Half a century of neoliberalism has transformed the politics of the globe. The supremacy of free market ideology has stripped away the commons and reduced most states to their purely military and repressive functions. In this urgent discussion on the relationship between neoliberalism and the corrosion of democracy, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Professor Wendy Brown.
Wendy L. Brown is an American political theorist. She is the UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. Her latest book is Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution.
Production/Post-Production: Nicholas Grieves
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Great interview
Really good! Thank you. I did not know about the capitalization of the individual. My gosh, so many moral crimes. Thank god for Gen Z,
Neoliberalism could triumph in the 1980's due to the collapse of Stalinism and the betrayal of European social-democracy. From 1945 until the 1980's, capitalism accepted government regulation and many social-democratic demands out of fear for the anti-capitalist propaganda that was spread by the USSR. Despite its undemocratic nature and degeneration, the Soviet-Union was seen by millions as ''something different'' then capitalism. This was strong after WW2 and world capitalism knew they were facing an ideological battle. So the ruling class of mainly Western Europe choose to accept some government regulation and ideas linked to reformist leftism. By 1980 however, the Soviet-Union was stagnating and the capitalist class started to see that social-democracy was willing to betray its socialist roots, see François Mitterrand in France. As the Soviet bloc collapsed, world capitalism was shocked by the fact that many Stalinists accepted their free market fundamentalism (Boris Yeltsin). China and Vietnam also had embraced capitalistic ideas in the 1980's. As the red flag was lowered on 25 December 1991 in Moscow, capitalism declared victory. Neoliberalism was championed as the only working system for humanity by all major ideologies. From liberalism to conservatism, social-democracy and even former Stalinists. Those who rejected neoliberalism were called ''outdated'', ''inferior'' and outright ''stupid'' by the capitalist media and major governments. By 2008, neoliberalism started to crack and even today it is clear that we need a alternative to capitalism as a whole. Not more government, no going back to regulation and more rules (Bernie Sanders) to limit capitalist greed. We need a democratic socialist plan for the economy based on the interests of the overwhelming majority of people and the planet.
Journalism needs to be free of advertising. People go to the news for news, not ads for cat food when you don't have a cat. Journalism should cover international politics and wars from a humanistic point of view, not a view from a military contractor or military officer. Journalism needs to be independent and unfailingly financed with public money. We are buried in lies and advertising mistruths and omissions as it now stands. It is letting things like the Biden family continue their graft and corruption and murder of fellow human beings.
Economic dispair and social decay is now rife in my Canadian city. All but a few of the working class can afford to live in the city. Most live in highway ghettos or tent cities filled with drugs, violence and dispair.
I think Wendy is a little out of touch. Gen X started acquiring the most student debt, as the cost of college went up massively during the 80s and 90s. Max I believe is a Millennial who also has a ton of debt.
I would have thought an editor-in-chief wouldn’t say “like†as much
I don’t see any truth in the things you blame on Trump! I listened to what you said and I call BS on your opinion regarding Trump. Most of what you say is total bias and speculation. I’m very disappointed that I wasted the time hearing you out.
Brown doesn't disagree with Thathers cutthroat ideology where the average tax paying citizens get little to no representation. Thats all I need to hear from Mrs. Brown.
If you taught critical theory, you helped the neo-liberal order into power.
Corporations, the rich, bureaucrats… They've made more use of critical theory than anyone else. Meanwhile the public at large has no concept of power and power dynamics.
Meanwhile, we've birthed an entire generation of insane activists with an ethno-centric worldview, that uses a butchered form of critical theory to enhance their sophistry and ideology.
Maybe pump your breaks and ask how your specialty managed to do so much damage, and fall so deeply into the wrong hands.
Markets are Not spontaneous or free, there are many ways to distort markets. Markets are ruled by the sellers. they set the prices. There is a great propensity to raise them at every chance. While it is possible some competitors may lower their prices to gain market share , it is Not often the choice. Like a worker who has to lose to inflation or lose to cheap labor in Asia. Lowering your salary / wages is not a choice made happily.
Further competition has winners and losers , and naturally turns leads to monopoly, where the winners then dictate the market completely. Further still the cost of entry is enormous to the vast majority of people. So new sellers have a hard time. The vast majority of new business fail with in five years and the main reason is under capitalization. Also the control of our democracy is entirely under the rule of wealthy special interest. See the Gilens and Page study. Every aspect of control of the wealthy Interest is undermined by capture of the legislative, executive, judicial ,and regulatory functions are bought by them
Further the notion of markets being efficient is nonsense. It is only efficient when measured by money which is not well corelated with reality. If it were well correlated then the reality of shipping more, using more labor, more time, and more energy would cost more. If you look at all the good made in China you know price is not measuring real efficiency.
Further the price mechanism leaves out the cost to society. Pollution and climate change to name just two huge cost to society are Not in the price.
Also demand is always met, often by higher prices. the market excludes buyers who cant afford . Often these are the people who create the goods and services. The markets method of distribution is a distribution to the wealthy and least productive both in profits and goods and services. If some wealthy person wants a feast the market will produce it. yet the servers cooks and everyone who works on it . Often get paid so little they depend on food banks and food stamps to eat.
The wealthy and powerful hobble the masses with traditional morality that they do not practice.
Neoliberlism has become the predominant worldview and its very dangerous.
You support the climate change protest? Are u on drugs?!!!
WTF?
I am not responsible for your dad or your poor financial decisions we all take the same risks you just have to be smart enough to get to the top and make good decisions
Obama’s toothy grin should be looked at as a symbol of neoliberal capitalism in the same way as chairman Mao portrait for communism . It should live in infamy as the peak of greed
I'm reading a book about what happened in Italy and Britain after World War 1, and there are a lot of parallels. The economists, capitalists, and governments used austerity to crush labor power, reduce wages, and turn labor into a competitive market in order to maintain capitalism as the global hegemonic economic system. Liberals defined the liberty that they wanted to protect precisely so as to benefit capital accumulation, and trampled pretty much every other kind of liberty, especially in Italy. The whole time, they claimed that they were doing it for the public good, even as they took away economic and political power from labor, and made workers consume less and produce more.
Wendy is fantastic!
If you actually think that effective unions will return and that that’s going to be helpful to workers I’ve got several bridges for sale. Take your pick – Cheap.
The most remarkable thing about this discussion and the topic generally is how Right-wing Conservatives were able to label their own fell economic doctrine "Neo-Liberalism" to avoid blame or consequence … and also to trick liberal-minded people into destroying their own movement in the process. Still not seen somehow.
Sound like two wokey-woke,
Trump DERANGED, fake-liberal
Demorat voters, to me.
— from a REAL liberal
That was great! Thanks!!