modernity: Money, Power and Fear

“…Today the first of two historic town-hall meetings will get under way in Arcata, California.  61% of Arcatans voted in favour of publicly discussing whether democracy is even possible when large corporations wield so much wealth and power under law.  They also voted to form a committee  to ensure democratic control over corporations in Arcata…” 

Resident: Corporations are not accountable to the democratic process. That’s what this is about. I don’t want to make decisions about everything that goes on in their corporation, but I do have a strong belief that they need to be held accountable to 

Business owner : If we don’t like certain products, if you don’t like Pepsi-Cola, Bank of America, well, if you don’t like what they do, don’t use ‘em. That’s the way I see the people’s power is. 

Resident: You have a lot more money than me. You have more votes than I do. If we use the model of boycott and voting with your dollars. That’s an undemocratic situation. 

Resident: What are we afraid of? I mean are all the businesses going to leave Arcata? I don’t think so, and if they did, we’d deal with it, or we’d figure it out, or we’d do something different. We’re creative people (cheers) I just don’t see why we’re afraid.  

Business man: If you think it’s tough making a decision where to buy your stuff today, how tough to you think it is when there’s only one provider, and it’s the State. And by the way, you don’t get to have this little democracy forum ... 

The above extract (from the film "The Corporation") makes two key points: 

1) Money is power and drives / controls much of modern life. This has always been true but as life becomes more global and we become more disassociated and more mistrustful, this will probably get worse? Given our very strong tendencies to favour our friends, it is difficult to see how we change this? This leads to an interesting aspects of psychology and group dynamics? Daniel Dennett, in his work/research on religion and groups, discusses this problem: that religion is good in that it builds greater loyalty and trust within "the group but bad as there always have to be a flip-side. For example, two Catholics (or Arsenal fans) have a natural affinity but there are also long and bitter history of Catholic vs Protestant battles (or Totterham vs Arsenal rivalry)

2) The wording of the final statement, is dripping with contempt and menace. The business man clearly thinks he knows much better and the others are pitifully naive. Fear is a powerful medium, but the businessman is also showing his own fear and narrow-mindedness. Like George W Bush, he might have more money and raw power than me, but I wouldn't swap places... loser!

Lastly a little background on Arcata (from wikipedia), it sounds like my sort of place:

In general, a higher proportion of Arcata voters prefer liberal or progressive candidates than in most of the surrounding towns in Humboldt County. Arcata is a hub of liberal thought typical of a college town. Environmentalism and most liberal causes are prominently embraced. Humboldt County is also home to residents who follow a more conservative philosophy, but the broader statewide trend of increasingly liberal coastal counties and conservative interior counties has also occurred on the north coast. Key political influences include students, faculty, and staff associated Humboldt State University, as well as those who choose to live in Arcata for its progressive college town atmosphere. Arcata was the first city to elect a member of the Green party to an office. The City Council, and at times even the mayor, is sometimes composed in part by college students.

rivalry

noun

a growing rivalry between the two groups competitiveness, competition, contention, vying; opposition, conflict, feuding, antagonism, friction, enmity.