"The New Feudalism"
terça-feira, setembro 07, 2004
Copyright 1997, 2000, 2003 Scott Robert Ladd. All rights reserved.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana (1863&-1952), Spanish-born U.S. philosopher, poet, in Life of Reason
I've been studying medieval history. It gets me away from the keyboard and provides a perspective on my European ancestors. History fascinates me; I've always believed in the principle embodied in Santayana's quote above: a society cannot
mature without contemplating where it has been.
While reading about feudal Europe, a sense of deja vu keeps disturbing my thoughts. No, I'm not remembering some past life; instead, I realized that I was seeing parallels between the society of the Middle Ages and the world we live in today.
Parallels? What parallels? The kings and nobles have faded into wretchedness; kingdoms and empires evolved (in most cases) into modern democracies. Common people no longer live under the thumb of un-elected nobles. Modern science has eliminated the scourge of many deadly diseases; science and reason have overcome alchemy and mysticism. So how can I compare modern society with its medieval past?
Without question, life is much better today than it was in medieval times; I certainly don't want to go back! Yet there are disturbing indications that we are repeating the mistakes of the past, sliding toward a world once again ruled by an elite class at the expense of the commoner. Is our material magnificence blinding us to something insidious?
Consider: After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Europe fractured into a chaotic collection of kingdoms and principalities. Knowledge was lost; the Western world slipped into the Dark Ages. Ambitious men conquered or absorbed their weaker neighbors, leading to the creation of nation states. How is this different from the corporate mergers happening today, as companies grow through acquisition?
The new empires are trade zones -- where nations once fought for dominion, multinational corporations now vie for control of key industries and markets. Nobility ruled by right of privilege; corporate leaders rule through control of jobs and politicians. The common phrase "wage slave" denotes a fatalistic life bound by debt to cubicle and company, much as medieval serfs were bound to the local lord. Castles have become multi-million dollar homes and office buildings; feudal oaths of loyalty are now called "contracts." Instead of knights and archers, the new kingdoms employ lawyers and accountants. The battles are less obviously bloody, but the feudal war rages all the same.
And television has supplanted the Roman arena as a source of "bread and circuses" for the masses.
Their names have changed, but the players remain the same, and the goal is still power. Greed is why the United States government continues to do business with nations who murder their citizens; this is why corporations build factories that pay children slave wages. Dissident voices sound quaint, naïvely suggesting that morality has any place in a reality defined by financial bottom lines!
For those who have identified me as a "communist", I assure you that isn't the case. I'm a rampant capitalist, believing the reward should be commensurate with contribution. I work for big corporations, selling my books in corporate-owned book stores to workers in big business. I like my amenities -- the microwave, the computer, the four-wheel drive truck. In fact, I'm a registered member of the Republican Party; my version of "Republican", please note, is based on Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
On counterpoint, I believe we've entered a dangerous stage in the evolution of humanity. World history is replete with fallen civilizations and Dark Ages. Perhaps the rise and fall of nations is part of the evolutionary process; just as species come and go, perhaps Dark Ages correspond to mass extinctions found in the fossil record.
As rational beings, we, humanity, can develop beyond simplistic models of economies and societies; we can choose our future. Do we want to return to the days where a few powerful people controlled the destiny of millions? Or will we seek a new model?
Publicado por Manuel 23:07:00
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