Let's Occupy the Future
Published in La Voz
(Argentina) on 9 November 2011
by Noam Chomsky (link to original)
(Argentina) on 9 November 2011
by Noam Chomsky (link to original)
Translated from
by Annerys Diaz.
Edited by Gillian Palmer.
If the links that are being established in the Occupy Boston phenomenon manage to sustain themselves during the long and difficult period ahead — victory never comes fast — the protests could represent a significant moment in American history.
I've never seen anything like the Occupy movement, not in size or in substance, either here or anywhere else in the world. Participants are trying to establish cooperative communities that could well be the basis for the permanent organization which will be needed to overcome the obstacles and adverse reactions that are already happening.
That the movement is not without precedent is something that seems logical, since we live in a world that no longer has precedents, not only now but for four decades.
Change of perspective: The 1970s was a decisive period for the United States. Since its inception, the country has had a developing society, not always in the best sense, but there has always been advance toward industrialization and wealth. Even in the darkest periods, the expectation was that progress would continue. In the 1930s, although conditions were objectively much harder than today’s, the spirit was quite different. Due to popular pressures, the New Deal was approved. The predominant feeling was that we would come out of those difficult times.
Today there is a sense of hopelessness and even despair. This is something new in our history. In the 1930s, it was believed that workers would prevail and work would return. Today, industrial workers, with unemployment at about the same level as during the Great Depression, know that if current policies persist, these jobs will disappear forever.
This transformation in the American perspective has evolved since the ‘70s. Several centuries of industrialization became de-industrialization. Sure, industry continued, but abroad, making it profitable for businesses and bad for the workforce.
The 1 percent: The economy is focused on finance. Financial institutions have expanded enormously. The vicious cycle between finance and politics has been accelerated. Wealth is increasingly concentrated in the financial sector. Due to the high costs of campaigns, candidates are sunk deep in the pockets of their supporters with money.
In parallel, the politicians have benefited the currency speculators with measures favorable to Wall Street — deregulation, tax changes, relaxation of the rules of corporate governance — which have intensified the vicious cycle.
The collapse was inevitable. In 2008, the government came to the rescue of Wall Street firms that were supposedly too big to fail, with managers too large to be imprisoned.
Of course, the tenth of 1 percent of the population that has benefited the most during the years of greed and deceit believes that everything is fine. In 2005, Citigroup, which, incidentally, was the subject of frequent government bailouts, saw luxury as a growth opportunity. The bank issued a brochure inviting investors to put their money into what they called the “plutonium index,” which identified the actions of the companies targeting the luxury market.
“The world is divided into two blocks: the plutonomy and the rest,” summed up Citigroup. “The U.S., Britain and Canada are the key plutonomies, economies driven by luxury.”
Everything is peripheral. The non-rich are called “precarious,” the proletariat leading a precarious existence on the fringes of society. That “edge,” however, has become a substantial percentage of the population of the United States and elsewhere.
Thus, there is the plutonomy and the precarious, the 1 percent and 99 percent that have been pointed out by the Occupy movement. The figures are not literal, but the image is accurate. The historic shift in public confidence about the future is a reflection of trends that may be irreversible. The Occupy protests are the first major popular backlash that could change that dynamic.
Escalation of violence: I have stuck to internal affairs so far, but there are two dangerous trends in the world which overshadow everything else.
For the first time in history, there are real threats to the survival of the human species. Since 1945, we’ve had nuclear weapons and it seems a miracle that we’ve survived. But government policies of Barack Obama and his allies are promoting escalation. The other threat, of course, is the environmental catastrophe. Finally, virtually every country in the world is taking steps to do something about it, but the United States regresses.
A propaganda system, recognized by the business community, says that climate change is a liberal hoax. Why should we be paying attention to these scientists? If this intransigence continues in the richest and most powerful country in the world, we cannot avert catastrophe.
The time to act: Something must be done in a disciplined and sustained manner — and soon. It will not be easy to move. It is inevitable that difficulties and failures will occur, but unless the process that we live in here and in other parts of the country continues to grow and becomes an important force in society and politics, there will be little chance of a decent future.
No major initiatives can be launched without a broad and active grassroots movement. It is necessary for it to catch on across the country and make people understand what the movement is about, what every individual can do and what the consequences of doing nothing can be. Organizing such a foundation involves education and activism. Educating people does not mean saying what to believe, it means learning from and with the world.
Karl Marx said, “The task is not just to understand the world but to change it.” We should also keep in mind is that if we change the world, we better understand it. That does not mean listening to a lecture or reading a book, although that sometimes helps. You learn by participating. You learn from others. You learn from those that you want to organize. All of us need to achieve knowledge and experience to formulate and implement ideas.
