A Story of Disillusionment

"...2 SIDES OF THE SAME COIN" - Anarchist Street Art in Grand Rapids

Somebody named Chris Wilson changed his political views over the course of reading and life experience. I think his story deserves to be repeated here.

He began as a "rather muddled left-wing sympathizer". Dissuaded from such sympathies by Ayn Rand, then von Mises, Hayek, Nozick, and David Friedman, Wilson spent three years as an anarcho-capitalist during which time he "developed and/or adopted every possible philosophical and economic justification that can be conceived of for its defense". But before graduating with his degree in philosophy, he ceased to regard land ownership as a defensible private property right and adopted "Georgist land-socialist views" within his argument for a capitalist system of production.

Wilson found himself further at odds with the traditional libertarian stance when it came to "their lack of focus upon the injustices perpetrated by corporations". As an anarcho-capitalist, he first held that these injustices could disappear with the elimination of corporate privilege, that inevitable component of republican government. He disdained of "corporate charters, subsidies, intellectual property, regulatory privileges, (and) land grants", as well as the libertarian praise lavished upon the virtuous corporation.

The Chomsky-Foucault Debate

The video shows only twelve minutes of the debate, and what it does show is edited. I included quotes from the full text transcript that corresponds to the section of the debate shown in the video, but only the parts I thought important enough to record. The indented paragraphs are my comments. I am so on Chomsky's side in this one.

Chomsky: "Let me begin by referring to something that we have already discussed, that is, if it is correct, as I believe it is, that a fundamental element of human nature is the need for creative work, for creative inquiry, for free creation without the arbitrary limiting effect of coercive institutions, then, of course, it will follow that a decent society should maximise the possibilities for this fundamental human characteristic to be realised. That means trying to overcome the elements of repression and oppression and destruction and coercion that exist in any existing society, ours for example, as a historical residue.

   Now any form of coercion or repression, any form of autocratic control of some domain of existence, let's say, private ownership of capital or state control of some aspects of human life, any such autocratic restriction on some area of human endeavour, can be justified, if at all, only in terms of the need for subsistence, or the need for survival, or the need for defence against some horrible fate or something of that sort. It cannot be justified intrinsically. Rather it must be overcome and eliminated."

"Neither Healthy, Caring, Nor a System": Concerning the American Health-Care System

The story of government-involvement in health-care in the United States is a long and complicated one. So much so, that I was too daunted to even attempt to understand it while at college last year when all the reform madness was happening. Just take a look at the Wikipedia page “Health care in the United States” and you will know what I mean. The scroll-bar is perhaps two or three millimeters long, as it is on each of the “See Also” pages (See also: Health care reform in the United States, Health care reform debate in the United States, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010).

Even if I read each of these entries all the way through, I would have a lot of reading ahead of me yet. I would want to understand the effectiveness and strategy of our system as compared to health-care systems in other countries of the developed world. And I would want to learn of our health-care past and future possibilities.

Ignorant Banana Love

Over the past two years, my appreciation for bananas grew and grew. Not only are they healthy, but bananas are incredibly cheap, available year-round, easily transportable, non-messy, and quiet enough for a library snack. And, if they get too ripe, one can easily peel them and store them in the freezer for future banana bread, muffins, pancakes, or smoothies.

But, In the past few weeks, I have learned of the dark side of the banana industry and vow to never buy a conventionally grown banana again. Nearly every stage in the cultivation and distribution of conventional bananas is irresponsible and unethical:

• In Central and South America, banana companies acquire and protect their land only with large thanks to corporate partnership with federal governments (Banana Republic).
  
• When people think of bananas, they think of one single species, the Cavendish, that has been cultivated to "perfection". This species specialization is economically efficient for the short-term, but the genetic uniformity means that if a single plant contracts disease, then famine follows.
• The danger of disease sweeping through banana populations means that banana factories justify high amounts of pesticide. Not only do these chemicals harm ecosystems, but also surrounding residents and especially workers. We’re talking worker sterility and fingernails falling off.
• Banana corporations tend to treat their workers with minimal respect, particularly the company Noboa, or Bonita, in Ecuador. Workers are seldom able to find better employment, organize, or receive benefits. Again, corporate partnership with government doesn’t help matters.