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Write, edit, modify, rewrite... trying to convey as clearly as possible the idea of Aikido Activism. (Note quotes from world class thinkers like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln supporting elements of the theme of the essay -- shown at the end):
Aikido Activism
– Changing the world one corporation at a time –
May 11, 2004
aikidosphere@earthlink.net
1. INTRODUCTION
Imagine applying the resources of powerful “For Profit” corporations to the great needs of today. Imagine more and more small and large corporations – not just niche salad dressing, ice cream, or vegan food companies here or there, but also the largest businesses commanding the greatest market power – reorienting their objectives to promote transparency, the honest study of their social and ecological impacts, accountability, moderation, inclusion and the like.
In a time noted by widespread deceit and abuse by corporate executives, such a suggestion appears dreamy. But powerful progressive corporations are only a dream until they arrive. The need for them will speed their coming – and with them will come a new reality.
Movement towards the new reality – a more progressive, sustainable status quo – has already begun. This essay reveals the simplicity and power of the new reality, and shows that the components of the solution are already at hand. Society is poised for mobilization against the seemingly insurmountable inertia of errant tradition. It requires but a few who understand the problem who begin pursuit of the solution to catalyze a shift from Tragedy of the Commons to Triumph of the Commons.
2. THE PROBLEM OF ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM
The primitive forces of greed, deception and duplicity lead to a Tragedy of the Commons whenever corporate hegemony is used to unjustly exploit humanity or the environment in the myopic pursuit of profit – to advance capability and authority while minimizing responsibility. Money power has used communication, education, information and media – as well as money itself – to attain political power by influencing policy and public perception to advance Free Market Fundamentalism and to compromise market fairness in the attempt to effect persistent control. This state of affairs is called Adolescent Capitalism – capitalism that is not yet sustainably mature.
Adolescent Capitalism flies the banner of Free Market Fundamentalism. Free Market Fundamentalist theory is promoted by Adolescent Capitalism to expand its “commons” – its range of influence – to all countries via international treaties. Free Market Fundamentalism aims to cloth greed in “lifting all boats” populism. But all boats are not being lifted. The deceptive banner of Free Market Fundamentalism threatens to expand the influence of corporations from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented national governments to all governments, from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented media to all media, and from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented communities to all communities, thus advancing the grip of Adolescent Capitalism globally – i.e., globally expanding capability and authority while globally minimizing responsibility.
Some go so far as to say that absolute power corrupts absolutely . Globalizing Adolescent Capitalism threatens global society and the global environment with a Tragedy of the Global Commons of unprecedented, cataclysmic proportions – stimulating increased need for opposition, and stimulating increased oppositional activism.
Deception encourages ignorance of social and ecological issues so as to minimize opposition to unjust exploitations of humanity and the environment. When companies use media and advertising to weaken or distort awareness of truth in order to sell soap, cereal, or cigarettes, then those companies and their media partners weaken society’s immune system against deceit. All kinds of problems can come from a weak social immune system: especially the ignorance of potential environmental or social cataclysms.
Corporate executives, earning 10 to 1,000 to 100,000 times as much as a laborer, are paid to maximize profit – often looking out for employees, customers, society at large, or the environment only when those interests align with corporate profit making, which is closely tied to their personal profit making. The system works fairly well for what it was designed to do (although the culture of deceit and unjust exploitations often permeates, including leading executives to deceive and unjustly exploit stockholders). Unfortunately the objective is wrong. A myopic profit view ignores many important issues and wrongly assumes that the greatest power comes from maximizing corporate profit . Profit maximizing strategy often employs profits to rent public policy and public perception away from the public interest. Working against the public interest is a huge Lilliputian clue that maximizing dollar profit does not in actuality achieve the greatest power!
3. WHERE DOES ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM BUILD OPPOSITION?
When Adolescent Capitalism unjustly exploits a working wage class or the environment, oppositional sentiments may arise. When perceptions of a ruling owner class become disconnected from the realities of a working wage class or from the environment, unjust exploitations heighten, and oppositional sentiment may increase to spark changes in policy and practice . Sometimes scientific investigation – usually funded by corporate interests – discovers corporate deceptions, creating scientific opposition. Part of the problem of corporate hegemony and money power is that, by design, each of these forms of opposition is usually weak and lacks comparable money power.
