1. In brief, I feel the country has shifted from a de facto democracy to a de facto oligarchy. This shift has
happened in a very subtle and sophisticated way. In one sense all the trappings
of democracy have remained intact; but the actual influence of the average
American on politics has declined dramatically.
2. The average American seems aware that
"something" has happened but cannot quite formulate what is
different. We see the manifestations of this in popular anger, extremely low
congressional approval ratings (9-14%), and increased political polarization.
3. There is a troika of forces at work here: first,
the corporate owned media; second, the influence of lobbyists on Congress; and
third, the policies leading to increasing levels of wealth inequality.
Media
4. To understand more about the contemporary media,
I recommend reading Edward Bernays' book Propaganda
along with Noam Chomsky's book Manufacturing
Consent. The basic narrative is that after WWI the "elites"
realized how effective propaganda had been at mobilizing the populace during
wartime - so, they developed the plan of how to use propaganda during
peacetime.
5. This is the birth of "public relations"
and marketing, along with what will eventually turn into "consumerism."
The thought was that by cultivating artificial desires in the public through
advertising, it would be possible to stimulate demand and keep the capitalist
economy (and its GDP) constantly growing.
This of course is a good thing from one perspective,
as it elevates the standard of living; but it is also a negative due to the
materialism and superficiality it cultivates, along with the negative effect it
has on personal savings.
6. Before Bernays, products were sold based on
utility: "buy our raincoat so you don't get wet in the rain!" After
him, products were sold based on an associated image or ideal: "high class
gentlemen are the owners of this coat."
7. The new peacetime role of propaganda did not stop
there, however. It was also realized that the "elite" had lost too
much power in the face of mass democracy. So, it was realized propaganda could
be used for (as Chomsky says) "manufacturing consent" - getting the
public to support certain policies.
Let's go over how this functions today.
8. In regard to the present day media, there are
five corporations that control a majority of the market. About 90% of the media
consumed is produced by one of these companies: CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS.
In each of these companies, the same process goes
on.
*A reporter goes to his boss.*He asks: Should we discuss an issue that challenges the "elite" (always an economic issue - for example, wealth inequality)?*The boss answers: No, too "radical." (Goes unreported.)*Then the reporter asks: Should we discuss an issue that is nonthreatening to the elite (always a noneconomic issue - for example, gun control)?*The boss answers: Yes, run it. (And all the better if it is a divisive issue.)
There is a second process that goes on in each of
these companies, and that is the manipulation of the "window" of
debate.
*The reporter asks: In our debate, how should we maintain "objectivity" and show both sides of a topic?*The boss answers: When you interview two people, interview one person with an extreme position (ex: someone who wants big tax cuts for business) and a weak, conciliatory opponent (ex: someone who still wants big tax cuts for business but who wants to include a token tax cut for the working class).
We can see how with the above processes these
companies exert a tremendous influence on the public discourse. The appearance of free speech and an open
forum of ideas is maintained, but in actuality a window is being created
limiting discussion to a "safe" spectrum of ideas that do not
challenge the "powers that be."
9. The latter is sometimes called the "Overton
window." The public is given a choice of "benign" topics it is
free to discuss while "radical" or "fringe" topics are kept
from ever being seriously considered. Sometimes this is done through omission;
other times through demonization or marginalization.
The elephant in the room here is of course the
dreaded word "socialism." This is the word that has been demonized in
the US for many decades, and naturally so as it represents a direct challenge
to the power of the "elites." In its most basic sense, "socialism"
means using state power to redistribute wealth or resources. This cannot be
allowed to happen, thus it is placed outside the window of acceptability.
Lobbying
10. Lobbying has grown into an extremely powerful industry.
While there is nothing wrong with lobbying per
se, when it becomes the main determiner of policy we make the shift to
oligarchy.
11. People often cite the Citizens United Supreme Court case as the turning point in
lobbying, leading to the modern super PAC system, but the history is a bit longer
and more complex than that. The idea of "corporate personhood" dates
back to the 80s and before, and it is also not necessarily as nefarious as it sounds - as long as it is interpreted correctly
in a legal setting.
12. Unfortunately I have come across some very
disturbing statistics on lobbying. First, that 90% of congressional races are
won by candidates who raise the most money. This cannot bode well for
politicians following the public will - only the moneyed will.
