To Denmark and Beyond
Michael Parenti on Capitalism's Apocalypse, and Why George Bush Is A Success
Alex Cruse
Issue date: 9/4/08 Last update: 9/4/08 at 12:12 AM PST
Section: OpEd
On August 23, Michael Parenti-noted liberal scholar, political scientist, and author-spoke before a small crowd at the Nonesuch Gallery about "Capitalism's Apocalypse"-a phrasing that even Parenti himself wasn't entirely confident of. Despite the heady doomsday title of the lecture, his succinct observations on a country in demise illustrated how capitalism has not only run up again its ecological limits, and it is completely antithetical to a true democracy.
According to Parenti, capitalism has "two core functions": to maintain and advance capital accumulation and-the less transparent function-to protect the system from itself. "Giant corporate capitalism is innately…an apocalyptic system," Parenti said.
The destructive cycle of production and competition has devastated United States' natural resources and inflated the national debt; the implied question then being, "Who is capitalism profitable for?" He argues on the side of the labor class, which is not only consistently marginalized economically, but suffers from a distinct anti-unionist agenda set forth by the major corporations it works under.
He recalled an observation made by Eugene V. Debs, a founder of the International Labor Union, that in the conflict between business owners and their workers, the state is not a neutral arbiter. A century later, the state remains ambivalent about the white-collar crime. Parenti also cited the government's hesitancy to employ more tactics to protect the environment, as this is potentially disastrous to profit margins of this country's wealthiest 0.004%. Understandably, he decisively takes umbrage with the corporate media, who gain financially by keeping the spin on "healthy competition" and "economic prosperity" impenetrably positive.
Finally, he criticized the "liberal complaint," most publicly from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that President Bush is a "complete failure." Quite the contrary: the Bush Administration has been remarkably successful at achieving its projected goals of eliminating the estate tax, severely reducing corporate taxes, handing billions of Medicare dollars to major pharmaceutical companies, doubling the military budget, establishing major military presences in the Middle East and Central Asia, record profits for corporations and the defense industry, declining of human services…leading Parenti to say, "you tell me where the failure is."
The subjectivity of capitalism's success was illustrated with a glance at other progressive social democracies with mixed economies that have, historically, incurred far less debt than the United States. For example, Denmark and Germany have lower returns on their investments, because paid employee leave, environmental costs, and healthcare reduces the profitability of a business venture. "Capitalist successes," however, can be seen in places like American-controlled Micronesia, which Parenti called "dysfunctional societies with no public health, privatized, low-quality air and water, and reduced life expectancies-but only for the poor." He closed by saying that the GOP has effectively prevented the United States from becoming a Social Democracy. "Their goal is to get us to Indonesia…[Michael Parenti] want[s] to get us to Denmark and beyond."
According to Parenti, capitalism has "two core functions": to maintain and advance capital accumulation and-the less transparent function-to protect the system from itself. "Giant corporate capitalism is innately…an apocalyptic system," Parenti said.
The destructive cycle of production and competition has devastated United States' natural resources and inflated the national debt; the implied question then being, "Who is capitalism profitable for?" He argues on the side of the labor class, which is not only consistently marginalized economically, but suffers from a distinct anti-unionist agenda set forth by the major corporations it works under.
He recalled an observation made by Eugene V. Debs, a founder of the International Labor Union, that in the conflict between business owners and their workers, the state is not a neutral arbiter. A century later, the state remains ambivalent about the white-collar crime. Parenti also cited the government's hesitancy to employ more tactics to protect the environment, as this is potentially disastrous to profit margins of this country's wealthiest 0.004%. Understandably, he decisively takes umbrage with the corporate media, who gain financially by keeping the spin on "healthy competition" and "economic prosperity" impenetrably positive.
Finally, he criticized the "liberal complaint," most publicly from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that President Bush is a "complete failure." Quite the contrary: the Bush Administration has been remarkably successful at achieving its projected goals of eliminating the estate tax, severely reducing corporate taxes, handing billions of Medicare dollars to major pharmaceutical companies, doubling the military budget, establishing major military presences in the Middle East and Central Asia, record profits for corporations and the defense industry, declining of human services…leading Parenti to say, "you tell me where the failure is."
The subjectivity of capitalism's success was illustrated with a glance at other progressive social democracies with mixed economies that have, historically, incurred far less debt than the United States. For example, Denmark and Germany have lower returns on their investments, because paid employee leave, environmental costs, and healthcare reduces the profitability of a business venture. "Capitalist successes," however, can be seen in places like American-controlled Micronesia, which Parenti called "dysfunctional societies with no public health, privatized, low-quality air and water, and reduced life expectancies-but only for the poor." He closed by saying that the GOP has effectively prevented the United States from becoming a Social Democracy. "Their goal is to get us to Indonesia…[Michael Parenti] want[s] to get us to Denmark and beyond."
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