Empire, Clash of Civilizations, the End of History, the Coming Anarchy…

by Situationist

Posted to Poetry and Politics on 2003-01-17 14:27:00

Parent message is 361522
All ways of looking at the post-Cold War Order. I’m skeptical of any philosopher or pol. sci. (even Marx) that prophesizes immanent revolution (like Hardt & Negri do in their newest book, “Empire”). To me, there are some fundamental problems to acheiving real political change. The first is a collective action problem…it’s the prioner’s dilemma. Or take this example…a groupd is going around collecting money from yr neighborhood to build a free health clinic…everyone in the neighborhood is giving some money. When they come around to you, if you know everyone else is paying money to build the free clinic, why should you? You’ll still be able to use it…

Thats one dilemma, and the dominant one. There are also practical problems, nameley environmental crisis. Even Bush’s EPA has admitted global warming is a problem: you bet yr ass. A political scientist I know (who also spent 7 years as an Air Force pilot, fought in Granada, Panaman, Nicaragua, and the Gulf) has been compiling data for a book he’s writing…some interesting facts came up…within 35 years, based on the current curve of ocean levels rising due to global warming, Bangladesh will be under water (as well as various island nations). Manhattan could be partially underwater. And this isn’t from radical journals…I’m talking about “Science” magazine! If yr interested, I can get anyone the sources for these articles…These problems are null and void if we’re all dead.

Besides these problems, there needs to b a fundamental shift in consciousness in order to alleviate suffering and promote equity and peace. I think one way to combat the collective action problem is when instituting environmental reform, offer tax breaks, etc, to coorporations willing to comply with stricter standards.

But this is all microcosmic. What about debt crisis, the plundering of the 3rd World? I don’t know either Levi. I don’t think anyone does…but discussions like these give us ideas. I don’t want to make predictions, but we can see trends…globalization suggests internationalization. But still, there are areas were internationalism is contentious (at best) such as immigration and refugee policy. So what do we do?

Discuss, critique, keep open minds. We are all citizens. Take that role seriously! Not only that, but whether we want to admit it or not, just by virtue of being in America we are priviliged! Why not use that privilige for someone else’s benefit rather than our own at times. We have more of a voice (though, yeah, not a groundbreakingly important one) than most other people. We can speak the “truth to power” as Said says: against racism, in favor of open borders for refugees and immigrants fleeing from oppression and violence. Me, by virtue of being a white, middle class, college student, am amongst some of the most priviliged people in the world! I’ll be afforded opportunities many, many people will never have. I think maybe if we all owned our society and culture’s history, if we all owned our privilige, if we all accepted it, and did something from a position of privilige to fight oppression or inequality, change could be affected. But what do I know? Not much…I’m just one person with a voice. And though I admit this, I don’t let it stop me…and maybe if other people didnt, my one voice, in a chorus of others, will matter a little more.

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