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Interchange – What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About the Economy

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The view that capitalism is an inherently flawed, exploitative, crisis-prone, oppressive system is not new. But the dangers we face due to its operating procedures are increasing daily as corporations enjoy greater influence over governments and the endless pursuit of profits pushes our climate to the breaking point.

Today we try to understand those operating procedures and why we ignore studying and critiquing capitalism as if it’s a stoning offense; which indicates the near-religious fervor so many people display when defending this system. “There is no alternative!,” is screamed at us from the steps of the Capitol, and shouted down at us from the high-rises on Wall Street. Excuse me, there are alternatives, there always have been.

Our GUEST today is David Camfield. He’s the author of We Can Do Better: Ideas for Changing Society put out by Fernwood Publishing. Camfield is an associate professor in labor studies and sociology at The University of Manitoba.

SEGMENT ONE
We begin with the simple fact that we have to contend with our organizing economic system being assumed as just the way life is, a natural fact of existence. It IS the economy, stupid, to quote someone we don’t need to name, but that means we should always talk about how it makes meaning in our lives…and how it restricts our possible ways of living.

SEGMENT TWO
We try to clear the decks of pseudo explanations for the conditions of our lives–such as the power of positive thinking, evolutionary psychology, and neoliberal market ideology, and so on. These are “just-so” stories designed to evade the sneaky fact that your surplus labor or profit, that’s EXTRA money, friends, never really makes the world a better place for you and your laboring brothers and sisters, but only for a small handful of people in particular countries.

SEGMENT THREE
Capitalism has subverted, for the sake of profit, our understanding of looming existential threat of climate change.

SEGMENT FOUR
We try to find our way back into working class solidarity even though this particular organizing structure has, under capitalism’s neoliberal regime, been decomposed and fractured, making solidarity more and more difficult.

RELATED
David Camfield’s Blog

MUSIC
Proletariat, “Voodoo Economics”
The Pop Group, “We Are All Prostitutes”
The Dils, “Class War”
Subhumans, “Businessman”
Gang of Four, “Capital (It Fails Us Now)”

CREDITS
Producer & Host: Doug Storm
Executive Producer: Wes Martin

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