I did not get a chance to see Noam Chomsky's movie, "Requiem for the American Dream," but I was particularly struck by the the 10 principals of oligarchy that he describes. He believes that the American Dream is dead because of a vicious cycle where the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer. Wealth and power in the United States is very concentrated and Noam Chomsky believes that if drastic changes are not made, the American Dream will stay dead. I tend to agree with his list because of my political affiliation. I wont say what that affiliation is, but I have a feeling that people in the other political party would not agree with this list.
The first principle I agree with is that there is an ongoing reduction of democracy in the United States. This means that the wealthy are being protected by this reduction. I tend to agree with this statement because often you see wealthy people lobbying for deregulation. For example, the deregulated banking system made a lot of people very rich but caused the economy to crash. A large majority of the rich population believe in personal gain through the reduction of government. This ongoing push for deregulation and reduction of democracy contributes to the concentration of wealth that Chomsky describes.
Another principle I agree with is Run the Regulators. This principle is related to the reduction of democracy and lobbying. Lobbyists from private wealthy organizations have taken control of politicians. Politicians are so influenced by these lobbyists that publicly elected representatives represent organizations rather than people. These organizations that hire lobbyists represent rich and powerful people and the lobbyists ensure that their interests are represented in the government. This makes me wonder if the government is "By the Person for the Person" rather than "By the People for the People."
Noam Chomsky goes on to make more points about how the American Dream in the United States is dead. I agree with him on nearly all of these points. The concentration of wealth and power in the United States is very intimidating to me. I am a student who will graduate from college by the end of the year. How will I make money in a society that doesn't want me to? This paranoia might just be part of the typical college graduate attitude, or it may be me being naive. The point is that the American Dream in the United States is now harder than ever to achieve.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/noam-chomsky-wants-you-wake-american-dream
So glad you reported on this, even if you didn't see the movie. My guess is that it will be available on Amazon, or sometimes CNN movies play these documentaries. I'll let you know. He offers many examples in the movie, but you figured it out very well. And, yes, I can guess your political affiliation. Moreover, I don't think the other side even reads Chomsky. Pretty deep stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteYou pretty much hit the main points you mentioned on the nail. Democracy is always at odds with those that want to control the message, and money allows them to do it. Chomsky says that even the Founding Fathers were not willing to let those "below them" to have the same voice. And so it goes. No need to get paranoid. Maybe Bernie will get people mobilized to do something to change the momentum.