With globalization, corporations are increasingly using distant workers and environments – potentially heightening unjust exploitations. The working class in developed countries finds itself less employed as corporations shop globally to find or create the most favorable terms of employment. Offshoring may create a more potent force of opposition against Adolescent Capitalism – in the form of many replaced developed-country workers .
4. EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT OPPOSITION TO ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM?
Current activist opposition to the problem of Adolescent Capitalism and all its manifestations is inhibited by lacking money power. In some cases, opposition has actually been subverted by money power, with the opposition ceasing or merely continuing as a charade. Opposition is inhibited in all the ways that Adolescent Capitalism inhibits it – in communication, education, information, media, influence of policy and public perception. This state of affairs is called Adolescent Activism – not yet substantially able to remedy the unjust exploitations of Adolescent Capitalism.
5. AIKIDO ACTIVISM AND THE PROGRESSIVE TRANSFORMATION OF CAPITALISM
It is easy to focus on all the terrible problems corporations are causing to humanity and the environment, but such one-sided diatribes lead to little progress. Instead, a balanced perspective is needed. Yes, corporate excesses have caused terrible problems in society and the environment, but many corporate activities have led to vast improvements in protecting the environment, peace, and quality of life. Promoting the improvements and curbing the excesses – ending the myopic focus on profit – is what is needed to bring progressive transformation to Adolescent Capitalism.
The following definitions of Aikido and activism help to introduce Aikido Activism – which promises to catalyze such progressive transformation.
Aikido (noun): a Japanese art of self-defense employing locks and holds and utilizing the principle of nonresistance to cause an opponent's own momentum to work against him (Merriam Webster).
Activism (noun): a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue (Merriam Webster).
Aikido Activism (noun): a new form of activism combining corporate reform and entrepreneurship leveraging Aikido’s principle of beneficent locks and holds in the “For Profit” competitive arena to empower activism and accelerate the shift from a global myopic profit agenda to a more progressive global agenda achieved through corporate transparency, responsibility, accountability and moderate profitability.
Melding the best of “For Profit” corporations with the best of “Not for Profit” activism, if unconventional, can certainly be seen to overcome the problems faced by traditional activism discussed in the last section. Corporations are traditionally known for their discipline (but lacking real progressivism); while “Not For Profits” are traditionally known for their progressivism (but lacking discipline and real power). Both discipline and progressivism are needed to achieve progressive power .
From which side will the gap first be bridged? Is it easier for the disciplined corporate warrior to adopt a progressive approach? Or is it easier for the idealistic progressive to gain sufficient discipline to compete with the corporate warrior? This abstraction is an oversimplification, but a useful oversimplification, because it shows how corporate reform could primarily come from within corporations themselves through the development of Noble Corporations .
Of course, there are many highly disciplined activists, many undisciplined corporate workers, many progressive corporate employees (often frustrated, very ready to support change) and many non-progressive employees working at progressive, “Not For Profit” firms! Aikido Activism will use the full power and weight of corporations and governments to achieve transformative progress for the very center and essence of corporate and government culture and behavior.
Understanding progress and power is important. It is often heard that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1834-1902), but this statement is obviously incorrect . The greater the abuse of power, the more inclined are people to rebel against it. So no abusive power is absolute, certainly no power that corrupts absolutely – as amply evidenced by countless historical uprisings against unjust exploitations.
Although corporate power is far from absolute, adolescent corporate hegemony presents great inertia to inhibit progressive activism. Yet corporations have established free markets, and it is the free market that presents the greatest opportunity to practice Aikido Activism.
A progressive salad dressing company here or a progressive ice cream company there is insufficient to overcome the inertia of adolescent corporate hegemony. Aikido Activism must become established at leading corporations within each industry – those corporations defining business practices by their own behavior – in order to generate widespread transformation.
