Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Slouching towards neofeudalism

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, May 10, 2010

Slouching towards neofeudalism

from The Economic Populist.

This well argued and supported article that our economic system is leading ordinary Americans into ever increasing debts and poverty illustrates how left political thinkers in the US are unable to name the real economic system. Here it is called by various names: neo-feudalism, peonage, and serfdom. The author came closest when he made reference to "globalization", the current phase of capitalism.

Whether such authors understandably do this to protect their careers or are simply in denial that the capitalist system could lead to such undesirable effects is not clear.