Underlying every social tension there is a gap between the real situation and the ideals of the society. For example, American law espouses the ideals of equality, justice, fairness, and popular consensus. However, our politics and our business are based on competition, domination, manipulation, exclusion, and political spin. This gap between the real and the ideal generates both outrage and a malaise of helplessness. Continue reading
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Blog 23. Looking Good and Being Right
Complex systems are collections of many actors interacting by nonlinear rules. In this post, we’ll examine Looking Good and Being Right as two of those rules of interaction among the persons and institutions in the complex system that is society.
Blog 22. Integrity
A public malaise?
I detect a public malaise. When the discussion turns to today’s politics or business or and government, the comments all sound similar. Continue reading
Blog 21. Needed Now: A Constitutional Amendment
In Blog 20, I described the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court, which gave corporations the constitutional right to free speech and to make unlimited monetary donations to political advertising and commentary. Reportedly, Senator (and previous presidential candidate) John McCain (R-AZ) said Citizens United is “one of the worst decisions I have ever seen.”
Continue reading
Blog 19. Making Ideology Conscious
Ideology = ideas
Ideology is the body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual person, group, or culture. Laws are based in ideology. A law tells what must be done or must not be done, how or how not to do it. A law is intended to restrict or to promote a situation. That situation reflects somebody’s ideal, even if it is a tax break for a particular party, money for education, or a prohibition of a private sexual act. Therefore, all laws are based in prejudice of some form, a pre-judgement of what’s best and what’s worst for somebody. Continue reading
Blog 16. The Money Feedback Loop
Only profits?
Business fails without profits. Profits make business work. But should business be concerned only with profits? Milton Friedman, winner of a Nobel Prize in economics, said yes in an article that has now become famous. Continue reading
Blog 15. The B Team Has Plan B for Profits, People, and the Earth
Frustrated by change?
As Blog 1 discussed, society is changing faster every year, with the rate of change driven by the accumulation of prior changes. My frustrated colleagues issue complaints like this:
- The print and broadcast news media are becoming slanted because they are controlled by a few companies with political agendas.
- Commercial TV now fills 30% of its time with advertising.
- The news is no longer investigative journalism, but panders to spectacular events and personality displays.
- Politicians focus on making the other side look bad rather than solving problems.
- Blame and fear instead of facts and analysis recently dominate government.
- CEOs make tens of millions while outsourcing jobs.
- As soon as they are elected, congressmen invest half their time in fund-raising and politicking for the next election.
- Big businesses like oil and corporate farming get subsidies.
Blog 12. Why a violent America?
In Blog 4 I asked whether this country is governed by reality or by ideology. I used the Iraq wars, banking, and gun violence as examples. That example of gun violence raises a larger question.
Big Question:
Does the continuing public debate on guns overlook violence itself as an underlying cultural characteristic, an unwritten rule of interaction in a complex social system? Continue reading