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Emergent Disorder

November 7, 2011, 11:18 am

This is a fascinating tale, from Occupy Wall Street, demonstrating how a group with assumptions including

  1. Its OK for one group to exercise power over another group
  2. Its OK to redistribute money on some basis other than earning it through voluntary commerce
can quickly devolve into emergent disorder.
There is no great brotherhood once you adopt the assumption that people may use coercion to achieve their goals - there is only victory by those most capable in the raw exercise of power.
Tags: ,
Category: Capitalism & Libertarian Philospohy

10 Comments

  1. me:

    Neat. Power corrupts. Any time. Also, lack of experience of participants tends to exacerbate that process.

    November 7, 2011, 11:31 am

  2. Mark 2:

    It is pretty weird and sad, that these occupiers don't seem to be against the 1% but against anyone with a job, who doesn't value smoking dope more than working.

    We have two families in San Diego, whose sole source of income is from a coffee push cart, and the other, a hot dog push cart. The COWS have threatened them, and vandelized their carts - and peeed on the carts, so they can no longer vend. The city is claiming to be nice (I suppose) by deciding a month after the fact not to charge the $1000 per month rent until COWS goes away.

    There is a fundraiser to support these families tonight in San Diego, since not paying rent isn't enough to take care of the families.

    Are pushcart vendors really part of the 1%?

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/san-diego-officials-moved-wednesday-to-bail-outtwo-food-vendors-whose-businesses-have-been-hurt-by-the-occupy-san-diego-prote.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

    November 7, 2011, 12:40 pm

  3. Evil Red Scandi:

    @Mark 2 - City Councilman Carl Dimeo (seemingly the only guy in San Diego government with two brain cells to rub together) has been holding a fundraiser for the owners of those two carts.

    November 7, 2011, 12:53 pm

  4. TJIC:

    The funniest comment I've seen yet about #OWS is "we're thinking of sending Snake Plisken in".

    November 7, 2011, 3:09 pm

  5. blokeinfrance:

    Acute remark in the comments on the other blog (maybe you've heard it already)
    "there are those who love socialism, and those who understand it."
    On a flippant note, I'm going to London tomorrow and just might pitch my tent at the Occupy the City at St Paul's cathedral. Then call for a liquidation.

    November 7, 2011, 4:23 pm

  6. Determinatus:

    Just goes to prove how brilliant "Animal Farm" was in describing the death spiral into totalitarianism...
    Finally one of the 99 percenters views reality. See it posted at Determinatus.com

    November 7, 2011, 4:27 pm

  7. Jim Ashmore:

    Yet another thing that I wished I would have thought of and written first: Emergent disorder. Brilliant.

    But are we talking about Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies. The General Assemblies reminds me of "Who has the conch?"

    November 7, 2011, 5:12 pm

  9. IGotBupkis, Sailing the Economic Seas Betwixt Scylla And Charybdis:

    >>> Well, not really; a minority of 11% can essentially block all action, and apparently often do.

    Wow. Sounds like a fairly good basis for government, actually.

    November 8, 2011, 11:47 am

  10. IGotBupkis, Sailing the Economic Seas Betwixt Scylla And Charybdis:

    >>> they plotted to usurp real power ...(snip)... by manipulating the rules and flat-out ignoring them.

    So, in short, they are now working on their bona fides for becoming Democrat members of the Legislative and Executive branches...?

    November 8, 2011, 11:50 am