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

Monday, June 7, 2010

Economic Crisis, Greek Theater, Our Drama

by Rick Wolff from Monthly Review Zine. The author has an excellent understanding of how economic crises under capitalism are generated and how the ensuing social catastrophes are usually played out. Can we expect the same ending from the cradle of democracy? Stay tuned. 

We, in the other Western countries, can take lessons from the brave Greek workers who are fighting back.