[ExI] How the world collapses

[BillK]

Neat summary article here:
<http://theseagypsyphilosopher.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-river-of-human-folly.html>

A few quotes:

Civilization seems to be hurtling down two disastrous paths that are
contrary to each other and yet connected to each other.  The first
course is a societal ruination that is so catastrophic that I refer to
it as apocalyptic collapse - or to create a term - APOCOLLAPSE.  The
second course is a steady but accelerating reshaping of the western
democracies into tyrannical police-surveillance states.  I call this
FULL SPECTRUM NEO-FEUDALISM.

APOCOLLAPSE
There are three meta-systems that individually or in combination could
de-stabilize the planet so profoundly that the world that we take for
granted could vanish with paralyzing swiftness.  I call them the Big
Bad "E"s and they stand for Energy, Economics and Ecology.

ENERGY    Our modern techno-industrial society is so dependent on
enormous inputs of fossil fuel products that as Peak Oil intensifies
prices will skyrocket and supply chains will break-down.
As for the recent rash (a most appropriate noun) of feel good energy
stories - they are a callous and malicious charade underwritten by the
energy giants to keep the illusion going ... until it just stops going.
A good comparison is the believability of the tobacco industry which
deceived and lied and distorted until even their most expensive public
relations campaigns could no longer disguise the truth.

ECONOMICS     I would characterize our modern economic system as a
perverse mating of absurdity and evil.  At least the villainous Robber
Barons of the 19th century actually "made things."  They may have been
ruthless and greedy, but they produced steel and railroads and light
bulbs.  But our current financial titans have only one real talent.
They are masters of deceit - of smoke and mirrors and collusion and
corruption.  Try heating your home with credit default swaps or try
filling your car's gas tank with collateralized debt obligations.

 ECOLOGY    There are two diametrically opposed trends on the
environmental landscape.  On the one hand the vast majority of climate
scientists are continually adjusting their previous predictions
because their "worst case scenarios" were not worst case enough.  Not
only are they altering the severity of the various calamities, but
also the speed at which they are occurring.
On the opposite hand, the "climate change denial" camp is growing.
The fact that the obscenely rich oligarchs have funded thousands of
lobbyists in Washington to sway the opinions of Congress is the main
factor in this increase.  And the fact that these politicians are
handed bullet points based on "scientific" studies that these same
industrialists bankrolled, is repulsive.  What sort of sick sentient
being would bequeath his grandchildren a smoldering planet just so
that he can move further up the Forbes Richest People list?

FULL SPECTRUM NEO-FEUDALSIM
Any honest analysis of 21st century American democracy must conclude
that it is a sham.  Certainly there is still the façade, but it is as
phony as a Hollywood movie set.  The trappings of a republic are still
there, but the actual "power of the people" has vaporized.  It has
been supplanted by the power of the RICH PEOPLE.  If the wealthy
campaign contributors want a war in Iraq, it does not matter that 80%
of the population is against it.
The inescapable trend is towards a society in which a tiny group is
extremely rich and powerful and the vast majority is an underclass of
modern serfs that run the machines that spew out the profits.  It has
all of the markings of a science fiction nightmare that is turning
into reality.
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Depressing, huh?
So we need an energy revolution *and* a political revolution. Could be
tricky........

BillK