Manufacturing American dreams (E1)

As the USA descends into hyper-partisan civil war in which weaponized memes and hashtags are lobbed across political party lines, GONZO heads to Hollywood – ground zero for the new culture wars. This is also where the myth of the American Dream is engineered, and where all her superheroes save the world. Max and Stacy meet with photographer, Peter Duke, who has been branded ‘alt-right’ by the mainstream media. They ask him about the power of memes to alter the course of history. Did a racist cartoon frog emerging from the darkest recesses of online chat boards really help defeat ‘the most qualified’ presidential candidate in US history?

Max and Stacy also talk to a Hollywood screenwriter about which feature film characters best capture the essence of modern America, and about the real violence that is part of our DNA, from slavery to genocide of the native population. Max and Stacy also find Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, because – of course – it is Hollywood itself that created the myth that is the straight-talking, successful billionaire real-estate developer and builder for whom many voted to become president of the United States of America. The GONZO journey begins!