small role

in comparison to the effects

of the overall environment on how we learn.

(Jacque) No Chinese baby was ever born speaking Chinese.

Did you know that?

They had to go to school to learn the language.

No French baby was ever born speaking French.

No matter how many years the parents spoke French

they have to learn it.

(Henry) Our cerebral cortex

is really built on plasticity.

Our behavior is very malleable and very adaptive.

We're the most adaptive creature on the planet.

If you look at the history of

humankind on the planet

you can see that we've learned to adapt to

every single environment on the planet.

(Jacque) The only difference

between a preacher and a thief

is the environment they're reared in.

(Narrator) We don't come to our own conclusions

without any outside influences.

We don't change our minds.

Our minds are changed by events.

- Heard about them Wright brothers?

- No.

- They say they wanna build themselves a flying machine.

- They ain't never gonna be no flying machine.

If God wanted them to fly,

he would give them wings.

(Roaring laughter)

(Narrator) Our minds are changed by events.

- I changed my mind!

- Yeah, me too.

(Jacque) If you're born with a brain that's more effective,

faster than the average brain,

you become a fascist faster

if you're brought up in a fascist environment.

A good brain cannot describe

that which is significant.

The brain has no mechanism of discrimination;

only experimental evidence determines that.

(Narrator) If the surroundings that

establish our values remain unaltered,

in spite of the urgings of poets,

priests, and politicians

the same behavior and values will persist.

(Jacque) If you tell people that

you're not to fish in a certain area,

if you don't provide food for those people

and the means of living,

they will violate those laws.

All laws have to coincide

with the nature of the physical world.

But it isn't the law that prevents crime,

it's if you meet the conditions.

(Journalist) These days,

rhino poachers come by helicopter

armed with powerful tranquilizers,

and a chainsaw.

Rhino horn is now worth more than gold.

(Jacque) If people are unemployed,

they will do whatever they have to do

to feed their family.

If you make a law and say that

you're not to steal food,

they will steal food,

if that serves their family needs.

Any law that's made by man that doesn't fit

the circumstances of reality will be violated.

(Narrator) Higher ideals and aspirations

that people hope for

can't be realized

when there is deprivation and war.

[Andrew Bacevich - Boston University]

If you want to go bomb somebody

there's remarkably little discussion

about how much it might cost.

But when you have a discussion about whether or not

we can assist people who are suffering,

then suddenly we become very cost-conscious.

(Narrator) No culture

evaluates human behavior in this way.

If they did, they would question

what is it that generates greed,

bigotry, inequities, and war.

(Jacque) They bring you up with

the values that put them in power.

(Narrator) Unfortunately, all societies to date

have indoctrinated people toward values

that perpetuate those in power.

PART II:

(Narrator) So, let's investigate the key factors

governing the lives of people and nations:

Money, and the values,

behaviors, and consequences it produces.

- Time and sales data

- Split-second staff

"It was difficult for early forms of life

to crawl out of the primordial slime

without dragging some of it with them."

~Jacque Fresco

(Narrator) As a remnant of Antiquity,

money now largely serves

as a mechanism of corruption,

deprivation, and control in the hands of a few.

[Abby Martin, Journalist & Host]

It has corrupted everything.

Every institution that we live in

is corrupted by money.

What's fascinating to me is that

we can become enslaved by

something that we've created,

not physically, but just mentally enslaved

by a notion that was invented by humanity.

It is archaic, because I think

we've grown past what money can do.

"It is well enough that the people of the nation

do not understand our banking

and money system, for if they did,

I believe there would be

a revolution before tomorrow morning."

~Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company

(Narrator) In a desperate attempt to survive,

many work multiple jobs.

They may steal, lie, or embezzle.

(Jacque) So stress producing to the average person.

...worries about rent, losing their job,

can't pay off a house.

(Narrator) On a bigger scale, the profit motive

creates a ruthless cycle of devastation.

Illness, pollution, and war

are accepted as normal.

[H. R. McMaster - USA Commanding General]

You have sort of a wartime economy

that begins to be self-perpetuating.

You have powerful people

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