Times are frustrating for those of us in the political centre. The political arena is drowning in a sea of rhetoric being spewed from right and left, little of which can be trusted to represent the true opinions and beliefs of the those doing the spouting. The rate at which new crises appear—both real and imagined—is accelerating. And with each new crisis, the less attention seems available to consider the underlying problems. Not that those problems were getting much attention, anyway.

Granted, the problems haven’t changed for millennia; perhaps they are too straightforward to bother with. I say “problems”, but they all boil down to one general challenge: how to manage wealth. Wealth is like energy: it’s neither created, nor destroyed, but simply re-organized. It’s useful (to human beings) in some forms, and not in others. The analogy is disingenuous in at least one way. As I like to keep reminding people, wealth isn’t simply like energy; it is energy. Or in the case of most material goods, it is the product of processes which rely on and transform energy.

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Since starting to read Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine I’ve been wondering what it takes to make a guy like Milton Friedman able to delude himself that his theories are worth a damn. The Chicago School of Economics is essentially a cult of personality, although instead of being a prophet of a personal god, Friedman was a prophet of disembodied principle: a mathematical theory of social organization. But I’m hardly the first to recognize the religious nature of Friedmaniac economic theory.

I wanted to know how psychology might explain the relationship between people like Friedman and those who use his particular brand of social Darwinism as the rationalizing window dressing on their own oppressive actions. It’s readily apparent that the psychology of those business and government elements who support Friedmanism also support violence, terror and other repression and are driven predominantly by a inflated sense of self-importance. So I did some digging the Internet. It was when I thought to replaced “self-important” with “narcissism” that I hit on a great article by the self-described “Dr. Sanity”: Narcissism and Society.

Dr. Sanity, sadly, feels he is unable to reveal his true name. And his blog site is somewhat disturbingly (and contradictorily) decorated with Right-wing ads. This may be a coincidence owing to the fact that today is the anniversary of 9/11. But don’t let these associations distract you from reading an interesting serious of articles with some good ideas. Here’s a quote from part III:

In some ways, the rise of human civilization from the cave to the present day has resulted because of attempts through the Rule of Law and social controls to set limits on the unrestrained Grandiose Self. This is primarily due to the destructiveness of the Narcissistic Rage generally associated with that part of the Self.

Because of this, the Grandiose Self has received a bad reputation philosophically, morally, and politically. The natural development of Governments and Religions (which ultimately are an expression of the Idealized Parent Image/Omnipotent Other side of the Self)have all too often attempted to ruthlessly suppress the Grandiose Self–much to the detriment of the individual AND the success of the particular society or religion.

In fact, despite the obvious truth that governments, nations, and religions are in a much better position to wreak far more systemized misery and death on human populations, it is almost always the Grandiose Self that gets the blame. As Wretchard at The Belmont Club pointed out in a recent post, a review of the 20th century, for example, shows that all the “people’s revolutions” supported by the Left and purportedly for the purpose of “freeing” large populations of people; resulted instead in enslaving them and increasing authoritarian rule.

Without a political or economic framework that is able to incorporate what we refer to as “human nature” into its calculations, all so-called “perfect” societies and ideologies will at best simply fail in the real world; and at worse cause untold human suffering. With the best of intentions (this is perhaps debatable), the social engineers of philosophy, political science, and economics have caused so much more slavery, misery and death on a grand scale–that the grandiose CEO’s of the largest corporations can be considered mere pikers by comparison.

And more to the point:

A perusal of any list of economic systems will demonstrate that ALMOST ALL OF THEM are relatively extreme expressions of the Idealized Parent Image/Omnipotent Object. Almost all emphasize the group, the community, the collective, the nation, the state, or god at the expense of the individual. Examples are numerous. Socialism and Communism; fascism and religious fundamentalism.

Unfortunately, at that point, when there is a chance to start a conversation on what really works to balance the good of the group versus the good of the individual, the discussion instead ends with a truism about capitalist democracy:

The political and economic system that is optimally compatible with the Grandiose Self and the Idealized Parent; and which maximizes individual freedom, while acknowledging the needs of others…is Democratic Capitalism. When combined with Democracy and individual freedom, Capitalism will provide the greatest measure of happiness and well-being (by encouraging a Cohesive Self)for the greatest number of people. It allows for optimal expression of the Grandiose Self and limits (but does not suppress) it by the Rule of Law. And Democracy limits the power of the state also by the Rule of Law and by specific protection of minorities from the majority. The optimum advancement of each individual person will occur by securing for the individual the greatest amount of mental and physical freedom compatible with the general welfare.

The unique aspects of Democratic Capitalism are not shared by any other political, economic or religious system. To the extent that other systems permit capitalistic endeavors within a fundamentally authoritarian system (e.g., China), individuals will be somewhat better off. But it is still not the optimal combination that maximizes the expression of both sides of the Self.

What is conspicuously absent is the admission to the possibility that even democracy and capitalism can be undermined by the “Grandiose Self”, to the extent that its surface appearance may belie its true operation. However, the author does admit, “I do not pretend to have all the answers, nor do I believe this analysis is perfect. Narcissism alone cannot explain all of human behavior, let alone all of the evil in the world.” Indeed, the presence and effect of narcissism is more complex than the author admits, as are the contributions of all of the components of any non-linear dynamic system (like a society).

What I think we need at this point in history is a better understanding of how the complexity of our social, political and economic systems can be manipulated by selfish, immoral persons and groups to pervert the functioning of institutions to the point where they act against their original purpose and intention—to increase the common good—instead being used to further the agenda of a powerful and narcissistic minority.

