Simon presented our class with a very informative presentation surrounding US imperialism, and how their ideas have come to dominate global economics. First Simon commented on the existence of the state, I partially agree with some of his statements, but ultimately we live in time when the sovereignty of a nation is almighty regardless of its violations against the citizens who live there. The analogy of the cow tied to the tree was useful for putting into perspective the control of elites.
His critique of capitalism came from a Marxist/Leninist perspective, I’m not sure I understood everything but his critique seemed to point out that we as individuals have been socialized to disregard the environment, as we have adopted the viewpoint that it is there for us to exploit. It is clear that US imperialism dominates the agenda, with this comes direct disrespect for the environment so that domination can continue. Control over resources is important for capitalists to excel; this control allows them to determine they type of environmental policy they will have, especially since their influence over the political institutions is immense.
Unforced Variations: June 2026
5 days ago
I also found the "cow tied to a tree" analogy very useful when describing the amount of control the state has over it's society in order to make changes. The comment was made in our last seminar about this growing optimism that we will soon see an improvement in our environment with President Obame in office, and i couldn't help but laugh inside. A cow tied to a tree is exactly what President Obama is, and this will soon become apparent. Obama is wonderful as a symbol for change and hope, and well needed symbol at that, however in reality the chances of any sort of radical improvement to occur as soon as he comes into office is close to zero, heck, even after 8 years we may see nothing. There is far too many US corporations investing in environmental damaging projects around the world, and far too many are linked to Washington to suddenly see that all changed to a "saving the rainforest" mentality, not if there is money to lose. I thought it was funny that when Al Gore was vice-President he had numerous key investments in overseas corporations, killing the eco-systems there, and then he can make a boring movie about climate change and win a Nobel Prize... WHATTA JOKE.
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