Mending Dr PEMBy’s broken ladder

Dmitry Orlov, a witness to the collapse of the Soviet Union and author of Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects, has explained how normalcy broke down in Russia. First people stopped being scared to speak their mind, next they stopped taking the authorities seriously and finally the authorities stopped taking each other seriously. Maybe the ‘Occupy’ movement and other much larger protests in Europe are the first step of the 99 per cent in seriously holding Dr PEMBy to account. While the anger and frustration of these people, with their livelihoods at stake, can be understood it is difficult to see what they will achieve other than further wounding the proverbial golden goose, with no substitute in it place.

Perhaps a far more effective response, although much less exciting than participating in a protest I suspect, would be to re-build the rungs (and hence reduce the depth of any potential collapse) that progress has thrown away on its seemingly relentless climb up the ladder. The list of actions that individuals and communities can take to rebuild a level of resilience in society is enormous. Examples of which are demonstrated by the Green Wizards project and Transition Towns.

Finally, popular culture is not at all helpful in addressing the prospects that we now face. Indeed it is part of the problem as it aims to empty our wallets while getting you to react rather than think. Leaving it behind is one way by which we can all show Dr PEMBy the prescriptions offered are not to be taken seriously, indeed Dr PEMBy is not to be taken seriously.

If the reaction of the world’s stock markets to news, or even non news, announced by Dr PEMBy is any indication, as a whole we are still taking the authorities far too seriously. As the global economy bumbles from one crisis to the next and the legitimacy of Dr PEMBy and their ability to understand, let alone control, events becomes less and less, the importance of those who have focused on the practical actions of mending the bottom rungs on Dr PEMBy’s broken ladder will come to the fore. For it is these people who will not only limit the depth of the collapse that Dr PEMBY is leading us to but may in fact build the basis of an economy and society that is healthier, happier and more meaningful.