Six True Things Politicians Can’t Say (via The Weekly Sift)
Worth a read.
via The Weekly Sift
They are Us: Protecting Our Plutocracy
Cracks, Crises and Cynicism
Opportunists follow any crisis. Here in Florida, for example, we witness price gouging after a hurricane and government efforts to penalize those unscrupulous few who take unfair advantage. Effective more in pleasing political constituencies than actually preventing gouging, market conditions are the ultimate deterrent. Who will do business with them after the crisis? What really should grab our attention in a crisis are systemic cracks in the foundation, those things fundamental to our system to which we pay little heed until we find ourselves trapped in the force of a storm surge. The wider the surge, the less we notice.
Politicians often find time during an election cycle to decry special interest groups and their influence on their more pliable peers who are typically members of the other party. If asked why they didn’t vote for the campaign finance reform bill, expect to hear the bill introduced would have the opposite effect while their efforts to produce a strong measure went ignored. It was no surprise when Sarah Palin said Obama received the largest contributions from BP, nor that both parties have members—including Palin—supported by BP and other corporations within the oil industry. Why wasn’t anyone shocked? We, the people, accept it as the cost of doing business in politics. The theatrics in a campaign are a cyclical event of denial and suspension of disbelief. Party candidates rally their constituencies with ideologically correct platitudes while the party faithful respond with convincing cheers. All the while, financiers still direct the action backstage with the actors entering and exiting on cue. Occasionally, a script revision is required and a promising understudy steps into the lead role. With the fanfare of a high school yearbook, the voter resigns their vote to the candidate “most likely to win.”
Nation Branding: “What, me worry?”
Why worry if corporate America has their hands in shaping the pool of viable candidates for public office? Seriously. Let’s take the “boogeyman” label off faceless corporations for a moment, and consider the evolutionary processes inherent in a capitalist economy. The best and strongest innovations are rewarded with greater market share. This formula should work well for a nation in a global economy where its brand matters. Different emotions are stirred by the words “Made in the USA” or “Made in China,” and these brands need to be defended vigorously. National defense also benefits from competition.
After the Cold War, industry supplanted competing Superpowers. Mercenaries—hired combatants—have been around since the birth of our country and fill a role when troops are scarce. Today we call them private military companies (PMCs) and their combatant activity has increased tenfold since the Persian Gulf War. This might sound a few alarms, but think about it: If the government wages war and there is a way to reduce reportable excess costs and casualties to an American public that doesn’t want to hear it, isn’t this a win-win situation? Private companies means private casualty reports, a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy all their own. Those working in this industry are usually well-trained former military personnel from all over and expect a market price for their services. Our pool of applicants increases considerably. It’s probably best for US military personnel we don’t compare salaries. Oh, and before I forget, don’t let on that different rules apply to contractors vs. military vs. the civilian population. Abu Ghraib and Order 17 are best not discussed in mixed company.
I don’t want to give the impression there are highly trained combatants with top-of-the-line weaponry out there without some affiliation and commitment to the good ol’ US of A. These guys walked our streets in New Orleans next to members of the US military helping to secure neighborhoods and bring relief following Hurricane Katrina. The companies for which they work–at least 17 of them, anyway–also give generously to candidates running for public office. The wheel keeps spinning round.
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Frank’s observation can hardly be seen as revelation as the plutocratic argument has circulated in various threads, and if I’ve recognized it, clearly many other more knowledgeable folk have also. In fact, I believe most either have difficulty getting past ideological rhetoric or refuse to take the signs of plutocracy seriously. One careless comment—think of Obama’s “share the wealth”—and the soundbyte becomes the argument, and the eroding power of self-governance continues until the next crisis reveals more cracks in the foundation.
Capitalism is on the defensive. “Socialism” and “nanny state” are used as pejoratives to invoke fear of bigger government among conservatives. Both parties, however, voted to rescue corporations that support their campaigns when capitalism weeded them out for extinction. Our tax dollars went to salvage failed corporations instead of entrusting successful companies with the cash necessary to step up and fill the void effectively. They didn’t just abandon a free market democracy, they declared their affiliation with the companies of choice. Each successive Congress and President of either party has promised to reduce government, and each has overseen its growth.
If size matters, shouldn’t you be concerned who’s running it?
UPDATE : One Year Later
Though this chart only goes through 2006, I think it worth noting that in 2011, when there are deafening arguments against increasing taxes despite a weak economy, aging infrastructure & historically low interest rates and tax brackets, that the policies leading to this imbalance among socio-economic groups are still in place with no sign of abating. If Einstein was correct in saying the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome, I wonder what next year will bring?
http://www.businessinsider.com/plutocracy-reborn
They are Us: The 5th Element
Increased influence heralds the emergence of a 5th estate. It is the unique collection of ingredients that separates it from the 4 other spheres of power: World Wide Web medium; social media; real-time accessible global within group and external interaction; net neutrality; and the 5th element–one distinguishing it from other attempts to define this group–distinctly unique voices. Referred to as “that mustard seed” contribution by each member in my previous post, this 5th element is seminal to the developing role as an additional player in self-governance and its evolved form today. The analogy refers to the ability and potential of the tiny seed growing to a large size no matter where it lands even if the results were not the intent. Once grown, its branches make well-hidden perches for many different birds.
A strong argument for the natural progression of an evolving 4th estate can be made since the invention of the printing press enabled its emergence as watchdog of the state. The ability to share secure information enabled each group to assert power, however, and increased literacy with access to information allows each to exist and grow; therefore the ability to communicate efficiently in written form enables one to belong to an estate, but does not distinguish a separate division. Further, the web enables the illiterate to engage by readily transmitting audio and video messages. Social media sites like YouTube and Facebook cooperate to connect people and ideas that can be easily recorded, uploaded and available worldwide in minutes.
