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- Contact the Broadcast Media
- Contact the Newspapers
- Contact the US Senate
- Contact the House of Representatives
Sources:
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King. Show all posts
January 19, 2009
MLK Video by SleptOnTV
This 5 min. video by SleptOnTV goes into King's challenges, beyond civil rights, into questioning the economic system. Now is a good time to listen again to King's words.
SleptOnTV on YouTube
SleptOn Website
Psssst... Do Something
Sources:
SleptOnTV on YouTube
SleptOn Website
Psssst... Do Something
Sources:
June 17, 2007
The Means are Important
It's too easy to get caught up in outcomes and forget that the means are important, even vital. It's OK to relish the process, even if painful or ugly. We're always in a multi-generational struggle. Take the long view. Remember MLK: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Photo Credit: LINK
June 4, 2007
Why Capitalism Will Fail
Capitalism will fail for the same reason America rejected Britain; Capitalism consolidates wealth and power, and people want freedom from consolidated power and they want justice through meaningful democracy.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. is quoted,
Elaboration:
Capitalism is not democratic, and in its pure free-market, profit-seeking form, it is technically amoral (if a moral CEO passes up a legal, but immoral profit, a slightly less moral CEO will remove that inefficiency from the market).
But you don't need economic theory to prove capitalism is undemocratic. Our own work place experiences are rife with examples. Decisions are generally made by the higher-ups, and frustration among middle managment and the the workers reflects this undemocratic structure. Everyone has their own stories to tell about this.
On a global scale, transnational corporations fly into a developing world town, cut a deal with a the elite, who typically control the government, extract the natural resources, and pocket the wealth while the mass population gains no benefit at best, or is injured or killed at worst. Same undemocratic phenomenon at a large scale.
After the American Revolution, the Federalist Paper #10 was very open about the fact that a small number of wealthy people held great power. Even if pluralistic democracy was desired, the wealthy elite wasn't going to give up their power immediately. The U.S. Constitution was written with this in mind, to protect the power of the "minority," but to also allow a slow evolution and transition in power to the populace. So the theory goes.
However, corporations came into prominence after the US Civil War. They consolidated power, influenced the centers of government, and have corrupted the evolutionary process described above. But, that's only temporary; King's quote still rules, assuming humans don't go extinct first.
There are more classic reasons given for the eventual demise of capitalism, such as two reason predicted by Marx and Engles [1]:
We see this playing out with the great China production phenomenon. We see capital seeking labor markets, raw materials and sales markets around the world, and creating blowback in the process. This reason leads into the second reason:
Efficient production itself leads to layoffs. US corporations moving jobs to China mean these layoffs are permanent. True, we could produce other "things" in addition to the things that are produced so much more efficiently, like environment-saving services and technologies, but these remain outside of the market, and there is good reason to keep environmental protection outside the market: consolidated wealth can afford to pollute or destroy the environment; only a collective, democratic decision can make environmental protection sacred.
Another argues that DEBT is why capitalism will fail. Others argue that lack of morals is why capitalism will fail, but it could be argued that the lack of morals will simply let capitalism reach its natural conclusion, that is, the reasons given by Marx.
With its eventual demise in mind, one has to wonder about the alternatives to capitalism.... a topic for another time.
Sources:
1. Sourced on Marx.
why will capitalism fail?
As Martin Luther King, Jr. is quoted,
the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
Elaboration:
Capitalism is not democratic, and in its pure free-market, profit-seeking form, it is technically amoral (if a moral CEO passes up a legal, but immoral profit, a slightly less moral CEO will remove that inefficiency from the market).
But you don't need economic theory to prove capitalism is undemocratic. Our own work place experiences are rife with examples. Decisions are generally made by the higher-ups, and frustration among middle managment and the the workers reflects this undemocratic structure. Everyone has their own stories to tell about this.
On a global scale, transnational corporations fly into a developing world town, cut a deal with a the elite, who typically control the government, extract the natural resources, and pocket the wealth while the mass population gains no benefit at best, or is injured or killed at worst. Same undemocratic phenomenon at a large scale.
