by John Michael Greer
Alf Hornborg, The Power of the Machine
Regardless of whether the book and this essay based on the book are simplistic or not...
Our economic arrangements and the consequences of that economy are certainly worth investigating for anyone who cares about political life. Surely we cannot merely be complacent and assume that "all is ok with the world" while enjoying the benefits of the system.
Are cries that the wealth of certain First World countries is gained through injustice false? Should we be allowed to exploit as we please, so long as we can find those who are willing to be exploited?
[When will certain Catholics stop being apologists for the oligarchy...]
The dependence of the American standard of living on these patterns of unequal exchange goes far, I think, to explain the remarkable meekness of the political left in this country over the last few decades. It’s one thing to talk about bringing fairness and justice into the world economy, and quite another to face up to the consequences. Again, oil makes a rough but workable surrogate for wealth as a whole. If the United States were to abandon the patterns of unequal exchange that support its current standards of living, its citizens would face something like an 80% reduction in wealth and access to resources.
Put that in everyday terms and the political implications are hard to miss. Imagine that a candidate for public office launched her campaign with a speech announcing that if she were elected, everyone in the country would suffer a permanent 80% pay cut, while prices, interest rates, and outstanding debt would remain as they were before the cut took effect. The pay cut would bite deeper with each passing year, too, to make up for the effects of resource depletion. How many people would vote for such a platform? Would you?
(I wonder if this is worth a look: The World System and The Earth System
Global Socioenvironmental Change and Sustainability Since the Neolithic)
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