Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Plutonomy update: “middle-class serfdom”

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Plutonomy update: “middle-class serfdom”

Click here to access article by Edward Fullbrook from Real-World Economics Review Blog.

The ruling capitalist class have depended upon its middle class: educators, scientists, media specialists, managers, and assorted professionals to sustain their rule in the US and in much of the world. As we see more articles like this appearing on middle class oriented blogs like the one posting this article, it seems that the middle class in advanced capitalist societies are increasingly losing their allegiance to capitalism and the class of people who are the main beneficiaries. Such a trend, if it continues, is a major threat to the system.