The Capitalism Papers: Fatal Flaws of an Obsolete System

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In the vein of his bestseller, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, nationally recognized social critic Jerry Mander researches, discusses, and exposes the momentous and unsolvable environmental and social problems of capitalism. Mander argues that capitalism is no longer a viable system:?What may have worked in 1900 is calamitous in 2010." Capitalism, utterly dependent on never-ending economic growth, is an impossible absurdity on a finite planet with limited resources. Climate change, together with global food, water, and resource shortages, is only the s. Read more... Abstract: In the vein of his bestseller, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, nationally recognized social critic Jerry Mander researches, discusses, and exposes the momentous and unsolvable environmental and social problems of capitalism. Mander argues that capitalism is no longer a viable system:?What may have worked in 1900 is calamitous in 2010." Capitalism, utterly dependent on never-ending economic growth, is an impossible absurdity on a finite planet with limited resources. Climate change, together with global food, water, and resource shortages, is only the ... Table of Contents......Page 8 PART ONE: Introduction......Page 12 I. Economic Succession......Page 14 The Missing Link......Page 16 The “C”-Word......Page 19 This Book......Page 23 Disclaimer......Page 24 Structural Arguments......Page 25 II.Growing Up Global......Page 29 A New World Order......Page 31 From Yonkers to Wharton......Page 33 New Dawn for Business......Page 35 Robert McNamara, Enforcer......Page 39 Forty Years Later......Page 43 III.The Copenhagen Conundrum......Page 46 Carbon Debt......Page 47 Cochabamba, Bolivia......Page 50 The Cancún Conundrum......Page 52 The Morales Conundrum......Page 54 PART TWO: The Fatal Flaws of Capitalism......Page 60 IV. Intrinsic Amorality & Corporate Schizophrenia......Page 62 Is Greed Good?......Page 69 Everyday Life in Advertising......Page 73 Are Corporations People?......Page 79 Corporations Are Machines......Page 82 V. Intrinsic Inequities of Corporate Structure......Page 84 1. Profits from Business Operation......Page 86 2. Profits from Capitalization of the Public Commons......Page 87 3. CEO Megasalaries & Bonuses......Page 93 5. Invested Earnings: The Multiplier Effect......Page 96 6. Wage Repression of Employees......Page 97 7. The “Worker Productivity” Scam......Page 99 8. Cashing Out: The Sale of Company Assets......Page 100 The Illusion of Corporate “Efficiency”......Page 101 VI. Endless Growth on a Finite Planet......Page 105 Ecosystem Into Economy......Page 108 Gross Domestic Product (GDP)......Page 110 What’s Left Out of GDP?......Page 112 Virtual Growth......Page 115 “Planetary Boundaries”......Page 117 Resource Shrinkage on a Finite Planet......Page 118 Financial Speculation in Food Supplies......Page 120 Privatization of Water......Page 124 Peak Species & Peak Beauty......Page 126 Earth Island......Page 128 Fundamental Questions......Page 130 VII. Searching for Growth: Desperate Measures......Page 133 2. Creating “New Resources”—Privatizing the Commons......Page 134 4. Green Capitalism......Page 135 5. Search for Green Energy......Page 140 6. Creative Destruction......Page 144 7. Techno-Utopianism & New Nature......Page 150 VIII.Propensity Toward War......Page 161 War as Economic Strategy......Page 162 The Stealth Economy......Page 167 Doing the Numbers......Page 169 Commercial Arms Trade......Page 171 Military Keynesianism......Page 173 F-35 Lightning II Fighter: $325 billion (Lockheed Martin Corporation)......Page 174 Littoral Combat Ship: $38 billion(Austal USA and Lockheed Martin)......Page 175 U.S. Military Bases......Page 178 Asia Pacific......Page 179 Middle East......Page 180 South America......Page 181 Focus on the Pacific......Page 182 “Comparative Advantage” of War......Page 186 IX.Privatization of Democracy......Page 189 Rule by the Rich......Page 190 Doing the Numbers......Page 193 What Is a Billion Dollars?......Page 195 The “Problem” of Surplus Capital......Page 196 Investments in Government......Page 197 Politicians for Sale......Page 202 Koch Brothers: Role Models for Neofeudal Expression......Page 205 Democracy?......Page 209 X. Privatization of Consciousness......Page 212 Who Needs Advertising?......Page 214 Living Inside Media......Page 216 Advertising to Children......Page 218 Global Reach......Page 219 Are You Immune?......Page 221 Is Television Real?......Page 222 “Truth” in Advertising......Page 224 Virtual Reality......Page 227 Global Control......Page 229 The News Corporation......Page 231 Crisis Point......Page 233 XI. Capitalism or Happiness......Page 237 Laissez-Faire......Page 238 Doing the Numbers......Page 239 Consequences of Inequity......Page 243 Economics of Happiness......Page 245 Sufficiency......Page 248 Summaries & Afterthoughts......Page 250 PART THREE: Epilogue......Page 256 XII. Which Way Out?......Page 258 1. Nature Comes First......Page 262 2. The Primacy of Scale: Not Globalization, Localization......Page 268 3. Experiments in Corporate Values and Structure......Page 277 4. Hybrid Economics......Page 284 Uncharted Territory......Page 291 Bibliography......Page 296 Organizations......Page 304 Acknowledgments......Page 306 Index......Page 308