Finding Hope in Small-Scale Change - Peter Sellars

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/01/13/HOPE_2010_Crisis_Catharsis_Renewal

Stage director Peter Sellars relates the inspirational story of an ex-convict who started a home for women recently released from prison. He draws on this story to demonstrate the power of small-scale social change. "The hope is not coming from giant movements," he says.

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What do you hope for in 2010? When the Sydney Festival and ABC's Radio National posed that question to nine panelists, including a social justice activist, an indigenous leader, a university vice-chancellor who is also a priest, a Sudanese refugee and a recorder player, there were some very interesting answers.

Noel Pearson hopes a functional Australian republic will follow successful reconciliation. Yar Mayen hopes that her new life in Australia will be successful and peaceful. Millie Rooney hopes for a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes. Get your hopes up: this event is full of ideas that will get you thinking about your future.

This event was filmed in the Angel Place Recital Hall, Sydney and was presented by the Sydney Festival and ABC Radio National, and is part of an ongoing Radio National project to get listeners to offer their hopes, fears and dreams for 2010. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Peter Sellars is an American theatre director, noted for his contemporary stagings of classical operas and plays. Sellars is professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, where he teaches Art as Social Action and Art as Moral Action.

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[truthadvocate]

Power struggle is a fact of life. No system will prevent it. Resources are limited, so people need to defend their property from others.

If someone steals your property you take them to court. In a market anarchy, you still have courts, laws & justice. Under a central government these services are provided by a coercive monopoly. In an anarchy these services are provided by the free market. This idea shocks people. But it works quite well. search "mises customary law" in google to learn more.

[MiranUT]

I'm in total agreement with you on the corruption & inefficiency of a central gov. Only problem I see with anarchy is man's desire to have a pecking order. W/ total freedom, there is no equality & that breeds power struggles. If I have a resource & refuse to sell it to b/c I want to use it, what's to stop him from using force? Anarchy could easily evolve into "might is right." With a local gov, there's consensus among stakeholders & some basic equality - if that's what the stake holders want.

[truthadvocate]

6 of 6

I suppose it's possible for a mad man to seize control over an anarchy by threatening it with an arsenal of nuclear bombs. Of course the same threat exists today under government. To clarify, I don't believe an anarchy is perfect or indestructible. I simply believe it has the potential to be a tremendous improvement over our current systems of centralized government rule.

[truthadvocate]

5 of 6

With no central government, there is no single target you can attack to conquer a region. You would have to conquer & maintain control over every individual, each of which is capable of defending himself. The cost of such an invasion would be astronomical. If a business abuses employees or customers, it attracts competition, reducing its market share & power. It pays a price because there is no government to hide behind, no way to rule a population or avoid natural consequences.

[truthadvocate]

4 of 6

Why is anarchy any different? In anarchy there is no government control over media & education so indoctrination of entire populations is unlikely. Individuals have complete freedom to publicly criticize groups that abuse people. Thus, any abuse would ruin the reputation of the abuser. There is no central control over guns & money, so individuals are far more powerful. They are free to carry defensive weapons & pool resources for defense. It would be much more risky to abuse anyone.

[truthadvocate]

3 of 6

1. People were used to being ruled when our governments formed. 2. As economists learned that government was obsolete, government prevented the public from arriving at the same conclusion by indoctrinating them. Governments heavily regulated media & funneled every child through a public education monopoly. Thats why we think a central government is necessary.

[truthadvocate]

2 of 6

But you raise a good question. Why won't businesses in anarchy behave like government or mafias? Whats the difference? Answer: Government & mafias benefit from abusing the people, while businesses in anarchy dont.

Why do Governments benefit?

Government & mafias have successfully centralized all power over weapons & money. As a result the people are powerless to resist or defend themselves when they are abused. Government easily acquired this centralized power because

[truthadvocate]

1 of 6

We've been looking at comments in a different order. When I get a comment in my InBox, I use the "see all comments" link below it, while you must be returning to the video viewing page. One lists comments in a hierarchy. The other lists comments in a chronological order. Confusing.

Quick clarification: a corporation is a legal entity created & protected from risk by government. In anarchy, corporations dont exist.

[anikinippon]

That's ok, while you protest the war, there are people that are actually on the ground that helped find the mass graves, digging wells for the community, making markets for the local people, disarm the militant groups that still want more blood, put out the fires of the largest ecological disaster registered by the UN (burning oil fields set by Saddam) and you can spit in those peoples faces while you stay seated and do nothing to make their society better, I rest my case.

[MiranUT]

I can't find your ideas on this thread about keeping a system free. Why do you think voluntary corporations (or co-ops) will act any differently than governments or mafia?