This essay by Jag Bhalla, on "The Dark Origins of Optimism and its Current Cheerful Evils", is one of the best pieces I've ever read on this. Maybe the best (also many links). Enjoy.
"As Voltaire knew, optimism is often an elite-serving demon in disguise"
@pvonhellermannn tausendmal thank you for posting this piece! I wish I could boost it many times! One great quote - "Carrying on with neoliberal recipes (i.e., market optimism) is the best way to extend these cheery chart trends —just keep the faith in free markets, rational greed, and tech. What a superbly elite-soothing message. It must be such a relief for the rich to see the world through these self-flattering, rose-colored glasses— Pinker casts plutocrats as the heroes driving humanity’s glorious gains." What a great and much-needed takedown of Pinker. #capitalism#neoliberalism#capitalist#CapitalismKills
Today in Labor History March 30, 1930: Hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers demonstrated in thirty cities. 35,000 marched in New York City and were violently assaulted by the police. At the time, there was virtually no formal aid available for the unemployed or poor. The ruling elite feared that workers would choose the dole over work if given the choice. So, they opposed unemployment insurance. Even the AFL opposed unemployment insurance because it saw itself as the representative of skilled workers only. It didn’t care about unskilled factory workers. The demonstrations were organized by the Communist Party, with the goal of overthrowing capitalism.
@MikeDunnAuthor
The violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations by unemployed #workers in the 1930's clearly shows the systemic injustices perpetuated by the ruling capitalist elite against the working-class, and the lack of formal aid for the unemployed displays the inherent flaws of the #capitalist system that prioritizes profit over human welfare.
Don't just wallow in your misery over being the victim of exploitation by your boss and the #capitalist system. Wallowing won't solve your problems. Join your workplaces #union, and if your workplace doesn't have a union, then create one, because that's the only way you can win back your life from #capitalism and break the chains of #wageslavery.
I agree that Rishi should terminate his meaningless nazi #fascist#life... many other fascist nazi #capitalist#politicians on #earth should do the fucking same before a mob turns up on their fucking #doorsteps!
To those who say "capitalism doesn't force people to do anything. They have free will", if someone put a gun to the head of someone, would that not be a use of force? And how would you feel if the gunman said "I'm not forcing you to do anything. You have the freewill not to give me your money." But if you don't then you'll die, just like the worker will die if they don't do what the capitalist says.
Property and Contract in #Economics: The Case for Economic Democracy by David Ellerman
This book makes 2 arguments.
The employment contract is the core of the #capitalism rather than private property
The employment contract is invalid because it violates #WorkersRights to #democracy in the firm. All firms should be structured as worker #coops for economic justice
My real worry with Google's voyage into enshittification (thanks to Cory Doctorow @pluralistic the term) is YouTube.
Through YT, for the past 15 years, the world has basically entrusted Google to be the custodian of pretty much our entire global video archive.
There's countless hours of archived footage — news reports, political speeches, historical events, documentaries, indie films, academic lectures, conference presentations, rare recordings, concert footage, obscure music — where the best or only copy is now held by Google through YouTube.
So what happens if maintaining that archival footage becomes unprofitable?
This video tells how degrowth and ecosocialism can work in tandem to stop consumerism and overconsumption and reduce emissions in order to transition to a zero-carbon, post-climate-change world.
Degrowth is a response to the rampant growth/profit capitalist paradigm that fuels consumerism and is causing climate change. Degrowth de-centers capitalism and consumerism and instead argues for a world wherein there's a planned contraction of rich economies to allow for the well-being of everyone in the world.
Degrowth, however, can't function well without ecosocialism. Ecosocialism recognizes that the climate crisis is a capitalist crisis and vice versa. In order for degrowth to work it needs to incorporate full democratic control of the means of production and the state in order to avoid draconian measures of austerity.
Degrowth and ecosocialism represent an end to consumerism and overconsumption.