Obama Discovers A New Form Of Energy
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Barack Obama will be the first post-peak oil president of the most oil-hungry country on the planet. The Financial Times, London’s best daily, just previewed an International Energy Agency report that estimates global oil production is now falling 9 percent per year. To be clear, excess oil is the ‘capital’ in capitalism, and it no longer exists. We will see capitalist economies (are there any others?) shrink by at least the rate of oil decline, so we are in for a societal transformation much different than the turn of an economic cycle. Economic activity based on carbon (is there any other?) needs to shrink even faster than oil decline. A recent World Wildlife Fund report suggests our globe is warming five times faster than predicted, and the pace is accelerating. Change is necessary to address the twin crises of peak oil and climate change.
We have just chosen a national leader — a son of east Africa, by no accident — with the capacity to help us make the necessary changes globally. The robber barons have left him and this country with nothing but a pulpit and a printing press to make increasingly worthless dollars. He’ll have to build and rely on a lot of good will. Fortunately, he brings out the best of social insects in people, those self-organizing factors that enable us to work together to build the new structures we’ll need to survive. To see what I mean, watch this three-minute time-lapsed video of Chicago’s Grant Park (site of Obama’s victory speech) on election night:
Did you see the three flashes of light (1) when the president-elect was announced on national television, (2) when Obama appeared live before the crowd, and (3) as he concluded his speech? You know what’s happening simply by watching the energy pulsing from the crowd. Those are signs of the organic unity that routinely drew tens of thousands of all kinds of people to Obama’s campaign rallies. Only a leader who can solicit, organize and use human energy in that manner can solve the world’s most intractable problems. Again, excess energy is the ‘capital’ in capitalism. Obama has the capacity to make a new form of energy accessible to all of us.
The most exciting thing about the election is the response of young people to this new energy. They recognize the Kairos of Obama’s leadership. Just as children raise their parents, new generations raise their elders. If we want truly progressive solutions, we need to follow the post-boomers, Generation We. Check out the video below to see what’s on their agenda:
As a boomer, I don’t remember being that solid and engaged at their age. All they need is guidance and energy. I think Obama’s leadership will help, and I can’t wait to see them take over.
Related Posts
4 Responses to “Obama Discovers A New Form Of Energy”
Leave a Reply
November 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Interesting post and blog. Relevantly, many prominent experts and publications have pointed out that Obama is part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and GenXers.
This link takes you to a page you may find interesting: it has, among other things, excerpts from publications like Newsweek and the New York Times, and videos with over 25 top pundits, all talking specifically about Obama’s identity as a GenJoneser:
http://www.generationjones.com/2008election.html
November 10th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
hey, i love your website, keep up the good work.
although i don’t share your optimism for obama’s ability to make change (i’m working on building the change from the bottom), i totally agree with you that “change is necessary” and that it’s crucial to address both peak oil and global warming. what steps do you think obama can take as president to slow the damage?
i think you’ve caught onto a crucial economic reality when you say that capitalist economies need to decline quite substantially. the challenge for all of us is to create an alternative political economy NOT based on capital or carbon. what will that look like? and what kind of focus do you think social movements need to have to lead this fight?
it’s inspiring to see an empowered African American woman like yourself taking the lead on these important energy issues! thank you!
my website is http://endofcapitalism.com if you want to check it out
alex
philly students for a democratic society (sds)
November 11th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
alex, I agree that Obama won’t make change, but I think his presence in the White House will enable change to occur. I’m reminded of the progress that appeared in central and south America, in Africa and in Asia after the Clinton years. Clinton didn’t make that happen; he simply refrained from stopping it. I hope and expect that Obama will open government to progressive democratic forces and simply allow change to manifest. Who knows what it’ll look like… but we who call this a democracy must now walk the talk. We are challenged to be active citizens and to express a vision for the country through our individual acts.
Sonja
November 11th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
thanks - i agree with you! let’s kick it up a notch.
alice walker - author of The Color Purple - talked a great deal about this on today’s Democracy Now! newscast.
you might want to take a look if you haven’t already!
http://www.democracynow.org