Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us An economic system that rewards psychopathic traits

[Ichingcarpenter]

Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us
An economic system that rewards psychopathic personality traits has changed our ethics and our personalities



We tend to perceive our identities as stable and largely separate from outside forces. But over decades of research and therapeutic practice, I have become convinced that economic change is having a profound effect not only on our values but also on our personalities. Thirty years of neoliberalism, free-market forces and privatisation have taken their toll, as relentless pressure to achieve has become normative. If you’re reading this sceptically, I put this simple statement to you: meritocratic neoliberalism favours certain personality traits and penalises others.

There are certain ideal characteristics needed to make a career today. The first is articulateness, the aim being to win over as many people as possible. Contact can be superficial, but since this applies to most human interaction nowadays, this won’t really be noticed.

It’s important to be able to talk up your own capacities as much as you can – you know a lot of people, you’ve got plenty of experience under your belt and you recently completed a major project. Later, people will find out that this was mostly hot air, but the fact that they were initially fooled is down to another personality trait: you can lie convincingly and feel little guilt. That’s why you never take responsibility for your own behaviour.

On top of all this, you are flexible and impulsive, always on the lookout for new stimuli and challenges. In practice, this leads to risky behaviour, but never mind, it won’t be you who has to pick up the pieces. The source of inspiration for this list? The psychopathy checklist by Robert Hare, the best-known specialist on psychopathy today.

This description is, of course, a caricature taken to extremes. Nevertheless, the financial crisis illustrated at a macro-social level (for example, in the conflicts between eurozone countries) what a neoliberal meritocracy does to people. Solidarity becomes an expensive luxury and makes way for temporary alliances, the main preoccupation always being to extract more profit from the situation than your competition. Social ties with colleagues weaken, as does emotional commitment to the enterprise or organisation.

Bullying used to be confined to schools; now it is a common feature of the workplace. This is a typical symptom of the impotent venting their frustration on the weak – in psychology it’s known as displaced aggression. There is a buried sense of fear, ranging from performance anxiety to a broader social fear of the threatening other.



MORE:: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/neoliberalism-economic-system-ethics-personality-psychopathicsthic

[vlyons]

1. Neoliberalism?

Your description sounds more like neoconcervative.

[gollygee]

2. Neoliberalism is another name for radical free market capitalism

The term "liberal" isn't used worldwide the way it is in the US. In many countries, it is used for free market capitalists. But yeah the word can cause confusion in the US.

[liberalmike27]

6. If it has "Neo" in front of it

Whether conservative or liberal, it means pretty much the same thing. It sucks.

Truth is, with Democrats embracing relatively the same policies, it just amounts to a one-sided, right-wing economic system.

[gollygee]

7. hmm

Neo just means new or young. I guess I haven't noticed a trend where things that start with Neo by definition suck, but maybe the right has been using terms starting with neo a lot. Neocolonialism and neoimperialism certianly suck.

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. Neoliberalism

"Neo-liberalism" is a set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years or so. Although the word is rarely heard in the United States, you can clearly see the effects of neo-liberalism here as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer.





A memorable definition of this process came from Subcomandante Marcos at the Zapatista-sponsored Encuentro Intercontinental por la Humanidad y contra el Neo-liberalismo (Inter-continental Encounter for Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism) of August 1996 in Chiapas when he said: "what the Right offers is to turn the world into one big mall where they can buy Indians here, women there ...." and he might have added, children, immigrants, workers or even a whole country like Mexico."

The main points of neo-liberalism include:

THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating "free" enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers' rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say "an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone." It's like Reagan's "supply-side" and "trickle-down" economics -- but somehow the wealth didn't trickle down very much.

CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply -- again in the name of reducing government's role. Of course, they don't oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.

DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.

PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.

ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF "THE PUBLIC GOOD" or "COMMUNITY" and replacing it with "individual responsibility." Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves -- then blaming them, if they fail, as "lazy."

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376

[TBF]

4. I'm convinced the "neo" part means "for corporations" -

it doesn't matter what comes after it.

We've got to stop and think about how we can do a better job for PEOPLE worldwide. The corporations are only looking after their management teams and stockholders.

We can try reigning in the economic system - and if that's not enough we need to start from scratch imo.

[woo me with science]

17. Yup. Neoconservative...neoliberal....

They sure resemble each other.

