Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The World Cup Spilleth Over: As the Soccer Games End, Political Ones Begin

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, July 13, 2014

The World Cup Spilleth Over: As the Soccer Games End, Political Ones Begin

Click here to access article by Danny Schechter posted on Common Dreams.

The FIFA sponsored World Cup of soccer in Brazil has imposed enormous social costs on the Brazilians. Now with the humiliating loss to the German team, Schechter wonders if the Brazilian ruling class may have counted too much on a Brazilian win to assuage public discontent.

The World Cup has spilleth over. With the FIFA spectacle about to pack up its goodies—most of their lucre has already been wired out of Brazil—...the “host” country now tries to cope with its financial losses, intensified social conflicts and humiliating defeat at the hands of the Germans....