The breakdown of civil society

           In my last column I wrote that I thought that “income inequality” was the biggest problem and threat that our society was currently facing. An example of how large the income gap really is is the fact that the top 10% of wage earners receive 50% of all income. The inequality is exacerbated if you factor in race, with Blacks and Hispanics getting the short end of the stick. Another major factor is higher education, the more you learn the more you earn.

            Why do I think this problem is a “threat” to our society? It’s not that I think there will be a violent revolt, the “unwashed” masses will not rise up and kill off the oppressors. I think the militarization of our local police forces has pretty much eliminated that threat. What I fear more is the breakdown of “civil society” because of the desensitization towards the plight of the less fortunate and the anger towards the more fortunate.

            That breakdown is already happening; just listen to the rhetoric coming out of Washington. How about here locally, how is it that we have homeless encampments down by the creek? And I’m not asking how we allowed them to camp there; I’m asking how we allowed them to become homeless in the first place? Or at least that’s the question as a society we should be asking. Isn’t one of the goals of a society to look out for the safety and wellbeing of all its members?

So how do we make the system more equal without tearing it all down and starting over (not that we really have that option)? And exactly what system are we talking about? One of the main systems that need changing is our current model of Capitalism with its primary focus on the accumulation of wealth at any cost. Now as I’ve said before I tend to lean left towards Socialism but that doesn’t mean I don’t like money or the things it can provide, like food, shelter, and entertainment.

What if we could find a compromise or hybrid system? A system that still allows us to earn money and own things but also allows us to be socially responsible. Kind of like an economic Prius, you use fewer natural resources, feel good about it, and still get where you want to go. Well there is, it’s a movement towards what’s being called “Social Capitalism”.

So what is Social Capitalism and how do we participate? One definition is: A socially minded form of capitalism, where the goal is making positive social improvements, rather than focusing entirely on accumulating capital. It is a utilitarian form of capitalism with a social purpose. Any action that lifts up the bottom while still respecting capitalism, liberalism, individualism, and democracy, any “social form” of “capitalism” is social capitalism. In a nutshell it’s using the free market (your dollars) for the greater good of society. Many of you are already doing it by installing solar panels, driving a hybrid car, and buying organic foods or by boycotting businesses like Chick-Fil-A, and Walmart. It’s also about where you invest or don’t invest your time and resources.

So philosophy and economic theory is all well and good but how can any of this help us with the social discontent that’s festering because of income inequality? The first thing we need to do is rethink the whole “greed is good” mentality. We are seeing a little of that in the way that ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli was vilified after astronomically raising the prices (for no good reason) of the drugs his company sold.

We also need to stop blaming the poor for their lot in life. We need to be more empathetic because so much of where we all are in our socio-economic standing is just the luck of the draw. Some are born a Trump and some are born a Dump, we don’t get a choice. We may not get to choose our social birth place but what we do get here in America is opportunity, and it’s that opportunity that needs to be equalized for us to fix the problem of income inequality.

           I’m talking about equal opportunity for health care, education, and a safe environment to live in. If we as a society make those things a priority for all our members then we provide them the opportunity to succeed and contribute. But how do we do this in the real world? Well I don’t have all the specific answers or enough room in this column to spell it all out but in my next column I’ll give some examples of how it could work using Social Capitalism.

To view the column in it's original form go to page 17 of the following link. Winters Express 9/28/17

Future of society isn’t looking good.

            In my last column I wrote about health care, one of the things I said was that I thought that we should have access to socialized medicine. Using the word “socialized” got me thinking and wondering about all sorts of things related to society. Everything from what it means to be social or anti-social, the American stigma related to socialism, civil society, the prominence of social-media, social-norms, social security, and the implied social contract that most of us live under.

            At 60 years old I still feel as socially awkward as I did when I was younger. One of the reasons I enjoy writing these columns is because I have time to think and edit, unlike in most social interactions. I’ve always been uncomfortable socializing because I’m usually worried about sounding stupid and most of the time my internal dialog is keeping me from paying attention to what is being said to me.

            That’s one kind of social, the small group interaction. What about a little bigger like the Winters community. Since moving here in 2001, I’ve always felt welcomed, safe, and included. I’ve voiced my opinions and concerns at city council meetings, I’ve voted on community bond measures, I’ve financially invested in business, and in most instances my self-interest has been in line with the communities. Even when there’ve been disagreements the discourse has been civil, and win or lose we’ve just moved on.

            That’s an example of civil society at work, but what happens when it doesn’t work so well? If you believe everything you hear from the fear mongering media then society has already broken down and we’re all doomed. I don’t think that it’s broken down; I think it’s gotten too big. What I mean is that there are too many “sub-societies” to work cohesively for the good of the larger American society.

            There have always been these smaller groups that are united by common religions, ethnicity, ideology, geography, or even bigotry against other groups. For most of our history those smaller groups could function independently without much problem or social interaction with other groups. But over the last century with the changes in industry, communications, mobility, and the growth of government the ability to stay independent has disappeared.

            The different segments of our society have become interdependent on each other and that trend will continue to grow. The thing that’s forcing us together is economics; ironically it’s also what’s tearing us apart. I think that economics has always been the glue that holds societies together. In the olden days it was the farmer selling his grain to the miller who then sold the flour to the baker who then sold his bread back to the farmer and we had a nice simple economic circle. At some point the government stepped in and demanded a tax in exchange for security or infrastructure and the circle was broken, never to be simple again.

That’s where we are now; we have this complex socioeconomic relationship with everyone else that we share the country with. What we’ve lost sight of is the fact that the economic wellbeing of one is in the self-interest of all, that’s how society should work. Our society has always been divided by economics, in essence the haves and the have not’s.

One of the biggest problems we’re experiencing right now is trying to reconcile the fact that many of the “haves” ancestors got that way on the backs of the ancestors of the “have not’s”. I’m not just talking about slavery because since the Civil War there have still been sweat shops, indentured workers, child labor, underpaid undocumented workers, forced prison labor, and many other types of exploited workers.

After WWII there were 30 plus years of prosperity that helped build a vibrant middle class that also help boost the economy of all segments of our society. We were still working off the WWII motto of “together we can do it”. But then in the 70’s and 80’s the “me” generation came along and said “greed is good”, so I want more than my fair share and I don’t care who gets hurt in the process.

Labor unions were vilified while their member’s jobs were outsourced. Employer / employee loyalty became a thing of the past. As education became more important to finding a decent job, the public school systems were allowed to decline. The cost of health care skyrocketed while fewer businesses offered health insurance as an employee benefit.

            Those, along with many other factors have contributed to the biggest problem our society is facing, income inequality. If we can’t figure it out soon I don’t know what the future will look like, but I don’t think it looks good.

To view the column in it's original form go to page 12 of the following link. Winters Express 9/14/17