I have just added this post to my glossary, because I think defining the term 'the age of aggression' is important, and I have a revived enthusiasm for the glossary itself, to which links are automatically added in all my posts when a term within it first comes up in the text:
The Age of Aggression
The age of aggression is the contemporary era of political economy, defined by the aggressive dominance of corporate and ultra-wealthy interests over democratic institutions, public discourse, and resource allocation.
The Age of Aggression marks the latest phase in the evolution of modern capitalism, succeeding the post-war Age of Compassion and the neoliberal Age of Indifference. It began with the rise of figures such as Donald Trump and has intensified through the influence of billionaires, global corporations, and tech elites whose power now eclipses that of many governments.
In this era, political economy—understood not simply as the study of who gets what, but why they get it—is shaped by force rather than consent. Competition in ideas, particularly in economics and politics, has been all but eliminated. Neoliberal orthodoxy reigns unchallenged, and dissent is sidelined.
The wealthy and powerful now assert their interests with open contempt for democracy and the public good. Control of media, technology, and narrative allows them to dictate terms while rendering the concerns of ordinary people irrelevant. This is an era not merely of inequality, but of active suppression and exclusion.
The Age of Aggression is thus not just about economics or politics—it is about the use of economic and cultural power as tools of domination. It will, inevitably, end. Aggression always does. But until a new politics of compassion emerges, this is the world we must navigate—and resist.
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Richard, I was heartened to note a reference to an organisation named “Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland’ in a post on Substack this morning. They certainly seem to be saying all the right things but this is the first time I had come across them – I wonder if this is utopian fantasy or something that has the potential to really make a difference and would welcome your thoughts, and those of the other commenters here.
I do not know them
This has been around for some time and informed New Zealand’s approach under the previous administration and I think I’m right in citing Butan as well. Wales ,too, had signed up to aspects of this. Simply put, it measures economy benefits in terms of values around wellbeing and informs political decision making to do many of the things that Richard advocates for.
Another one for your glossary – “Inverted Totalitarianism” coined by Sheldon Wolin
“Inverted totalitarianism, a term coined by Sheldon Wolin, refers to a theoretical system where economic power, particularly that of corporations, exerts subtle but significant control over a seemingly democratic society. Unlike traditional totalitarianism, which involves direct government control, inverted totalitarianism operates through market forces and private power, potentially leading to political apathy and a decline in democratic ideals. ”
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/sheldon-wolin-and-inverted-totalitarianism/
There was an attitude in the 1950s in Britain that fascism couldn’t have happened here. I don’t think any analyst of any insight thinks that now. Inequality has to end somewhere, and I think we have a way to go, but there’s no doubt we are a lot further down the road to fascism than we could have imagined even, say, twenty years ago.
The question is: What do the rich do when they have appropriated absolutely everything in their own society? Do they then deploy the masses to appropriate riches from other countries in war, while they themselves sit in comfort on yachts in the Caribbean?
They can’t think that far ahead. It does not occur to them they are depdendent – but they really are.
The only forward planning the mega rich seems to have done is to buy bunkers in various locations around the world. New Zealand being one place. Britain is also popular with the rich as they think it will survive societal collapse and is an island. That, and we launder their money. There is a story doing the rounds that various sci-fi writers were invited to a conference in a desert somewhere to go over ideas of how billionaires control their bodyguards in their bunkers after societal collapse. That’s the level of their thinking. The writers gleefully told them that the day after the apocalypse, bodyguards will rule the world. Maybe Musk’s neural link was an effort to control his bodyguards?
“and resist” – that’s the significant bit.
It’s easy to feel helpless, “what can little ME do”?
But I believe passionately that each and every one of us has a role, and every person’s resistance is important, whatever our station in life.
We each have unique gifts, unique circumstances, and a unique sphere of influence, a unique set of relationships, of whatever size that might be.
We each face a challenge, at whatever level we operate at, to remain silent, be complicit, take the easy way out, choose the quiet life, claim to be powerless (Hamish Falconer was doing that yesterday in Parliament), or to resist – by whatever means is appropriate to our situation – with friends or family, in a workplace, politically, direct action, organising, helping victims, every action is important.
“Do not go quietly into that good night”
Agreed. You are the second person to say that to me today.
It’s clear that digital technology has not liberated us like it once promised, it’s just created a new era of imperialism, and new prizes to be seized.
Tom B …Yes. And another way to make us feel helpless in the face of technology we have little or no control over …but is now ‘necessary’ to have, if we are to stay in the loop. If/when the internet goes down—and we have no control over that—we are now all instantly unable to function. Until ‘it’ ‘gets’ restored …by whom?
I fear we are well past the tipping point, now.
We are. Our government could not function without the internet, and neither could the banks.
How we resist will be rooted in why we want to which will be rooted in our conscious or unconscious worldviews. This discussion on the Algonquin indian philosophy of Wetiko is interesting: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/the-power-of-wetiko-looking-in-the-mirror-to-solve-the-global-crisis/
A live example of this aggressive corporate hijacking of our political economies is my local Ballymena riot. Reported in their media as simply a clash between racist thugs and the PSNI. The jungle drums suggest the violence is rooted in a flare up of turf wars between drug and trafficking gangs. The problem of expanding loyalist criminal gangs has been enabled by decades of criminally captured ‘cross community’ vast British state funding combined with severe cutbacks in community policing. The heinous racism is a given here but the violence is a corollary of not just bad but non governance. Most local politicians are just too busy porkbarreling in London or cosying up to global corporations to bother with such things.
I do not know enough to comment on this.
Thanks for replying. In high governance, seemingly no one knows enough of the post GFA realities on the ground here, is really my point. Whether by design or default. I offer this personal localised information merely as an example of how the aggressive corporatisation of politics will inevitably ignore ‘the little people’ until they break. Either expressed in violence to others or self ie ill health.
I fear you are right – and that this will spread
The UK reports I read said nothing at all about the who and why, just reported violence against police from “local people”.
Their LACK of info caught my attention.
(I lived in Jordanstoun in late 1950s)
Thanks for the info.
You are more than welcome. The Ballymena racist violence is nothing new. It is a daily politically unaddressed nightmare for all Others across all counties. As for the Leisure Centre there they torched last night, it seems it was the Carrick Boys pay back against the local gangsters who used it. For both, its nearness to the much hated by both British soldiers in Ballymena barracks would be seen as an ‘add on’. I am ever astonished (and enraged) at the lack of knowledge about real societal tensions and violence here shown by successive UK governments !