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James Wilson Musician and picture framer Melbourne, Australia 9 November 2012 Dear
Jeff, It
has been approx 12 years since you wrote
Disciplined Minds, and I am just finishing it now. I just wanted to write and let you know I have
found it compelling, informative and with regard to your own background and
job as an editor, extremely honest. I
have also found myself in agreement with all of it so far. I find your notion of the "cooling
out" process revealing and helpful when discussing the idea of societal
change, as such processes seem to come into play from the most
"ordinary" of folk (meant in a good way!) to dispel my arguments
and quiet me down!! What you wrote on
pp. 195-196 regarding the hierarchical nature of our system rings completely
true for me. That it cannot possibly
keep the promise of upward social mobility due to its very nature is
something I have been saying for years, even before I was politically aware. It has been a somewhat intuitive idea for
me. A truism as Chomsky would
say. When I read the same thing coming
from people who have researched something thoroughly and presented sound
arguments and themselves come from out of the professional class, a certain
feeling of vindication for my thoughts and a sigh of relief comes over me as
I stand in solidarity with a fellow thinker (who has done all the hard
work!!). I
am at moment a member of IOPS (International Organisation
for a Participatory Society), a sustainer of ZNet
and an enthusiast, fan or whatever, of Participatory Economics (Parecon), developed by Robin Hahnel
and Michael Albert. It is in Parecon that the issue of workplace hierarchy is tackled
seriously and head on in ways I have never really seen before. In fact most previous progressive ideas for
systemic economic change don't really bother to tackle them. Even in co-op, worker owned/run models such
as Mondragon, workplace hierarchy is often skipped over as if it isn't so
much of a problem. I was struck by how
your book acknowledged and sustained a clear argument for how the current
system maintains and develops such hierarchy and inequality and gives solid
support for the existence of what Albert and Hahnel
call the coordinator class. What
Barbara Ehrenreich and her husband called the professional
managerial class. Your statement on p.
196, "If
jobs were designed in a way that did not force people to specialize in the
uninspiring parts of work, and if decisions in the workplace were made
democratically..., two of the main goals that drive individuals to seek
opportunity would already be met: more fulfilling work and a fair share of
power." I
don't know if you know of Parecon, but it endeavours to do precisely that within the context of a
greater participatory society that considers all spheres (kinship/gender,
polity/authority, cultural/community and economics) of influence in society
to be of equal importance if we are to transform our society into a more
equitable and just one. Haven't
finished the book yet, but soon! Slow
off the mark, 12 years, but thanks again for a great read and great book. Cheers, James |