HOW TO COOPERATIZE
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I propose we take Buckminster Fuller's advise here. Let's stop fighting the existing reality of our dysfunctional
corporatized business model. Instead of just Occupying Wall Street let's make it Obsolete by replacing it with a new model.
I'm calling this new model a cooperatized business model. To do this we need to cooperatize. Do you remember that definition of cooperatize I made up on a previous page? ... it means to:
corporatized business model. Instead of just Occupying Wall Street let's make it Obsolete by replacing it with a new model.
I'm calling this new model a cooperatized business model. To do this we need to cooperatize. Do you remember that definition of cooperatize I made up on a previous page? ... it means to:
KILL CORPORATIONS and then BIRTH COOPERATIVES
[a bloodless revolution]
1. We KILL CORPORATIONS by revoking their licenses
This may sound like a big deal, but it simply means to take away a business' license to operate as a corporation.
Let me explain.
In setting up a business there are basically 4 choices for the type of legal entity it can be:
A person might well agree that it's a good idea to kill the exploitive corporations.
But on second thought they might ask:
"Do we lose the jobs with the corporations for whom we’re working?
Do we go hungry because corporate agriculture is no longer producing our food?
Do we no longer heat and cool our homes or drive our vehicles because corporations no longer sell us energy?
Are we no longer entertained by corporate owned media?
Are we no longer able to access our money because the corporate bank is shuttered?"
That's why we must perform the second action of the verb cooperatize ... we must BIRTH COOPERATIVES.
Let me explain.
In setting up a business there are basically 4 choices for the type of legal entity it can be:
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership
- Corporation
- Cooperative.
A person might well agree that it's a good idea to kill the exploitive corporations.
But on second thought they might ask:
"Do we lose the jobs with the corporations for whom we’re working?
Do we go hungry because corporate agriculture is no longer producing our food?
Do we no longer heat and cool our homes or drive our vehicles because corporations no longer sell us energy?
Are we no longer entertained by corporate owned media?
Are we no longer able to access our money because the corporate bank is shuttered?"
That's why we must perform the second action of the verb cooperatize ... we must BIRTH COOPERATIVES.
2. We BIRTH COOPERATIVES by converting a corporations'
legal status to a cooperative legal status
Lord Voldemort vs Darth Vader--
Artist Jasesa
"But wait!!!" you protest, "that's going to be hard to do. Corporations are not going to just lay down and
be converted to cooperatives without a fight."
Of course they won't. But think about it...
a corporation isn't a real human being. It's simply
a legal status assigned to a business. Corporations are
granted power by a manmade law --- and just as they're granted power by a manmade law, their power can be rescinded by a manmade law.
Like Lord Voldemort and Darth Vader,
corporations are fictions --- fictions created by the
pen of a woman and the pen of a man. And just as
they're created with the stroke of a pen,
corporations can be eliminated with the stroke of a pen.
All we need to do is,
with the stroke of a pen,
eliminate the corporation as a legal business status option.
Then convert their business status to COOPERATIVE.
with the stroke of a pen,
eliminate the corporation as a legal business status option.
Then convert their business status to COOPERATIVE.
Corporations aren't going to convert willingly. Over the millennia, history has shown us countless systems set up and
used by the Few to control the Many. And the corporatized system is one of the most effective system ever devised to do just that.
Globally, corporations have insinuated themselves into every aspect of our lives. They control our governments, our media,
our institutions. Buckminster Fuller calls it the "supranational-corporation colossi". Ralph Nader calls it "giant corporatism".
Jimmy Dore refers to it as 100% corporate capture.
Any child who knows her or his folklore understands that the only way to get rid of a malevolent giant is to kill it. There's no other truly effective way to control or regulate them---there's no amount of policy written that can truly control them---there's no amount of protesting or preaching or petitioning or demanding better behavior that will reform them. And yet that's exactly what most good-hearted, well-intentioned activists are doing today, and have been doing for quite some time now. The results of their efforts have often been, one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back. We need to kill the giant corporations once and for all!
