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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy the Failure of Liberalism is Weirder and More Twisted Than We Think
umair haque
Its not exactly news that liberalisms failing and failing badly. But the failure I see beginning to emerge isnt just the old story about abandoned working classes, imploding middle classes, and technocrats who somehow couldnt see them.
Its Trump kissing up to Putin, declaring Europe a foe. Its white supremacy used as a kind of cynical tool to prop up the super rich. Its Brexit, revealed to be a shady con. Its fascism, nationalism, extremism, and supremacism not as ends in themselves, but as means. As tools kleptocracy used to shatter a peaceful, stable world. But and heres the irony that very kleptocracy was created by neoliberalism in the first place. Bang! Implosion.
The failure of liberalism is much weirder, stranger, and more gruesome than we really understand. I think it goes more like this: neoliberalism created a class of global kleptocrats who bankrolled a wave of extremists, nationalist, and neofascist movements, to shatter apart what was left of an open, cooperative, liberal world, and replace it with a global rule of mafia. Global kleptocracy by using protofascism, ultranationalism, authoritarianism, as instruments. The kleptocrats hired faux, grinning, men of the people to be demagogues, who convinced people that it was in their best interest to shut everything democracy, society, investment but kleptocracy down.
Id call it kleptofascism. It goes like this.
The story we tell today about the failure of liberalism which is really that of neoliberalism, but I digress goes something like this. Capital mobility outweighed labour mobility. That is, because investors and corporations were free to move factories and ownership around, but people werent as free to move, entire segments of society quickly lost their jobs, livelihoods, and careers, to people in poorer countries, who didnt enjoy labour protections, unions, pensions, rights, benefits, and so on. And then, without a stable middle class, soon enough, nations began chipping away at basic social services, as tax bases shrunk the age of austerity had arrived, by way of globalization.
Now, this story has one major flaw in it. All this wasnt destiny but choice. It was a political choice to abandon working classes, middle classes, and the poor. The gains from globalization could just as easily have been invested right back in them, with income guarantees, stronger safety nets, education, training, jobs programs. Instead, they were handed over to hedge funds and used to bail out banks. Bang! The spark of rage against elites was lit. But this wasnt a system failure as in it had to happen, no way out, inescapable. It was an institutional failure it was chosen. So this story doesnt get us very far.
https://eand.co/why-the-failure-of-liberalism-is-weirder-and-more-twisted-than-we-think-1a66a39939bc
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)The only reason I dont vehemently disagree with this is because Ive read my share of cyberpunk, and our social-political world could heard toward a Snowcrash of our own far too easily. That said, I dont believe liberalism has failed.
shanny
(6,709 posts)with a shit ton of help? He should have been laughed off the stage (escalator) at his first appearance.
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)And the sheer selfishness of the human condition. Plus, Im not sure what the author means by neoliberalism
shanny
(6,709 posts)but not 8 million Obama-to-Trump voters.
That said:
ne·o-lib·er·al·ism
ˌnēōˈlib(ə r(ə liz(ə m/
noun
noun: neoliberalism
a modified form of liberalism tending to favor free-market capitalism.
He explains his point pretty clearly in the linked article.
Wounded Bear
(58,647 posts)It generally stands for the bullshit we've been listening to for decades, about de-regulation, "monopolies are good," taxes are evil, etc.
At it's base, "neo-liberalism" is very, very conservative, even libertarian in nature.
Doesn't have a lot to do with what most DUers and progressives believe as "liberalism."
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)So when I see the term in what I consider an out of context use, Im never sure what the point is. Its unclear.
Wounded Bear
(58,647 posts)The article is pretty good, and not far from what I see happening as well.
Like I said below, I think we're headed for a form of neo-feudalism, wherein the nation-state as we know it is being re-purposed to suit the needs of a new aristocracy of wealth.
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)Going through my head. The small city states, the complete corporate takeover of government, the private law enforcementall combined with advanced technology. Jesus. Scary shit.
Fullduplexxx
(7,857 posts)1st sentence . I disagree
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)As he wrote at the end:
Id call it, more simply, kleptofascism. Neoliberalism created kleptofascism, and kleptofascism undid what was left of genuine liberalism. Neoliberalism didnt just implode upon itself. It imploded the world as we knew it.
Wounded Bear
(58,647 posts)Like that other term, trickle down economics, its true purpose is too dismantle government regulations and institutions to give corporate, big money interests free rein to profitize everything and rebuild the two-tiered society of the middle ages.
Welcome back to neo-feudalism.
MountCleaners
(1,148 posts)Some people here think that the term "neoliberalism" implies an attack on traditional social liberalism.
They're not the same thing. "Neoliberalism" refers to market liberalism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
"During the military rule under Augusto Pinochet (19731990) in Chile, opposition scholars took up the expression to describe the economic reforms implemented there and its proponents (the "Chicago Boys" ."
Wounded Bear
(58,647 posts)thanks for the link, though. I didn't think to include that.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)Everyone should read the piece in its entirety.
MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)It must be read in its entirety.
H2O Man
(73,536 posts)I thought that I would disagree with this, after reading the title. But then, I read it. Powerful. Thank you, Sir.
Yavin4
(35,437 posts)That has lead to this class of Kleptocrats who appeal to the base emotions of a hurting populace in order to hoard the gains among themselves. "Oh, you lost your union paying factory job to Mexico? Well, blame the Mexican immigrant. Blame the African Americans. Vote for me, and I will protect you from them."
This is why we need an uncompromising left in this nation. It's the only way to restore any semblance of balance.
H2O Man
(73,536 posts)Thank you.
moondust
(19,972 posts)government is the problem." - Ronald Reagan in first inaugural address, 1981
I'd say much of it started with Reagan's attacks on government, attacks on unions, and his "trickle down economics" scam to make the rich richer. Racism was a big part of it then as well.
Mosby
(16,299 posts)He talks about "open, liberal societies", but he is supporting libertarianism and free trade globalism. He states:
That's complete nonsense, real liberals support tariffs(1), because they help to equalize trade relationships and encourage developing countries to improve wages, workplace safety, building codes and environmental standards. As Howard Dean said:
Tariffs do not "support" the globalists, which is why so many business people are against them, they want completely open borders with no trade arrangements. American jobs were LOST because of free trade, not tariffs, which is where this author is completely wrong, either he is stupid, or has some sort of agenda. Our lack of coherent trade policies have enriched globalists the world over, and the billionaires are laughing all the way to the bank.
1. http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Howard_Dean_Free_Trade.htm