competition can tame the lion
This is an activist who proposes the same thing I do. The mere threat of competition will make the capitalist offer concessions. In other words, COMPETITION CAN TAME THE LION without the need for confrontation, and can result in indirect benefits to those choosing to work for the system as well as in direct benefits to those who want to join a coop. It's a WIN-WIN PROPOSITION...
This is the article...
Stage I: I see corrupt individuals and businesses
Stage II: I see Corporate Power as a problem that must be fixed,
and unless it's fixed, we'll never fully address I.
Stage III: I see "the system" (or "Capitalism" or "Corporate
Capitalism") as the problem that must be fixed, and unless it's fixed,
we'll never fully address II.
Stage IV: Ok, I know what we're against, now what are we FOR?
"Participatory Economics" and various good Libertarian Socialist /
Anarchist writings have tried to address this.
Stave V -- where I see not enough of -- is a real
pragmatic-idealistic "how do we get from here to there". And we need
to aim to get there in, say, 10 years. We may not, but if we don't aim
for that, we'll fail; we shouldn't "aim for" 100 years from now...
(snip)
Certainly I agree we don't want a "Vanguardist approach" We also need
to "make it happen" for everyone. I would suggest at least three types
of reasons as to why: first, they deserve it as much as we do; second,
our own ability to have it for ourselves is at risk if the majority
continue to slave under the current system; and thirdly, not to be
overly ominous sounding, but the future of the earth increasingly
depends on the human race attaining a saner economic system.
(snip)
The way we will Win is when they start to make concession in that
direction when there is a Credible Threat of worker-run collectives
across the country (and world) who to a greater and greater extent,
dont' Need the corporation in order for people to supply the basic
material needs they have for survival. Then, instead of saying "ok,
we'll take your 31 hours a week offer and destroy our autonomous
collectives" we'll use our extra power to not only demand more from
them (great, but not enough) but to Build more for ourselves, *until we
reach 100% self-sufficiency for any human being who wants to have
freedom from wage-slavery*; those who want to continue being
wage-slaves and do so. I don't have any doubts as to the (long-term)
decisions people will (eventually) make given a real choice like that.
So what I've been trying to argue is, even if you are not convinced
that capitalism "can't handle" 20hours/week, as you ARE on the
Anarchist page, I imagine that getting 20 hours per week like
"working for the man" is NOT your "ultimate" quest; rather, a liberated
workforce which is democratically run and self-governing and not under
an employer's rule. Right..?
Well I am stating, we don't' have to Wait Until we win that battle for
20 hours a week from employer, to only THEN fight for the next step
(or several steps ahead) of eliminating wage slavery.
Actually I'm saying much more: not only we don't have to wait, but *we
Must Not wait*. And not only because workers deserve for us to move in
that direction because they deserve to be free, but because the extent
to which we *partially* get there (meaning, the number of
democratically run workplaces/collectives available for workers)
is the extent to which workers negotiating power vis a vis their
employers will be hugely increased.
There are other parallel struggles:
Likewise, while we should continue to fight for national nonprofit
health care as a right for all, we need to create grassroot
co-insurance networks which, step by step, move towards providing
that. As such, we don't beg for the corporate state to give it; we
TAKE it for ourselves; you'll be amazed at how "generous" the
corporate-state nexus will become when we have barely achieved 50% of
it for ourselves independently of them; they will suddenly offer to
do something for us when they realize *we don't NEED them because we
can get it for ourselves*.
Similarly, there is a power shift of a gigantic order of magnitude, to
the extent that a worker, or group of workers, can tell the boss (or
the corporation) and tell the truth when saying this: I can GET
20 hours per week (plus a democratically worker-run workplace, plus
much more) OVER THERE. Now, what counter-offer do you have for me to
get me to want to continue to work for YOU?"
The dynamics of the negotiation are radically altered from begging, or
even "pressuring" for them TO GIVE TO US what we want, to one where
we ALREADY CAN provide for ourselves what we want (or a substantial
percent of it, at least...) and ask them for a counter-offer. This is
extremely potent, as you can see!
(snip)
My vision is to have a large scale national (and eventually global)
growth of networks of autonimous but interdependent and cooperating
groups which nurture one another. Technology could be a powerful force
to harness here. The "Groups" and networks would be of different
kinds anarcho-syndicalist types by profession/vocation; networks by
areas of life-needs like in the area of health the co-insurance
network idea; and at least a third type, namely financial networks of
mutual credit. This is a thumbnail sketch. I am working on a piece
which will go into much more detail, hopefully done by end of this
summer (I started incubating these ideas in 1999 and earlier,
the Media, rather than Economy ideas, are already under Projects
in my www.EconomicDemocracy.org)
But even when that is done, I will solicit the input from many other
who share the vision to refine, modify, improve, expand on, and make
this strategic vision and its tactics ever more detailed. I hope this
sounds exciting to you in the sense of your being interested in
(sometimes less frequent, sometimes more frequent, but) long-term
contact and collaboration.
Best,
Harel Barzilai
(see links below)
Free Webpages at Webspawner.com
complete text
Economic Democracy
An Utopia...
Is the market necessary?
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