[lbo-talk] sprinting rightwards

dredmond at efn.org dredmond at efn.org
Tue Jul 1 19:18:29 PDT 2008


On Tue, July 1, 2008 1:07 pm, sawicky at verizon.net wrote:


> So the best option IMO
> (but check back with me next week) is to build a
> supportive but content-rich critical voice that seeks
> to bring strange ideas into the mainstream.

Not as crazy as it sounds. This shambles of a former Empire is bleeding from a dozen self-inflicted fiscal, financial and military wounds. It's losing its grip on the world-system -- not just to the EU and East Asia, but also the semi-peripheries. Here's the latest data on just how mighty the semi-periphery has become:

http://www.swfinstitute.org/funds.php

That's just the sovereign wealth funds. Throw in massive foreign exchange reserves, and the semi-periphery and true periphery control close to $8 trillion. That may not sound like much in a $100 trillion world-system, but think trend lines: ten years ago, those same regions had huge debts and controlled less than $1 trillion. In my nonexistent free time, I'm doing a little write-up on this, stay tuned for more...


> What else is there?

This isn't widely recognized, but the videogame culture has been a source of astounding subversion for the last ten years. Blockbuster franchises like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Grand Theft Auto are indelibly anti-war, anti-empire and pro-Left. Very different from all the other mainstream culture-industries...

-- DRR



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