Chris Hedges does not pull any punches when discussing modern capitalism, as many Truthdig readers know. “The capitalist system is gamed from the start,” he said, speaking at the “Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution?” panel at Left Forum 2016 in New York City this month. “This makes Luxemburg extremely relevant, as corporate capital, now freed from all constraints, reconfigures our global economy, including the United States’, into a ruthless form of neofeudalism.”

Hedges dived into the story of Rosa Luxemburg — a revolutionary socialist who was killed during Germany’s Spartacist uprising of 1919 — to illustrate the brutal effects of capitalist structures.

“Liberalism, which Luxemburg called by its more appropriate name — opportunism — is an integral component of capitalism,” he said. “When the citizens grow restive, it will soften and decry capitalism’s excesses. But capitalism, Luxemburg argued, is an enemy that can never be appeased.”

Hedges also said: “Luxemburg’s murder illustrated the ultimate loyalties of liberal elites in a capitalist society: When threatened from the left, when the face of socialism showed itself in the streets, they would — and will — make alliances with the most retrograde elements of the society, including fascists, to crush the aspirations of the working class.”

Watch the entire video below or read a transcript of his speech here.

—Posted by Emma Niles

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