Saturday, March 12, 2011

Society, which one?

I have read a lot and listened a lot, and I bet, so has the reader.

What I see in my world is:
The coming of maybe even No Unions;
A last attempt by the Corporate and Wall Street group to enlarge their bonus and income pools;
The disappearance of the middle class as I have known it;
A powerless government incapable of governing, where they need to;
A corporate state, where the interest and well-being of the masses are being left out = a capitalist state.

I heard from some that this country is moving in the direction of socialism, "meaning" that the members of society feel a responsibility toward one another.

My conclusion, based on the above painted picture is that this country is
in the ban of capitalistic socialism, meaning: the wealthy take care of their
own kind, while fiercely protecting their individual rights regardless of the
repercussions to the broader participants in society. In my opinion, this
model will eventually break down. No one will come out a "winner".

"Everything going wrong" always seems to be someone else's fault. We don't sit down together - members of all persuasions and debate, discuss and solve. We are in need of dialogue. Not monologues (news paper articles, one man shows, etc.). From a philosophical point of view, there seems to be little difference between now and the Middle Ages. "L'histoire se repete!"

I can imagine that this will get a negative reaction from the reader.
I am very much in favor of a healthy capitalistic system together with a firm and well educated middle class, from which the entrepreneurs can spawn and can grow into capitalists, respecting the middle class from which they came. I live in a society, not by myself. We need to have a sense of responsibility toward one another. Then "my" system can work.

I'll keep listening and discussing. To-morrow I may see things differently.

1 comment:

Roberto said...

Maarten, I agree with you in many ways about what you've said. Without an educated, healthy class with the ability to work with dignity and support themselves, we will not get the emergence of this much needed group. It is emerging entrepreneurs that have made this country what it has been at its best. My father was a staunch captialist but he never forgot the town and the people from which he came. He knew the importance of fair treatment and passed this along to me in our years of working together. It is one of his great gifts to me.