The View: From Above the Rock

Micah White, Occupy Wall Street co-creator, "Permanent Revolution",
TeamHuman, EP. 04, 6 Sept 2016.*

Often I find a flimsy reason or two for ignoring or hiding from a challenge. They range
from, “It’s not my job” to “I have no idea what that guy is talking about” and, “I’m too busy now to deal with that”.

By adopting my flimsy reason I feel fine with doing absolutely nothing to help mitigate the problem and then crawling under the nearest rock. From that ostrich-like perspective, the problem is no longer visible.

Others, however, assume a different position - like viewing the challenge from “above the rock”. From that perspective things look differently. And, that can lead to problem resolutions which are simply not visible from “under the rock”.

Dr. Douglas Rushkoff, Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at CUNY/Queens, is one of those people. From his perspective – on top of the rock – he has identified many of mankind’s most persistent challenges and a few solution, too.

Many agree with Dr. Rushkoff’s observation that our society is saturated with an unrelenting drive for profit and growth. The "profit and growth first" meme permeates every facet of our lives including how we value ourselves… we must be the first, the biggest, the best, the strongest, the most talented, the most beautiful, the most wealthy… ad infinitum. Likewise, our businesses and corporations must be the most profitable, the biggest and the most continuously growing. Unlimited profit at any cost and unrelenting growth are the standards by which we measure success and value everything. If it does not return profit to the shareholders and increase in market share it is not a winner.

What’s best for the customers, employees or the surrounding environment? That is not in the formula.

Dr. Rushkoff believes that the “growth and profit first” meme is a failure of incalculable proportions, infusing every nook and cranny of our lives. He believes that we must adopt “People Driven Solutions”.

That’s why he launched: Team Human

“Team Human is a weekly podcast and set of resources enabling human intervention in the economic, technological, and social programs that determine how we live, work, and interact. This is media as cultural resistance and a path to social change.”

“People driven solutions” and “media as cultural resistance and a path to social change”... for me, that translates into, “people first” rather than profit at any price. I like how that sounds.

*Micah White, Occupy Wall Street co-creator, Permanent Revolution,  Team Human, EP. 04, 6 Sept 2016.