Surviving Capitalism (Not) : When people start to ask questions

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 27, 2015

When people start to ask questions

The cartoon below was created by R.J. Matson.

Although the lower class vastly outnumbers the middle class, this cartoon emphases growing doubts among the middle class due to diminishing opportunities for them in the economy. This is because the middle class (managers, scientists, highly skilled technicians, and other professionals) makes the system work for the rich ruling class of capitalists, and in the past they have been well rewarded for their services. However, "the times they are a changin'" as portrayed in this cartoon--capitalists no longer need as many of these highly trained people. Thus, we are now seeing many more of them asking questions about the system.