then and now

“The passengers on the ‘Heavy Capitalism’ ship trusted (not always wisely, to be sure) that the selected members of the crew who were accorded the right to climb onto the captain’s deck would navigate the ship to its destination.  The passengers could devote their full attention to learning and following the rules set down for them and displayed in bold letters in every passageway.  If they grumbled (or sometimes even mutinied), it was against the captain for not taking the ship to harbour fast enough or for being exceptionally neglectful of the passenger’s comfort.  The passengers of the ‘Light Capitalism’ aircraft, on the other hand, discover to their horror that the pilot’s cabin is empty and that there is no way to extract from the mysterious black box labelled ‘automatic pilot’ any information about where the plane is flying, where it is going to land, who is to choose the airport, and whether there are any rules which would allow the passengers to contribute to the safety of the arrival”.

 

Bauman: On Being Liquid and Light