It's not the Left, It's not the Right. Corporatism is the culprit

[Bonhomme Richard]

Unrestricted Corporatism.
I've been trying to come to grips with what has been happening in our nation. The divide, the passion from both sides. All of us know people that voted for the republican ticket and we know they are not bad, hateful people. What they are is afraid. Whether or not they are afraid of terrorist, gays, liberals, being poor, losing their jobs, change, is all irrelevant. Liberals are afraid for some of the same reasons and some different. Most citizens just want to live their lives, in their own standard, and be left alone. Not have someone else's standard driven down their throats.

It's not you and I writing, producing and airing Viagra commercial.
- It's a Corporation
It's not you and I filling the airwaves with anti-traditional family shows.
- It's a Corporation
It's not you and I causing decent jobs to disappear.
- It's a Corporation
It's not you and I threatening to take someones home because they can't pay medical bills.
- It's a Corporation
It's not you and I turning what used to be news into "He said, She said" journalism
- It's a Corporation
It's not you and I that have any real say as to how this government is run.
- It's a Corporation

I could go on and on but I think you get the drift.

The people have lost control and they are afraid. There is a need to blame someone. We as a people have been turned on each other and we need to realize who the enemy really is.

The enemy is not Capitalism.
The enemy is Corporatism
The ability to make a buck, with a total lack of social responsibility, trumps everything.

It trumps family
It trumps nation
It trumps religious beliefs
Worse of all it trumps Truth.

I think it's time we put hate aside, stop calling each other names (left and right), and focus on the real enemy.

[puddycat]

1. that's why I'm going to live more simply and make more stuff myself

its cheaper and I have to stop this "super-capitalism" that rules our lives.

[xchrom]

2. corporate america

you can't talk enough about it.
and it's a disease that has spread globally.

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. Exactly, and we need to put our focus there.

Not spewing hate in all directions which only creates more hate.
We have been playing their game.

[annabanana]

3. call it "corporatism" and I'm in.

If you call it capitalism you get hit with the regurgitated "communist" charge....no thinking required.

The Corrupt Corporate Kings have no morals, are beholden to no country or ideology (except as it promotes the bottom line).

And the name happily shares the same "shit-based" root.(on edit: even if it doesn't 'exactly'...it's close enough)

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. You are probably right. That's why I tried to distinguish..........

between unrestricted capitalism My bad.

[Eloriel]

5. Actually, what it REALLY is, is

Patriarchy, of which Capitalism is a vital part.

[annabanana]

7. the fact that it's patriarchal is incidental....

That is the history it grew from, yes, but it's not intrinsic to it's nature, imho.

[GOPFighter]

8. You're right

but don't expect any Democratic politicians to point this out. I cringe everytime politicians disparage the government and advocate deregulation.

[Bonhomme Richard]

14. Democratic Politicians - At the end of the day they

are as afraid as anyone to take on the machine.

[stray cat]

9. You are right

and one of the main reasons I distrust Bush is he is corporation incarnate. Thanks very much for the post. This is an enemy most of Americans can agree on.

[Bonhomme Richard]

16. Bush is only a symptom. He would never be where he is...........

on his own. This goes directly to corporate control of the media and now voting. Because he had the name and is totally ammoral it was just a lucky find for Corporatism.

[JanMichael]

10. I prefered your original subject line. It was more succinct.

It's not as if the two concepts are unrelated but one imo creates and uses the other.

[annabanana]

12. there has been so much "fuzzing" of the two terms

"democracy" and "capitalism" that the uninformed confuse the two.

That's why I prefer the term "corporatism". It's free of that (imo deliberate) confusion.

[Cat Atomic]

11. That's changing. In the last 10-15 years, some of the corporatists

decided to organize fundamentalists as a voting block. They rode Christian Fundamentalism right into power. Like a drug addict, their party has become more and more dependent on it's "fix".

The fundamentalists aren't just manipulated outsiders anymore. They've become the essential constituency of the Republican Party, and they've entered it's mainstream with their own candidates.

It's not just about corporatists anymore. They're losing their grip on the reigns. Kind of like Iran in 1979.

[annabanana]

13. they're not "losing their grip" they have ALL the money.

