The Opposite of Corporatism

[demwing]

The argument we are supposed to have, if one were to listen to the Main Stream Media, is the argument between Conservatism and Liberalism. Right vs. Left. Red vs. Blue. Republican Party vs. Democratic Party.

And yet, in America, the Left and the Right are not diametric opposites. In fact, on many levels, the Left and the Right are nothing more than two closely related, sparsely differentiated perspectives of what I can only define as "The Corporate World View."

And what (you may say to yourself) exactly are you talking about demwing?

If it were possible to sum up "The Corporate World View" in a single thought, I think that the closest you might come would be this: "The Corporate World View" is the notion that cost and profitability are the defining values of society.

It's true. Look at our debates. We decide everything in terms of profitability. National Security, Health Care, Energy, Environment, Education...all are defined and debated not by what is right or wrong, but by what they cost, and what affect these policies will have on our economy. We hear more about "deficit neutral" than we hear about military or political neutrality. We talk about the right to pursue the American dream, but what we mean is the right to purchase, own, and profit. Think about it...the dream as it is defined today is pretty much to own a house, purchase nice clothes, cars, and electronics, and run our own businesses. Was that always the American dream? Was that the goal of America's founders?

What about equality? What about civil liberty? What about judging a man based on his character, not the color of his skin, or - as is the case these days - by the number on his credit report? Why are our dreams all economic? I'll tell you why - because we've replaced citizenship with consumerism. Thank your friendly neighborhood faceless corporation for that. They've molded us in that corporate training grounds we call the Public School System, and turned us into worker drones, while simultaneously and methodically removing and reducing the powers of a middle class that were hard fought and won by labor unions.

Corporations now have unlimited power to spend on political campaigns, and the SPOTUS calls it "free speech." They've demonized labor unions and all but crushed the middle class. They've bought up huge media conglomerates and created massive monopolies of information. Then they call it news, and add insult to injury by pretending it's fair and balanced. And all the while, the Left and the Right continue on, offering no challenge, and no chance.

And yet we argue as if Right or Left policies will change our society. Does anyone feel as if that argument was designed to divide us? To confuse us? Does anyone feel as if our social order were an enormous parlor trick, and while we should be watching the magician's left hand, his right hand is holding a flashy, fiery, distraction, and damn it, I just can't look away? Does anyone else feel as if the Democratic party has failed to offer a real cnage we can believe in, and a real choice to "The Corporate World View?"

I do.

So what are my options? I won't join the Right wingers! They provide little change, and what they do offer is far worse than what we already have. I was encouraged at first by the populism of the Tea Party, but that movement was quickly co-opted by racists and hypocrites. At this point, I see no alternative to The Corporate World View anywhere on the landscape. And yet there is a great, untapped populism in America., waiting for a choice. Waiting for a voice. Waiting for an opposition to corporate greed, excess, and mindless consumerism.

I looked up "corporate" to see if the word had an antonym. It has several: incorporeal, immaterial, separate, and unorganized. In turn, a great synonym for immaterial is spiritual. This sounded close to my idea of what would constitute the opposite of corporate, but the word was also very secular. I thought a nice alternate Spiritual was "Spirit." Say it out loud - The Spirit Party. It brings up images of the American Spirit. Courageous, free, and progressive - thats how I envision an American Spirit Party, and one possible alternative to The Corporate World View. Despite what you call it, there must be an alternative to the lack of choices we are given by the status quo.

If you could design the perfect political party, one that represented you, and not corporate profitability, how would you define it?
First and foremost, the philosophy should be driven by humanitarian principles, not by profit margins. Other than that I welcome your ideas.

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Government derives power from its citizens and exists only to benefit its citizens.

Within this governing philosophy, all elected members of the government are representatives of the citizenry. We do not look to them for leadership. They look to us for guidance.

[ibegurpard]

2. wake up

seriously

[Ozymanithrax]

3. I'm not asleep. I'm fantasizing.

[demwing]

4. The question was 'Define your own political movement"

and your answer was to tell another to wake up?

yikes