Think Again

The scams and frauds of the banking industry, exposed by the Royal Commission, have been enabled by loose or (pretty much) self-regulation. Meanwhile the federal government wants to tighten the screws on unions. The differential treatment of banks and unions is pretty stark, with successive governments clearly aligning themsleves with the interests of those holding wealth and power. Ref: Ziffer, D...

Tax breaks for the wealthy, and squeezing those on the lowest incomes and struggling to survive on poverty-level Centrelink payments... how brazenly our politicians increase the divide between the haves and have-nots. Ref:Stiglitz, J.E. (2019) People, power and profits: Progressive capitalism for an age of discontent. UK: Allen Lane.

How has it come to pass that corporations, enabled by digital technology, can now spy on us in the most initmate areas of our lives, and use or sell this information for commercial profit? How can this happen without our real knowledge or consent? This program poses and discusses these questions and presents a challenge to the current status quo. Refs:Richmond, B. (2019) A day in the life of data....

Managerialism refers to the spread and legitimacy of a certain approach to management that has taken over all aspects of our lives without any real critique. Disguised as something technical, it is really an ideology and a practice of power, in which the whole world is treated as a type of factory. Refs:Culbert, S.A. (2010) Get rid of the performance review. How companies can stop intimidating, st...

We talk a lot about the economy, but do we really know what an 'economy' is? How is its' success calaculated? Who or what is it for? Has it got anything to do with the wellbeing of people and the planet? This program answers these questions and poses a few challenges. Ref: Raworth, K. Doughnut economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st century economist.  London: Cornerstone. Social and Solidarity...

For this episode we had a bit of fun while inviting donations to keep 3CR going. We discussed how certain words and phrases can be used by those in power to consolidate and extend their power, and to legitimise the harms inflicted on people in the name of efficiency and profit-for-the-few. Ref: Watson, D. (2004) Weasel words. Sydney: Knopf. 

What does it mean to be a human being? Are we isolated individuals interacting or 'transacting' with other individuals - or are we more interconnected than that? Refs:Gergen, K.J. (2009) Relational being. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Spretnak, C. (2011) Relational reality. Topsham: Oxford University Press.