Magdoff explains the extent to which "there is no alternative" thinking has infected even the most independent thinkers preventing real solutions to our growing problems with extreme weather and environmental degradation.
As people talked about the variety of problems facing the earth and humanity I had the feeling that they were constantly “beating around the bush.” So when it was my time to talk, I discarded my notes dealing with ecology and agriculture, and said that I thought a central issue was being ignored. I explained that I was going to speak about “the bush” that I thought everyone was beating around — that is, the capitalist system and how in its very essence it is destructive of the environment. This approach was a real stumbling block for most people there. They were very interesting and innovative people — many would be considered “out of the box” thinkers. But, I realized that they, and those in the environmental movement in general, were unable to think outside of capitalism.It is quite amazing when one really thinks about it: how successful the thought control and propaganda agents of capitalism have been in managing the minds of even the most independent thinkers.