Surviving Capitalism (Not) : “American Exceptionalism;” or, It’s Not State Capitalism When America Does It

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, February 15, 2012

“American Exceptionalism;” or, It’s Not State Capitalism When America Does It

Click here to access article by Kevin Carson from Center for a Stateless Society.

There is an art to the way a ruling class functions to obscure the realities of their special privileges of power and wealth accumulation. In mostly earlier periods of human history they have often used religion to sanction their rule. Today's capitalist classes use carefully constructed myths and concepts about how their economies function, and even make the Orwellian claim that their societies function "democratically" according to the rule of law.

In this article the author clears out much of the confusion that is propagated widely in US media about current forms of capitalism--of course, the version in the US is the best. After reading this piece, you will wonder if there are really any differences between contemporary versions in various countries.