In this way Aikido Activism will develop a superior form of power – progressive power or collective empowerment whose objective is individual empowerment, while promoting the understanding that progressive power is superior to so-called absolute power and its absolute corrupting influence. Eventually, Adolescent Capitalism’s excesses will be moderated and replaced by a superior form of capitalism: Individual Empowerment Capitalism .
Advanced thinking regarding sustainable capitalism has introduced Natural Capitalism , Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), Triple Bottom Line accounting (TBL – looking at the three bottom lines of economics, sociology and environment), Factor Four or Factor Ten goals (efficiency improvement goals for material and energy consumption), and Frank Dixon’s Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR). Each of these represent measures and methods that will only be effective at bringing unaccountable business practices into conformity when the halls of power are truly opened to progress, not just adorned with a progressive façade. Aikido Activism may hold the best chance of opening the halls of power to such progress.
The problems presented by Adolescent Capitalism to humanity and the environment – its unjust exploitations – quickly reached global proportions. In addition to playing a key role in transforming corporate behavior, Aikido Activism can be key in promoting the further requisite global remedies of globally inclusive communications and dialogue – the prerequisites for global democracy and sustainable, joyful, global living.
The cycle of deceit in power structures being leveraged for private profit, further power, then achieving even greater capability of deceit – is the enemy of healthy civil societies. A culture of truth and integrity is required for peace. In order to reach greater peace in global society we need greater truth and integrity in culture and in power structures. Education and truthfulness are the best friends of a healthy, civil global society. Placing interest and investment in the advancement of education and truthfulness promotes global integrity (global sustainability). Consequently, some of the greatest investment vehicles towards sustainability are global democratic communication tools and technology like the Internet.
Bringing about substantial change in global society requires but a few who understand the problem to begin pursuit of the solution in order to catalyze a shift from a Tragedy of the Global Commons to Triumph of the Global Commons.
6. THE SPECIAL CASE OF DEMOCRATIC MEDIA AIKIDO ACTIVISM
Industries that are reliant on intellectual property – e.g., biotechnology and communications technology – are perhaps the most auspicious industries for the introduction of campaigns of Aikido Activism due to the Aikido-like enablement of intellectual property protections. Interest is growing by a number of parties in the area of activism through the commercial development of democratic media tools and technologies .
Communications technology and policy is closely related to social policy. If Aikido Activism can gain a substantial position of power in the global communications industry, then it can promote inclusive communications policy such as global universal service, which itself would substantially advance the cause of global sustainability by advancing global dialogue and global democracy.
7. CONCLUSION
The current state of Adolescent Capitalism has done a great amount of good, but has also propagated many excesses and abuses. Our goal should be a better, more balanced, understanding of not only where capitalism is going and must go (Individual Empowerment Capitalism) but also how it will get there.
More times than not, entrenched power must be engaged via the very mechanisms originally employed to achieve or retain that power in order to reform its unjustly exploitive elements. By definition, Aikido Activism employs traditional power mechanisms to engage Adolescent Capitalism. Aikido Activism will be found complementing “Not For Profit” activism – augmenting it to enable the timely transformation of Adolescent Capitalism.
The goal is not merely sustainability. Sustainability is critical but sustainable joyful living is the real goal – turning Dr. Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons into a Triumph of the Commons.
As the world evolves from brute force, to economic persuasion, to conscientious reason – progressively advancing the focus of society and law – Triumph of the Commons will antiquate Adolescent Capitalism, spurred to great excess by Free Market Fundamentalism, flourishing unopposed in a predominantly “Not for Aikido” (i.e., “Not For Profit”) activist culture. A new and potent mode of community consciousness – the mobilization of free independent thought via the Internet – will inspire and be inspired by Aikido Activism, which centers responsibility and empowers individuals by advancing the Noble Corporation in the new age of Individual Empowerment Capitalism.
