Sunday, November 3, 2013

Can the People Change the System?

New World Notes #296 (November 5, 2013):

Broadcast quality MP3 (39 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)


It's strictly coincidence--honest!--but this installment will first be broadcast on Election Day 2013. The election here is for city council, school board, and so on--so maybe it will not be as meaningless as our Presidential elections have been.

Hope springs eternal. But Chris Hedges reminds us that hope needs to be grounded in reality.

In any case, this week Hedges returns, reflecting on American capitalism run amok--driving Americans closer to poverty and destroying the ecosystem.

And he reflects on the U.S. government, dedicated to furthering the interests of the corporate elite at the expense of the 99%.

Fears of popular rebellion against the (unsustainable) system--not terrorism--have moved the Obama administration to destroy Americans' civil liberties and spy on every citizen. But since the radical Left has been destroyed--and since the Democratic Party is as devoted to protecting the elite as the Republican Party is--change from within the system is impossible, thinks Hedges.

What to do?  Hedges sees making the elite afraid of the people--through widespread nonviolent resistance and protest--as the only strategy that has a chance of working.

A sobering but intellectually powerful and persuasive talk.  Excerpted from interviews with Paul Jay on The Real News Network (therealnews.com).  Thanks to Robin Upton, of the Unwelcome Guests radio show, for the audio, which I have edited (unwelcomeguests.net).


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