I've been thinking more of this lately.
Isn't part of the problem actually that society thinks virtually every problem is to be solved by the state?
In 1900, the state made up about 10% of GDP. There was no income tax in most places at all. Today, the state makes up about 50% of GDP, and blue collar workers might spend 50% of the last dollar they make in income taxes.
We've replaced the role of family, church, and community with the state. Instead of having duties to one another, we have entitlements granted by the global megastate. When there's a problem to be solved, often the claim is that it's the state that must fix it.
It is a sort of stupid individualism, because it isn't individualism. We replace everything with a totalitarian state that takes over everything and tries to control everything, and culturally we start to think that it's normal and desirable for the state to control more of our lives and to provide for more of our wellbeing.
No wonder society is breaking down and both men and women are in a perpetual state of peter pan syndrome, they never have to grow up because there's a tyrannical father figure who tells us it will take care of us and if we try to take care of ourselves we're doing something against nature.
The criticism of neoliberalism is in fact criticism of that totalitarian state taking from everyone to "take care" of us and once the work is done, handing the fruits of that sacrifice to a privileged few. To many people it's self-evident that such behavior is evil, but that's also the power and danger of a totalizing state presence overriding individuals, communities, and forces such as organized religion. The tyrannical father giveth, and also taketh away at his discretion alone.
Father Government says "Worry not, my child, you shall all pitch in some money, and I will use my mighty power to force a few people to give up their lands, and we will build a power plant for everyone. Ok, it's built. Now I shall be giving it to my campaign donors for a pittance because it's really absurd that everyone should pitch in money for something and that I should use my mighty power to force anyone to give up their lands so we should really prevent that." and because unlike individuals Father Government is immortal, he can do so over time spans that hide his hypocrisy.
In this way, the problem with both individuality and neoliberalism isn't the ideas themselves, but their disingenuous use as part of an effective cycle of kleptocracy. Take much from the common man while saying "we need to work together" when it's time to build common goods, then once those goods are built wait for people to forget that those are the people's common goods, and then "we need to stop having control over everything in your lives!" so those common goods can be sold at a loss.
In that way, the individual ideas of state power vs. autonomy are actually irrelevant, because both are just tools of a totalitarian regime. The same way Mao implemented freedom of speech after a long period of controlled speech, but with the intention of loosening the lips of dissenters so he could have them killed.
A result of this is that the current path isn't sustainable. Federal debt, provincial or state debt, municipal debt, and personal debt are all at levels and rising at levels virtually guaranteed to lead to a collapse or revolution that totally changes the paradigm, and I think it'll happen during my lifetime.
Isn't part of the problem actually that society thinks virtually every problem is to be solved by the state?
In 1900, the state made up about 10% of GDP. There was no income tax in most places at all. Today, the state makes up about 50% of GDP, and blue collar workers might spend 50% of the last dollar they make in income taxes.
We've replaced the role of family, church, and community with the state. Instead of having duties to one another, we have entitlements granted by the global megastate. When there's a problem to be solved, often the claim is that it's the state that must fix it.
It is a sort of stupid individualism, because it isn't individualism. We replace everything with a totalitarian state that takes over everything and tries to control everything, and culturally we start to think that it's normal and desirable for the state to control more of our lives and to provide for more of our wellbeing.
No wonder society is breaking down and both men and women are in a perpetual state of peter pan syndrome, they never have to grow up because there's a tyrannical father figure who tells us it will take care of us and if we try to take care of ourselves we're doing something against nature.
The criticism of neoliberalism is in fact criticism of that totalitarian state taking from everyone to "take care" of us and once the work is done, handing the fruits of that sacrifice to a privileged few. To many people it's self-evident that such behavior is evil, but that's also the power and danger of a totalizing state presence overriding individuals, communities, and forces such as organized religion. The tyrannical father giveth, and also taketh away at his discretion alone.
Father Government says "Worry not, my child, you shall all pitch in some money, and I will use my mighty power to force a few people to give up their lands, and we will build a power plant for everyone. Ok, it's built. Now I shall be giving it to my campaign donors for a pittance because it's really absurd that everyone should pitch in money for something and that I should use my mighty power to force anyone to give up their lands so we should really prevent that." and because unlike individuals Father Government is immortal, he can do so over time spans that hide his hypocrisy.
In this way, the problem with both individuality and neoliberalism isn't the ideas themselves, but their disingenuous use as part of an effective cycle of kleptocracy. Take much from the common man while saying "we need to work together" when it's time to build common goods, then once those goods are built wait for people to forget that those are the people's common goods, and then "we need to stop having control over everything in your lives!" so those common goods can be sold at a loss.
In that way, the individual ideas of state power vs. autonomy are actually irrelevant, because both are just tools of a totalitarian regime. The same way Mao implemented freedom of speech after a long period of controlled speech, but with the intention of loosening the lips of dissenters so he could have them killed.
A result of this is that the current path isn't sustainable. Federal debt, provincial or state debt, municipal debt, and personal debt are all at levels and rising at levels virtually guaranteed to lead to a collapse or revolution that totally changes the paradigm, and I think it'll happen during my lifetime.
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