From: Arlo Bensinger (ajb102@psu.edu)
Date: Wed May 11 2005 - 16:21:36 BST
[Ant had suggested]
Let’s repeat our mantra together for the benefit of the slower members
of the congregation: “the MOQ view of freedom is different from the
capitalist view of freedom.”
[Platt responded]
Let's repeat for the leftist members of the congregation who arrogantly
consider themselves to be intellectually superior to all others,
especially conservatives. The MOQ view of freedom is THE SAME AS the
capitalist view of freedom, as Pirsig explains: (quote snipped)
[Arlo butts in]
Personally, Ant, I'd reword your statement to read "the MOQ view of
freedom is more expansive than the capitalist view of freedom".
"Capitalist freedom"
begins and ends in the marketplace. Money is the ONLY measure of value,
and hence for conservatives, "marketplace freedom" is not one, but the
only measure of "freedom".
The MOQ does recognize that in the marketplace, a free market is higher
Quality because it is open to DQ (although I agree with MSH and others
that the current system is not the utopic "free market" it is advertised
as). But, I also think the MOQ embraces a view of freedom that
transcends simply
marketplace transactions.
Conservative ideology embraces "freedom" only with regards to
"accumulating wealth", and they banter it loudly and vigorously.
However, as we have all seen (on the list and in the news), when it
comes to other aspects of "life" (outside the marketplace), conservative
ideology is everything but "freedom".
Indeed, it adheres to an uncritical, unquestioned, dogmatic adherence
toVictorian, status-quo social patterns. There is no concern that these
may "restrict freedom", indeed, it is laughable to them to adress that
challenge. Thus, the conservative view of the MOQ is that it supports
unregulated freedom in the marketplace, and a strict and intolerant
restriction of life outside the marketplace.
(Although I do have to point out that the "unregulated freedom" in the
marketplace they seek is from the vantage of the owner/management only.
Businesses are uncritically allowed to merge, to produce monopolies, to
do whatever it takes to be "competitive" (within the ideologic view).
Labor, however, should not have this "freedom". Individuals should not
come together to better represent their interests. Indeed, conservative
ideology tells us that when labor organizes in its interests, it
actually undermines and restricts "freedom" in the marketplace.)
Because of this conflation of "money" with "freedom", everything is
reduced to a marketplace. Public lands would create more "freedom" if
they are sold of and developed by private interests. Public education
can be fixed by making it a market commodity. Public health is improved
by treating only those that can pay. Airwaves and broadcast rights
should be sold to private media conglomerates (the only ones capable of
paying the multimillion dollar costs) Libraries should be replaced by
Barnes & Noble bookstores (perhaps only a slight exaggeration).
In sum, Platt is correct to advance the free market as "more moral", and
that the MOQ supports the "freedom of the marketplace". It's just that
the MOQ is concerned with more than the freedom to "earn money".
However, just like they've done with Christian theology, all that "other
stuff" is ignored, and the philosophy is used only when it allows them
to restrict the non-marketplace actions of others, and focus soley on
the definition of "freedom" as what occurs in the marketplace.
Arlo
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archives:
Aug '98 - Oct '02 - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Nov '02 Onward - http://www.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/summary.html
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed May 11 2005 - 16:25:41 BST