The people in charge are becoming increasingly irrelevant
Whether or not the leaders in North America and Western Europe are listening, something significant is happening all around us. This applies to the world of business, politics, and the media. Regardless of how powerful they believe themselves to be, they are at risk of becoming insignificant.
Tucker Carlson, for example, was recently fired by Fox News. A few days later, he posted a short, spartan video on Twitter that received many times more views than one of his regular Fox News segments. In the age of the internet, do we still need Rupert Murdoch and other media moguls – along with their corporate donors – to divide us and to tell us what to think?
While I remain unconvinced that Carlson is not a bigoted opportunist, he made some excellent points in his video. First, he critiqued the relevance of his own work in the mainstream media, pointing out that many of the talking points and debates are completely irrelevant. He also said, “The United States looks very much like a one-party state.”
 Photo by Matt Seymour |
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He pointed out that no one believes the people in charge, that they are aware of this, and that is why they are cracking down.
Consider the recent violence in France. The government continues to refuse to tax wealthy individuals and corporations fairly, so on May 1, millions of people again took to the streets. They were met with masked police officers, throwing tear gas and beating protestors with batons as they hauled them away while their president, Emmanuel Macron, was preoccupied with international diplomacy, engaging in meetings with other heads of state, and ostensibly aiming to foster goodwill between nations.
Across the English Channel, roughly half of British citizens opposed public spending for the coronation of Charles III, and the police arrested people who publicly stated that Charles is not their king. Several former colonies plan to remove him as their head of state and become republics. Many are also discussing the royal family’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, the wealth it generated, and possible reparations.
Within Carlson’s own country, and despite assertions from the Democratic Party establishment that Joe Biden will again be their presidential candidate in 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson have declared their candidacy. Both candidates have already attained remarkably high polling numbers, yet the mainstream media dismisses them as “crackpots” and “fringe candidates.”
On the global stage, the American-led G7 group of nations is losing influence as more and more countries seek to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) economic alliance.
Clearly, significant change is happening. But we need not be afraid.
Near the end of his Twitter post, Carlson called for genuine dialogue on important issues that impact people’s lives. He spoke about the power of truth. He asked, “Where can we find Americans still saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some, and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope.”
It is possible that Carlson, having heard firsthand the nonsense spewed by the rich and powerful of the world, had a change of heart and decided to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Regardless of what those in authority do, we can share our informed opinions with one another. We can treat people with kindness and respect and work to improve the well-being of our neighbours, wherever they live. We can also embrace democracy by holding our political leaders accountable to the people who elected them.
Our current oligarchs are facing a choice. They can either begin to serve the common good, or they will have to accept that no one is following them.
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages, genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He is the recipient of an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
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