From a statistical view, distributions abound. Deep in ecology, networks connect us all. In economics, hierarchies overlay distributions. Both ecology and economy are bound to contingencies of circumstances, with the former limited by available genes, relationships and environmental conditions, and the latter by human ideas and rules on value, exchange and ownership. The human hierarchies we value become evident in the formalities our economic rules advance.
Welcome to this video loaded ACM in which I connect disparate needles of contention with the thread of hierarchies.
Railroad Blues
President Biden and Congress invoked the Railway Labor Act to prevent the devastation of a shutdown threatened by rail companies in the face of an impending strike over paid sick days for workers. The US government could have forced owners raking in record 40% profits to give workers in this vital industry paid sick days, but instead Democrats betrayed labor allies as they deferred to their visions of superior investor classes and the comity of 60 Senate votes. In short, taking care of sick workers is secondary to pleasing industry owners and Senators of the minority party.
In a more reasonable world, workers needing sick days would not be a problem. With ownership and economic growth dominating national priorities, as a country, we assign ownership with trust and workers with suspicions that neither side deserves The first video outlines how private owners ruined railroads.
Many will argue that they themselves never made such choices, all while using their hard earned dollars and votes to coddle automobiles as superior, whistle past railroads, and ignore the double standards conferred on rail vs vehicular travel.
Superior Meme Manipulation
One way that hierarchies are maintained is through media manipulation to proliferate moneyed memes. Of the many working to illuminate this corporatized propaganda, I will mention here work of the Media Manipulation Casebook (MMC) run by the Technology and Social Change project.
That is my pretext for linking the next video of a conversation on 9/11 conspiracy memes. In this modern discussion of old news, watch to see Dr Joan Donovan take apart the both siderism meme with researched backed evidence that Republicans are unique for their practice of coalescing around party centric memes, whether factual or not. Republicans are the ones putting party and power over facts and democracy. It’s not both sides.
Incidentally, I emailed MMC to inquire about conducting a video interview to post on ACM. If they see the email and we are worthy of attention, then we might have our own interview someday.
Polluter Maneuvers
World leaders recently gathered at the United Nations annual climate conference (COP27) to issue largely meaningless, but totally necessary statements on progress and proposals. Among them, hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists swarmed to further oil, coal and gas interests. It’s part of the pollution paradox, which states
The more damaging the commercial enterprise, the more money it must spend on politics to ensure it’s not regulated out of existence. As a result, politics comes to be dominated by the most harmful commercial enterprises.
In practice, this leads to fossil fuel addicted populations paying for continuing expansion by 96% of oil and gas companies. while investors and insurers keep issuing fluffy branded statements on their wholehearted commitment to do something. It’s all possible thanks to our pushing finance and money to the top of our cultural hierarchies.
It’s All Personal
One of the most insidious memes around is the investor friendly it’s nothing personal, it’s only business lie. Commuting is personal, fuel consumption is personal. Republican sedition is personal. Jobs are personal. No legal or HR frameworks have removed the personal from our jobs, though many hide behind the business hierarchy logic to defend and ignore their own ignobility. To that end, the last video here is one I made on sending gifts and returning equipment to my ex-employer APHL.
Money, Finance, Capital and Power
A common theme through all of these topics is the hierarchy of who has power, leverage and voices to hear. With the inordinate power granted finance and investors, those with money are afforded undue influence and respect. If you have enough money, you can get rich aspirants to polish the images of super rich villains, but it’s all good, because they have nice clothes, cars and residences.
When we make money all important, wealth becomes the arbiter of respectability and honor. Those with the most wield power, while those with less face organizing into sycophancies determined to prop up the brand, organization and leadership, or fighting against destructive power hierarchies in cash strapped and often ridiculed groups of dreamers. Everything else is secondary to income for the brand, including our lives and environment.
Those are the hierarchies we create. There are alternatives. We need more democratic power structures with more power for individual and less deference to finance.