This book is a "response" anthology, with the lead author being Immanuel Wallerstein, prominent world-systems theorist, laying out his hypothesis for postcapitalism. Even though I am sympathetic to Wallerstein's hypothesis, I find its logic a bit brief. Wallerstein argues that a number of trends in present-day world-society will converge and produce a transition to a postcapitalist world-society, and that what is going on now is the struggle to define what the world after capitalism will be like.
(This diary is a repost of a diary I posted here at VOTS -- it was intended back in September over at Kos as a sort of sequel to the diary about inequality. I'm reposting these diaries now because even the New York Times has noticed that school reform sucks.
(Folks, this is a reprise of a diary I posted in July of this year over at Kos -- it made the Rescued list. It takes the form of a commentary upon a Chronicle of Higher Education piece. The most important thing to take away from this diary is that of the utter and complete bogusness of the "reform agenda," whether it be Republican or Democratic.
(I thought that in light of our idiot culture's imminent celebration of Let's Live Off Of Some Natives Before Killing Them Off Day and WalMart Strike Friday, and in light of this thoughtful piece in Transition Voice, I ought to reprise this diary
At this point anyone who has read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed can tell you what is at stake with the Wal-Mart worker's strike. Ehrenreich tried to live off of a Wal-Mart worker's wage, and discovered rather quickly that she couldn't live anywhere in the vicinity of the Wal-Mart at which she was hired, because the rents in that neighborhood were just too high for the paltry wage she was earning.
(This is a reprise of a piece I wrote in November of 2011. At that time, I was very much a beneficiary of the Rescue Rangers at DailyKos.com, and writing excellent stuff while hanging out at Occupy LA. Now, I see politics in the post-election haze in this light: right now we can do two things.
(This is a reprise of a diary I published February 16th of last year at DailyKos.com. I thought it was appropriate to revisit this diary on the eve of the November election. -- Cassiodorus)