My ability to apply these ideas to a critique of Friedmaniac economic theory is limited, but is comprised, essentially, of the observation that Friedman supported grossly non-democratic means of establishing free markets. Any means of removing the ability of government to affect the flow of capital is justified in his framework. Democracy, like government itself, is irrelevant. The whole essence of any proof of its failure is based on this anti-democratic and pro-authoritarian grounding.

Here is a nice summary of Narcissism and Corporate Fraud: Narcissistic Abuse in the Boardroom. But again, a quite small scale overview, missing out on the bigger, more nefarious enablers of such actions, including the theories that guide them and the institutions (governments, banks) that not only fail to stop them, but support them right up to the end, when to not take action would engender popular revolt.

I suppose I could have used this shot of Doctor Evil, but that wouldn’t make my point as well.

The idea that being supportive and protective of a family at best means that you are socialized. It doesn’t mean that you are fit to run a laundry service, much less a country, let alone a country that is supposed to be based on virtues like equality, justice, and human rights.

The more emphatically you argue for “family values”, the more neglectful you are likely to be of civic values. The “family” is the last bastion of prejudice, inequality and injustice. The interests of your genetic relatives is the last publicly acceptable excuse for an endless litany of crimes committed against others, either by action or neglect. Even animals have family values.

Leaders must understand the values of community, of protecting the weak and the vulnerable, of truth and honesty, of dedication, and of duty to one’s fellow citizens, even if that might mean putting family second. Otherwise, how are we better than some Sicilian mafioso? Or Americans, for that matter?

One. Down here on planet Earth, we are running out. Space. Energy. Food. Materials. Money. Patience. Purpose. Creativity. Challenges. You name it, the supply is dwindling.

One planet is too little room.

I hate listening to people who think space exploration is a waste of time and money. The people who think that investing in space vehicles, exploration and colonization is a waste are smoking crack. It’s all there is! It’s not the wrong choice–it’s the only choice. If I could fool myself, like these activist idiots, that human nature could ever be satisfied with what it had, I’d be happy to put all my energy into seeing to the needs of of people here and now, into creative solutions, into doing more with less. You name it. Because, ironically, I can be satisfied. I’m a socialist and a minimalist anti-materialist. Things–objects, possessions–annoy me. I like ideas. Knowledge. But only good ideas. Only true knowledge. No fairy tale delusions posing as good ideas. No wishes posing as truth.

Societies, like all things organic, do either of two things: grow or die. There is nowhere else to grow down here. Earth is full. Past full. Overloaded. If we keep on this course–wasting what little is left on toys and lawn furniture, watching TV, trusting the market to solve our problems–we are screwed five ways from Sunday.

I don’t think it’s going to come to that. We will figure it out. By which I mean, someone in charge will figure it out and make it happen. The question is only how long we sit around with our thumbs up our collective asses worrying about interest rates and unemployment statistics, research polls and retirement plans.

There is no future here. Not worth having. We have no frontiers. We have no challenges. Social justice is not on the agenda. People are greedy and selfish. The only way to get them to stop stealing from each other is to point out to them a bigger, shinier thing that they can covet.

If we don’t get in gear, pretty soon people will have to resort to eating each other. Figuratively, of course.

Two. What else is there?

Exactly what do you have to hope for in your life? And who are you? Maybe you’re satisfied with a few short steps up the ladder. Or maybe you like it just where you are. There are six and a half billion people on this planet. Do you think that they’re satisfied with where they are? I mean, people have needs, and much more than just material. More than social, too. They need to feel purpose, and for some, that means more than just making a living. They might not know it. Although, from what I hear, they do know it. People are listless. Depressed. Detached. And these are people in the “developed” world. The “rich” countries.

Some people will tell you that these people need God. Lies. They need God like they need mercury poisoning. Like they need a dose of methadone. Like they need a pat on the back and a hole in the head.

People need a challenge! They need a purpose. A direction. A reason. A goal. If they can’t find a challenge in their environment, they will, mostly, look for it in competing with other people. They’ll gamble. In casinos or on the stock market. Or they’ll find pointless games to play and meaningless risks to take. They will, in short, waste their lives for lack of a sense of where their horizons are. Because, since the Earth is a sphere, and has few secrets left, every horizon leads right back to where you started.

The only other direction to go now is…

UP.

Why can’t you idiots admit it? By which I mean, you smart people.

This is the responsibility of the smart. Smart people have given the rest of humanity fire, the wheel, moveable type, air conditioning, electric toothbrushes and the Internet. Probably a tenth of one percent of human beings are responsible for the ideas, the science and the technology that drives the world forward. The rest just get their paycheque, spend it on stuff, and eat it up. I’m just talking in terms of the economics, here. Their appetite just keeps growing. Every day they want more, but every day, we get closer to running out.

And when it finally dawns of Joe Average, when he gets laid off from his job bolting tires on Priuses or digging turnips out of some exhausted field, he’s going to look at all the stupid crap we wasted our time on, and he’s going to blame the smart idiots who invented all of it and ignored everything important. What does Joe Average know? He knows what’s in front of him. He’s got his everyday wisdom. It’s not his place to figure it all out. It’s the smart people who are letting us down. Who only know just enough to make their Googles and their Enrons and their Mortgage Trusts.

Well, you smug bastards, eventually you’re going to wake up and realize what a bunch of idiots you’ve been, when you have to face all of time you’ve been wasting, and it will be too late… for you, and Joe, and everyone else who’s going to get screwed.

Time is running out. And knowing we got the kerning just right on the signs that point to Hell is not going to make it OK when we get there.