Thursday 26th of December 2024
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gobble, gobble, gobble .....

gobble, gobble, gobble .....

So on this Thanksgiving week as stomachs are stuffed and the cacophony of credit card transactions deafens and defies the reality of global economic meltdown, I will celebrate that we are now closer to the total collapse of civilization than we have ever been, and that for all the rampant suffering it will evoke around the world, the soul-murdering, mind-numbing, body obliterating culture of empire is terminally ill and on life-support.  

I know not how many, if any of us, will survive its collapse, but I do know that until it has fallen fatally silent, no life form on earth will ever experience freedom or fullness of life 

Black Friday: Why This One Is Especially Dark

supercapitalism .....

Here's a quick quiz.  

Do you love bargains?

Do you enjoy the power and convenience of shopping online for the best deals on electronics or travel or anything else?  

Do you favor cutthroat corporate competition that devours small, local businesses?

Do you applaud the sweatshop labor it takes to produce your sweatpants for less?  

Feeling schizophrenic, yet? 

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich believes we are all suffering from this split agenda - as consumers we want low prices, while as citizens we may oppose corporate behaviors that make them possible.

And he believes - at least on a national scale - our citizen selves are losing. 

Shoppers are elbowing citizens out of the public arena. The last three decades have seen the emergence of a supercharged capitalism fueled by open markets and cutthroat competitiveness.

According to Reich, "supercapitalism" is overwhelming government with lobbyists and money, while citizens are dazzled by the promise of previously unimaginable riches and consumer choices. 

Consumer-Driven Culture Is Killing Our Democracy