At the moment the oligarchs control the system. They can attack the new easily by coopting regulation. Hey they can and are even trrying to control the web itself.
Time I think to shift the social media conversation away from Geekdom to what these tools can do to mobilize the new society.
We think that regulation is meant to protect us.
But as we have seen as the financial debacle has come into better view, it seems in reality to protect the "In Group".
In the US and the UK, all the lessons of the 1930's were tossed away in banking regulation to allow a return of the days when traders could use the balance sheets of deposit taking institutions to do anything that they wanted. How did this happen? It happened when the folks who had the money and the influence - not the people but the controllers of the big banks - influenced the regulators
We see this now in food safety. As it becomes clear that our food system is a source of growing risk, the regulators are imposing a huge burden on the the small producers, the small processors and the farmers markets. If successful, they will shut them off. Why? Because the people who control the lobbying that controls regulators are the handful of mega firms that control Big Food are controlling the process. The don't want anyone to know that it is vast factory fed, antibiotic stuffed processes that drive the risk. They don't want us to know that it is factory food itself - using scale that is by design unhealthy - that is the problem. So they are distracting us and ensuring that the better alternative is killed.
We see this in education. It is the same for health. If we are not careful, it may be the same for banking. I could go on for ever but won't.
So how to stop this hi jacking of the system by the oligarchs?
Maybe step one is to see the grip that they have for what it is. The second is that I think that the web offers us a new route of power to the legislator.
Imagine you are a Minister in Canada or Senator inthe US. The phone rings and it is the lobbysit for Cargill - will you take the call? Will you go for lunch? Of course you will. He has a very big wallet.
Now, imagine that I call? Likely I will not get past the first ladder of the gatekeepers. The Cargill guy has your Blackberry address!.
But what if we could use the web to get more transparency? Then the full power of the people could indeed be brought to bear. Imagine if the other side of the Great Disruption - had a vast constituency? Then we could get influence over you.
Maybe the AIG fuss will help - it is becoming clear to legislators that allowing the Foxes to run the hen coop is politcal suicide.
Time to get clear, vocal and together on what is true reform and true progress. Time to get on the right side of the Great Disruption.