Social media empowers the 5th estate and allows the individual viewpoint to be heard interactively. However, again it is not unique to this group as other power groups become aware of its capabilities. These groups are not well-suited to influence members of other estates via social media interaction as the uniform message like that presented in the preceding link serve as a bread crumb trail to groupthink assertions. Further, the idea of live, interactive media is not new. Global social media is as old as the telephone and international dialing and the access to mass audiences through radio remains popular. Still, a telephone call is limited in its scope and a radio broadcast by time and the bias and censorship of the broadcaster.
Independent thoughts and ideas remain the key designator as they create the sum of mass conscience and wisdom. As tiny as a mustard seed might be or insignificant as a thought may appear, when collected among a group unaffiliated except for the access to the Internet and desire to be heard, it can evolve into something unintended, but ultimately reflective of the collective will of many. This mass assertion carries weight among those in a position to give action to those words, and unlike its counterparts, the feedback is both immediate and gradual as ideas are honed by little mustard seeds from the crowd until they grow to seed new ideas.
Like this:
They are Us: The 5th Estate
Careful what you say. People will listen.
By way of introduction, Media Psychology: They are Us references the explosion of social media as a form of global communication complete with all the polarized viewpoints. It is my hope to engender conversation among individuals that find it difficult to contain their passion, yet have a desire to engage in dialog without the provocations found in media messages that attempt to disguise an agenda. Here is found a repository for sharing thoughts and exploring myriad ideas freely and openly. I will get the conversation going by posting weekly blogs on topics I hope will interest you, the reader. Strike that–you, the participant. Science has peer-reviewed journals that perpetually challenge research. Here, the peers are boundless and for each reader, a unique set of metrics applied that must only satisfy the standards they bring. I will include wiki links to point you to further research, and link more thorough findings when possible. My return on investment is an enjoyable and respectful debate; an understanding of different points of view and observations; and a collection of anecdotal data that supports my contention that social media is the next step in the evolution of self-government: the 5th Estate.
¿Por qué “La Finca quinto”
Estates of the realm originated in Middle Age Europe and defined class from highest to lowest ranking. After the fall of the Roman Empire & the chaos that ensued, the Church sought to consolidate power and re-establish order. Through alliances with the wealthy, and thus well-armed, they established rule anointed by divine authority that could only come from God. Who could argue with that? The first estate, therefore, included all clergy; the second included nobility & royalty other than the king; and the third, well, pretty much everybody else. Remember that part about divine authority coming from God? Turns out that spot was reserved for the king, hence the obedience to his authority. It seems in those days, checks and balances relied a lot on conscience and fear. We have to time travel to the 18th century to see another estate−the 4th−established as government evolved post Magna Carta into a more rigorously challenged entity: The press. Crossing an ocean, the US Constitutional form of government has 3 secular branches one might describe in terms of estates (executive, judicial & legislative) with the press’ role in the 4th estate firmly established by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.
This brings us to the 21st and the emergence of what some argue is a 5th Estate. I am worthless advocate to the ideas shown in the preceding link as I only just found this reference at this writing. (This coming together of similar, but separate thoughts plays an important role to which I will return momentarily.) I will say several suggestions defining a 5th estate fall short, at first glance.
- Trade unions operate as a political entity equivalent to the 3rd estate.
- Pundits and media operating in opposition to the mainstream are still profit-driven organizations whose goal it is to become mainstream, thus they remain in the 4th estate.
- Organized crime exists outside the laws governing society, a status antithetical to the idea of governance rendering them non-participants and thus unaffiliated.
This brings us to the remarkable tool called the Internet (not the 5th estate) that allows universal access to information that flows freely (almost there, but not quite); bloggers like me to self-publish (getting really hot); and real-time interaction with independent users (ding! ding! ding!). Add a touch of skepticism and curiosity, and you have the ingredients for a thoroughly cooked 5th estate. The great thing about connectivity to this living organism we call the World Wide Web is the ability to conceive of an idea, place it into the “cyber-incubator” that is social media, and watch it develop as it marries another person’s wandering idea, which in turn sires offspring that may never have been born had there not been this Internet dating service of sorts. Therein lies the singularly most important element of a 5th estate: Independent thought. Lots of it.
E pluribus unum
This Latin phrase recognized most often as the motto on the Seal of the United States has its beginnings in ancient Rome and has been attributed to artists and philosophers alike. “Out of many, one” is an appropriate allusion to the many colonies/states/immigrants/ethnicities that combined to make a nation. As its meaning has evolved, it only seems natural that it expand its reach in the 21st century on a global scale. Earlier I mentioned the importance of similar, but separate thoughts coming together. Social media accessed on the World Wide Web, the face of the Internet, does not constitute a 5th estate. The way we use these tools and how we present ourselves represents a newly emerging estate of power.
As the sum of all human knowledge gathers in a “cloud,” the concept of “original idea” is undergoing a thorough examination. By necessity, there is a portion of our creative thought we must simultaneously give credit to another and selflessly gift to the community writ large. What remains with us, however, is that tiny mustard seed that only our unique self can contribute according to each individual’s personal journey to the point of creation. This is the element−the 5th element, if you will−that must be arbiter of the words each commits herein and is necessary to define a 5th estate. The irony of this new estate is its existence depends upon its members being independent in thought; open to suggestion; skeptical of words; fearless in speech; thoughtful in voice; disconnected; unrepresentative; married to conviction; divorced of ideology; grounded in belief; and motivated by discovery.
In short, it must be you.
