Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/23/misstopia-a-world-where-everything-has-missed-its-intended-mark-due-to-human-error.html
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Not so much human error as a perfect storm of ignorance, apathy, and idiocracy.
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You are drastically underselling corporate greed here.
Or perhaps the real human error is believing that capitalism will make things better.
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I thought this was going to have something to do with Mississippi
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“I inevitably find their villains too efficient. Perhaps it is because I am British, but I have always subscribed to the view that things generally go wrong because of cock-up rather than conspiracy”
I’m not British but have generally always felt the same. Get into arguments that no gubbamint employees aren’t evil it’s just the weight of Bureaucracy ( like Brazil the movie). Along comes Vladimir Putin (his name is even perfectly villainous) and I feel like a conspiracy nut for ascribing so much of what is fucking wrong with the world today to the actions and intentions of a single man. Yet that is what my gut is telling me… am I just the flip side of the maga types blathering about Soros?
Or is the Soros crap just typical far right projection?
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The invention of corporations (and thus corporate greed which should be better called shareholder greed) is a massive cockup.
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Once the new normal becomes normal, we will all sink to a new normal.
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It made perfect sense in Holland in the 16th century or whenever it was. They couldn’t build or fix the dykes without pooling resources. Not sure the government (which arguably should have done that, but maybe didn’t care to) had the same role then that we think of now.
I think the issue is that shareholders generally have no view into the operation of a company. They just see money in/money out, which makes for perverse feedback loops. It’s the negative externalities that are the problem, and that requires government regulation to make them pay for negative effects they cause in the public sphere. Whether that is poison water or mass-murder (in the weird case of FB).
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As the saying goes: Liquified chicken manure seeks its own level.
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A misstopia is a world where everything has missed its intended mark due to human error.
A novel idea for a novel indeed.
North Korea and New Zealand have nuked each other into oblivion due to an avoidable misunderstanding
Wait, what?
The country that banned nuclear ships and protested nukes to the point the French Gov. blew up their Greenpeace boat has somehow resorted to nuking North Korea?
I’m curious to read this story and find out how human error leads to this scenario!
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A world where things have gone wrong due not to cunning conspiracy but to dumb cock-up.
I remember Michael Parenti listing some common alternative theories for real-world policies in his “Conspiracy and Class Power” lecture:
- Innocence Theory
- Somnambulist Theory
- Coincidence Theory
- Incompetence/Stupidity Theory
- Momentary Aberration Theory
- Innocent Cultural Proclivities Theory
- Unintended Consequences Theory
To be sure such things do exist, but do they explain the reasons for the major policy decisions of leaders?
Evidence and common sense suggest the rich and powerful are not oblivious to their interests.
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I guess my problem with corporations is the way liability is or more to the point is not handled.
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Next time!
Isn’t ignorance, apathy and idiocracy more or less the same thing as human error, though? Or maybe the first three assume an intentionality not present in human error?
Ignorance is not knowing. Apathy is not caring. Idiocracy is the relentless march towards stupidity.
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I’d suggest a Misstopia pageant, but Trump would walk in on the contestants.
Yes
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Soros is much like Putin. They’re agents of chaos.
Soros funds thousands of NGOs. They dont necessarily do anything other than serve a purpose for Soros. What that purpose is anyone’s guess, but just read his book. His entire market theory is based on the ability to manipulate the perception of markets through the concept of reflexive reaction to any single event. The right just doesn’t understand Soros, he’s a marked boogeyman. But his ends aren’t necessarily benevolent, he very well could be an agent of chaos for an order he seeks to be in control of. Billionaires are psychopaths ultimately.
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