Ask Lemmy

it is now a mathematical certainty that they believe is already beyond their control.

Exactly, and this logic is at the heart of why they will always fail. Mathematical certainties are great predictors of a lot of things, including large scale human behavior. However, they're pretty notoriously shitty predictors of individual human behavior (spontaneity and the internal drive towards freedom), which then always carries with it a snowball effect.

rising fascism, a term coined by a man who said it might be more aptly named “corporatism” a system of governance where the wealthy corporatists control the government, and on their behalf, they control the population.

Also, is this from Friendly Fascism? If not, definitely another highly recommended book that seemed to predict much of America circa 2026 back in the 80s.

Friendly Fascism is about the dangers of fascism, focusing primarily on the United States, but being aware that monopoly capitalism needs to be understood internationally since capitalism "is not a national mode of production".

Even back then, the author saw the problems we would be facing but he also knew the obvious solution. It's exactly what the oligarchs fear most: regulations and consequences for corporations and reinforcing democracy to remove power from the faceless corporations run by oligarchs.

I don't disagree with you at all on how the elites view this. I also agree that society will definitely be shifting, but I don't believe that shift will be going according to their plan.

The internet is actually a perfect example of human spontaneity interfering with the intended outcomes of the elite. Even if you consider it a weakness of humanity and a technological tool meant to spy on people (which it definitely does quite successfully), it's also become a technological tool used by society to subvert authority and work together to find ways around the roadblocks authorities put up to control the masses.

The entire reason I'm talking to you on Lemmy is because I left Reddit. The elites buy up all forms of popular social media and communications with the belief that once they control a monopoly, people will have no other choice but to use whatever they offer (elimination of competition).

But this strategy also assumes all competition will be relying on the same incentives that drive their own decision making. However, if even a slightly better alternative becomes available, people will flock to it. That's how a free market is supposed to work, and how it would work if not for oligarchs. This is also why oligarchs hate competition and love heirarchies that protect their monopolies and oligopolies from competition.

Over time, the spontaneity of humans and their drive to be free, makes the technology the elite are dependent on for maintaining their control, essentially obsolete. They will then attempt to purchase and control whatever new technology has replaced the old technology (they're investors, not inventors) but the drive to be free will always lead to some other work around. Necessity is the mother of invention.

The elite's dependency on algorithms to predict human behavior is definitely useful for their own ends in terms of wealth hoarding, but eventually the one track mindedness of the elites traps them in their own endless cycle of digging a new hole to fill an old one. Without regulations and reform to rein them in, we're all stuck living in this endless cycle with them.

This is certainly unsustainable, but again, the blame for the unsustainability lies entirely with the paranoia and pathological drive of the elites who attempt to alleviate their own anxieties by trying to control everyone else.

Life really doesn't have to be this way, but oligarchs are so isolated from the rest of society, they believe this is normal. They're also narcissistic enough to believe that they were born with almost supernatural abilities and traits that destined them to rule over everyone else. Rather than viewing their own privileges and circumstances as providing them with an unbalanced advantage due to social inequality, they convince themselves it's evidence of genetic superiority.

The pathology that they view as a positive attribute, is essentially a form of self destruction. As long as society allows them to keep repeating the same (regulation and consequence free) behavior, they will eventually destroy the entire planet (including themselves) in their never ending cycle of digging new holes, rather than just taking a breath and giving therapy a go.

The genocide in Gaza is a great example of the intention of the oligarchs to control. They have successfully controlled the narrative for some time, and by buying up most major news outlets, they continue to have a very unbalanced advantage. However, even that control has begun to slip due to work arounds in communication, and push back from the masses.

No matter how many atrocities they commit, it never makes them look stronger, it just makes them look less human. They will eventually face backlash and a weakening of their grip on power because despite their alleged obsession with natural order, they fail to see that what they want to create is at odds with the nature of humanity.

They blame this backlash on democracy rather than a fault with themselves, because they're only capable of understanding internally motivated predictions, and completely incapable of any self reflection of their place within a larger world that they cannot control.

You should definitely check out Ellul's Technological Society if you get a chance. He actually touches on corporations too and Marx. Mainly in terms of Marx's predictions that automation of technology would be a helpful benefit to the working class. That wasn't necessarily an incorrect prediction, however, clearly when it's exploited by the wealthy and viewed as simply a replacement for workers, it just becomes a new hole.