Naomi Klein: “For two decades now, elite liberals have been looking to the billionaire class to solve the problems we used to address with collective action and a strong public sector— a phenomenon sometimes called “philanthrocapitalism.” Billionaire CEOs and celebrities— Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, and always, for some reason, Bono— are treated less like normal people who are gifted in their fields and happen to be good at making a great deal of money, and more like demigods.”
Klein, Naomi. No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (p. 116). Haymarket Books. Kindle Edition.
The change that must come about if meaningful, humane, social justice oriented democracy is to be fashioned out of the mess we have now necessitates that we focus on the central causes for the making of our mess. Klein argues, as I do, that the central cause is an economic system that cannot tolerate social justice or decision making based in or on a sense of humanity. Yet, it is to the wealthy we look for solutions and it is the wealth we hand over power. Klein talks too about the Clinton Foundation and the get togethers it sponsors–the invitation list most interesting in who is included and who is not, who it is that those running the foundation find to be worthy of participating in deciding the future. Few of any are of modest means.
