REVIEW: John Perkins — Confessions of an Economic Hitman (BOOK)
John Perkins’ new book Confessions of an Economic Hitman has this curiously solid ability to both indict Perkins as a core example, in his own words, of the phenomenon he’s critiquing — while winning trust. It’s not often someone can juggle such juxtaposing and even communicatively warring components, but here Perkins does it with ease.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: https://johnperkins.org/
It makes the read, and his expertise on both sides of the issue, that much more effective and that much more compelling. “I realize that as a white, male American, I grew up prejudiced by a belief that I was entitled to opportunities unavailable to people of different skin pigmentation, gender, or citizenship. Beyond that, I and many of my baby-boomer contemporaries were influenced at an early age by films, TV shows, and cartoons that prejudiced us against people of African, Asian, and Middle Eastern heritage.
I’ve traveled enough to know that human beings everywhere hold prejudices against others,” Perkins writes. “I hear such prejudices when people accuse me of being pro-Chinese because I write that China’s model might seem attractive to other countries, as anti-Asian because I criticize China’s strategy, and as anti-American because I expose the mistakes made by US EHMs…My hope is that by the time you finish this book you will be inspired to participate in a new era of global cooperation that redefines what it means to be successful human beings on this living planet.”
He also writes, “If you are tempted to feel hopeless, look around. There are so many signs of hope. One of them is young people everywhere, like those at CEIBS in China, at a café in Cartagena, Colombia, across the US, and at gatherings around the world. I met many when I was a speaker at the Colours of Ostrava festival in 2018 and 2019…Known as the ‘steel heart’ of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Ostrava was the site of a mine that fed coal directly to a huge steel mill. Following the depletion of the coal, the entire complex closed. Faced with economic collapse, the citizens converted the gigantic, dilapidated structures into magnificent stages and auditoriums; they invited musicians to perform, artists to exhibit their art, and speakers to discuss global issues.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081
Each year when I was there, more than fifty thousand people celebrated in a place that represents the transformation of a death to a life economy. Other examples include political initiatives such as the Green New Deal; conscious capitalism; benefit corporations, cooperatives, and other innovative approaches to business; alternative technologies for energy generation and organic farming; and the creation of the Long-Term Stock Exchange.
At the 2019 Business Roundtable meeting, CEOs from 192 of the world’s largest corporations promised to replace the goal of maximizing profits with that of meeting the needs of customers, employees, suppliers, and local communities — converting a death to a life economy.”
It’s through this kind of unsparing, sometimes deeply self-critical communication Perkins states his case.
Then, he’s able to ramp it up further, making it emotionally resonate as well.
Colin Jordan
