RE: <nettime> the language of tactical media

["W R E Reynolds" <wre.reynolds@sympatico.ca>]

David Goldschmidt said:

> As a very liberal democrat, I keep waiting for the anti-globalisation
> freaks to offer an alternative to the status quo ... but you never do.
> If they ever offered the first idea on how to "better" govern then I
> would be their greatest champion ... but all I ever see is
criticizism.


This is simply not true and I can only suppose that you don't read much.


There are so many concrete proposals for change it would be well nigh
impossible to catalogue here. I would mention only a few to refute your
assertions:

--Joseph Stiglitz (who has been mentioned on this list numerous times)
is a the former chief economist of the World Bank and in his recent book
he provides a highly specific critique of how the World Bank and the IMF
damages the economies of less-developed nations, primarily because it is
beholden to a pro-globalized-business agenda. He offers numerous
suggestions for reform of the IMF and the World Bank.

--I am involved in creating an independent organization that will
specifically provide certification of standards at garment  factories in
the developing world. It is to be funded by retailers and manufacturers,
but remain independent and arms length.

BTW, It was the idea of a bunch of anti-globalization freaks including
myself, working with business leaders to create a workable solution to a
problem that all sides in the debate generally acknowledge is real.

Lastly, I would say that awareness is the most important element of real
change. I certainly believe that most of today's misdirection is the
direct result of ignorance. In a media saturated world, we remain
uninformed; in a world supposedly governed by reason, we question
surprisingly little; in our so-called democracies there is little
debate, remarkably little public participation and little choice.

If people simply paid more attention things would change.

And if that doesn't work then lets blow things up!!


Obey little, resist much (Walt Whitman)
_____  

W.  Richard  Reynolds de La Rochelle
journalist / author / polemicist  

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