What do a monk, a fugitive and a Green party presidential candidate all have in common? The answer is a commitment to economic democracy. Some of you may wonder what an economic democracy is. An economic democracy is an ethos, a challenge and the subject of a conference that took place this past weekend at Madison Area Technical College.
Needless to say, it was an amazing conference. The monk, Dada Maheshvarananda—clad in orange from toe-to-turban—the fugitive, Bill Ayers—cofounder of the revolutionary Vietnam-era group Weather Underground and current elementary education theorist—and the presidential candidate, David Cobb—now a self-styled “itinerant preacher for social justice” and spokesperson for Move to Amend—were not the only presenters. Also in attendance were Stephanie Rearick, the director of the Dane County Timebank, John Nichols, celebrated progressive pundit, and many other fabulous and worthy people who do great work in Madison and around the country.
With as few flowery frills as I can manage, I want to introduce you to the concept of economic democracy because I believe it will shape our lives. ED goes by many other names, some of which may be familiar to you depending on your background. I would describe it as a vision of local, green, cooperative and society, the seeds of which are planted already and the promise of which gains momentum every day. The values and ideas associated with economic democracy—interdependence, imagination and liberty—are not new. Also not new are many of the current manifestations of economic democracy, which consist of cooperatives, farmer's markets and community-supported media. In fact, many of these institutions are ancient and rooted in ideologies as distinct as Catholicism and anarchism.
What is new and exciting is the convergence these apparently irreconcilable doctrines are experiencing. It’s as if the stories of these teachings are icebergs and we are finding that below the surface of the icy water they are all one. But what does Union Cab, a cooperative business, have to do with the Eagle Heights community garden? What does WORT, Madison's listener-sponsored radio station, have to do with bike lanes and paths?
All of these institutions give our community autonomy. They de-emphasize our dependence on outside power—economic or political—and re-emphasize our dependence on each other. Union Cab is governed by its drivers, not by corporate stockholders. Eagle Heights community garden provides some small amount of food sovereignty to its plotters, which decreases their reliance on an unsustainable and unhealthy international food distribution system. WORT's programming is decided upon by committees composed of people who know and care about our community, not the corporate media. Bike lanes allow us to transport ourselves without polluting our environment and dependence on fickle, expensive gasoline.
Economic democracy is all about reclaiming the right to provide for ourselves and our community. As a society, we have delegated this responsibility to outside interests. The questions are deep, but the solutions are there. After hearing theorists and practitioners, monks and outlaws, it is my opinion that our generation is coming of age in a moment like no other. It is my opinion that we are on the cusp of something incredible, transformative and bewildering. Feel inspired, feel empowered. Our generation has a lot of good work to do.
Stay tuned for future columns on more specific aspects of economic democracy. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
