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

Saturday, February 17, 2018

The All-Important Doorman

Click here to access article by Jeff Thomas from International Man. (Credit for this post goes to Christopher of northwest Oregon.)

The only problem with this post is that its treatment of the "deep state" is so superficial, and its author posts it on a site (International Man) that is dedicated to capitalist speculation. Having perused the website, it is clear that it is managed by a transnational capitalist whose grasp of history is, of necessity, very ahistorical and superficial. Likewise, the author only suggests that the political system has been infected with corruption by big banks, the military industrial complex, Big Pharma, etc.... Thus, both the author and the website administrator cast a condescending glance at those ordinary people who naively believe that "somehow, those who are elected remain loyal to the voters, not to those who paid for their election". 

Meanwhile, they with their riches, which were apparently obtained through stock market speculation, neglect to mention that the system of capitalism has given the super-winners of the system not only fantastic riches but also super powers to ensure that ordinary people remain ignorant of their comprehensive corruption of society. 

The super-rich, that is, the owners of the banks, the industrial complex, Big Pharma, etc. constitute a ruling class that controls not only the political system, but every institution of society. This control of every institution insures that their values and interests are supported and that no one is allowed any significant platform to dissent from capitalist ideology. The author suggests that except for these super-rich corrupters of the system, the system would be fine. This post is an excellent illustration of the American version of libertarianism

The metaphor of the doorman is superficially apt, but unoriginal, and, of necessity, only attempts to explain political reality, and not the broader picture of capitalist rule. This allows the author and the website administrator to smugly continue on to enrich themselves with stock market speculation and to sneer at dumbed-down workers.