Do you think David would have been effective if he had only scolded or wounded Goliath?
used by the Few to control the Many. And the corporatized system is one of the most effective system ever devised to do just that.
Globally, corporations have insinuated themselves into every aspect of our lives. They control our governments, our media,
our institutions. Buckminster Fuller calls it the "supranational-corporation colossi". Ralph Nader calls it "giant corporatism".
Jimmy Dore refers to it as 100% corporate capture.
Any child who knows her or his folklore understands that the only way to get rid of a malevolent giant is to kill it. There's no other truly effective way to control or regulate them---there's no amount of policy written that can truly control them---there's no amount of protesting or preaching or petitioning or demanding better behavior that will reform them. And yet that's exactly what most good-hearted, well-intentioned activists are doing today, and have been doing for quite some time now. The results of their efforts have often been, one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back. We need to kill the giant corporations once and for all!
Do you think David would have been effective if he had only scolded or wounded Goliath?
Nancy MacLean, in her book 'Democracy In Chains', describes how this corporate takeover was deliberately orchestrated.
She tells of economist James McGill Buchanan, one of the 'ideas' man behind it. According to MacLean, Buchanan's advise to
the Few who wanted to control the Many was "Stop thinking about who rules (personalities, political parties, etc.).
Start thinking about the rules ... Focus laser-like on changing the rules." And that's precisely what the Few did.
In the United States, beginning in the 1950's and really accelerating in the 1970's,
they focused, laser-like, on changing the rules to ones that favored them.
This made possible the global corporate stranglehold that we're suffering from today.
Now we, the Many, can use this same tactic.
We can focus laser-like on implementing these two rules:
1. revoke corporations' licenses ( KILL CORPORATIONS) and
2. license cooperatives (BIRTH COOPERATIVES).
She tells of economist James McGill Buchanan, one of the 'ideas' man behind it. According to MacLean, Buchanan's advise to
the Few who wanted to control the Many was "Stop thinking about who rules (personalities, political parties, etc.).
Start thinking about the rules ... Focus laser-like on changing the rules." And that's precisely what the Few did.
In the United States, beginning in the 1950's and really accelerating in the 1970's,
they focused, laser-like, on changing the rules to ones that favored them.
This made possible the global corporate stranglehold that we're suffering from today.
Now we, the Many, can use this same tactic.
We can focus laser-like on implementing these two rules:
1. revoke corporations' licenses ( KILL CORPORATIONS) and
2. license cooperatives (BIRTH COOPERATIVES).
In short, let's COOPERATIZE! Let's make COOPERATIZING our top priority, Why? Because once we've gotten rid of
our corrupt corporatized system, and therefore the obstacles it constantly puts in our way ... then the actions we take to remedy
our situation can be more easily implemented, as well as more effective and long lasting.
All activists --- those advocating for economic equality, those advocating for social justice, those advocating for environmental protection --- would do well to carry picket signs that say: KILL CORPORATIONS! and BIRTH COOPERATIVES!
our corrupt corporatized system, and therefore the obstacles it constantly puts in our way ... then the actions we take to remedy
our situation can be more easily implemented, as well as more effective and long lasting.
All activists --- those advocating for economic equality, those advocating for social justice, those advocating for environmental protection --- would do well to carry picket signs that say: KILL CORPORATIONS! and BIRTH COOPERATIVES!
So, how do we actually COOPERATIZE then? Here's some practical suggestions.
Since we want to change some laws here, that is 1. revoke corporations' licenses and 2. license cooperatives,
we need to put lawmakers in power who will focus on getting those laws put into practice. In the United States
we can put most of our focus on the legislative bodies of State governments since it's the States that grant businesses their licenses to do business. Or we could focus on getting a federal law in place that would outlaw the corporate business status countrywide,
just like the federal law that outlawed the segregation laws of individual States.
It would be beneficial to establish a political party whose sole aim is to promote this agenda.
Of course, establish it as a COOPERATIVE, not a corporation. This will disallow any corrupt corporate influences on the party.
Perhaps call it the COOPERATIZE Party. This will thwart any ambiguity about the purpose and focus of the party.
This party should have no political ideologies or religious theologies affiliated with it. No matter how well intentioned
a political ideology or religious theology may be, they are too easily usurped and corrupted by the Few as a means to control
the Many. The Few have been using governments and religions for centuries to do this.
An example of this is how European colonizers used religious theology to rationalize their murder of indigenous populations
by saying they were bringing God to the 'heathens'. Or how modern day corporate colonizers use political ideology to rationalize their bad behavior of invading other countries to steal their resources --- they say they're doing it to promote the political ideology
of democracy.
Also at this point it would be beneficial to set up a cooperative social media platform around which we, the Many, can gather
to organize this movement. For obvious reasons, it should be set up as a cooperative, not a corporation.
We don't need another 'smart' phone --- what we need now is a 'wise' phone.
We have the 'smarts' to make a nuclear bomb, but what we truly need is the 'wisdom' not to use it.
Wise elders need the help of the smart young folks who are wizards at using this powerful tool that is the Internet.
And the smart young wizards need the guidance of the wise elders to use it wisely.
we need to put lawmakers in power who will focus on getting those laws put into practice. In the United States
we can put most of our focus on the legislative bodies of State governments since it's the States that grant businesses their licenses to do business. Or we could focus on getting a federal law in place that would outlaw the corporate business status countrywide,
just like the federal law that outlawed the segregation laws of individual States.
It would be beneficial to establish a political party whose sole aim is to promote this agenda.
Of course, establish it as a COOPERATIVE, not a corporation. This will disallow any corrupt corporate influences on the party.
Perhaps call it the COOPERATIZE Party. This will thwart any ambiguity about the purpose and focus of the party.
This party should have no political ideologies or religious theologies affiliated with it. No matter how well intentioned
a political ideology or religious theology may be, they are too easily usurped and corrupted by the Few as a means to control
the Many. The Few have been using governments and religions for centuries to do this.
An example of this is how European colonizers used religious theology to rationalize their murder of indigenous populations
by saying they were bringing God to the 'heathens'. Or how modern day corporate colonizers use political ideology to rationalize their bad behavior of invading other countries to steal their resources --- they say they're doing it to promote the political ideology
of democracy.
Also at this point it would be beneficial to set up a cooperative social media platform around which we, the Many, can gather
to organize this movement. For obvious reasons, it should be set up as a cooperative, not a corporation.
We don't need another 'smart' phone --- what we need now is a 'wise' phone.
We have the 'smarts' to make a nuclear bomb, but what we truly need is the 'wisdom' not to use it.
Wise elders need the help of the smart young folks who are wizards at using this powerful tool that is the Internet.
And the smart young wizards need the guidance of the wise elders to use it wisely.
Perhaps we could call this cooperative social media platform
WIZARDS and WISE ONES ;-)
WIZARDS and WISE ONES ;-)
Humanity has done this before --- it has changed bad laws --- bad laws that created systems that elicit bad behavior
on the part of humans (slavery and apartheid and segregation come to mind). We couldn't improve the system of slavery
by regulating slave traders, or insisting that the slave owners treat their slaves better, or by protesting and petitioning against them, or electing a different President or Prime Minister or Congress or Parliament who might agree with our point of view about slavery. We needed to repeal the law that legitimized slavery. And now we can repeal the law that legitimizes greedy behavior.
on the part of humans (slavery and apartheid and segregation come to mind). We couldn't improve the system of slavery
by regulating slave traders, or insisting that the slave owners treat their slaves better, or by protesting and petitioning against them, or electing a different President or Prime Minister or Congress or Parliament who might agree with our point of view about slavery. We needed to repeal the law that legitimized slavery. And now we can repeal the law that legitimizes greedy behavior.