In times of crisis, seemingly impossible ideas suddenly become possible.
But whose ideas? Fair ideas designed to keep people safe, secure, and healthy? Or predatory ideas designed to further enrich the already unimaginably wealthy?
We are already in a battle of visions for how we’re going to respond to this crisis. We will either be catapulted backwards to an even more brutal winner-take-all system – or this will be a wake-up call to right what is so wrong with the status quo.
In the midst of widespread panic, corporate lobbyists of all stripes are already seizing this moment to ram through all the venal schemes they’ve been pushing for years, from suspending environmental standards to further eroding our privacy rights. But the end of this story hasn’t been written yet.
That’s why I’m so committed to the work of The Intercept in this pivotal moment. More than ever, we need journalism that shines an unrelenting spotlight on the morally bankrupt power brokers who are trying to exploit the pandemic for their own profit.
But just as importantly, we need to tell the stories of social movements and insurgent politicians who are poised to win progressive victories that would’ve been unimaginable just a few short weeks ago.
These stories are being told by The Intercept, and almost nowhere else. But for a nonprofit outlet with no advertisers and no paywall, it’s up to each of us to keep the lights on. If you can afford to be generous right now, we need your support.
Thirteen years ago, I wrote a book called The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
It described a brutal and recurring strategy by right-wing governments. After a shocking event – a war, coup, terrorist attack, market crash or natural disaster – they exploit the public’s disorientation.
Suspend democracy. Slash social programs. Push through extremist “free market” policies that enrich the 1 percent by cheating the poor and middle class.
Sound familiar? We already know what Trump’s plan is: a pandemic shock doctrine with all the most dangerous ideas the corporate lobbyists can muster — from pollution free-for-alls to locking down borders to caging even more migrants.
The good news is that it’s an election year and progressive forces are already mobilized. And as with the New Deal in the 1930s, these forces also have bold game-changing policy solutions readily available: Medicare for all. A universal basic income. The green New Deal. And more.
This is no time to lose our nerve. The future will be determined by whoever is willing to fight harder for their ideas. Will you join me in supporting The Intercept?
