General Discussion

bhikkhu

(10,785 posts)

14. In the sense that they are chosen by the people in general

Mon Jul 16, 2012, 07:54 PM

Jul 2012

especially if one looks at our financial choices as "voting with our wallets".

I'm not saying I like it - I won't set foot in a w-mart myself, for example, but the store is always busy, and other stores it competes with have gone out of business because more people vote for w-mart. W-mart exists on the scale it does because people chose it to be so. Other corporations exist in the same way, and there are very few that would survive long if people in general chose otherwise.

Reagan is another example of a "purely democratic construct". I couldn't stand him myself and couldn't imagine how anyone voted for him, but nevertheless people in general did choose him. Which says more about human nature, disappointing as it may be sometimes, than about how we might be powerless and helpless.

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The New Totalitarianism: How American Corporations Have Made America Like the Soviet Union [View all] xchrom Jul 2012 OP

Yeah.. ananda Jul 2012 #1

k and r nashville_brook Jul 2012 #2

Is Truth. Octafish Jul 2012 #3

in a sad irony amfortas the hippie Jul 2012 #4

I've said for years that our leaders learned the wrong lessons. knitter4democracy Jul 2012 #5

And pretty soon, we'll all be buying everything from one store - Wal-Mart. reformist2 Jul 2012 #6

k&r raouldukelives Jul 2012 #7

The whole helpless and powerless spiel gets old... bhikkhu Jul 2012 #8

That could have been a good joke, but you lost me at "purely democratic constructs" Occulus Jul 2012 #10

In the sense that they are chosen by the people in general bhikkhu Jul 2012 #14

'which essentially makes them almost purely democratic constructs' marmar Jul 2012 #12

You're right, I always choose Lockheed for my warplane needs. JackRiddler Jul 2012 #20

I get your point, but nevertheless corporations are the sum of people's choices bhikkhu Jul 2012 #25

K&R n/t bobthedrummer Jul 2012 #9

In terms of lack of political choice true - TBF Jul 2012 #11

Soviet citizens had to stand in long lines to buy very basic items Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #15

Yes I saw the propaganda movies in 6th grade TBF Jul 2012 #16

A couple of my geography professors actually took a tour of the USSR with Intourist Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #19

perestroika (abandonment of central planning) was already implemented by 1985 BOG PERSON Jul 2012 #22

I don't think you can say perestroika was "already implemented" by 1985 Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #24

The Sovoets had their horrors DonCoquixote Jul 2012 #27

Work for a corporation and try signing on to DU. joshcryer Jul 2012 #32

"Red baiting"? Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #33

I know what you're doing TBF Jul 2012 #36

Next thing you'll be telling me, Stalin didn't have any purges Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #42

I'm not getting into this with you. TBF Jul 2012 #45

otoh BOG PERSON Jul 2012 #17

Central planning was very efficient, it was just focused on the wrong things. white_wolf Jul 2012 #39

K&R. Thanks for posting. n/t Egalitarian Thug Jul 2012 #13

They only want what's best for us. kenny blankenship Jul 2012 #18

There's no fundamental difference between state communism and unfettered capitalism. joshcryer Jul 2012 #21

you're the worst BOG PERSON Jul 2012 #23

I dunno - from this vantage point it looks to me like the TBF Jul 2012 #37

You still have the option to not shop at Wal-Mart. joshcryer Jul 2012 #38

In one of his videos Chomsky makes a similar point. white_wolf Jul 2012 #40

Chomsky recognizes that state communism / USSR is capitalist at heart. joshcryer Jul 2012 #43

kr HiPointDem Jul 2012 #26

heh RobertEarl Jul 2012 #28

I've been seriously thinking, there seem to be problems once ANY kind of organization becomes snot Jul 2012 #29

It's the Iron Law of Oligarchy. white_wolf Jul 2012 #41

Very interesting, thanks! snot Jul 2012 #46

K&R patrice Jul 2012 #30

Yup, many of us have made similar observations nadinbrzezinski Jul 2012 #31

I do what I can quaker bill Jul 2012 #34

Excellent article krispos42 Jul 2012 #35

America has changed aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2012 #44