 Photo Credit: Mariusz Kubik |
Wandering the vast Internetz over the today I came across a post on DeusExMalcontent.com from last year referencing a couple articles I missed from Naomi Klein.
Naomi Klein, in case you've not heard of her, is a Canadian journalist who covers things decidedly unpopular to the establishment. Now, I'm sure most people would think of her as a "left wing" reporter, but I see her work as more anti-both sides of the political spectrum. She tends to slam both parties after all--the Republicans for their blind support of businesses and banks, and the Democrats for their lack of spine.
The first article the Deus Ex Malcontent blog points to is a Harpers.Org article from September of 2004. It's all about the US Iraq Attack and how it was never about WMD or Iraqi Freedom or even about the oil. It's really about creating a blank slate by clearing the playing field, both literally and mentally.
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In the case of Iraq, the entire country is bombed into psychosis so that the survivors will be willing to accept any kind of (capitalist) society so long as it doesn't include the shit being bombed out of them.
The other article the Deus Ex Malcontent blog post points to is a piece by Klein on how the Beijing Olympics were just a huge advertisement for the efficiency of government oppression in creating the perfect little free market capitalist society. In the article, Klein explains:
These Olympics are the coming out party for a disturbingly efficient way of organizing society, one that China has perfected over the past three decades, and is finally ready to show off. It is a potent hybrid of the most powerful political tools of authoritarianism communism -- central planning, merciless repression, constant surveillance -- harnessed to advance the goals of global capitalism. Some call it "authoritarian capitalism," others "market Stalinism," personally I prefer "McCommunism."
While I respect Naomi Klein, I find the word "McCommunism" a bit too glib, especially since the word communism stops meaning anything once people are told to buy and sell things that aren't theirs in the first place. The idea behind communism (I thought) is that the state/people own everything right? But this isn't anything vaguely communistic.
I'm thinking it's more a "Corruptionist" society.
Let's think about it for a sec:
In China, corporations buy their way into markets, essentially bribing the Chinese government to make foreign investment easier. If government wants the big businesses to function in their towns, cities and country, they'll do what big business needs them to do. Anything to get the money flowing.
HEY! That's just like America!
I guess that makes the US a Corruptionist society, too, huh?
Corruptionist policies of the United States have created some long term problems - i.e. people who were tired of being exploited and are now some of the U.S.'s biggest enemies. It's strange to think that relations with Iran, Cuba, and some others would be different if the U.S. didn't initially support corrupt govts in those nations.
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And we created some of those corrupt governments and/or supported them. It's kinda scary what you learn when you start reading about some of this stuff. Seems the American government has been renting out the military for wars of corporate conquest for a long time. A dude called Smedley Butler was a Major General in the Marines and once said:
ReplyDelete"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."
That was all from one guy. There's a whole lot of scary to learn about. :\