The problem is that most people, even educated ones, do not understand how the economy works, their are not taught even the most rudimentary basics of macro-economics in school or in college, unless they decide to be econ majors. But even then, they are dispenses with "expert" advice from leading authorities in the field that micro is more "scientific" than "macro."
So in the end, most people have a "common sense household economics" frame of understanding macro-economic systems - which is fools' logic.
Hearing that people collect down to make pillows, a fool decided to test how it works. He took one feather, placed it on a rock, put his head on it and went to sleep. The next day he woke up with a terrible headache and concluded: "People are fools, if I got a headache sleeping on only one of those, what must they feel after sleeping on a whole bunch of them."
Yet, this kind of fools' approach to economic systems is pushed not only by self-style "common sense" demagogues like Rush Limbaugh, but by a whole army of economic pundits. Pseudo common sense anecdotes about "balancing the family budget" and virtues of private ownership of mom-and-pop shops are a dime a dozen in the modern discourse on macro-economic issues. It is bullshit squared, but it resonates with what ordinary people are familiar with. It is difficult to blame them that, once inculcated with this frame, they do see a connection between government spending and their jobs.
This is but one example of right wingers using simplistic bullshit to brainwash the masses. The left used to be good at that - it effectively used the Robin Hood trope - taking from the rich and giving to the poor - which existed in popular culture across Europe in the 19th century - to effectively mobilize the masses for its cause. It did not matter that the reality of the modern economy was far more complex than that (as the multiple problems of nationalized economies demonstrated) - it was a good simplistic diagnosis of a problem affecting many people, and mobilized them for action.
As the left became more academic, it lost its taste for simplistic anecdotes and engaged in post modern gobbledygook (err.. "textual analysis and deconstruction" ) or straightforward neo-liberalism (esp. in Europe) ceding the ground to right wing demagogues. I think that it has a lot to do with material condition of the production of ideas - especially a growing cultural divide between the masses and the increasingly rarefied nature of academic discourse. Simplistic anecdotes did not win tenures and research grants.
To avoid any misunderstandings, I am not blaming the left for losing its working class roots." I am arguing that social conditions changed, the Robin Hood trope did not work anymore, but new tropes were not proposed. Instead the right invented its tropes grounded in "common sense economics," which like Nike shoes and SUVs was a niche that soon swallowed the entire industry.
Wojtek
On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 1:49 AM, Mark Wain <wtkh at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Somebody Somebody"
> <philos_case at yahoo.com>
> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 2:13 PM
> Subject: [lbo-talk] European cities hit by anti-austerity protests
>
>
> Somebody Somebody on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 2:13 PM wrote:
>
>> Actually, most Americans are in favor of austerity measures. According to
>> a new BBC poll, 58% of Americans are opposed to further stimulus spending
>> and 56% want less government involvement and regulation of the economy. And
>> Americans are about to come out and hand a Congressional majority to the
>> more openly pro-austerity of the two political parties.
>>
>>
>>
>> Americans have responded to the economic downturn by turning to the hard
>> right. Although, it must be said that the same poll revealed majorities in
>> Germany and France for further stimulus as well. It seems like the
>> proletariat wants higher unemployment.
>>
>
> I guess they are not going to oppose to and sacrifice their Unemployment
> Compensation, Medicare and Social Security entitlement benefits. On the
> other hand, they are brain-washed by the Reaganites to believe in only the
> private business can create jobs and the government cannot.
>
> Capitalist crises history shows that right-wingers often called out to their
> causes first, as the most entrenched habitual force, during those difficult
> times. The leftist forces need a favorable objective reality to overthrow
> the Ancien Regime. That reality includes the existence of a burgeon of the
> advanced socio-economic system. People need to know and compare the new and
> the old systems before being convinced that the new is better than the old.
> Right-wing fiascoes and deceptive deus ex machina are not enough to pull
> people to the left side. A cooperative or other semi-socialistic business
> organizations can be more cogent than simple political and ideological
> inculcation. A picture is worthy of one thousand of words.Will the unionists
> do something like this?
>
> Mark
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>