Today I received an invitation to join a poll, but it was not the Gallup organization. Today, I was given some currency to trade – it was not dollars. Today 1200 people read my ideas – but not through traditional media. Today, I did not work for a corporation – but I did work and I did earn convertible currency. I voted 10-15 times today, but not for politicians.
Is this the way things will become? Ask any 25 year old what their aspirations are and, by definition, that is the way things will become.
A Learning Revolution
Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting a strange new paradigm of populist angst. In the past, public sentiment would swing back and forth between anger against the corporations (liberals) and anger against government (conservatives). Today, however, things are different. People no longer view these populist swings as opposing forces. Rather, people see government and business as one big swindle that takes all of the assets of the people and delivering them directly to the hands of the rich and powerful.
“They’re [people] mad at institutions — all institutions,” said Karin Johanson, a Democratic strategist. “Nobody can underestimate the angst, or even fear, of the American voter right now…The institutions they were relying on which were assuring them of their security were not there.”
So, dear reader, here we sit at our computer screens fully rational and aware that there is nothing we can do to impact change at this macro level. Sure, we can join fringe groups on Facebook, or we could write a letter to our so-called Representatives. Or… WE CAN REVOLT!!! Except, who are we going to revolt against? Government? , Corporations?, Each other? It’s like attacking a cloud…no middle, no defined edges, and no distinguishing features, except lightening.
For example: (WSJ) The double-edged anger is creating difficulty for both parties. Voters are demanding solutions to problems in health care, but remain wary of both government agencies and private firms that could play a role in a solution. People are upset about deregulation and furious at re-regulation. They want government action, but not if it swells the deficit.
“The greatest movement within the tea party is ‘None of the above,’” said Jim Bancroft, a founder of the tea-party group in Hartford, Conn. Officials in both political parties “need to be totally removed — every single one of them,” he said.
It would really not have mattered if John McCain or Barack Obama were president. The difference would have us entering the same vortex with either a scowl or a smile. The job of the President in this day and age is not unlike US Airways Captain “Sully” Sullenberger – land the crippled jet on the icy river by gliding as slow as possible, as low as possible, as level as possible, for as long as possible and hope that the hull does not sink.
Whatever is left will become the new economic paradigm: the fabric of society must remain intact, capitalism must be preserved, and social priorities must be enabled. It will be neither socialism not capitalism – both have failed. We need to learn Social Capitalism where social media is the dominant institution that issues a productivity based currency. So sit back, keep your eyes, ears, and minds open. Learn from each other. Let the pilot do his job – love him or hate him, he’s got the rudder.
Photo credit: Bill Moseley
