Conspiracy & Class Power
Class and power are closely correlated, That societies have a ruling class is derided as passe Marxist rhetoric. But to deny its existence is folly. Class can be measured by one’s income and savings, and ownership of stocks, bonds and property. Power is more difficult to calibrate. It is the capacity of a ruling class to produce outcomes that enrich and enhance its status. There are many forms of power such as economic, political and military. That a ruling class acts to promote its interests by getting together and planning seems only logical. To simply dismiss these meetings as conspiracies is absurd. Power brokers and corporate elites don’t meet in dark, smoke filled back rooms or on amusement park merry-go-rounds but rather they gather in well-appointed offices with plush carpets and comfortable chairs and are served croissants and gourmet coffee.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92.
Questioning the Unquestionable
“It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti
Martin –
Like Jack, the echos of this talk by Parenti still follow me.
Jack Frybulous –
It may sound like exaggeration for me to say that this speech of Parenti’s — recorded at Berkeley in the early 90s and sounding like it was made yesterday — is probably one of the single biggest influences on my thinking and the world around me over the past 20 years, esp. with the way that everyone has been trained to bandy about so dismissively the very _idea_ of conspiracy as a thing in itself. “Brothers and sisters,” Parenti says, “conspiracy is a very real thing, in fact it’s a concept IN LAW. People go to jail for it! Conspiracy means ‘planning of acting together in secret, esp. for an unlawful, or harmful purpose, often with the use of illegal means.” And it just gets better and better! Always give a listen to someone who is this knowledgeable of alternative perspectives, who can deliver the complex in an informal way, and who at the same time has a great sense of humor. Don’t miss it. Invite friends and colleagues for a listening party.