Would the world be a less aggressive place...

[monkeytrousers]

...if women had the power?

Judging from the testosterone flying about on Mumsnet lately, somehow I doubt it..

Okay, from a purely biological perspective couldn't the spirit of capitalism emerge out of natural selection itself? They certainly have some familiar tendencies. And all of us have been shaped by it, both men and women. Men and women are at odds in somethings, parental investment and individual fecundity and survival mostly, but their interests merge when it comes to the survival of their offspring, doesn't it? Environmental and cultural influences not-with-standing yet of course..

I think my arse actually looks flatter since I joined Mumsnet, because I spend so much more time sitting on it

Meercats have matriacies and they are bloody vicious little buggers. The alpha female kills all the pups that are born except hers, even her own grand children.

Just a factoid....I would never be so crass as to sugest that we are like meercats

and yes i have been guilty of expressing huamn emotions on the meercats, but just for fun you understand. I do understand the evolutionaly advantages this gives the alpha female

Couldn't find that one on the acronym list Blu - is it something to do with virtual mood swings>

Capitalism does not represent the best possible system for the nurturing of human young though, surely? Capitalism turns human beings into individually expendable units. There is no place in pure capitalist society for nurture, love, self-sacrifice, altruism - these are economically worthless characteristics. They do however play a vital and practical role in natural evolution and survival! Capitalism is a cultural red herring, a wrong turning. And it is the unnatural imbalance between the male and female principles in the decision-making process which has led us to it, in my opinion.

Nothing wrong with a bit of anthropomophism

meercats are gorgeous, we took our boys to see some a couple of months ago... they are so charming and cheeky

Vicious little buggers tho, just look cute and have good PR.

Rather likr squirrels....rats with fluffy tails

I blame Marx - he should have launched a proper challenge to capitalism before the base and superstructure became melded together instead of biding his time for dialectical resolution. It will cost too much to dismantle now. We is stuck with it.

Though I do see some good in capitalism ("I pay homage to the economic miricle"), there's just no such thing as sustainable growth anymore.

I don't agree we're stuck with it. It will eat itself eventually. It's already imploding in places.

Agree about Marx being most unsatisfactory though.

I don't think there's enough time GS, pessimistically. We will begin to see the effects of oil depletion within half a century. It will go but it won't be replaced by anything nice.

Unless we can suddenly find a oil substitute and base the global markets on that and like now. Then we only have environmental catastrophe to deal with and not war as well.

It's the tragedy of the commons all over again.

But funnily enough I don't see any governments or superpowers doing this and I wonder why..dum-de-dum..

I'm not so pessimistic as you - I think a period of violent crisis is inevitable - but there is evidence of a more positive, intelligent society emerging underneath (with a stronger female voice than previous Western models). Many more Earth/humanity-friendly attitudes and practices which have previously been confined to a "lunatic fringe" are becoming startlingly mainstream. The short-term future is obviously quite bleak and stormy, but the long-term future is still in the balance, rather than being a total lost cause IMO.

Yes, you may be right. I still worry for our kids though, they'll be the ones at the sharp end.

Oh, I'm getting depressed..think I might revive my bad poetry thread - that really was a scream.

I'll post some embarrassing adolescent doggerel if you do!!

I just have - to my eternal shame!

I like what you say Greensleeves and agree with you re emergence of a more positive intelligent society...eventually.
As an aside but sort of in keeping, Naomi Klein's 'No Logo' had an enormous impact on me. (That and Gabrielle Palmer's 'The Politics of Breastfeeding' basically changed my entire mindset.)

I haven't read either of them, but I will look out for them!

DO!!