Maybe Mark Mothersbaugh had it kind of right after all: Humans are able to follow Darwin’s theory for just so long and then perhaps we de-evolve. It would be an interesting study indeed then, to discover how mankind evolved (as opposed to having "progressed" -- Hillary‘s new favorite word) from being "hunter-gatherers" and putative smart-asses of the savanna to becoming mere "service providers" for corporate overlords.
Even the most cursory of glances across the face of today’s terra firma will show that we now live in a kind of corporatist serfdom where entry into the ruling hierarchy is politically unsafe, treasonously illegal and rare.
If you can grasp the reality of a corporatist society, then a true democracy or republic as a form of government of such a society is simply antithetical. The power of profit, the goodness of greed and the profit of power leave little room to allow the little man of the great unwashed, teeming working class (and, by default, end-users/consumers) any say in how a corporation operates. We are Charlie Chaplin among the gears and cogs in "Modern Times"; we are Pink Floyd in "Welcome to the Machine," we are the boy bothering Tom Waits in "Step Right Up."
Watch and listen as Republicans always emphasize the role of the marketplace in whatever issue comes up, whether it’s health care for the poor, weather forecasts, pet food or religion. The Republicans will hew along moralist lines and sound quite quasi-religious, but the underlying truth is that such moralism simply reinforces the "stern father"/rugged individualist/Gordon Gecko model that they believe will help them buy their way into Their Own Private Heaven. To be sure, while the Republicans say they worship God, what they don’t say is that their TRUE God is Adam Smith. Their relationship with the world, as well as any possible hereafter, is transactional.
So it’s no surprise, then, that in such a corporatist state as the U.S. of A., LLC, has become, that those presently in charge find what they consider the quaint relic of democracy to be much like an under-performing branch office: Put old friends or relatives in the top spots and let them run it aground so fast and so deep it causes tectonic distress. Then, later, they will lay off the staff, put the phones, computers, fax machines and copiers in storage and toss the rest into the Dumpster, and then claim that they tried "everything" to save it, but, you know,...
Technically, the U.S. of A., LLC, is, of course, an employee-owned entity in which we service providers provide the tax revenue upon which the corporation operates. Sadly, however, we eagerly and reflexively glom onto the illusion we’re still running things but all the while "the suits" are doing whatever they damn well please.
Here’s the thing: While we’re arguably at the point where cronies and impaired brothers are at the helm of this still-mighty ship of state that’s aimed at the rocky shore of Kennebunkport, those in Congress who keep stoking the engine fires are refusing to put down their shovels and apparently are incapable of wresting the helm from incompetent hands. Based on the What-Goes-Around-Comes-Around principle of social interaction (AKA karma), they most assuredly will be seen by history, if not their constituents, as rats deserting a sinking ship.
Apparently, we can live with that for now. But then, who’s got next? Is a hostile take-over in our future? Will we come to our senses and nationalize this corporate behemoth? Moreover, would Halliburton allow it to happen?
These days, the only time we hunt for things is in Wal-Mart, because their stores are purposely set up in a near-random fashion. They WANT to keep you in there as long as possible, just like casinos. "Can’t be!", "Impossible!" you say? Just try to find the Nestle Quik or Velveeta "cheese."
But we do gather together, us like-minded folk, in search of commiseration, of companionship, ... of compassion; of reason, of empowerment and of action.
And by a quite comfortable margin, we’ve got that whole "smart-ass of the savanna" thing all sewn up, don’tchya think?