The Null Device

This evening, I went to see Naomi Klein speak at the Athenaeum Theatre. She spoke mostly about the topics in her book, No Logo, such as branding, the privatisation of public space and scary new international treaties due to shift even more power to multinational corporations (apparently, corporations will soon have the power to sue governments for subsidising industries in sectors where private enterprise exists; this is happening with the Canadian postal service (being sued by FedEx or UPS), and Naomi suggested it may happen with educational institutions in Australia, thanks to things like Melbourne University Private).

Naomi spoke well and quite interestingly, stopping only to take sips from a branded bottle of No Logo soda. Then there were questions from the floor, in which one person in the audience claimed that provocateurs from the Lyndon LaRouche group were handing out alcohol at anti-globalisation protests to disinhibit protesters and turn them violent.

Outside the theatre, greenies and Marxists did a roaring trade handing out pamphlets. Perhaps surprisingly, there were no contingents of Young Liberals or Ayn Rand fans protesting Naomi Klein's appearance.

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