DQG VDWLVIDFWLRQ DERYH DOO HOVH" 7R VSHQG RXU Č´QLWH
the petty spatial limitations of the nation-state. Its
amount of time and resources on the pursuit of
borders circumnavigate the globe, from Boston to
gratifying experiences as opposed to mildly amusing
Barcelona to Beijing and back again. It is bigger than
consumer goods? You’d think so, but then why is it
Russia, more populated than China, and more pow-
in our contemporary consumer culture we never
erful than America. And its hegemony derives from
seriously speak of progress in terms of general
manipulating the beliefs, perceptions, values, and
public health and overall happiness?
cultural ethos of our so-called “progressive� society.
Sure, we make insincere references to glossy
Its advocates — wealth-obsessed titans of indus-
DEVWUDFWLRQV OLNH *URVV 1DWLRQDO +DSSLQHVV DQG WKH
try, do this so their ruling-class principles become
Millennium Development Goals, but for the most
the world view, imposed and accepted as cultural
SDUW LWȇV RSDTXH HFRQRPLF LQGLFDWRUV VXFK DV *URVV
norms and universally valid dominant ideologies,
'RPHVWLF 3URGXFW &RQVXPHU 3ULFH ΖQGH[ LQȾDWLRQ
ZKLFK MXVWLČ´HV WKH SROLWLFDO HFRQRPLF DQG VRFLDO
rates, and stock market values which serve as mark-
VWDWXV TXR DV LQHYLWDEOH SHUSHWXDO DQG EHQHČ´FLDO
ers of societal progress.
for everyone participating. This empire is the global market system, and its cultural hegemony is so absolute, so omnipresent, so banal, that those dominated by it — both governments and their citizens alike — are utterly oblivious to their servitude. For true empire comes from dominating discourse so outright, that one never has to use force to achieve power. Bold claims — I know. But perhaps we all need to stop mindlessly consuming for a moment and really think about it. EXPOSING THE EMPIRE Prior to the 2008 economic meltdown, the largest 100 economies in the world, 51 are multinational FRUSRUDWLRQV 01& $V RI FRUSRUDWLRQV make the top 100 largest global economies. Due to
THIS EMPIRE IS THE GLOBAL MARKET SYSTEM, AND THOSE DOMINATED BY IT ARE UTTERLY OBLIVIOUS TO THEIR SERVITUDE. FOR TRUE EMPIRE COMES FROM DOMINATING DISCOURSE SO OUTRIGHT, THAT ONE NEVER HAS TO USE FORCE TO ACHIEVE POWER.
their relative size, economic wealth, and technological PRQRSROLHV WKH\ ZLHOG VLJQLČ´FDQW LQČľXHQFH RYHU local and national governments through the threat RI PDUNHW ZLWKGUDZDO 7KXV 01&V XVH WKHVH SRZHU relations to exploit local labour, funnel resources
Yet these abstractions reveal very little when it FRPHV WR TXDOLW\ RI OLIH Take GDP for example. It is as much of a measure of
away for foreign export, and continue to expand
the market value of all goods and services produced
disparity gaps between classes and nations in a
within a country over a given period of time, as it is
21st century version of economic imperialism.
a marker of industrial misappropriation and societal
But this isn’t news. Anyone who skims the news
LQHTXDOLW\ Čƒ IRU *'3 GRHVQȇW FRQVLGHU OHLVXUH WLPH
LV DZDUH RI WKH IDFW WKDW 01&V WUHDW GHYHORSLQJ
or environmental degradation, and it only indicates
countries like a personal piggy bank. However, what
average output per-person, not how this output is
PDQ\ SHRSOH VHHP WR IRUJHW LV WKDW E\ TXLHWO\ PDQ-
disproportionally divvied-up amongst the population.
DJLQJ LQČľDWLQJ DQG GLFWDWLQJ FRQVXPSWLRQ KDELWV LQ
This means that while someone who only works
the developed world as well, advocates of the global
four days a week may be much happier, that extra
market system are discreetly practicing dominant
GD\ RÎ? KDV DQ DGYHUVH HÎ?HFW RQ SRWHQWLDO *'3 6R
hegemony over populations in the developed world.
in an unhappy country where the people are over-
For example, wouldn’t it make sense for an advanced
worked, the environment is overexploited, and the
industrialised society such as ours to value wellbeing
majority of wealth is highly concentrated, the GDP
THE HIDDEN TRANSCRIPT issue 04 spring 2013
The greatest empire of the 21st century transcends
5