Spectacles

Why NEOM is WAY scarier than you think (1x3)

Air date: Sep 10, 2022

Between Saudi cities in the desert and Peter Thiel’s attempts to homestead the high seas, it’s clear that for some, money isn’t enough. That can be a danger in liberal democracies. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-how-cities-of-the-future-conceal-dangerous-ambitions/ — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to build cities of the future in the middle of the desert — NEOM — with a ski resort called Trojena, a floating city called Oxagon, and a city built in a straight line called The Line. But the supposed motivations don’t add up. Rather than practical concerns, it seems MBS is animated by a desire to be a great founding figure: a motive shared by American billionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel, who first dreamed of libertarian utopias on the ocean — seasteading — has since redirected his interest and energy toward supporting National Conservatism: a far-right, anti-democratic political movement embraced by Josh Hawley and Thiel’s client-candidates J.D. V