The New Feudalism

[Truth2Tell]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-New-Feudalism-by-Jerry-West-100126-217.html

By Jerry West

The social system in most of Europe during the Middle Ages is known as feudalism. A similar system existed in Japan. A defining characteristic of this system is that a ruler holds all title to land and dispenses use of the land to retainers in return for their loyalty and service in support of the ruler. These retainers in turn have there own retainers on down the line until we reach the serf at the bottom of the pyramid. A person who works for and is dependent upon those above for their survival. Eventually, this system gave way to one based on class, and theoretically now to one based on democracy for all citizens of legal age regardless of class or gender, giving them a say in how society operates.

History shows us that social systems are in continuous flux, some times one way and some times another, and some times faster or slower. Where our current system is going is a good question all of us should ask and think about. This particularly if there are directions that we care very much that we do not want it to go.

-snip

The future will depend on whether the trend of increasing corporate wealth and power is allowed to continue. If it does, the ideals of freedom and democracy will be replaced with ones emphasizing compliance and loyalty to corporate will. Reversing the trend will require public pressure, a lot of it, to reduce corporate power and increase the power of the individual.

To maintain and expand our freedom we need to vote for politicians willing to change the legal status of corporations, and make them subservient to the public, not the other way around. We need leaders who will take away corporate personhood, who will make corporations justify their existence and go through a public review process before they are granted a charter, and go through it periodically to get their charter renewed. We need to put an end to limited liability and make those who own corporations responsible for corporate actions.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-New-Feudalism-by-Jerry-West-100126-217.html">More here...

The future will depend on whether the trend of increasing corporate wealth and power is allowed to continue.

[Jim Sagle]

1. KNR.

[FirstLight]

2. It's already here..

Look at the current state of our consumer driven economy. "you have no money, but you have a credit line..and you NEED this whacthamaziggy.." "you have no job, and the best job for you to have is with XYZ company for $8 an hour" "you are sik and the only people who really CARE is your insurer, you are in good hands..."

It is all a bunch of corproate minded hoo-ha that we are bombarded with all day, everywhere. I am waiting for the local welfare offices to begin posting banners "sponsored by: "

Meanwhile the poor are geting ever-poorer and the rich are playing the game with the rest of those who have the chips. There is no room for compassion or equality when this happens. The polarity is far too strong and growing deeper.

so what can we do about it?

It is interesting to me that the very same "opressions" that we fought against and the Monarchy and Aristocracy has just taken on new names (Corporate Oligarchy and Plutocracy)but enforced the same power over the people. History of civilizations repeating... Only took about 200 years to re-establish the heirarchy of our New world.

Greed and lack of compassion are part of the human nature issues we are dealing with here. The other part is that a system of equality seems to only work on a truly local level. Democracy may only be a good idea in smaller groups. Once we get too big with a group, the money and power come into play beause only those with money and power can reach such a mass audience. In addition, the personal touh is lost in a mass scale - once the poeple in power reduce us to percentage points, it makes no difference if we can feed our children or not.

just my 2 cents so far...

[Truth2Tell]

3. Great post. All true.

I would add that the system has evolved to be much more effective and entrenched. We serfs are no longer kept docile primarily by the use and threat of brute force. Instead the hierarchy is maintained using a sophisticated system of mass propaganda and cultural indoctrination. Oppressed humans only rise up if they are able to fathom the nature of their own oppression. In our system most aren't - and not by accident.

As long as this system of effective thought control remains in place, the idea of a functioning democracy is a bit of a farce IMO. The oligarchy doesn't fear our current pseudo-democracy (trappings only), because as long as they can control the general flow of ideas and thought, the "democratic" outcomes will always be within the realm of acceptability to them.

[JoeyT]

6. They do take care to make sure we know brute force is an option, though.

Go march for a liberal cause and see how long it takes the riot gear and crowd control weapons to come out.
March for a conservative one (Less taxes for the rich!) and see how long it takes the major networks to have crews there while the police look on smiling.

[leftstreet]

7. All too true

[Truth2Tell]

8. True dat. nt

[pansypoo53219]

4. if you run a credit balance to a credit card company

you are a serf.

[Truth2Tell]

5. If you hand over a chunk of your earnings to a bank every month

and in exchange they let you drive their car (with your name on the title too, of course), you are a serf.

[MisterP]

9. faceless corporations that own our lives? sounds like Haiti c. the 18th century

we sure need a Dutty Boukman for this job...

[Truth2Tell]

10. I had to Google

Dutty Boukman (Boukman Dutty) (died ca. 1791) was a Jamaican born houngan, or Haitian priest who conducted a religious ceremony in Haiti in which a freedom covenant was affirmed; this ceremony is considered a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haïtian Revolution.

Where is our Dutty? :shrug: