The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power
Based on the film Requiem for the American Dream, Noam Chomsky is at it again with the inevitably depressing reality of inequality in America. Despite its US-centric approach, one can find it eerily similar to the structures and systems set up around the world that, by design, benefit the rich and punish the poor. Chomsky’s honest and blunt overview of the 10 principles gives the reader a better understanding of why inequality is worse than ever before. And thus, why the system was purposefully rigged this way by actors behind the scenes.
The Vicious Cycle and the Vile Maxim
See, the thing about hoarding a lot of wealth is that it brings forth a vicious cycle that tips the scales of power heavily to one side. Compounding and creating new wealth from that which is already excess yields concentration of power to a select few. Ultimately this translates into unchallenged political power to deregulate and create one’s own rules of fiscal policy. This, in turn, allows the top tenth of a percent to further increase their wealth and power. Rinse and repeat.
And that brings us to Adam Smith’s vile maxim:
All for ourselves, nothing for anyone else.
Adam Smith
What does this maxim mean? I’ll be honest with you, I had to Google what a maxim was before it all made sense.
max·im/ˈmaksəm/noun
- a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.
“the maxim that actions speak louder than words”
The people who are truly in charge of policy are the ones who own society. They will work their hardest to ensure their interests are taken care of, no matter the cost to the common man. These, my friends, are the masters of mankind following the vile maxim. Smith wrote this back in 1776 yet it rings truer than ever before. Scary, isn’t it?
So what exactly is Chomsky getting at in this book? In short, it is an explanation of the ten principles of concentration of wealth and power used by the elites, for the elites. Supported by snippets of speeches and court cases, he draws a picture of how we are all pawns in this game we call life.
Requiem: The 10 Principles
- Reduce Democracy
- Shape Ideology
- Redesign the Economy
- Shift the Burden
- Attack Solidarity
- Run the Regulators
- Engineer Elections
- Keep the Rabble in Line
- Manufacture Consent
- Marginalize the Population
Recommendation: Must Read
This is definitely not something you would want to read to give yourself a good night’s sleep. It is, however, something I believe everyone must read to better understand how little their voice matters and what needs to be done to undo this. The principles mentioned above are nothing new. In fact, they have been used to some extent by those in power for millennia. It is only today that we see it utilized so effectively and down to a science.
Or don’t read it…ignorance is bliss and you will sleep a lot more peacefully.
