In the chapter “Does Capitalism Equal Democracy?” McChesney separates capitalism from the classical notions of “democracy” which are “quite distinct from and often antagonistic to that of capitalism.” He presents a compelling case that rather than promoting democracy, capitalism promotes economic inequality. but it is mostly useless as a way to understand real-world capitalism.” The economic fat is in their hands, because it is a free society.Īccording to McChesney: “This catechism has elements that ring true. Those who become rich deserve it because they have earned their fortune in the marketplace those who are poor have incentive to produce more for the market so they too can become wealthy. McChesney starts by examining what he calls the “official catechism” of the United States:Ĭapitalism is a society where individuals freely come together in the marketplace to buy and sell products, including their labor. He challenges the notion that a society “drenched in commercial information is a democratic one.” McChesney’s starting point is that technology and the high-tech industries have enhanced the divide between rich and poor, powerful and powerless. In Digital Disconnect, media scholar Robert McChesney takes aim at this problem. Technology expands and evolves, for better and worse, but we’re told that people are powerless to do anything about it.

Even when the nightmare scenarios turn out to be true (the warming of the planet by man-made greenhouse gas emissions or nuclear reactor meltdowns), the media sensationalizes them to drum up ratings, not to inform the viewer. If any critical dialog about technology takes place, it’s usually framed as a debate between the pace of progress and the almost comical Frankenstein’s monster scenarios of technology run wild. It also fits with the portrayal of technology as something that develops outside politics and economics.

It is popular to mention among technology pundits because, besides being fairly accurate, it conjures an exciting and triumphant feeling. Moore predicted that over the history of computing, the number of transistors on integrated circuits would double approximately every two years.

If you’ve read about technology, you’ve likely heard of Moore’s Law.

Capitalism ii turn off technology