Naomi Klien: demonstrations reminicent of Argentina's uprising against deregulated capitalism

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

Crowds in France, South Korea, Iceland, Latvia, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Estonia stage uprisings.

Watching the crowds in Iceland banging pots and pans until their government fell reminded me of a chant popular in anti-capitalist circles in 2002: "You are Enron. We are Argentina."

Its message was simple enough. You--politicians and CEOs huddled at some trade summit--are like the reckless scamming execs at Enron (of course, we didn't know the half of it). We--the rabble outside--are like the people of Argentina, who, in the midst of an economic crisis eerily similar to our own, took to the street banging pots and pans. They shouted, "¡Que se vayan todos!" ("All of them must go!") and forced out a procession of four presidents in less than three weeks. What made Argentina's 2001-02 uprising unique was that it wasn't directed at a particular political party or even at corruption in the abstract. The target was the dominant economic model--this was the first national revolt against contemporary deregulated capitalism.

<snip>

The pattern is clear: governments that respond to a crisis created by free-market ideology with an acceleration of that same discredited agenda will not survive to tell the tale. As Italy's students have taken to shouting in the streets: "We won't pay for your crisis!"

:thumbsup:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090223/klein?rel=hp_currently

[bvar22]

1. We're not paying for "their" crisis either.

We quit in 2006.

[Kaleko]

2. Iow, freemarketeering is doomed to failure in the US as well.

Radical reforms will have to be instituted, common sense will have to be allowed to RULE.

Now, what are the chances of that happening by next week at the latest?

[windoe]

3. Our life savings, retirement,property and job security

were just gambled away like it was Monopoly money.

Hey all you greedy bastards, and you know who you are >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>YOU'RE FIRED!!!!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Quantess]

4. kick