Communism by Stealth?
With events in the financial institutes of America gathering ever more twists and turns, a quick scan at the news and you'd be forgiven for thinking that there is a suggestion of a shift in viewpoint.
The United States' distrust of ideas like 'socialism' seems to be eroding in the face of such calamitous failures in the capitalist system. And the nationalisation of banks (or at least portions of them) is on the cards.
Take this quote from the Financial Times:
"The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times.
In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers."
Much wailing and nashing of teeth ensued.
What I see though is not communism by stealth, or a will to dispose of capitalism, but the merest sliver of a more common sense approach to things. A balancing of attitudes.
So how on earth does this tie in to anything that I do? Well, and stay with me on this one, in some ways the internet has set precedence for this way of thinking.
The web has a long and proud history of 'disruptive' technologies. Google is the prime example. Make a product that works well and people want, then give it away. This is not normal business acumen, but it has worked fantastically well. Skype is another example. The days of information being a commodity in itself are disappearing, but these businesses are doing fantastically well.
So how is this linked to Greenspan's comments, well, as I see it, it is evidence that no longer is greed 'good', it is generosity that brings the rewards. And I see it all the time on the internet, a myriad of companies are developing products and services that are wanted/needed and giving them away for free, then reaping the rewards. Social media is exemplary in this.
And maybe, just maybe, this is the way forward.
The United States' distrust of ideas like 'socialism' seems to be eroding in the face of such calamitous failures in the capitalist system. And the nationalisation of banks (or at least portions of them) is on the cards.
Take this quote from the Financial Times:
"The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times.
In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers."
Much wailing and nashing of teeth ensued.
What I see though is not communism by stealth, or a will to dispose of capitalism, but the merest sliver of a more common sense approach to things. A balancing of attitudes.
So how on earth does this tie in to anything that I do? Well, and stay with me on this one, in some ways the internet has set precedence for this way of thinking.
The web has a long and proud history of 'disruptive' technologies. Google is the prime example. Make a product that works well and people want, then give it away. This is not normal business acumen, but it has worked fantastically well. Skype is another example. The days of information being a commodity in itself are disappearing, but these businesses are doing fantastically well.
So how is this linked to Greenspan's comments, well, as I see it, it is evidence that no longer is greed 'good', it is generosity that brings the rewards. And I see it all the time on the internet, a myriad of companies are developing products and services that are wanted/needed and giving them away for free, then reaping the rewards. Social media is exemplary in this.
And maybe, just maybe, this is the way forward.
posted by Netdata at 1:23 PM
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