The most worthy aspect is the enthusiasm of building links between people and organizations. If it can maintain and expand, the Occupy movement will be able to engage in campaigns to guide society onto a more humane path.
I've never seen anything like the Occupy movement, not in size or in substance, either here or anywhere else in the world. Participants are trying to establish cooperative communities that could well be the basis for the permanent organization which will be needed to overcome the obstacles and adverse reactions that are already happening.
That the movement is not without precedent is something that seems logical, since we live in a world that no longer has precedents, not only now but for four decades.
Change of perspective: The 1970s was a decisive period for the United States. Since its inception, the country has had a developing society, not always in the best sense, but there has always been advance toward industrialization and wealth. Even in the darkest periods, the expectation was that progress would continue. In the 1930s, although conditions were objectively much harder than today’s, the spirit was quite different. Due to popular pressures, the New Deal was approved. The predominant feeling was that we would come out of those difficult times.
Today there is a sense of hopelessness and even despair. This is something new in our history. In the 1930s, it was believed that workers would prevail and work would return. Today, industrial workers, with unemployment at about the same level as during the Great Depression, know that if current policies persist, these jobs will disappear forever.
This transformation in the American perspective has evolved since the ‘70s. Several centuries of industrialization became de-industrialization. Sure, industry continued, but abroad, making it profitable for businesses and bad for the workforce.
The 1 percent: The economy is focused on finance. Financial institutions have expanded enormously. The vicious cycle between finance and politics has been accelerated. Wealth is increasingly concentrated in the financial sector. Due to the high costs of campaigns, candidates are sunk deep in the pockets of their supporters with money.
In parallel, the politicians have benefited the currency speculators with measures favorable to Wall Street — deregulation, tax changes, relaxation of the rules of corporate governance — which have intensified the vicious cycle.
The collapse was inevitable. In 2008, the government came to the rescue of Wall Street firms that were supposedly too big to fail, with managers too large to be imprisoned.
Of course, the tenth of 1 percent of the population that has benefited the most during the years of greed and deceit believes that everything is fine. In 2005, Citigroup, which, incidentally, was the subject of frequent government bailouts, saw luxury as a growth opportunity. The bank issued a brochure inviting investors to put their money into what they called the “plutonium index,” which identified the actions of the companies targeting the luxury market.
“The world is divided into two blocks: the plutonomy and the rest,” summed up Citigroup. “The U.S., Britain and Canada are the key plutonomies, economies driven by luxury.”
Everything is peripheral. The non-rich are called “precarious,” the proletariat leading a precarious existence on the fringes of society. That “edge,” however, has become a substantial percentage of the population of the United States and elsewhere.
Thus, there is the plutonomy and the precarious, the 1 percent and 99 percent that have been pointed out by the Occupy movement. The figures are not literal, but the image is accurate. The historic shift in public confidence about the future is a reflection of trends that may be irreversible. The Occupy protests are the first major popular backlash that could change that dynamic.
Escalation of violence: I have stuck to internal affairs so far, but there are two dangerous trends in the world which overshadow everything else.
For the first time in history, there are real threats to the survival of the human species. Since 1945, we’ve had nuclear weapons and it seems a miracle that we’ve survived. But government policies of Barack Obama and his allies are promoting escalation. The other threat, of course, is the environmental catastrophe. Finally, virtually every country in the world is taking steps to do something about it, but the United States regresses.
A propaganda system, recognized by the business community, says that climate change is a liberal hoax. Why should we be paying attention to these scientists? If this intransigence continues in the richest and most powerful country in the world, we cannot avert catastrophe.
The time to act: Something must be done in a disciplined and sustained manner — and soon. It will not be easy to move. It is inevitable that difficulties and failures will occur, but unless the process that we live in here and in other parts of the country continues to grow and becomes an important force in society and politics, there will be little chance of a decent future.
No major initiatives can be launched without a broad and active grassroots movement. It is necessary for it to catch on across the country and make people understand what the movement is about, what every individual can do and what the consequences of doing nothing can be. Organizing such a foundation involves education and activism. Educating people does not mean saying what to believe, it means learning from and with the world.
Karl Marx said, “The task is not just to understand the world but to change it.” We should also keep in mind is that if we change the world, we better understand it. That does not mean listening to a lecture or reading a book, although that sometimes helps. You learn by participating. You learn from others. You learn from those that you want to organize. All of us need to achieve knowledge and experience to formulate and implement ideas.
The most worthy aspect is the enthusiasm of building links between people and organizations. If it can maintain and expand, the Occupy movement will be able to engage in campaigns to guide society onto a more humane path.