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, July 10, 2010

A Call for a Democratic Economy

from Yes! Magazine. The author reviews a new book by Raj Patel entitled, The Value of Nothing, that calls for an economy brought under democratic control.
Patel’s solution is one of radical democracy, but radical only when compared to our current celebrity political culture. Instead of voting for our favorite overlord every four years, citizens should be organizing and taking an active role in establishing the rules that govern their own lives. These kinds of societies have existed before, and exist today. Patel’s primary models are ancient Athenians and the contemporary Zapatistas. For the Zapatistas, democracy is a way of life, rather than a rare and unpleasant ritual. 
Notice how the timid liberal reviewer assures us that the proposal is "radical only when compared to our current celebrity political culture". The proposal is very radical, indeed! It is one that the ruling class, whose rule depends on the their dominance of the economy and society, would never tolerate without a fight.

The ruling class frequently make use of the word, "democracy". But for them, it is only a buzz word that has been emptied of all substance, or it is just a synonym for capitalism. They know that for working people everywhere, it is mostly a long lost dream of everyone participating in the affairs of society. Hence they often use it to conjure up these feelings just like they drape scantily clad women over the latest cars in order to sell them.