The Politics of Envy [Article]

George Monbiot quotes Robert and Edward Skidelsky while writing about the Politics of Envy in the Guardian:

“Capitalism rests precisely on this endless expansion of wants. That is why, for all its success, it remains so unloved. It has given us wealth beyond measure, but has taken away the chief benefit of wealth: the consciousness of having enough … The vanishing of all intrinsic ends leaves us with only two options: to be ahead or to be behind. Positional struggle is our fate.”

Another:

According to one of the Saudi prince AlWaleed’s former employees, the Forbes magazine global rich list is how he wants the world to judge his success or his stature. When Forbes estimated that the prince was actually worth $7 billion less than he said he was, he called me at home the day after the list was released, sounding nearly in tears. ‘What do you want?’ he pleaded, offering up his private banker in Switzerland. ‘Tell me what you need.'”

The Extremist Cult of Capitalism [Article]

Richard Stallman calls it the worship of the invisible hand – the extremist cult of capitalism. Capitalism isn’t turning out to be the panacea that it is often, mindlessly, purported to be to the economic problems of society. In the words of Bertrand Russell, “Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim: The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate.”

Democracy, Capitalism, Internet

Scott Adams on Democracy, Capitalism, Internet. Indeed, the idea of “perfect markets” that economists espouse can be applied to democracy as well. The Internet is proving to be a bane in the lives of many a politician, businessman (Australian retailers are a good reference point), etc etc. as much as they are a boon to countless others.