Our Economic System Is at War With Everything

“On December 2012 a complex systems-scientist walked up to the podium at the American Geophysics Union to present a paper. It’s title was ‘Is the World Fucked?’

His answer was ‘yeah’ …”

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  1. Chris Wigglesworth says:

    I’m enjoying the book. I agree with most of it but we need to add the need to get the world faiths to do more together, as equally important as the environmental and the economic.
    Chris

  2. Alistair says:

    Nope. They are making the same mistake they all make. The question is actually best demonstrated by the area around Chernobyl in which wildlife is, in many respects, flourishing.

    The question isn’t “Is the world fucked?”. Absolutely not.

    It is “Is human civilisation fucked?”.

    “Yeah”

    1. bellacaledonia says:

      Ah ‘human civilization’ divorved from economics or power relations. A too-easy slide to misanthropy.

  3. The real war that is taking place today all over the glob is a declared war against Mother Earth!
    We human beings are nothing but an virus and we have made Her sick. Right now she is holding back her increases and sending out her warnings: “wake up and get your act together or I will vomit and cleans myself and you will all be gone!

  4. Paul Carline says:

    Maybe it should change everything – but it won’t. At least not till there’s a system collapse. Why? Because predatory capitalism has long since found a way to ‘walk on water’ i.e. continue operating even when the major economies are utterly bankrupt. Two main ways are printing money and controlling the international drug and other (prostitution, people trafficking) lucrative trades (one of the main reasons for the Afghan war crime, based on the big lie).

    While we were asleep, governments massively expanded the police state mechanism (based on more lies). We see the result in the completely OTT police response to the Occupy Democracy protest.

    The capitalists are not changing course. Witness the outrageous TTIP deal that would concentrate even more power in the hands of the 147 TNCs (transnational companies) that control the majority of global trade and wealth.

    They don’t care what happens to the planet or how many people die in the bogus wars. Not a counsel of despair – but we have to be realistic about the enemy.

  5. Harry Alffa says:

    Here is how we can direct the banks to the good of society. It’s an idea I’ve been pushing for years, but we now have the President of the New York Fed using the same logic – maybe he was inspired by me; I’ve sent enough emails to enough people and organisations that he might even have heard of little old me.
    But first a proclamation from Mr Dudley of what we all knew already, “I reject the narrative that the current state of affairs is simply the result of the actions of isolated rogue traders or a few bad actors within these firms.”
    Which in and of itself is quite something. Something we won’t hear on our broadcast media, or any MSM.

    But his aim of changing the behaviour of the ‘banks as a system’ and his method of doing so is what most interests me.
    He goes into details of pay structures and time-scales, but he says individual bankers should pay the fines imposed on their institutions, and the higher up they are in the company, the more they pay.
    That’s it.
    The crux of his proposal he explains as, “This would create a strong incentive for individuals to monitor the actions of their colleagues, and to call attention to any issues.”

    It therefore becomes impossible to argue against the idea of http://www.bailoutswindle.com; that if banker top-rate of income tax was dynamically set with the percentage rate of unemployment that this would mean that SMEs were offered honestly priced finance when they asked for it.

    If you don’t think growing SMEs will kick start the whole economy, ask Prof Danny Blanchflower (https://twitter.com/D_Blanchflower). Danny though refuses to discuss bailoutswindle.com beyond saying “it won’t work”, but do try him on it! He refuses to compare this with Mr Dudley’s idea; I think he hates it when I say, “If you can’t argue against Mr Dudley, you can’t argue against bailoutswindle.com”. But say that and all you get is silence, but he’s more than happy to discuss, argue or exchange insults with almost anyone. Until you mention me – when he’ll shut up. So save me for last!

    Working n the six degrees of separation theory, then Mr Dudley is within reach of someone on this site.
    So please pass on this question; “Mr Dudley, if you agree with your own proposals, can you think of any fundamental reason why the idea of Bailoutswindle.com won’t change the behaviour of banks to get the economy growing?” If he, or indeed you dear reader, can’t think of a reason, then surely you are morally bound by your own conscience to push for this idea as hard as you can? Mr Dudley?

    Please note that I am aware that “consumption” is “bad for the planet”, but we do need it in the short to medium term. In the long term I am confident that feedback mechanisms tied to finance or future drivers of capitalism can be adapted or created to redirect the world economy to a sustainable model which builds in equality across society.
    If “we” can impose this on the financial sector of today, we can prove it works, and there will be motivation to ensure it continues.

    This is the report of the “Reforming Culture and Behavior in the Financial Services Industry” from Reuters:http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/20/us-usa-fed-dudley-idUSKCN0I92C520141020
    The full text of his speech is here:
    http://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/speeches/2014/dud141020a.html
    And at the same meeting a governor of the Federal reserve Board also made interesting comments.
    http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/tarullo20141020a.htm

  6. It is not, them against us, this separating and blaming who has done what. It is all of us! Soon we will have that rude awakening!

  7. africraigs says:

    Capitalism seems to be a system driven by wants and desires before everything else. Constant economic growth is expected but is not sustainable. The promotion of greed is not a healthy basis for any society as we have lost parts of what it really means to be human and fully alive. Our system is broken. Yes, I believe that faith is part of the answer as Chris mentioned.

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