People Get Ready for a New Economy - 27:16
written by building bridges radio
at Tuesday, November 1, 2016
People Get Ready for a New Economy
with
Robert W. McChesney, Professor at the University of Illinois
with
Robert W. McChesney, Professor at the University of Illinois
Join Robert W. McChesney as he posits that the U.S. needs a new economy whose revolutionary technologies are applied to effectively address environmental and social problems and used to rejuvenate and extend democratic institutions. Based on intense reporting, rich historical analysis, and deep understanding of the technological and social changes that are unfolding, McChesney proposes a bold strategy for democratizing our digital destiny—before it’s too late—and unleashing the real power of the Internet, and of humanity.
Humanity is on the verge of its darkest hour—or its
greatest moment. The consequences of the technological revolution are about to
hit hard: unemployment will spike as new technologies replace labor
in the manufacturing, service, and professional sectors of an
economy that is already struggling. The end of work as we know it will hit
at the worst moment imaginable: as capitalism fosters permanent
stagnation, when the labor market is in decrepit shape, with declining or
stagnant wages , expanding poverty, and scorching inequality. Only the
dramatic democratization of the economy can address the existential
challenges we now face. Yet, the US political process is so dominated
by billionaires and corporate special interests, by corruption and
monopoly, that it stymies not just democracy but progress. The great challenge of
these times is to ensure that the tremendous benefits of technological
progress are
employed to serve the whole of humanity, rather than to enrich the wealthy few.
employed to serve the whole of humanity, rather than to enrich the wealthy few.
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