In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, filmmaker Raoul Peck joins Chuck to discuss his powerful new documentary Orwell: 2+2=5 — an exploration of truth, propaganda, and power in the age of Trump. Peck, whose work often examines systems of control and colonialism, draws from Orwell’s life and letters to reveal how 1984 was never just a warning about the future — it was a reflection of the present. He and Chuck unpack how doublespeak, “alternative facts,” and the rewriting of history have crept into modern democracies, from the U.S. to Russia, and what Orwell’s insights reveal about the fragility of truth today.
Peck also reflects on his own Haitian roots and how the legacy of colonialism still shapes global politics, from America’s interference in Haiti to its uneasy role as an arbiter of democracy abroad. The conversation turns to the media’s complicity in enabling authoritarian narratives, the dangers of AI-driven misinformation, and why reclaiming truth — and teaching future generations to defend it — may be the defining struggle of our time.
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Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Raoul Peck joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:30 How did you end up directing Orwell 2+2=5?
03:30 Coming from Haiti, you have a real understanding of abuse of power
05:00 Working with legendary documentarian Alex Gibney on the project
06:30 Would the film have been released if Kamala Harris had one?
08:00 Americans are becoming familiar with “doublespeak” under Trump
09:00 The contradiction of leading democracies being colonial
09:45 Orwell grew up in India, saw colonialism firsthand
11:00 Orwell joined Imperial Police Force in Burma
12:15 Orwell’s letters revealed his inspiration and thought process
13:15 Orwell struggled to finish 1984 while very sick
14:15 Using historical media to create the documentary, no re-enactments
16:45 Why not tell this story in a movie? Does 1984 need to be re-made?
18:00 1984 was only a portion of the story
19:00 Orwell was writing about the present and warning about the future
20:45 US story starting with lies about the Iraq War using propaganda
22:15 Americans think authoritarianism only comes from “the other side”
23:00 Language sets the stage for the erosion of democracy
23:45 Authoritarians seek to remake and revise history
24:45 Russian citizens have basically given up on truth, don’t believe anything
25:30 Trump’s use of “alternative facts” is incredibly Orwellian
26:30 Trump accuses any negative coverage of being “fake news”
27:15 U.S. government purging certain words from their websites
29:15 Authoritarian takeovers can move very quickly
30:00 Journalism and discourse are controlled by a few tech companies
30:45 Trouble distributing the documentary in the current political climate?
32:15 Documentary breaking records…. But what does that say?
33:45 Too many people are tuning out during Trump’s second term
34:15 People take democracy and their freedoms for granted
35:30 Mike Pence saved democracy… temporarily
36:30 AI generated videos will make people questions everything
37:30 Most of the press is captive to a few billionaires
38:30 The technology isn’t the problem, lack of regulation is
40:00 Humans will want interpersonal contact in AI era
42:00 There is no such thing as neutrality in politics
43:30 Beating authoritarianism will take a generation in America
45:15 Why have Haiti and the Dominican Republic gone so differently?
47:00 The slave rebellion caused the U.S. to treat Haiti as a pariah
48:30 Haiti suffered from “cannon diplomacy” from colonial powers
49:15 The U.S. meddling in Haiti has always caused problems
51:30 U.S. has always asserted control in the western hemisphere
53:00 Next project is doc about assasination of Haiti’s president
54:00 Using AI as a tool in creating films?
56:00 Government has performed almost no oversight of AI
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