After the American Revolution, the Federalist Paper #10 was very open about the fact that a small number of wealthy people held great power. Even if pluralistic democracy was desired, the wealthy elite wasn't going to give up their power immediately. The U.S. Constitution was written with this in mind, to protect the power of the "minority," but to also allow a slow evolution and transition in power to the populace. So the theory goes.
However, corporations came into prominence after the US Civil War. They consolidated power, influenced the centers of government, and have corrupted the evolutionary process described above. But, that's only temporary; King's quote still rules, assuming humans don't go extinct first.
There are more classic reasons given for the eventual demise of capitalism, such as two reason predicted by Marx and Engles [1]:
The first reason is that capitalism basically leads to overproduction. The aim of capitalism is to make everything cheaper and faster. This will eventually lead to overproduction, once the means of production how become efficient enough. The markets will fail, the prices fall.
We see this playing out with the great China production phenomenon. We see capital seeking labor markets, raw materials and sales markets around the world, and creating blowback in the process. This reason leads into the second reason:
The management class will not be able to maintain living standards for the working class. The working class won't stand for it, and the system will change.
Efficient production itself leads to layoffs. US corporations moving jobs to China mean these layoffs are permanent. True, we could produce other "things" in addition to the things that are produced so much more efficiently, like environment-saving services and technologies, but these remain outside of the market, and there is good reason to keep environmental protection outside the market: consolidated wealth can afford to pollute or destroy the environment; only a collective, democratic decision can make environmental protection sacred.
Another argues that DEBT is why capitalism will fail. Others argue that lack of morals is why capitalism will fail, but it could be argued that the lack of morals will simply let capitalism reach its natural conclusion, that is, the reasons given by Marx.
With its eventual demise in mind, one has to wonder about the alternatives to capitalism.... a topic for another time.
Sources:
1. Sourced on Marx.
why will capitalism fail?
April 11, 2007
Michael Albert on the Importance of Hope in Social Movements
Michael Albert recently shared an insight on Robert McChesney's radio program Media Matters. Albert is the co-founder of South End Press, Z Magazine and ZNet. He is the author, most recently, of Remembering Tomorrow: A Memoir, and is well known for the book Parecon: Life After Capitalism.
Albert began by discussing the difference between today's social movement and that of the 1960s. Back in the 1960s people were outraged when discovering the institutionally corrupt Government/Corporate power system. But, people believed that they could do something to change it.
Today, people are far more aware that government/corporate imperialism is not an accident. In fact, they have become cynical and have evolved to assume its just the way things are, its inevitable, that you can't do anything about it. So, naturally, people don't want to waste their time forming a movement they perceive would be a waste of time.
A key role of social movement activists is to communicate to people that there is an alternative to injustice and indignity, a different way to organize society and its institutions. Activists need to lay out that vision, and identify reasonable steps in that direction so people have hope.
The key is to give people hope that a better future is possible. People need to believe that being part of today's social movement is not a waste of time. It's also helpful to recognize Martin Luther King's selfless operating principle; the means are as important as the ends. King captured this principle in his famous quote:
Sources:
Media Matters, April 8, 2007, Interview with Michael Albert.
Albert began by discussing the difference between today's social movement and that of the 1960s. Back in the 1960s people were outraged when discovering the institutionally corrupt Government/Corporate power system. But, people believed that they could do something to change it.
Today, people are far more aware that government/corporate imperialism is not an accident. In fact, they have become cynical and have evolved to assume its just the way things are, its inevitable, that you can't do anything about it. So, naturally, people don't want to waste their time forming a movement they perceive would be a waste of time.
A key role of social movement activists is to communicate to people that there is an alternative to injustice and indignity, a different way to organize society and its institutions. Activists need to lay out that vision, and identify reasonable steps in that direction so people have hope.
The key is to give people hope that a better future is possible. People need to believe that being part of today's social movement is not a waste of time. It's also helpful to recognize Martin Luther King's selfless operating principle; the means are as important as the ends. King captured this principle in his famous quote:
I am convinced that we shall overcome because the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.
Sources:
Media Matters, April 8, 2007, Interview with Michael Albert.
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