Will You?

Corporatism?

What is Corporatism?  I have been annoying the hell out of many of my friends and associates over the last few years trying to explain what I feel the reality of government has become in the United States.  It’s definition and usage seems to be perplexing to a number of very intelligent people.  Aside from being accused of making it up, the lack of knowledge is concerning….Disturbing, if you agree with me that we have indeed been in the grips of Corporatism for sometime now.

Encyclopedia Britannica utilizes Mussolini’s Italy to explain the theory and practice of organizing society into “corporations” subordinate to the state.  It further caveats too indicate the system was bent to the will of the man and not economic groups.

For the wiki minded: “Corporatism is a system of economic, political, and social organization where social groups or interest groups, such as business, ethnic, farmer, labour, military, or patronage groups, are joined together under a common governing jurisdiction to try to achieve societal harmony and promote coordinated development.^[1] Corporatism is based on the sociological concept of functionalism.^[2]”

 I generally try to get an outside perspective.  The Canadian Encyclopedia offered a nice summary of the corporatism ideology.  Mirroring the Britannica, the publication stressed the substitution of liberal democratic ideology with fascist rule.  It also dismisses the idea of corporatism with the following statement, “Above all, corporatist arrangements do not challenge capitalism as the economic system of these societies.”

The definition historically has been the division of interests under corporate organization.  The arguments presented by most are that it is unachievable because of the inherent ability to control the government in a fascist manner.  

That is exactly why it has been achieved in the United States.  That combined with the fact that it does indeed challenge capitalism and all in front of the sleeping sheoples’ eyes.  Fascism is the control of government by and for the benefit of a few.  When we talk about a few…what does that constitute?  Let’s assume that its .001 (300,000,000 citizens)  or 30,000 individuals that have vested interest in what?  Vested interest in the country? Vested interest in religion?  Vested interest in family? (maybe).  In the view of common sense, the only logical interest is vested interest in corporations.  How did those Free Trade agreements work out for the common citizen?  What about the recent bailouts?  Public ownership of GM? Don’t think about the academic definition of corporatism……think about the functional definition of corporatism – The indirect or direct control of government functionality and distribution of resources by or for the interests of the corporations while allowing the facade of representative democracy to placate the sheople.

On last thing to chew on, and it pains me to ponder as a capitalist (not a corporatist)….Was it not Marx that said of his own Communist Political Theory?…and I paraphrase liberally…. In order for Communism to be achieved with any success, it must first go through the experience of capitalism eating itself.