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I don't believe in the existence of some mass, organized conspiracy going on behind closed doors, although I'm sure smaller 'conspiracies' happen from time to time - for example when tech CEOs conspire to form illegal non-poaching agreements and foolishly commit it to writing. It's simply the upper-crust of the managerial class, all mostly similarly acculturated, pursuing their own class interests and looking out for their own, and listening to the same public signals everyone else can see. No coercion or explicit bribery is necessary, although there is plenty of money flowing around. Though typically ideological/cultural commitment is more than sufficient, remuneration typically consists simply of the knowledge that considerations are on the table - play the game and you will be assured a successful career for yourself and for your family and friends, whether that consists of board memberships, government jobs, NGO/charity placements, consultancies, media placement, or simply ascending the career ladder at your company. None of this is usually explicit. Playing along, even if you don't personally believe in it (which most do - it's self interest) sends a valuable social signal. Nor am I assigning a moral value to this behavior. It would not even be a social issue if it wasn't for the increasing gap between the managerial class, especially the managerial elite, and the rest of the country. There are supposed to be checks and balances ideally, but no such ideal system exists or ever has existed. In the sense of the System as a whole, no checks and balances were ever designed; if we limit ourselves to the American federal government, the system has long since grown into something else beyond its original design - not because of some grim ideological conspiracy as conservatives would have it, but because the growing complexity of society necessitated it. (An important factor in the increasingly undemocratic nature of the government is the sheer scale and complexity of society.) The impact is the same, though, and the checks-and-balances people are taught in civics misrepresent the nature of the government and practically exclude altogether the interrelated nature of the government and large corporations. |