On today’s show host Esty Dinur is joined by Peter Hutchinson to tackle the overwhelming and slippery topic of neoliberalism and this ideology’s impact on everyday life. Hutchinson co-authored the book Invisible Doctrine, and is the filmmaker of the documentary of the same name. He says that he and his co-author, George Monbiot, wanted to make the inception, propagation, and policies of neoliberalism accessible to more audiences.

Hutchinson says that the “ugly, eerie, and soulless” aesthetic of the Invisible Doctrine film was intentional, meant to “deploy technology against capitalism.” They have gotten push-back about their use of AI in making the film, but defend it as a way of communicating and critiquing the way that neoliberalism makes people disconnected and atomized. The film is streaming everywhere except Amazon.

Hutchinson describes neoliberalism as “capitalism on steroids” and Donald Trump’s presidency as “neoliberalism on steroids.” He describes the history of how neoliberal thinking from the Austrian School of Economics to the University of Chicago gets us to neoliberal policies like the shifting of the tax code to favor the wealthy, deregulation and privatization, and more. What we’re seeing now is the wholesale deconstruction of the administrative state. Hutchinson is now working on solutions-driven documentary, and says “we will only endure if we cease to consent.” 

Transcript of full conversation between Esty Dinur and Peter Hutchinson.

Peter Hutchison is a filmmaker, New York Times bestselling author, educator, and activist based in Brooklyn. He produced and directed Requiem for the American Dream, an exploration of wealth inequality in America, featuring Noam Chomsky.

Featured image of Invisible Doctrine by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchinson. 

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