8. GET INVOLVED
This essay is presented to the broadest possible active audience by leveraging online discussion groups, email lists, and the like – aiming to leverage the Internet’s access to many minds and bodies not only for discussion and criticism, but also to accelerate collaboration on Aikido Activism campaigns. These campaigns require ideas, investors, collaborators and supporters who understand and wish to advance the new model. I am seeking and identifying parties interested in the pursuit of Aikido Activism in order to catalyze consensual introductions between investors, projects, entrepreneurs and other co-participants. Please contact aikidosphere@earthlink.net to indicate your interest.
APPENDIX I
Lists of the forums where various versions of this essay have been posted.
Forum/URL Post Date
Doug Henwood’s LBO-Talk
mailman.lbo-talk.org/piperma...090.html
mailman.lbo-talk.org/piperma...178.html
March 30, 2004
Tribe.net (Aikido Activism and Utopian Research & Design)
tinyurl.com/29kpp
and
tinyurl.com/2pfng
and
tinyurl.com/2sakl
March 30, 2004
International Network of Engaged Buddhists (No Online Forum)/ www.sulak-sivaraksa.org/network22.php
March 30, 2004
Solar PV (PhotoVoltaic) Forum of the United Nations Development Programme - Global Environment Facility
roo.undp.org/gef/solarpv...messages.cfm
March 31, 2004
Crisinfo -- Communication Rights in the Information Society (associated with World Summit on the Information Society)
quantum.liquidweb.com/piperma...ate.html
quantum.liquidweb.com/piperma...066.html
March 31, 2004
LaborNet Forums (see Labor.newsline)
webboard.mediate.com/~labornet/
March 31, 2004
TakingITGlobal
www.takingitglobal.org/discus...ad.html
March 31, 2004
Sociologists Without Borders Discussion Forum
www.sociologistswithoutborders.com/cgi-bin/guestbook.cgi
April 5, 2004
Progressive Economists’ Network
csf.colorado.edu/mail/pen-...00176.html
April 6, 2004
Marxism Discussion List
lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermai...6365.html
April 8, 2004
APPENDIX II
HISTORICAL WISDOMS CONCERNING CORPORATE POWER
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied incorporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." – Thomas Jefferson. ca.1812
"We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast mount of treasure and blood.... It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war." -- Abraham Lincoln, letter to William F. Elkins, Nov 21, 1864.
"Capitalism has destroyed our belief in any effective power but that of self interest backed by force." -- George Bernard Shaw
"The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it." – Edward Dowling, Editor and Priest, Chicago Daily News, 28 Jul. 1941
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." – Indian leader and peace activist Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi (1869-1948)
“There is in America today, a confusion of minds, so tragic and misleading, that our whole thought and philosophy is distorted. At the very time that economics, that is the study of work and income, is of foremost importance to our well-being, economics as economics is not being studied in our schools. Either in the elementary schools, nor in colleges are students learning about the philosophy of money and exchange, production and trade, wealth and savings. Our university students are pouring into chemistry and physics, and deserting history and sociology. Why? Because to us, the basic problem is how large an income we can get—how much money we can control. What careers for our children will ensure them the most wealth? The object of our ambition is rising to higher and higher income brackets. And what we see as progress is escaping from manual labor—the white-collar jobs—thence to employing others to work for us.” – leading African-American activist-sociologist Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) in speech of February 23, 1953.
“I have seen the enemy, and it is us.” – Cartoonist Walter Crawford (Walt) Kelly, Jr (1913-1973) via his comic strip character, Pogo
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Sociologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978)
“The capital markets can create social change much more quickly than legislation or litigation because that profit incentive is in place.” – Social entrepreneur Thomas Van Dyck, Chairman of As You Sow, Founder of Progressive Asset Management and also of the Social Equity Investment Group of US Bancorp Piper Jaffrey
“I had the incredibly naïve assumption that educational institutions could be in the vanguard. In fact, they have the reverse function.” “Activists will need to do what corporate strategists have mastered: exploit the tensions of our federal system by creating crises of jurisdiction and authority between local, state and federal government.” – Ward Morehouse
“Corporate scandals of recent years have clearly shown that the plethora of laws of the past century have not eliminated the less savory side of human behavior. Rules cannot substitute for character.” – US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan April 17, 2004
Aikido Activism
– Changing the world one corporation at a time –
May 11, 2004
aikidosphere@earthlink.net
1. INTRODUCTION
Imagine applying the resources of powerful “For Profit” corporations to the great needs of today. Imagine more and more small and large corporations – not just niche salad dressing, ice cream, or vegan food companies here or there, but also the largest businesses commanding the greatest market power – reorienting their objectives to promote transparency, the honest study of their social and ecological impacts, accountability, moderation, inclusion and the like.