Hillary Clinton admits role in Honduran coup aftermath
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025601610#post29

Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us An economic system that rewards psychopathic traits
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5601656

The record shows aggressive, proactive pursuit of a corporate agenda,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3202395

CUT THE CRAP! Your Month in Review from the most "progressive" administration ever.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025006297

Just a Republican thing, huh? Assaulting the Constitution itself
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5554112

Study: Obama's "Trade" Deal (TPP) Would Mean a Pay Cut for 90% of U.S. Workers
http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2013/09/the-verdict-is-in-the-trans-pacific-partnership-tpp-a-sweeping-free-trade-deal-under-negotiation-with-11-pacific-rim-coun.html

Obama’s Latest Betrayal of America and Americans in Favor of the Big Banks: TISA
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/26/1309671/--Obama-s-Latest-Betrayal-of-America-and-Americans-in-Favor-of-the-Big-Banks-TISA-by-Bill-Black

Bombing Syria: The next step in the PNAC playbook, remember?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025520459

The corporate "Justice" Department under Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025587151
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025586874

Look at the OFFERS.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022060108

[Taitertots]

20. Do you live in the US and watch US corporate media?

If so, you probably haven't heard of neoliberalism because rich people don't want you to know about it.

[Dustlawyer]

5. I have seen this at work in my own office for sure! Alliances to attack the employee closest

friend to the boss. Turn around an attack an alli who just scored a coup. Discussions and strategy on how to manipulate the boss and others... It did not always used to be this way, but seems to be the norm now.

[pampango]

8. Got to agree. Social democratic policies, like in most of Europe, reward constructive traits.

There is an openness to travel, where you live and work and trade, yet there is a strong sense that fairness is important and everyone needs to be taken care of. Ultra-competitiveness and every-man-for-himself is not part of the social democratic culture as it is in a neoliberal one.

[The2ndWheel]

11. As long as they have the US military to take care of every problem

The US military is basically, by both default and on purpose, the developed world's military. However, only US citizens pay for it, so Europe gets to spend more of its money on social programs.

Everyone in authority is cool with that though. The US is above the law, because nobody can tell us no(when was the last time the US had to listen to the UN?), and Europe gets to be the closest thing to Shangri-La that we've got.

[pampango]

12. Europe spends about 1.5% of GDP on the military which is about the same as Canada (1.3%).

The US spends 4.4% of its GDP on the military as does Russia. China and India spend between 2% and 2.5%. Perhaps not surprisingly, the US and Russia are two of the most unequal distributions of income in the developed world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_European_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

It is up to the US to decide to reign in our military spending. If we continue to offer the 'free' use of our military to Europe, it is hard to imagine their social democracies voluntarily saying "Oh please, let us spend more money on our military and less on social programs." I suppose you could say the same about Canada and Mexico (which only spends 0.5% of its GDP on its military).

[raouldukelives]

9. Some emulate, most capitulate and few remediate.

In addition to not playing nice with bullies, my mother also taught me not to follow people over cliffs, even if I really liked them. With what we know about our actions and our effect on the climate, there are a lot of people following and even investing in the very nuts leading us over the precipice. Psychopaths for sure.

[geek tragedy]

10. sounds more like capitalism than neoliberalism

greed, self-promotion, communications skills, and a willingness to take risk are all capitalism-related career traits, not so much neoliberalism.

certainly there's nothing 'neo' about them.

[marions ghost]

13. good article--out of Britain

neo-liberal = extreme capitalism (right the term is confusing to Americans)

But this article is pointing to something very negative at the root of our experience in this culture.

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. neo liberalism has been defined thousands of times

over the years people on DU but they , as we see in this thread refuse to educate themselves or refuse to accept definitions for even dictionaries.



This is a old old article on the shock doctrine.

Not to be confused with the political liberalism of John Stuart Mill, neoliberalism is characterized by investigative reporter Naomi Klein as a "holy trinity" -- privatization, deregulation and cuts to social spending -- in which governments dismantle trade barriers, abandon public ownership, reduce taxes, eliminate the minimum wage, cut health and welfare spending, and privatize education. She calls the means of achieving this goal "disaster capitalism" and describes how it has resulted in a worldwide redistribution of income and wealth to the already rich at the expense of economic solvency for the middle and lower classes.

http://www.naomiklein.org/reviews/ms-magazine-review-shock-doctrine

[marions ghost]

15. I prefer "disaster capitalism" --for sure

thx

[woo me with science]

16. K&R When the words "moderate" and "centrist" become bloody surrealism.

Hillary Clinton admits role in Honduran coup aftermath
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025601610#post29

[woo me with science]

18. kick

[moondust]

19. Psychopaths belong in mental institutions,

not corporate boardrooms.