[A Good Choice Blog Spot, United States]
Nachrichten,
Switzerland
Are We All Done Now
with Left and Right?
"If this
crisis shows anything, it's that simple 'left-right' schemas are no longer capable
of making sense of the world - not least because most of us sit on both sides
of the fence at the same time. … the 'pure gospel' - be it capitalism
or socialism - cannot offer solutions in the complicated, non-linear world in
which we live."
By Patrik Etschmayer
Translated By Patrik Etschmayer
May 11, 2009
Switzerland - Nachrichten - Original Article (German)
Crises are good times to
reorient, it is said. At least after the worst of the panic has passed. So let's
take a moment, therefore, to see whether our decision makers have seized this
opportunity to finally throw some new thoughts and ideas into the ring.
More than ever, the Left condemns
the market economy, demands an end to globalization and the establishment of
socialism - yet it has no working example of its vision to show. The fact
that the Left repeatedly mentions the example of Cuba, which has been a
continuing failure for the past 50 years, only goes to show the incapacity of a
dogmatic ideology to succeed in the real world.
But on the Right, illusions also prevail.
For example, the claim that a market that is completely unrergulated also creates morality is
absurd. Nevertheless, it is claimed that government intervention alone was the cause
of the real-estate crisis (such as the U.S. law that forced banks to offer
mortgages in "bad" neighborhoods), rather than a desire to reap
profits on a gigantic Ponzi
scheme. It should be interesting to see how free-market advocates blame the
federal government for the imminent collapse of the credit-card bubble.
If this crisis shows anything,
it's that simple 'left-right' schemas are no longer capable of making sense of
the world - not least because most of us sit on both sides of the fence at the
same time.
The most obvious example is
pension funds [mandatory in many European countries]. Recently, conversion
rates have been reduced again and again, to the great annoyance of labor
unions, which - absolutely rightly - see worker pensions threatened. At the
same time, unions and other left-leaning organizations are fighting higher
dividend payments - dividend payments that under the circumstances would permit
the largest share holder, the "Pension Fund," to generate higher
returns. Wherever you go in the world, more and more pension plans involve workers
exploiting other workers.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
At the same time this also
means that many banks and investment firms are customers of the same people with
whom they are constantly in conflict. But the paradoxes don't end here.
In the midst of its continuous
struggle against globalization, the left forgets that globalization brings huge
sums of money into the third world. That this has hardly resulted in prosperity
is due largely to the great reluctance to address extreme population growth. If
over 20 years an economy grows by 4 percent a year but population growth is six
percent … not only do you not break even - you lose.
The problems are huge - but
solvable. However, the "pure gospel" - be it capitalism or socialism -
cannot offer solutions in the complicated, non-linear world in which we live. Nevertheless,
untenable promises continue to be made and in politics, lying and irresponsible
simplification - as one can see in the run-up to the German election - are more
popular than ever.
We have a crisis. The
re-orientation, however, remains to be seen. The complexity of our modern world
is in sharp contrast to our primal need for simplicity and clarity. And we are
reluctant to accept that the world has too many layers to be quickly grasped
and easily categorized. At the same time, it is unsatisfying and frustrating to
live in the throes of crises and threats without a scapegoat to blame. Sure, bankers
were guilty, but there were also politicians, the people who voted for them, the
pension funds, the unions ... all of us are involved, sometimes without ever
having really noticed.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
To say that we're "through
with the left and the right" - in other words with petty squabbling and
small-minded thinking - would be new and correct. But it would be uncomfortable
as well. And giving up that last bit of comfort amid the crisis would be a bit
too much to ask for ... wouldn't it?
CLICK HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION
[Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US May 13, 10:45pm]