In a time noted by widespread deceit and abuse by corporate executives, such a suggestion appears dreamy. But powerful progressive corporations are only a dream until they arrive. The need for them will speed their coming – and with them will come a new reality.
Movement towards the new reality – a more progressive, sustainable status quo – has already begun. This essay reveals the simplicity and power of the new reality, and shows that the components of the solution are already at hand. Society is poised for mobilization against the seemingly insurmountable inertia of errant tradition. It requires but a few who understand the problem who begin pursuit of the solution to catalyze a shift from Tragedy of the Commons to Triumph of the Commons.
2. THE PROBLEM OF ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM
The primitive forces of greed, deception and duplicity lead to a Tragedy of the Commons whenever corporate hegemony is used to unjustly exploit humanity or the environment in the myopic pursuit of profit – to advance capability and authority while minimizing responsibility. Money power has used communication, education, information and media – as well as money itself – to attain political power by influencing policy and public perception to advance Free Market Fundamentalism and to compromise market fairness in the attempt to effect persistent control. This state of affairs is called Adolescent Capitalism – capitalism that is not yet sustainably mature.
Adolescent Capitalism flies the banner of Free Market Fundamentalism. Free Market Fundamentalist theory is promoted by Adolescent Capitalism to expand its “commons” – its range of influence – to all countries via international treaties. Free Market Fundamentalism aims to cloth greed in “lifting all boats” populism. But all boats are not being lifted. The deceptive banner of Free Market Fundamentalism threatens to expand the influence of corporations from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented national governments to all governments, from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented media to all media, and from Free-Market-Fundamentalist-oriented communities to all communities, thus advancing the grip of Adolescent Capitalism globally – i.e., globally expanding capability and authority while globally minimizing responsibility.
Some go so far as to say that absolute power corrupts absolutely . Globalizing Adolescent Capitalism threatens global society and the global environment with a Tragedy of the Global Commons of unprecedented, cataclysmic proportions – stimulating increased need for opposition, and stimulating increased oppositional activism.
Deception encourages ignorance of social and ecological issues so as to minimize opposition to unjust exploitations of humanity and the environment. When companies use media and advertising to weaken or distort awareness of truth in order to sell soap, cereal, or cigarettes, then those companies and their media partners weaken society’s immune system against deceit. All kinds of problems can come from a weak social immune system: especially the ignorance of potential environmental or social cataclysms.
Corporate executives, earning 10 to 1,000 to 100,000 times as much as a laborer, are paid to maximize profit – often looking out for employees, customers, society at large, or the environment only when those interests align with corporate profit making, which is closely tied to their personal profit making. The system works fairly well for what it was designed to do (although the culture of deceit and unjust exploitations often permeates, including leading executives to deceive and unjustly exploit stockholders). Unfortunately the objective is wrong. A myopic profit view ignores many important issues and wrongly assumes that the greatest power comes from maximizing corporate profit . Profit maximizing strategy often employs profits to rent public policy and public perception away from the public interest. Working against the public interest is a huge Lilliputian clue that maximizing dollar profit does not in actuality achieve the greatest power!
3. WHERE DOES ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM BUILD OPPOSITION?
When Adolescent Capitalism unjustly exploits a working wage class or the environment, oppositional sentiments may arise. When perceptions of a ruling owner class become disconnected from the realities of a working wage class or from the environment, unjust exploitations heighten, and oppositional sentiment may increase to spark changes in policy and practice . Sometimes scientific investigation – usually funded by corporate interests – discovers corporate deceptions, creating scientific opposition. Part of the problem of corporate hegemony and money power is that, by design, each of these forms of opposition is usually weak and lacks comparable money power.
