The thing about using the economy as the measure of all things is that in doing we institutionalize unbridled greed as the guiding force for our society. It takes a huge leap of faith, if not a greater dose of magical thinking, to believe that the rational pursuit of self
Continue readingAuthor: brian gibb
the disgruntled democrat: There Are No Selmas in Cyberspace
Today is Martin Luther King day in the United States, a civic holiday, and the only one dedicated to the memory of a black man. This would be a good day to go see the film Selma that captures very well the emotions and the historical significance of the Selma
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Same as It Ever Was in 2014: America’s Owners Kept Themselves Far From the Madding Crowd
George Carlin Many years ago, Thomas Gray penned these famous words that still ring true and apply to the workings of those who own America: Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife, Their sober wishes never learned to stray; Along the cool sequestered vale of life They kept the noiseless
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The End of Empire and the Rise of the Intelligent Network
As 2014 comes to a close, a great many of us are keenly aware that something is amiss. The great wars of the previous century are over, yet we are still not at peace. While a tiny minority continues to amass more and more wealth, the vast majority of people
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The Challenge of the 21st Century Is To Extricate Ourselves From Existing Empires
Some empires change outward appearance over time. For instance, the British Empire has morphed into the American Empire; the Russian Empire went from the czar to the communists to Vladimir Putin; not to be undone, the Chinese Empire also had a flirt with the communists before returning back to oligarchic rule; finally, the
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: After Five Years, This Democrat Is More Disgruntled Than Ever
Well, a little more than five years have passed since I started writing this blog. Despite the efforts of a number of agents for social change, we are as far away from living in a veritable democracy as ever. And it’s not for a lack of trying. At the provincial
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Should We Go or Should We Stay Now: Can Scotland Escape the Status Quo Trap?
Two days to go before the Scots will decide in a referendum whether to create their own independent country or to continue as part of the United Kingdom. Apparently, the upcoming result is too close to call. Although the “No” side had a substantial lead six months ago, the “Yes”
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The American Rentier Economy: Has the US Become a Failed Nation?
When I first started to write this blog five years ago, to make the point about how the concept of the economy is used to the detriment of the vast majority of the population I distinguished between the real economy and the zombie economy. Essentially, those who derive their wealth
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The Bright and Shiny Lumpen Professional Class of the Post-Industrial Age
For Karl Marx, the lumpenproletariat — I love the sound of the word, “lumpen” — is the lowest stratum of the industrial working class, including also such undesirables as tramps and criminals. The members of the Lumpenproletariat—this “social scum,” said Marx—are not only disinclined to participate in revolutionary activities with their
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The Weight Loss Industry In North America Is Built Upon A Web Of Lies And Deceit
According to the data by Marketdata Enterprises, a market research firm that specializes in tracking niche markets, Americans spend north of $60 billion annually to try to lose pounds, on everything from paying for gym memberships and joining weight-loss programs to drinking diet soda. Considering that as of 2012, the
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Truth Be Told: The Rich Don’t Give A Shit About The Economy That You Live In
It never ceases to amaze me that we continue with the charade of watching how the economy performs. Last week, we learned that the American economy grew by a whopping four percent during the last quarter. Whoopee shit! Am I supposed to fall off my chair thinking about what a
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: By Now It Should Be Obvious: It Is Not An Invisible Hand But The Big Laughing Dick Of Wall Street That Runs Things
They say that a stiff prick has no conscience, but a stiff prick that laughs too is phenomenal*, especially when it laughs all the way to the bank after fucking you up the ass without any lube. And that ladies and gentlemen is what has transpired in both the UK
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Taking Back Sovereignty
Now, thanks to Thomas Picketty’s highly influential study, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, we have historical confirmation that wealth begets wealth. In other words, the rich are different from you and I. Chances are that they were born into wealth and then used their resources not only to hang onto it,
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Congratulations Ontario For Having Successfully Outsourced the Governance Function
Way to go Ontario! When it comes to thwarting democratic rule in Canada, you continue to lead the way. Not only did Ontarians peviously vote in a province-wide referendum against the notion of changing the anarchistic voting system (first-past-the-post) that allows a political party to form a majority government with less than
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: The Unlanded Gentry Have Captured North America’s Political Economy
During the first few decades of the industrial revolution in Britain, it was the landed gentry that ruled. They did not have the good fortune of being born into a noble family, but they did have the good fortune to own considerable tracts of land. As a result, they were
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: In America Being Fat Is Like Being Poor: It’s Your Fricken Fault
At some point in time, probably not in the immediate future, the Anglo-American world is going to wake up to the fact that no man, nor no woman, is an island. The environment, beginning in the womb, has profound effects on the people we turn out to be. Seems pretty straight
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Falling Into the Fat Trap
This week we saw some startling figures concerning obesity rates around the world. Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese. The highest rates were in the Middle East and North Africa, where nearly 60 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: In the End, Quebecers Are Not All That Different From the Vast Majority of Canadians: They Prefer To Be Governed Than To Govern
Mercifully, this sorry spectacle of a general election in Quebec is over. I can’t remember a campaign so empty of any real debate as it came down to a choice between an extremely lame Charter of Values that would have banned the overly overt display of religious affiliation in the
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Thanks But No Thanks Quebec: Take My Ballot And Shove It
Well, I have decided not to vote in this charade of an election. My principle reason is that my vote does not count — it is totally ineffective — because I live in a region where the same political party, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), has taken all of the
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Parasites Have Infected And Taken Over Quebec’s Body Politic
In nature, there are parasites that invade a host, take control of its movements for their own benefit, often leading to the host’s demise.n My favorite example of this life process is the Lancet liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum). In short, as an adult the Lancet liver fluke spends its time in
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