Despite the evident success that foundations have had in shaping ideology in the twentieth century their power is “not monolithic” and they “do allow differing points of view to be expressed, although these never or only infrequently form the basis for policy.” Indeed, most of their power is simply derived from the fact that their hegemony remains unchallenged, even from anti-capitalist activists. Yet with the increasing availability of the internet it is now much easier to break the ideological clout of foundations, and while in the past many criticisms of foundations have been rendered inaccessible to most people, this is no longer the case.
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Ideology of Philanthropy [post of the month]
by Michael Barker. This is absolutely essential reading if you want to understand how "democracy" works under the current governing class. This class has subtly managed consensus regarding the capitalist system using philanthropic non-profit front organizations, and the practice continues today in both the peace and environmental movements. The author discusses the findings from a book published in 1983 by Edward Berman entitled, Ideology of Philanthropy. Also note that Barker has published his own articles on the same subject which he refers to in the comments section.