With globalization, corporations are increasingly using distant workers and environments – potentially heightening unjust exploitations. The working class in developed countries finds itself less employed as corporations shop globally to find or create the most favorable terms of employment. Offshoring may create a more potent force of opposition against Adolescent Capitalism – in the form of many replaced developed-country workers .
4. EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT OPPOSITION TO ADOLESCENT CAPITALISM?
Current activist opposition to the problem of Adolescent Capitalism and all its manifestations is inhibited by lacking money power. In some cases, opposition has actually been subverted by money power, with the opposition ceasing or merely continuing as a charade. Opposition is inhibited in all the ways that Adolescent Capitalism inhibits it – in communication, education, information, media, influence of policy and public perception. This state of affairs is called Adolescent Activism – not yet substantially able to remedy the unjust exploitations of Adolescent Capitalism.
5. AIKIDO ACTIVISM AND THE PROGRESSIVE TRANSFORMATION OF CAPITALISM
It is easy to focus on all the terrible problems corporations are causing to humanity and the environment, but such one-sided diatribes lead to little progress. Instead, a balanced perspective is needed. Yes, corporate excesses have caused terrible problems in society and the environment, but many corporate activities have led to vast improvements in protecting the environment, peace, and quality of life. Promoting the improvements and curbing the excesses – ending the myopic focus on profit – is what is needed to bring progressive transformation to Adolescent Capitalism.
The following definitions of Aikido and activism help to introduce Aikido Activism – which promises to catalyze such progressive transformation.
Aikido (noun): a Japanese art of self-defense employing locks and holds and utilizing the principle of nonresistance to cause an opponent's own momentum to work against him (Merriam Webster).
Activism (noun): a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue (Merriam Webster).
Aikido Activism (noun): a new form of activism combining corporate reform and entrepreneurship leveraging Aikido’s principle of beneficent locks and holds in the “For Profit” competitive arena to empower activism and accelerate the shift from a global myopic profit agenda to a more progressive global agenda achieved through corporate transparency, responsibility, accountability and moderate profitability.
Melding the best of “For Profit” corporations with the best of “Not for Profit” activism, if unconventional, can certainly be seen to overcome the problems faced by traditional activism discussed in the last section. Corporations are traditionally known for their discipline (but lacking real progressivism); while “Not For Profits” are traditionally known for their progressivism (but lacking discipline and real power). Both discipline and progressivism are needed to achieve progressive power .
From which side will the gap first be bridged? Is it easier for the disciplined corporate warrior to adopt a progressive approach? Or is it easier for the idealistic progressive to gain sufficient discipline to compete with the corporate warrior? This abstraction is an oversimplification, but a useful oversimplification, because it shows how corporate reform could primarily come from within corporations themselves through the development of Noble Corporations .
Of course, there are many highly disciplined activists, many undisciplined corporate workers, many progressive corporate employees (often frustrated, very ready to support change) and many non-progressive employees working at progressive, “Not For Profit” firms! Aikido Activism will use the full power and weight of corporations and governments to achieve transformative progress for the very center and essence of corporate and government culture and behavior.
Understanding progress and power is important. It is often heard that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1834-1902), but this statement is obviously incorrect . The greater the abuse of power, the more inclined are people to rebel against it. So no abusive power is absolute, certainly no power that corrupts absolutely – as amply evidenced by countless historical uprisings against unjust exploitations.
Although corporate power is far from absolute, adolescent corporate hegemony presents great inertia to inhibit progressive activism. Yet corporations have established free markets, and it is the free market that presents the greatest opportunity to practice Aikido Activism.
A progressive salad dressing company here or a progressive ice cream company there is insufficient to overcome the inertia of adolescent corporate hegemony. Aikido Activism must become established at leading corporations within each industry – those corporations defining business practices by their own behavior – in order to generate widespread transformation.