13. The other disturbing statistic is the extreme
efficiency of lobbying dollars. For every dollar a corporation spends on
lobbying, it can receive up to $220 in tax breaks. This leads to a very
dangerous slippery slope.
14. The last thing to mention here is the study
conducted by Gilens and Page. These two researchers compiled the data on the country's
legislative history, and came to some disturbing conclusions.
They found that public opinion had no influence on a
particular policy being implemented. Any policy - with a popularity of 0% or a
popularity of 100% - had the same likelihood of passing in Congress, 30%.
They found that the opinion of the
"elite," however, did matter. If none of the elites supported a law,
it would not be passed in Congress. If all of the elite supported a law,
it had a relatively high likelihood of being passed.
The question here now becomes: who are the
"elite"? In this context the term is defined by those with economic
power; that is, the wealthy. It does not refer to those who are the most
educated, virtuous, or well-informed - as some political philosophers
throughout history have defined the term (like John Adams, Aristotle, and so on).
Wealth Inequality
15. The final element in this troika of forces is
wealth inequality. The expansion of this in recent history is evidence of the short-term
thinking and decadence that has consumed the elite. Often on this issue, images
are better than words.
16. There are many sources on this topic for further
reading; in particular Thomas Piketty's Capital
in the 21st Century. There is also this famous video created by
"Politizane" which has some excellent graphics in it.
17. One interesting point "Politizane"
makes is the extent to which Americans are unaware of the problem. The huge
amount of wealth the top figures possess is "invisible." We
"think" things are much more egalitarian than they are.
18. A few of the common points mentioned are that 1%
of the US population controls half of its wealth and 90% of its income; that
productivity has increased since 1970 but all the wage increases have gone to
the upper stratum; and that the ratio of CEO to average worker pay has expanded
to egregious levels (1950s - 20:1, 2018 - 361:1).
19. A final point is that increasing numbers of the elite are not "self-made men." We are usually more
accepting of extreme wealth if it is made by someone who has brought great
change - like Bill Gates who developed the personal computer - but this is
becoming less common. Today up to 60% of those on the "top 500" list
were born into significant privilege. Thus, it is shifting into a permanent aristocracy.
Additional Thoughts
20. This post went on much longer than I intended,
but I hope I have formulated my perspective for what is going on in this country.
Should I have failed to succeed in the above, I can quote George Carlin
to summarize it in a few words.
But there's a reason. There's a reason education sucks, and it's the same reason it will never, ever be fixed. Because the owners of this country don’t want that. I'm talking about the real owners now. The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They've got the judges in their back pockets. And they own all the big media companies so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying; lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else. But I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. (...)It's a big club. And you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club. By the way it's the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head in their media telling you what to believe, what to think, and what to buy. The table is tilted folks. The game is rigged. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care.
21. There is a very high interest among Americans in
"conspiracy theories," and here I feel this is partly a manifestation
of the above. As there is indeed a real "conspiracy" where media,
lobbyist power, and policies promoting inequality work together. I do not think this "conspiracy" is
necessarily a conscious or self-aware endeavor however. It is simply a natural result
of power and power's desire to protect itself.
22. Unfortunately what is happening is a symptom of
all late stage empires; for more on this you might read the book Fate of Empires by John Glubb. The
United States has been too long in the "prosperity" stage, and this
results in moral decay. The pursuit of money becomes the only end, until the
process consumes itself.
Optimism
23. The reforms necessary to fix the above are
relatively simple: and given the institutions of democracy remain intact, the
remedy would require simply getting enough public understanding of the issue and
agitating for change.
24. In regard to inequality, a wealth tax could be
implemented; the estate tax could be strengthened; or the tax code's
progressivism could be strengthened. In regard to lobbying, reforms could be
passed regulating it further; Citizens
United could be ruled unconstitutional; the public at large could create
its own PAC; or campaigns could be made public financed only. Media is less
easily to reform, but perhaps the media corporations could be broken up into
smaller companies, or else alternative media could be supported more
(this does seem to be happening more with the Internet).
25. The issue is of course the complexity of the above. It is not so easy to formulate all this intellectually. There
is also a huge effort to keep the status quo as it is obviously benefiting
those at the "top."
26. Unfortunately without reform we are unlikely to
see progress on the climate issue, on improving Americans' access to
healthcare, or reversing the trends of wealth inequality.