The numbers in the fundy vote are impoverished. The corporatists are using them. plain and simple

edit:typo

[Cat Atomic]

15. The fundamentalists were poor in Iran, too.

Corporatists have invited fundamentalists into the mainstream of their party, and they're taking it over. The religious nuts started out being used, sure- but they're getting more real influence in the party.

I remember when the fundamentalists were motivated with nothing but symbolic bullshit, like promises from politicians that they would be against flag burning, or for prayer in school, etc. They tossed the fundamentalists these little symbolic things every once in awhile- and that was all.

Look at Bush's first term. Faith-based programs, blocking stem cell research, partial birth abortion issues, and more. It's not just symbolic anymore- the fundamentalists are getting very real pay-offs now.

[annabanana]

18. Fundamentalism as a true religious psychosis or as

political expediency? There is a huge moderate movement in Iran (struggling, but real and grassroots). There are a lot of Corporate politicians who are claiming their "born-again" status for politcal purposes. (the hypocrite factor).

[Bonhomme Richard]

17. The real question is - How do we fight it?

How do we put all of this negative energy to proper use? Especially when you realize that they control all of the power centers.

[annabanana]

we have to "frame the debate"... the kind of discussion here...

in this thread...has to become the way we ALWAYS refer to the issues. (My nomination for the other "General Discussion" forum is "Frame the Debate")

A person's thinking is affected by their language. (Any person bi-lingual from birth will confirm this). It probably affects the synapses physically.

[Bonhomme Richard]

28. I agree with you and we need to stop the name calling.

I was pissed the past few days and just as bad as everyone but I had an awakening.
Let's put the brainpower at our disposal here to better use.

[Lorien]

19. Join us here, we're taking action:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2600099&mesg_id=2600099

[Bonhomme Richard]

20. I think Boycotting is too little too late.

First off it is way too broad therefore its effect is limited. If everyone stopped buying we would all be in the shits.

No, we need something more effective and direct.

[Sin]

21. You can

Always pay half of the poor to kill the other half.
Repukes = corporate money more then 50% of them that I have talked to don't think you can tax the rich at all because they are the ones that make the jobs. Also because they them selves think they will be millionaires one day
( even if they are 35 to 55 work in a dead end labor job that has about a 85% possibility of being outsourced with in the next 4 years They still think there going to be part of the upper 1% or heck 10% before they are dead.)
I don't know if its the corporations Or the people that are so poisoned with a greed for money that they would sell out the rest of the world just for the though of it.

[annabanana]

23. 'thank you sir, may I have another"

They are convinced that they will be allowed into the "club" of the superrich. They will not believe otherwise until their customer base is impoverished.

[Bonhomme Richard]

24. I don't buy it......................

I think most people in every country just want to be left alone. (That's why there were so many Bathist in Iraq. Most didn't support Hussien. All they wanted was a job and some way to feed the family.) They know they will never be millionaires. They are throwing their support behind the company for one reason only. They are deathly afraid of losing their job. It's what they are told every day by their boss, by the media, by the government, everywhere, all the time. Not only that, but they see it actually happen to those around them.

[sadiesworld]

22. .

[Bonhomme Richard]

25. Remember that the corporate definition of Freedom is............

Our freedom to buy and their freedom to make as much money any way they can without restriction.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the"Utopian" definition of Freedom we have all come to believe in.

[annabanana]

29. yeah...paper or plastic....cash or charge?

"you want fries with that?" "plain or peanut?"

some choices....

[Bonhomme Richard]

26. Finally let me say this before I go outside to............

rake leaves.
I own a Corporation and when I incorporated I was, and still am, convinced that I can make money and be socially responsible at the same time.

[annabanana]

30. of COURSE you can....

Because you don't confuse a company with a human being. And you recognize the nature of an HONEST days work.

And you know that a government should NOT be "run like a company".. something that the right doesn't understand.

[carnie_sf]

27. Here's a neat company

http://www.justiceclothing.com/thereis/justice/
All their clothing is non sweat shop and union made.

[OneBlueSky]

31. absolutely correct . . . and here's a website worth your time . . .

ReclaimDemocracy.org
Restoring Citizen Authority Over Corporations

http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/