In this way Aikido Activism will develop a superior form of power – progressive power or collective empowerment whose objective is individual empowerment, while promoting the understanding that progressive power is superior to so-called absolute power and its absolute corrupting influence. Eventually, Adolescent Capitalism’s excesses will be moderated and replaced by a superior form of capitalism: Individual Empowerment Capitalism .
Advanced thinking regarding sustainable capitalism has introduced Natural Capitalism , Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), Triple Bottom Line accounting (TBL – looking at the three bottom lines of economics, sociology and environment), Factor Four or Factor Ten goals (efficiency improvement goals for material and energy consumption), and Frank Dixon’s Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR). Each of these represent measures and methods that will only be effective at bringing unaccountable business practices into conformity when the halls of power are truly opened to progress, not just adorned with a progressive façade. Aikido Activism may hold the best chance of opening the halls of power to such progress.
The problems presented by Adolescent Capitalism to humanity and the environment – its unjust exploitations – quickly reached global proportions. In addition to playing a key role in transforming corporate behavior, Aikido Activism can be key in promoting the further requisite global remedies of globally inclusive communications and dialogue – the prerequisites for global democracy and sustainable, joyful, global living.
The cycle of deceit in power structures being leveraged for private profit, further power, then achieving even greater capability of deceit – is the enemy of healthy civil societies. A culture of truth and integrity is required for peace. In order to reach greater peace in global society we need greater truth and integrity in culture and in power structures. Education and truthfulness are the best friends of a healthy, civil global society. Placing interest and investment in the advancement of education and truthfulness promotes global integrity (global sustainability). Consequently, some of the greatest investment vehicles towards sustainability are global democratic communication tools and technology like the Internet.
Bringing about substantial change in global society requires but a few who understand the problem to begin pursuit of the solution in order to catalyze a shift from a Tragedy of the Global Commons to Triumph of the Global Commons.
6. THE SPECIAL CASE OF DEMOCRATIC MEDIA AIKIDO ACTIVISM
Industries that are reliant on intellectual property – e.g., biotechnology and communications technology – are perhaps the most auspicious industries for the introduction of campaigns of Aikido Activism due to the Aikido-like enablement of intellectual property protections. Interest is growing by a number of parties in the area of activism through the commercial development of democratic media tools and technologies .
Communications technology and policy is closely related to social policy. If Aikido Activism can gain a substantial position of power in the global communications industry, then it can promote inclusive communications policy such as global universal service, which itself would substantially advance the cause of global sustainability by advancing global dialogue and global democracy.
7. CONCLUSION
The current state of Adolescent Capitalism has done a great amount of good, but has also propagated many excesses and abuses. Our goal should be a better, more balanced, understanding of not only where capitalism is going and must go (Individual Empowerment Capitalism) but also how it will get there.
More times than not, entrenched power must be engaged via the very mechanisms originally employed to achieve or retain that power in order to reform its unjustly exploitive elements. By definition, Aikido Activism employs traditional power mechanisms to engage Adolescent Capitalism. Aikido Activism will be found complementing “Not For Profit” activism – augmenting it to enable the timely transformation of Adolescent Capitalism.
The goal is not merely sustainability. Sustainability is critical but sustainable joyful living is the real goal – turning Dr. Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons into a Triumph of the Commons.
As the world evolves from brute force, to economic persuasion, to conscientious reason – progressively advancing the focus of society and law – Triumph of the Commons will antiquate Adolescent Capitalism, spurred to great excess by Free Market Fundamentalism, flourishing unopposed in a predominantly “Not for Aikido” (i.e., “Not For Profit”) activist culture. A new and potent mode of community consciousness – the mobilization of free independent thought via the Internet – will inspire and be inspired by Aikido Activism, which centers responsibility and empowers individuals by advancing the Noble Corporation in the new age of Individual Empowerment Capitalism.
