Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Capitalism Isn’t Working

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, September 12, 2010

Capitalism Isn’t Working — The Case for Socialism

by Philip Locker from Socialist Alternative.

The author cites recent evidence that socialist type ideas are starting to take hold among young people, and then deals with all the disinformation that mainstream media keeps putting out regarding socialism. This is an especially good read for all those who are still coping with these disinformation campaigns.

This growing interest has taken place in the face of a constant media barrage of free market propaganda and slandering of socialism, despite all the claims about the supposedly innately conservative nature of American workers.

Ironically, it is thanks to the rantings of right-wing blowhards like Glenn Beck and Fox News that “socialism” has been reintroduced into the popular discourse. Fox and the Tea Party have denounced Obama and any government intervention into the economy from the stimulus to healthcare reform to the Wall Street bailout as “socialism!”