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, May 2, 2012

Unemployment in Europe. Where will it stop?

Click here to access article by Merijn Knibbe from Real-World Economics Review Blog.

What I think is really significant here are the high rates of unemployment for youth (under 25 years of age)--they are usually double the rate for the general working populations across Europe. Thus, it seems reasonable to expect to see the most militant activism taking place in Spain, Greece, and Portugal as well as in Europe in general. However, in this age of instant communication and electronic social networking, ideas and methods to combat the ravages of capitalism and imperialism will spread rapidly from one country to another.