in the time remaining, to help us understand how the man-made system of capitalism will lead to the extinction of our human species, and so many others.
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
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Free speech vs the free market
In the US it's clear that free speech is only permitted to the extent that few people hear it; otherwise it is severely limited when it attacks the governing system and ruling class policies. We have been provided with numerous spectacles and TV entertainment that have been very successful in distracting people from any serious examination of the issues facing our society, while mainstream media coverage of the news succeeds in confusing the issues as well as dis-informing most us.