I edited that. But none are as good as Scroogle was, for speed and number of non-commercial search results.
Back to the OP, this is in the vein of 'American Dream, you have to be asleep to believe it.' I don't go with that although it relieves a lot of stress.
What we do need, is to find a way to identify ourselves as Europeans did, as persons performing functions in a society that are needed and still deserve respect. We're still not over the Cold War in the constriction of how we define ourselves.
Socialist, communist, anarchist are muddled in the American mind and people are driven by a tyranny of non-thinking, just reacting to stimuli. The media has dumbed us down incredibly, using all the techniques known and legislated against.
We are now being and have been manipulated by tools of control that are disgustingly familiar by those who studied the last century's propaganda methods.
The techniques such as religion have been morphed to the level of knee jerk reaction, blocking out what is presently happening, to accept an alternative view of reality and never questioning it.
This is dangerous, it is how mobs are incited to kill their fellow humans, by using repetitive memes. Those who are the target of those know they are dealing with irrational people and avoid conflict for survival. And the old 'I can pay half the poor to kill the other half,' is something we dismiss but we should not.
The rich have always done this; for whatever reason as your OP states, they determined to survive, no matter what. Can they be blamed for taking that action, really?
All levels of society have their uses and all personality types do, too. Kept in balance, that is, to work for the whole. When the OP mentions the hierarchy, yes, the human race has fallen into that mindset for many centuries. It is sometimes easier to yield control to others, and then blame them when all goes wrong.
I don't know what society will look like in the future. We have those who have a vision of theocracy that they believe will simplify society give great meaning to the simplest and most complex of life's activities.
Others of us want to have a diversity such as we've enjoyed for so long that were in part taken from the input of both the rich and the workers. For whatever reason, perhaps a greater knowledge base about earth changes even if the causes are disputed, or who is to blame is argued, they have decided they are going to get theirs right now. Because they don't see a future for most of humanity.
I think this brought about a hardening of their views. I don't know which view will win out in the long term or even the short run. But we need to all get ready for it. I hope something as described by Korten or others will empower the working people to not be beholding, through employment, government, or the necessities of life to the rich as we currently are.
Just a few thoughts.
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