By Tim Wood
Let me talk about a corporation close to our hearts … Dominion Energy, Inc. This is a publicly traded entity with an executive board that likes to make money for their investors and shareholders. Many of us have watched as they have built a large solar field in Lobeco and now export that power in and up-state.
We have also witnessed the major rehab of the huge power poles coming and going into and around Beaufort to help feed our outer islands. Some folks have received the dubious gift of a power-tower in their front or back yards. How about the new and improved lines along the most important section of the Spanish Moss Trail?
Did I mention the mutilation of our beautiful Beaufort trees? Please let me know if anyone of you remember any discussions, public information and/or input, referendum, anything before these monstrosities rose before us?
Don’t worry, I’m taking it on the chin; Progress, right? I’m just using Dominion as, what I think of, a perfect example of a corpocracy without a government.
It should be of note as well, Dominion recently merged with one of the largest electric/gas companies in Canada, Enbridge Inc. Seems like all democratic corporations vote in-house even if it’s a multi-national corporation. Wait until Port Royal locks horns with Blackstone Inc.
Blackstone is the world’s largest “alternative asset manager”. A corporate entity that actually sits on real estate investments until they can be developed to match profits that Blackstone has itself already estimated. Steven Schwarzman is the Chairman, CEO, and co-founder and is worth is around $45.4 billion. Thanks Safe Harbor, enjoy your profits.
Now, the important one. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, (Space X). This is not a publicly traded entity. One must be a qualified, approved applicant to invest in its stock even though Elon Musk controls 79% of that stock. Space X’s mission statement is “To revolutionize space technology and enable human habitation on other planets.” (I like to think of Elon Musk as Hugo Drax, the “space” villain in the James Bond movie “Moonraker.”)
The branch of this corporation that I worry most about is an off-shoot, “Starlink,” Musk’s satellite-based internet service. Ukraine, much to its detriment, signed on for (or was forced to accept?) their internet services through the Starlink branch of Musk’s Space X. Musk has the capability to turn off his already overloaded system; it has been hacked numerous times by Russia.
Ukraine, on top of all its other suffering, has often been vulnerable to shutdowns with Starlink’s internet; Trump’s in on that game as well. On top of all this, Starlink is extremely expensive, out of line with other communication companies.
Yet, we may soon witness another government contract awarded to Musk with his wanting Starlink providing our own FAA with his internet service. YIKES!! Am I the only one worried about that development? He’s already got me paranoid about flying, but the Federal Aviation Administration under Starlink and Musk? That is simply insane.
The more I research Musk and Space X the more worried I become; His little fiefdom is a real rabbit-hole. I doubt he is buried in regulations either. He just complains about them because he doesn’t want any regulations. Would he, like Trump, just ignore them anyway? I think we can all agree to “yes” on that answer. I could write a tome about the level of power our corporations in this country have reached (in elections alone), and if you don’t see a U.S. corpocracy already forming then I believe you to be blind.
Musk and Trump are already herding us into a plutocracy/oligarchy and will add the other poisons if our population allows them. I wonder how many Germans have wished in one era or other that they could go back in time in order to stop Hitler when they could have?
I can’t believe that Trump and Musk have been given the hen house and they are proceeding to hobble, if not cripple, this wonderful and once powerful country. They do not desire, nor are they capable, of making this country great. All they care about is power and wealth. Like Musk has said himself: He thinks that the vast majority of us are simply NPC’s … (I dislike video gaming so for me this is particularly insulting) … non player characters. They both are working to control us, not help us.
Technocracy is a different animal all together. Kind of like an artist stuck in Russia; able to do both good and bad. In today’s world, technocracy’s life blood is a mix of venture capitalism, gullibility, propaganda and addictive fun.
History will tell our great, great, great grandkids what TikTok ended up doing to the world with Zuckerberg being, perhaps, a footnote. Zuckerberg’s biggest claim to fame (infamy?) might end up being when he kissed Trumps ring and decided that fact checking (truth) was a waste of time and money, then rationalizing and implying that editing out lies may even be harmful to us.
Like the internet, social media has become all-consuming and seemingly integral to almost everyone; In, at least, a vast majority of people in wealthy, computerized societies. I usually split social media into two groups, positive and negative.
For example … Good: Fundraising for meaningful causes; mobilizing groups of people and events; Sometimes very funny. Bad: AI false propaganda, fear mongering, pornographic; Sometimes makes you very angry.
One thing that can be said for us all — social media today allows you to find the tribe in which you wish to be, and that tribe will constantly feed your values no what those values happen to be. When I have an acquaintance who shares videos of loud, fast cars and sexy women with me, I know straight away I will not become good friends with that person. One final thing about social media: It’s here to stay and probably should be regulated (yes, that sinful word!), not controlled by an individual.
The takeaway I would love for people to keep from this piece is this: In a modern democracy, one that is crowded, diverse and extremely complicated (socially), social media is here to stay, as long as we have our phones, a way to keep them powered and our corporations empowered.
Tim and Kristy Wood moved to Beaufort in 1974. He worked as a carpenter in both restoration and new home construction, as well as operating a shop specializing in custom woodwork, Wood on Wood Specs. He is semi-retired, involved with fine woodworking and formerly sat on the City of Beaufort Zoning Board of Appeals.
