Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The Paradox of Individualism Part 2

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

Monday, March 28, 2016

The Paradox of Individualism Part 2

Click here to access article by Dennis Loo from his blog.

Loo attacks the a fundamental credo of individualism that supports capitalist ideology well illustrated in Margaret Thatcher's infamous quote:

...there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. .... It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. [She probably added the last clause because she was worried about what her neighbors might think.]