It's an important consideration, Brad, no question about that.
But I'm not sure it's a defining limitation on the changes that may be
possible if enough people begin to think that we need to do something
differently than what we are doing now.
I know that, under the present circumstances, when we are faced with the
overwhelming power of corporate money and a bought media, etc. etc, it is
very hard to hope that there can be changes. Whether I am just holding out
false hopes or not, I believe there have been other times in history when
the powerful have reigned supreme and changing that seemed to be hopeless
and, nevertheless, it has changed. The powerful in this country have used
every means at their disposal to try to prevent the adoption of a number of
measures that have come to pass (which the powerful are now trying to
dismantle), such as the income tax, unions, medicare, social security, etc.
etc.
As long as we all tell ourselves there is nothing we can do to change any of
the prevailing values in this society we, of course, guarantee that nothing
will ever change.
I don't believe that the prevailing values of power, glory, material
possessions, etc. are bringing a lot of people a lot of satisfaction or
fulfillment. I believe those values can be changed. So I will continue to
nitpick as much as I can, whether it makes any difference or not, it is
something I have to do.
Selma
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Salvador R. Sánchez Gutiérrez" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Harry Pollard"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Futurework] Crowds and power (was: Why men succeed at work)
> Selma Singer wrote:
>
> > So you guys don't think it's possible to conceive of a human social
system
> > in which power would not be the prevailing value?
> >
> [snip]
>
> I think the difficulty of constraining (etc.) the role of
> power in a human social system varies more than
> linearly inversely with the number of persons
> in the system.
>
> In a face-to-face colonial/Federalist period
> American town, or a classical Greek polis, or
> a native tribe (or maybe Norway today???)
> I think the chances are
> far better than in "The Middle Kingdom" or
> classical Maya civilization or
> today's USA or China or India or Indonesia
> or whatever.
>
> A second consideration is universal abundance.
> As one of the guru Bubba Free John's book's title
> goes (I have mentioned this before):
>
> The Feeding Gorilla Comes in Peace
>
> Keep 'em hungry ("lean and mean"), and crowd
> 'em in -- the Pearl River basin area of
> China, which most recently gave us SARS,
> may become the first 100 million person
> metropolitan area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> TMTC ("too many to count")
>
> Also, read Elias Canetti's fine book:
>
> Crowds and Power
>
> \brad mccormick
>
> --
> Let your light so shine before men,
> that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16)
>
> Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
>
> <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/
>
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