Zombie Neoliberalism Racking Up Victories

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to roll back public sector unions any day now, it never ceases to amaze me how a zombie paradigm, neoliberalism, can keep on racking up victories absent any mass base of public support.

The latest example is the privatization of the French national railway, SNCF, by the government of Emmanuel Macron. The French National Assembly voted for privatization and the reduction of rail-worker benefits yesterday; the Senate will approve the legislation today.

Alissa Rubin's elegy, "Can Strikes in France Still Make a Difference?," for strike-based egalitarian French culture is worth reading. What we are losing as zombie neoliberalism plods on is hard to fathom, but it is enormous.

On most Wednesdays I treat myself to takeout from my local Thai restaurant. While I am waiting for my order I'll sample from the always numerous selection of pamphlets from the Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery near the front counter.

Last night this paragraph from page 13 of Food for Thought caught my eye:

One day, people will not be able to muster inspiration nor recall the way to seek spiritual sustenance. In the end, the minds of human beings will be empty except for thoughts of sensuality and selfishness. This is when fire will wash the face of the earth.