EDUCATION FOR ACTION
Breaking down the complex systems that shape our society.
EDUCATION FOR ACTION
Breaking down the complex systems that shape our society.
Neoliberalism is an ideology that values money over everything else.
Hegemony is the process by which any ideology takes hold of a society. At STW, we analyze neoliberal hegemony to explain how this particular ideology became the dominant force of 21st-century society.
Neoliberalism & Hegemony
Get ready.
These are some heavy topics. At STW, our main focus is envisioning a better future. To do that, we have to fully understand the major challenges of our era.
Where does neoliberalism come from?
It's the ideology that puts profit before people. Where did we get that idea? Before Ronald Reagan sat in the Oval Office to sell the U.S. on "supply-side economics" (known by critics as "trickle-down economics"), there was a man named Milton Friedman who wrote an opinion piece for the NY Times. Friedman isn't the full story, but he contributed a lot to the advancement of neoliberal ideas in the US.
Why is neoliberalism so bad?
It's not just economic policies that favor the existing wealthy over everybody else, we feel the consequences of "profit before people" in many ways. Neoliberalism gradually and subtly decreases our quality of life as new profit-maximizing corners are cut. But more concerning is its open invitation for exploitation...
Neoliberalism vs. Classical Liberalism
What's the difference? Classical liberalism believes in a government-free private market. On the other hand, neoliberalism believes in a government-enforced private market.
Neoliberals Hiding in Plain Sight
Why don't people call themselves neoliberals? The ideology thrives from its relative anonymity. The less people know about neoliberalism, the better. But mainly: to get people to agree with these ideas, you can't call them what they are. Nobody wants to be associated with "the destruction of our social fabric", instead they have to associate themselves with "freedom of choice."
How does an ideology sustain itself?
Neoliberalism, just like any other belief system, is created and sustained through a mechanism called "hegemony"...
What does "hegemony" look like?
It sounds like the stuff of conspiracies, yet is very real.
Hegemony can be an innocent tool for establishing your "company culture," or it can be used to turn ethnic groups against each other...
Hegemonic echo chambers
Hegemony is not just something that occurs outside of us.
It works because it's self-inflicted...
Hegemony: quickly explained
As a quick recap // another way of thinking about hegemony: we take 2 minutes to explain how neoliberal hegemony has shaped our definitions of "success"...
More than just economics.
Neoliberal hegemony has spread the idea of "maximizing profits at all costs" beyond the world of business. It's no longer a set of economic theories: neoliberalism has reshaped all of our social interactions...
Destroying our freedom of choice.
Another consequence of neoliberalism that affects our daily lives is the fact that entire industries are being consolidated into singular, multinational, profit-driven corporations. What happens to "freedom of choice" when just a handful of companies control everything we eat, drink, watch, and buy...
What's our endgame?
Neoliberalism leads us to believe that money is the goal of all human activity. Everything we do is, ultimately, for the sake of money. We humans are reframed as homo economicus, and productivity is measured, by definition, as the amount of money you make & spend...
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You rock!
Wow, you made it past neoliberal hegemony?! You're a smart cookie.
Just as important as understanding the forces at play today is being able to imagine more sustainable systems for our future.
STW is not just a place to criticize the status quo.
We're here to define a politics of hope.
Everything is connected
We can prove it...
Sentience in nature
If you thought Pavlov's Dogs were interesting enough to take up space in your brain, wait till you learn about Monica's Plants...
(More) sentience in nature
It turns out: no tree exists as an individual.
All plants are connected through an underground "neural network" of.... wait for it.... FUNGI
Quantum physics agrees
It turns out: the world is not built up of individual "things" interacting with each other. Instead, the very fabric of our reality interacting with itself is what gives rise to our idea of "things." Nothing exists in isolation; everything exists in relation.
interconnectedness... in conclusion
Happiness in Real Life
Time for change.
Toxic traditions are nothing but peer pressure from dead people.
Why do we still cling to economic and political ideas that are approaching their 250th birthday?
The challenges we face today were completely unimaginable back then. Modern problems require modern solutions.
Real happiness
If money isn't the secret to happiness, well then what is?!
Here we talk about the universally agreed upon method for finding happiness: enjoying the present...
Addiction & Depression
In a world as crazy as the events of 2020 showed us, the people we think are insane might actually be the most sane. Jiddu Krishnamurti says, "It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
It's no wonder our culture is steeped in addiction, depression, anxiety, and other conditions of being "poorly adjusted."
Happiness despite misery
It's not ignorant or insensitive to suggest that we should search for happiness, despite all injustices in our world today.
In fact, the injustices make it all the more necessary to understand what happiness truly means.
Why do we have social hierarchies? Why have our careers become synonymous with our identities?
When we understand that happiness is simultaneously an individual and collective endeavor, we can create a clear vision for where "progress" should take us.
Easier said than done
It sounds simple: just enjoy the present moment!
But personal experience proves how difficult it is to put this advice into practice. I struggle daily with depression and bursts of anger. I'm a long way away from "mastering" happiness, if there is such a thing. But transparency is key, as it opens the door for collaboration and support.
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