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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Domesticating Capitalism

 
Eat what you kill.  Focus on low-hanging fruit.  Maximum return, minimal investment.
 
That's the framing of laissez-faire capitalism and competitive politics.  It mirrors exactly the framing of hunting and gathering.
 
Imagine if the hunters of the world had final say on the value of gardening.  They'd have laughed at the idea and belittled those who came up with it.  Dumb, wasteful, takes away from the core business of life, they'd say.
 
Until the fruits of other people's labour materialized.  Then, the aggressive hunters or laissez-faire foragers would pat the innovative gardeners on the back for their tenacity and persistence.  Said innovators may even be celebrated for their foresight.
 
Which is how things stand right now with social innovators or pioneers in social finance, or civic engagement, or info tech.
 
That's the challenge we face.  It's not the first time we've faced it, nor will it be the last.
 
The only way forward is not to waver.

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