politics for the 99%

… reflections on Nationalism – Published on theleSUR english, by Vincent Emanuele, July 11, 2015.

… Today, the scourge of nationalism continues to infect the human species. Without doubt, in some circles, people hotly debate the topic. For most people, however, the concept of nationalism is rarely questioned. In fact, it’s a foregone conclusion that people should love the nation in which they reside. Some people even take great pride in the fact that they were arbitrarily born in a specific geographical location. Unfortunately, like religion or capitalism, nationalism is alive and well in the 21st century.  

Throughout the history of human civilization, people have been creating, critiquing and altering institutions. For instance, people have condemned religion for centuries, indeed millennia. Yet the institution of religion still remains a dominant force in modern society. Without question, religious institutions and practices have morphed, dare I say, evolved, over the centuries. But the fundamental concept that human beings exist within an abstract framework of Gods, mythologies, symbols, and so forth, still remains … //

… Some people have been using the Occupy framework: the 99% vs. the 1%. Yet, as various thinkers and commentators have noted, this ideological framework lacks nuance. It’s rather simplistic to tell people that the source of their problems can be clearly identified and categorized. Indeed, some of humanity’s problems are objective, but others are subjective in nature. Moreover, the 99% is not a homogenous entity; it’s filled with managerial types, lawyers, garbage pickers and fast food employees. These segments of society have very little in common, regardless of what the orthodox Marxists espouse.

Right now, various political projects around the world are grappling with the concept of continental political arrangements. Obviously, Europe is a prime example. Others, including those in Latin America, have been pushing for continental cooperation and codification. In some ways, these developments pose alternatives to the traditional nation-state.

In the end, humanity requires an international political project of epic proportions to successfully combat the many ills of the modern world. People should always discuss big ideas and critique ideological orthodoxies in the aim of hopefully creating a more just a peaceful world. However, the actual process of changing institutions and ideologies can take centuries.

Meanwhile, can continental political arrangements eventually morph into international political arrangements? Without doubt, the only way these arrangements will be successful is if they develop in an organic fashion. As we’re seeing with the European Union, when political projects are imposed from the top-down, undesirable results will always take form.

(full text).

Links:

QUE VAIS-JE DIRE À MES FILLES / Chapitre 5, dans Mediapart.fr, par Fabrice Van Borren, le 12 juillet 2015;

APOCALYPSE & UTOPIE – Les hippies avaient (presque) tout compris, dans Le Temps, par Nic Ulmi, le 11 juillet 2015;

Tout ça pour ça, Tsipras cède aux banquiers, dans Politis.fr, par Brève de Yéti, le 10 juillet 2015;

Wealthy pensioners and investors to be hit by new dividend taxes, on Onteractive Investor II, by Rebecca Jones, July 10, 2015;

Budget 2015: changes to dividend tax explained, on Hargreaves Lansdown.co.uk, by Danny Cox, July 9, 2015;

Chart that tells a story — average income tax rates, on FT, by Adam Palin, July 9, 2010;

Mortgage interest relief change surprise, on FTadviser, by Rajiv Vadgama, July 8, 2015;

UK: Budget 2015 – changes to income tax and the personal allowance, on The Telegraph.o.uk, by Kate Palmer, July 8, 2015;

UK: Budget 2015 – what it means to you, on The Guardian, by Shane Hickey, July 8, 2015;

Euro-Abstimmung: Wo Griechenland ist, ist vorne, im KOPP-Verlag, von Gerhard Wisnewski, 6. Juli 2015: »Griechenland ist doch das Letzte«, mag mancher nach der Volksabstimmung über die »Reformvorschläge« der Euro-Troika denken: Einfach abgeschmettert, die edlen Pläne der EU-Gläubiger. Falsch: In Wirklichkeit ist Griechenland die Avantgarde, die sich wieder auf das Primat der Demokratie besinnt, statt vor finanziellen Zwängen zu kuschen. Und das heißt: Wo Griechenland ist, ist vorne;

Latest from Worls Economic Association WEA’s e-Books, on WEA, July 2015;

Website: International Viewpoint.org;

World Bank Group: Project critics threatened, harassed, jailed, on Farmland Grab.org, June 22, 2015;

Mephistos Faust, komplettes Programm – Georg Schramm, 79.37 min, von Denk mal, April 12, 2015 hochgeladen;

DIE GRIECHENLAND LÜGEN – ZDF die Anstalt, 8.15 min, von Haus der Dokus 2 am 5. April 2015 hochgeladen;

The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers Moral Hazard 2008 – Doc, 59.04 min, uploaded by scottab 140, July 28, 2014;

The Great Euro Crisis BBC Doc, 59.02 min, uploaded by Misiewiczsyvt, Aug 1, 2013.