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

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Corporate Criminals, Billionaires Gather for World Economic Forum in Davos

Click here to access article by Andre Damon from Global Research. 

This piece informs us that global capitalist directors are holding another one of their annual celebrations (much like the Bohemian Grove and other such gatherings). This one is located in one of the favorite hangouts of the rich, Davos, a ski resort in Switzerland. 

While some members of their class are concerned about what they see as a major threat to their beloved system, the rest remain so completely committed to the system which gives them so much wealth and power that they ignore the warnings. This is another sure sign of an addiction (in addition to the threat of climate destabilization). With reference to these warnings, Damon writes:
No one at the conference, however, is proposing any social reforms to ameliorate the plight of the working class or redistribute wealth downwards from the top. On the contrary, the watchword is “structural reform,” a euphemism for stripping workers of all protections, dismantling what remains of the welfare state, and removing all environmental and health and safety rules that restrict corporate profit.
So, what are the significance of these meetings and why should we even bother reading about them? I think they serve the important function of promoting and consolidating a class consciousness, an identification with others who own and control for their own benefit much of the world's economy.