exchange with george monbiot
i think we need an entirely new language of politics… we’re still arguing everything from an 19th century point of reference, it is truly absurd
to me, politics boils down to two paths:
1. the policies pursued by nearly every party on the planet, the status quo that has led to global eco-devastation and threatens all life on this planet
2. those that don’t
it’s life, and anti-life, pure and simple
political success and failure should be evaluated by this same metric… Clinton, Bush, Jr. … failures, the death clock raced ever faster towards midnight during both terms… Major, Blair… ditto… Koch, Schroeder, ditto.
this is why i’m a Green… we’re beyond economics now. the question of capitalism or socialism is irrelevant if neither does anything to stop the destruction of the Amazonian rainforests, global warming, the erosion of the ozone layer, the death of all coral reefs within thirty years, the destruction of global fishing stocks (and consequent devistation of an ecology we know almost nothing about), the genoicide of our ape relatives, the total destruction of indigenous cultures worldwide, annihilation of most of the populace of Africa - this is not apocalyptism, every one of these is an ongoing crisis that is well document
why limit ourselves to being the “anti-capitalists”, why let them define the terms of the debate?
we should turn it around: ours is the politics of life, of abundance and diversity, of hope for the future - theirs is the politics of death, of destruction, of global devastation, of sterility… we are the rainforests, they are the Sahara
fuck this 19th century capitalism vs. marxism bullshit, today’s political choices and consequences are far more hardcore
—– Original Message —–
From: George Monbiot
To: Thomas Leavitt
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 2:17 AM
Subject: Re: “life after capitalism”
I agree completely, but adopting this position would not make us anti-capitalists. I think we have to drop the label.
BW, GM
—————————————————————-
George Monbiot’s book The Age of Consent: a manifesto for a new world order is now published
—– Original Message —–
From: Thomas Leavitt
To: mail@monbiot.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 11:33 PM
Subject: “life after capitalism”
Why is it that the only choice we’re given is between a totalitarian statism
and an unbridled vicious stateless capitalism?
Why has British and American politics become exclusively a choice between
one shade or another of the upper right hand box of the political matrix (as
illustrated below)… with the exception of the Green Party (more or less) -
where my sympathies lie?
http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/extremeright.html
http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/usprimaries.html
Ha, I guess I’m talking to the right person… you’re at the top of the list
of Libertarian-Left authors…
http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/libLeftBooks.html
Why not a Jeffersonian democracy of small businesspeople and working people?
Why not focus on breaking down huge concentrations of capital? Tax the rich,
redistribute income, take care of the people who need being taken care of,
break up the mega corporations, the media monopolies, reign in the wages of
the CEOs and their cronies, demand fair labor standards and environmental
protections be implemented everywhere, pay an honest wage for an honest
day’s work, ensure basic healthcare is available to all, etc. etc.
It seems like basic common sense… markets, in one form or another, have
apparently existed for thousands of years… small farmers, caravan traders,
craftspeople, tavern owners… the problem has never been with these folks,
it has been with the concentrations of capital and power…
The problem with every alternative to a market-based system is that none of
them offers a credible answer to the most central question: “who decides”?
My daughters practically live in their Heeleys - $100 sneakers with wheels
in the rear (only) … the gliding travel pattern kind of looks like
ice-skating on concrete (or wood or any other smooth surface)… it is a
small thing, but what kind of state-owned system of production would create
and distribute such a thing? Being unemployed, it is a major sacrifice to
pay for a new pair each year, but it is worth it for how happy the kids are
as a result.
To me, the answer is not, “abolish capitalism”, but rather, “what role can
the state play in defining the market so that everyone gets a fair chance,
no one abuses the system, and no one gets left behind?”
–
Thomas Leavitt, Sr. Systems Admin For Hire
Resume at http://www.thomasleavitt.org/personal/resume/
Phone: 408-591-3342 / Email: thomas@thomasleavitt.org / Fax: 815-371-2804
Wired since 1981. Internet-enabled since 1990. Web-enabled since 1993.
Older, wiser, and poorer, post-crash. :)
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