Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Liberal Elites and the Pacification of Workers

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

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Liberal Elites and the Pacification of Workers

by Michael Barker from State of Nature.

This brilliant essay tracks the efforts of liberal elites in the US to manage opposition to the capitalist ruling class. After the often brutal clashes with Populist activists of the late 19th century and those of the socialist movements of the early 20th century, liberal elites beginning with the so-called "Progressive" era went to work devising many clever strategies to soften the opposition and to manage dissent. It is imperative for those who wish to change the system to be aware of these strategies.