8. GET INVOLVED
This essay is presented to the broadest possible active audience by leveraging online discussion groups, email lists, and the like – aiming to leverage the Internet’s access to many minds and bodies not only for discussion and criticism, but also to accelerate collaboration on Aikido Activism campaigns. These campaigns require ideas, investors, collaborators and supporters who understand and wish to advance the new model. I am seeking and identifying parties interested in the pursuit of Aikido Activism in order to catalyze consensual introductions between investors, projects, entrepreneurs and other co-participants. Please contact aikidosphere@earthlink.net to indicate your interest.
APPENDIX I
Lists of the forums where various versions of this essay have been posted.
Forum/URL Post Date
Doug Henwood’s LBO-Talk
mailman.lbo-talk.org/piperma...090.html
mailman.lbo-talk.org/piperma...178.html
March 30, 2004
Tribe.net (Aikido Activism and Utopian Research & Design)
tinyurl.com/29kpp
and
tinyurl.com/2pfng
and
tinyurl.com/2sakl
March 30, 2004
International Network of Engaged Buddhists (No Online Forum)/ www.sulak-sivaraksa.org/network22.php
March 30, 2004
Solar PV (PhotoVoltaic) Forum of the United Nations Development Programme - Global Environment Facility
roo.undp.org/gef/solarpv...messages.cfm
March 31, 2004
Crisinfo -- Communication Rights in the Information Society (associated with World Summit on the Information Society)
quantum.liquidweb.com/piperma...ate.html
quantum.liquidweb.com/piperma...066.html
March 31, 2004
LaborNet Forums (see Labor.newsline)
webboard.mediate.com/~labornet/
March 31, 2004
TakingITGlobal
www.takingitglobal.org/discus...ad.html
March 31, 2004
Sociologists Without Borders Discussion Forum
www.sociologistswithoutborders.com/cgi-bin/guestbook.cgi
April 5, 2004
Progressive Economists’ Network
csf.colorado.edu/mail/pen-...00176.html
April 6, 2004
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April 8, 2004
APPENDIX II
HISTORICAL WISDOMS CONCERNING CORPORATE POWER
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied incorporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." – Thomas Jefferson. ca.1812
"We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast mount of treasure and blood.... It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war." -- Abraham Lincoln, letter to William F. Elkins, Nov 21, 1864.
"Capitalism has destroyed our belief in any effective power but that of self interest backed by force." -- George Bernard Shaw
"The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it." – Edward Dowling, Editor and Priest, Chicago Daily News, 28 Jul. 1941
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." – Indian leader and peace activist Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi (1869-1948)
“There is in America today, a confusion of minds, so tragic and misleading, that our whole thought and philosophy is distorted. At the very time that economics, that is the study of work and income, is of foremost importance to our well-being, economics as economics is not being studied in our schools. Either in the elementary schools, nor in colleges are students learning about the philosophy of money and exchange, production and trade, wealth and savings. Our university students are pouring into chemistry and physics, and deserting history and sociology. Why? Because to us, the basic problem is how large an income we can get—how much money we can control. What careers for our children will ensure them the most wealth? The object of our ambition is rising to higher and higher income brackets. And what we see as progress is escaping from manual labor—the white-collar jobs—thence to employing others to work for us.” – leading African-American activist-sociologist Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) in speech of February 23, 1953.
“I have seen the enemy, and it is us.” – Cartoonist Walter Crawford (Walt) Kelly, Jr (1913-1973) via his comic strip character, Pogo
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Sociologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978)
“The capital markets can create social change much more quickly than legislation or litigation because that profit incentive is in place.” – Social entrepreneur Thomas Van Dyck, Chairman of As You Sow, Founder of Progressive Asset Management and also of the Social Equity Investment Group of US Bancorp Piper Jaffrey
“I had the incredibly naïve assumption that educational institutions could be in the vanguard. In fact, they have the reverse function.” “Activists will need to do what corporate strategists have mastered: exploit the tensions of our federal system by creating crises of jurisdiction and authority between local, state and federal government.” – Ward Morehouse
“Corporate scandals of recent years have clearly shown that the plethora of laws of the past century have not eliminated the less savory side of human behavior. Rules cannot substitute for character.” – US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan April 17, 2004
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