On Lindblom: markets and politics

Charles Lindblom in his book “The Market System” pointed out that “governmental activities are necessary to make a market system flourish” (2001). It’d be hard to argue with his claim. The politicians and business people share a common principle: control. The politicians seek re-election and business people profit. Both parties convey their messages to public for a singular purpose: to persuade. We see and hear often of the products “new and improved.” Yet we hardly know what so “new” and “improved” about those products (Lindblom, 2001, p. 214). Politicians point their fingers, saying “I will not raise your taxes,” only to seek our votes. Throughout the history, Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao used effective propaganda techniques to control the masses (2001). And in most cases public hardly understood or knew the power of their messengers. They submitted to their messages subconsciously, without any preconception and judgment.

Often the intent of the politicians and marketers is to confuse people through misinformation and “obfuscation.” Lindblom wrote, “Elite attempts to control mass antedate the the rise of the market system and the rise of democracy” (p. 223). He went on to invoke our Founding Fathers’ intention to control the masses. One of the reasons elites, the politicians, exert their influence and control on masses is to distinguish themselves from the mass. They see the mass as disadvantaged. They preach virtues like inequality, loyalty, trust, faith. According to Lindblom these messages are nothing but a “formula for mass deference to elites.”

The marketers and business people induce the masses to buy more. The implicit message is “save less” (Lindblom, 2001, p. 215). The purpose, Lindblom, of their message is to protect their “own wealth” (p. 215).

As we see in the in the video “Century of the Self” Edward Bernays exploited the uncontrollable inner desire of the masses. But we can also argue that people are capable of making rational decisions. George Gallup, as we see in the video, argued for this thought and he disagreed with Bernays. Public brought the tobacco companies to their knees.

We are not as powerless nor are we as ignorant as the politicians and the businesses think. We are, perhaps, just naïve.

And the elites simply take advantage of that.