Davos vs. Caracas
Progressive Ponderings
JOE MAYER
From Davos, Switzerland: "Stop being insecure about offshoring; it created more jobs in North America."
From Caracas, Venezuela: "Resources like water, land, energy, as well as biodiversity belong to the people and are public goods."
Last week two widely diverse groups held week-long, worldwide conferences.
The 36th Annual World Economic Summit was held in Davos, Switzerland. Attendees included heads of state, cabinet ministers, religious leaders, academics and intellectuals. Approximately seven hundred corporate CEOs were invited. To qualify for invitation the CEO's corporation must have had revenue of at least one billion dollars per annum. In total, about 2,300 delegates attended along with thousands of aids. Five thousand police were employed to guarantee no outsider type of humanity invaded this royalty. This annual bash is only for the rich and powerful. Names included Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, Paul Wolfowitz, George Soros, Bill Gates. Money is very bi-partisan.
In the Southern hemisphere, home of most of the world's Third World nations, Caracas hosted the World Social Forum. Estimated number of attendees was 60,000 to 80,000. A few were Third World government officials; most were members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs are frequently organized around specific issues — clean air, reclaiming land, clean water and water rights, forest preservation, clean and renewable energy, fair trade, human rights, labor rights, women's rights, indigenous rights, children's rights, etc. In fact, over 700 different NGOs were represented. Qualification for attendance — being a member of the human race.
There is significance in the contrasting names of the two conferences:
Economic Summit
Economics — concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
Summit — the highest of officials; the topmost level attainable.
Social Forum
Social — relating to human society; interaction of individuals or groups; cooperative interrelationships.
Forum — a public meeting for open discussion or expression of ideas.
"Global experts favor outsourcing jobs from developed nations to countries like India and China." This statement from Davos along with the one at the beginning of this article gives the flavor of Summit thinking. It basically assumes that human labor is just another commodity, a factor of production that can be eliminated, moved, exploited and discarded at the will of those on the Summit.
By contrast: "There is an explosion of social movements against free trade, militarization and privatization, and in defense of natural resources and food sovereignty." This statement combined with one above from Caracas sounds a completely different priority — human beings and a healthy global environment.
The Caracas Social Forum is of extreme importance for American progressives. People around the world are protesting globalization in its present corporate form. They are not encumbered by a completely money-serving media. They are not impeded by a government that auctions itself to the highest bidder. They have lived through dictatorships, through exploitation, through military terrorism, through religious tyranny.
Caracas is hope. Caracas shouts for the Summit to mend its ways. Caracas says violence and military action don't solve human problems. Caracas is progressive. Again, Caracas is hope!
jmayer
JOE MAYER
From Davos, Switzerland: "Stop being insecure about offshoring; it created more jobs in North America."
From Caracas, Venezuela: "Resources like water, land, energy, as well as biodiversity belong to the people and are public goods."
Last week two widely diverse groups held week-long, worldwide conferences.
The 36th Annual World Economic Summit was held in Davos, Switzerland. Attendees included heads of state, cabinet ministers, religious leaders, academics and intellectuals. Approximately seven hundred corporate CEOs were invited. To qualify for invitation the CEO's corporation must have had revenue of at least one billion dollars per annum. In total, about 2,300 delegates attended along with thousands of aids. Five thousand police were employed to guarantee no outsider type of humanity invaded this royalty. This annual bash is only for the rich and powerful. Names included Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, Paul Wolfowitz, George Soros, Bill Gates. Money is very bi-partisan.
In the Southern hemisphere, home of most of the world's Third World nations, Caracas hosted the World Social Forum. Estimated number of attendees was 60,000 to 80,000. A few were Third World government officials; most were members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs are frequently organized around specific issues — clean air, reclaiming land, clean water and water rights, forest preservation, clean and renewable energy, fair trade, human rights, labor rights, women's rights, indigenous rights, children's rights, etc. In fact, over 700 different NGOs were represented. Qualification for attendance — being a member of the human race.
There is significance in the contrasting names of the two conferences:
Economic Summit
Economics — concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
Summit — the highest of officials; the topmost level attainable.
Social Forum
Social — relating to human society; interaction of individuals or groups; cooperative interrelationships.
Forum — a public meeting for open discussion or expression of ideas.
"Global experts favor outsourcing jobs from developed nations to countries like India and China." This statement from Davos along with the one at the beginning of this article gives the flavor of Summit thinking. It basically assumes that human labor is just another commodity, a factor of production that can be eliminated, moved, exploited and discarded at the will of those on the Summit.
By contrast: "There is an explosion of social movements against free trade, militarization and privatization, and in defense of natural resources and food sovereignty." This statement combined with one above from Caracas sounds a completely different priority — human beings and a healthy global environment.
The Caracas Social Forum is of extreme importance for American progressives. People around the world are protesting globalization in its present corporate form. They are not encumbered by a completely money-serving media. They are not impeded by a government that auctions itself to the highest bidder. They have lived through dictatorships, through exploitation, through military terrorism, through religious tyranny.
Caracas is hope. Caracas shouts for the Summit to mend its ways. Caracas says violence and military action don't solve human problems. Caracas is progressive. Again, Caracas is hope!
jmayer
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