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

Friday, February 19, 2021

Posts that I especially recommend today: Friday, February 19, 2021

How can media be relied upon to report honestly on these industries or hold them to account if that media is being directly funded by them? Should we really expect journalists to be breaking stories about pharmaceutical price gouging, the enormous power of Silicon Valley, or the devastation caused by fossil-fuel company pollution if those companies are essentially paying their wages?

Advertising works, not only on consumers, but on outlets as well.
  • Millions will die if world fails on climate promises by Tim Radford from Climate News Network. My reaction: As long the international class of capitalists drive policies, we will not see them keep climate promises. Furthermore, the nations (especially their governments) that they reside in will not suffer any significant consequences for their failures, but the people who reside in them definitely will.