If you think that things aren’t getting worse for average Americans, you haven’t been paying attention. As of this writing, banks are close to being deregulated again, needed environmental regulations are being removed so that companies can pollute our rivers with coal ash, rents are rising, wages have been stagnant since the 1970s, even though productivity and CEO pay has never been higher. Are you getting the picture? This is all bad, terrible stuff, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
So what’s my point? That we’re all fucked? No, it’s that we the people of this Democratic Republic are being totally and completely usurped by corporate power, and it has affected every nook and cranny of our lives. Jobs, wages, environmental protection, well funded public schools, affordable medical care, etc. have all been thrown aside to make way for the greater corporate greed.
Corporations are controlling the conversation when it comes to every important topic. We’ve already done a couple of pieces on major corporate malfeasance. This is not that. Instead, we present a clip from a movie, Network, that is 42 years old and prescient as fuck.
In the clip, a populist talk show host has rallied his viewers into democratically subverting an international corporate takeover of the network he works for. This democratic use of power by the people has not gone unnoticed by the head of the network. The host is called into the office to meet with the head of the network, and what follows is a powerful, truth telling speech that enlightens the talk show host about how the world of today works. It’s great stuff. Enjoy.