Reflections on "Requiem for the American Dream: Noam Chomsky and Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power" (2015)

Truth is my girlfriend and I were searching Netflix for The Notebook (2004) and Noam Chomsky's name came up under the film title Requiem for the American Dream: Noam Chomsky and Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power (2015). We didn't find The Notebook that night, but this morning I finished the latter film. I recommend it as it is informative and an informed populace is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy, which under the current conditions, is not what's happening with the American Democracy.

Some Summary, Some Reflection on The Principles of the Concentration of Wealth and Power:

1.REDUCE DEMOCRACY - The powerful and wealthy never liked Democracy because it gave the majority the ability to check the opulent minority. The powerful and wealthy live by a 'vile maxim,' namely, 'all for ourselves and nothing for anyone else.'

2. SHAPE IDEOLOGY - This 'vile maxim' purporting selfish greed must become a national value especially in the face of the movements of the 1960s (Native American, Civil Rights, Women Rights, Anti-War, Student Movements etc.) so the solution becomes to reduce funding and standardized education, a move which we continue to see with the increase of charter schools under Obama.

3. REDESIGN THE ECONOMY - The financialisation of the American economy and the decline of manufacturing. Evil banks, remember the financial crisis of 2007-2008?   Chomsky: “And, of course, the capital is free to move. Workers aren’t free to move, labor can’t move, but capital can.” So manufacturing workers of the world are put into competition ('dey terk er jerbs') while the executives above will take risks and move money around in complicated ways so as to produce so-called profits.

4. SHIFT THE BURDEN - The 'precariat' meaning precarious proletariat meaning working class people living precarious lives because of low wages, increasing rent costs, medical bills, are a potential threat to the status quo. In order to curb the threat of popular movements, the corporations that control so much wealth and subsequently policy, paid and politiked their way out of paying a fair share of taxes while wage and consumption taxes continue. Capital can move, corporations can take their business to better tax havens, but Americans, well we're here to stay for better but increasingly worse.

5. ATTACK SOLIDARITY - De-fund social programs. Media divisiveness and non-coverage of social movements. Make education expensive. Trap young people in debt thus creating general anxiety and reducing social and political engagement.

6. RUN THE REGULATORS - From the business/political perspective, it makes sense for economists and financial experts/lobbyists to regulate the business and financial sector because of the specialized knowledge, but again the financial crisis of 2007 - 2008. The insidious result is a revolving door and a cultivation of power and irresponsibility among these crowds.

7. ENGINEER THE ELECTIONS - The DNC's non-support of Bernie Sanders. The fact that our options are a capitalist idiot , a politiking war-hawk, a bad cartoon of a libertarian, and a strange doctor who doesn't seem credible. All of this along with the supreme court ruling equating money as free speach thus opening the door for corporations (read in legalese: immortal persons) to pave the way for whomever they seem fit. Finally, are we even talking about policies in 2016 or just scandal after scandal...

8.  KEEP THE RABBLE IN LINE – Militarize police and spy on your Yahoo email account and your twitter feed and everything else.  Imagine if healthcare workers, I’m talking about the ‘specialists’ keeping your grandma alive in the nursing home unionized?   Imagine if the service industry in American had a union.  Imagine if labor organized because we’re all already laboring away for hourly wages, so why not organize, be represented by ourselves, and present solutions to management that they had to take seriously.  But be careful because organized labor is a serious threat to the infamous 1% and the technocrats that protect them.

9. MANUFACTURE CONSENT - The new iPhone doesn't have a headphone jack but you do have the old one which is old and lame. Do you know what that commercial is actually selling or was it just funny? Chomsky says the market economy should be characterized by informed consumers making rational decisions, but what advertising is doing is selling landscapes and celebrities and iconic presidents hoping to become just that and frankly nothing much at all.  A marketing major at my bar had a few drinks and said s/he’s in marketing to understand and manipulate how people think. 

10.  MARGINALIZE THE POPULATION – Chomsky offers April 15^th, Tax Day.  If this was a participatory democracy, where Americans actually influenced policy, then the sending of payment to further aid in the political sphere should be a day of celebration, a celebration of how awesome, inclusive and positive the United States Government actually is.  But this is not the case, paying taxes to some alien institution figure-headed by either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton is the nightmare of tomorrow. 

Conclusion:

Information. Organization. Solidarity. Love. Positivity. Sympathy.  Community.  All for holding those with power and wealth accountable to society.  Ultimately, this society is based on the acquisition of wealth, of money both on the large scale and the personal scale, but what would a society look like with the human person as the primary focus.  The human person sleeping on the sidewalk.  The human person dispossessed of a rewarding job, of a healthy meal, of dignity. 

And why not throw some Jesus into the mix?  Jesus is just alright with me.

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.