Great review, I'll have to check out the book. I somewhat disagree on your last point about class-structures becoming more ridged, as labor shortages (which are intensifying) work against serfdom. Technology could change this though.
I was more thinking of frontier societies (such as the British colonies, New France and Siberia). The alternate responce to labor shortages is the Roman one - lock people in their location and occupation once you have them.
> A threat that utilized by governments, not corporations.
Do you believe that the leaders of Google / Apple / Amazon / Etc have assassinated people:
a) Exactly zero times
b) More than zero times.
Follow-up question: The same question, but with a more liberal definition of 'assassination' which includes political/character assassinations and, in general, and maneuver of power which neutralizes a specific person as a potential threat.
Oh, they've totally had the occasional person assassinated... but assassinations don't keep your warehouses safe from looters or your drivers safe from car-jackers. It's government policing that does that, and without government policing Amazon would have to pay for incredible security to keep warlords from ravaging their supply chain.
I think a lot of westerners want the leviathan slain as much as foreign peoples do. The leviathan has enemies on all sides... and even if it "wins" this contest, it's already begun to rot. 10% of the working age men in the United States are not working. That's catastrophic. The more the managerial leviathan imports foreigners, the higher that number will rise. If the US survives the coming century it will have to fundamentally shift in national identity.
Great review, I'll have to check out the book. I somewhat disagree on your last point about class-structures becoming more ridged, as labor shortages (which are intensifying) work against serfdom. Technology could change this though.
I was more thinking of frontier societies (such as the British colonies, New France and Siberia). The alternate responce to labor shortages is the Roman one - lock people in their location and occupation once you have them.
Serious question:
> A threat that utilized by governments, not corporations.
Do you believe that the leaders of Google / Apple / Amazon / Etc have assassinated people:
a) Exactly zero times
b) More than zero times.
Follow-up question: The same question, but with a more liberal definition of 'assassination' which includes political/character assassinations and, in general, and maneuver of power which neutralizes a specific person as a potential threat.
My money's on (b) for _both_ questions
Oh, they've totally had the occasional person assassinated... but assassinations don't keep your warehouses safe from looters or your drivers safe from car-jackers. It's government policing that does that, and without government policing Amazon would have to pay for incredible security to keep warlords from ravaging their supply chain.
what's stopping amazon from doing just that? In, eg, the third world, anyway
Why would they when they can have the state do it for them for free?
I think a lot of westerners want the leviathan slain as much as foreign peoples do. The leviathan has enemies on all sides... and even if it "wins" this contest, it's already begun to rot. 10% of the working age men in the United States are not working. That's catastrophic. The more the managerial leviathan imports foreigners, the higher that number will rise. If the US survives the coming century it will have to fundamentally shift in national identity.