Re: <nettime> Roger Cohen: When clouds turn dark over New York (NYT)]

[nativebuddha <nativebuddha@gmail.com>]

   Absurd to make New York a "barometer of the state of the world"--usual
   New Yorker egocentrism, center of the world crap.
   And here come the bogey men that are causing the fear--
   Putin
   ISIS
   Syria
   China
   "It is dangerous in part because the liberal democratic idea is under
   such
   pressure. That pressure comes in part from the authoritarian capitalist
   models in Russia and China. Capitalism, as Michael Ignatieff of Harvard
   University has noted, has proved to be politically promiscuous, with
   damaging consequences"
   Really? Poor liberal democracy, under so much pressure? Â

   Â " But there are also strong internal pressures in

     Western democratic societies. These find their roots principally in
     growing inequality."

   Yes, we know this, have know this for a loooong time. Is this where
   Piketty steps in? Saying capitalism is messed up, but don't worry, we
   can fix it? Yep,here comes Piketty...

     " To confront the challenges they face,
     Western societies in general and America in particular must recover
     their
     vigor and fairness, through tax and educational reform above all."

   Here's the problem:
   This type of pop media theorizing is readily sucked up by policymakers.
   Slap a "liberal democracy is sinking" sticker on it and policy wonks
   are sure to swoop in gobble it up.
   ...if only it were that easy to explain--the why?...
   -nb

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