I entitled the subject line to this post “Theory of Peak Oil”, although it is also (and to a lesser degree) on the subject of ‘public media politics’. In that vein (as a prerequisite to a discussion of peak oil, if at all possible, I would recommend watching this first: Long URL (“Manufacturing Consent”, 1992)

“…This 1992 documentary explores the political life and ideas of Noam Chomsky, a world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist. Chomsky illustrates how the media tacitly manipulates public opinion to further the agendas of the powerful. A compelling examination of the suppression of news about the U.S.-supported Indonesian invasion and subjugation of East Timor brings home the point.” (Netflix description) – includes clips with Jean Piaget, Michel Foucault, etc.

The production quality of the above video is horrible (even if you rent it from Netflix, you can tell the budget was not flashy), but the words and ideas discussed, of how the media ‘machine’ serves the interest of the elite few, brought back strong memories for me of the Marxist ‘class struggle’ particularly in how “The income of the capitalists … is based on their exploitation of the workers (proletariat).” – (from wikipedia)

Once you have seen and understood the above, then the next video (below) no longer seems so ‘crazy’. However, it is also important to be able to discriminate between the ideas of ‘peak oil’, and the related discussion of politics and war in the middle east, which are typically labeled “conspiracy theories” by some constituencies. Peak Oil, like any good scientific theory, can and most assuredly will one day be proven quantitatively correct or incorrect to some degree of satisfaction. The less physical claims regarding socio-political motivations and the powerful effects of media over public opinion, are less verifiable, and therefore much more controversial.

Here is the video on peak oil, and related conspiracy theories (involving Middle East politics, and media coverage): Another really long URL (“Oil, Smoke, & Mirrors”, 2006)