Adam Curtis on the dangers of self-expression (2017)

Documentaries and recommended viewing

• Many commenters strongly recommend the filmmaker’s documentaries; suggested entry points include “The Century of the Self,” “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace,” “Pandora’s Box,” “The Mayfair Set,” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
• Some series are seen as less successful (“HyperNormalisation” called a “miss” by multiple people).
• Several argue his work is especially relevant for technologists, given its focus on computing, control, and large-scale social systems.

Style, rigor, and “propaganda”

• Multiple comments emphasize that his work is highly engaging but “thought‑provoking and utterly lacking in rigor.”
• Critics say he selectively assembles facts to fit pre‑chosen narratives, sometimes reaching conclusions not well supported by data.
• Others defend him as an artist/storyteller rather than a journalist; his value is seen as perspective-shifting rather than fact-establishing.
• There is debate over whether this kind of narrative, impressionistic work is acceptable in a “post‑LLM” world where meandering, non‑rigorous text is easy to generate.

Self-expression, individualism, and politics

• Some agree that hyper‑individualism fragments society and weakens collective power, leaving space for autocrats and demagogues.
• Others argue self‑expression and contrarianism are essential safeguards against totalitarianism; group power struggles are seen as zero‑sum, while individual rights are not.
• Several note that computers and social media are already heavily used to create identity-based movements (ISIL, QAnon, MAGA, LGBTQ+, etc.), contradicting the article’s claim that nobody uses data to build common identity.
• There is tension between calls for group-based political action and desires for more inward, non‑power‑seeking quests for personal virtue.

Art, self-expression, and historical comparison

• Long subthreads compare pre‑modern, more constrained art (Renaissance religious painting, Ottoman miniatures) with contemporary art driven by self‑expression and market positioning.
• Some admire past eras’ shared subjects and technical standards; others note that past work was also shaped by patronage and status competition.
• Modern “self-expression” is criticized as paradoxically uniform, market-shaped, and often depoliticized.
• Several connect shifts in art to photography, mass reproduction, postmodernism, and the decline of realism/technical skill as primary metrics.

Art market, power, and finance

• Multiple commenters claim the high-end art world is deeply intertwined with money laundering, tax avoidance, and asset storage (e.g., freeports), though others push back that this does not describe “most” art.
• Links and examples are shared about freeports and wealth‑tax arbitrage; there is debate over whether this is truly “tax evasion” versus legal tax avoidance.