Should elites lead? A Book Review of Winner's Take All by Anand Giridharadas.
A deeply thorough critique at the culture, mindset, and economic philosophy, that surrounds the global elite.
Perspective Shift.
Rarely does one read a book that so fundamentally changes the way they view society, and yet, I have just finished such a book.
As we find ourselves in the midst of this pandemic, as we face global economic turmoil, there’s a growing belief of the fact that we are capable of enacting revolutionary policy; that the actions we take within this time, will more than determine our paths forward.
We truly are in a time, that will be written about in history books for years to come. It shall redefine the fields of technology, of economics, of business; it will shatter the public perception of concepts like marriage, power and competence, and inequality.
In this time of crisis, we are also given an opportunity, to test our personal beliefs…our personal political philosophies, our perspectives on life— in short— we are given the single most rigorous test of human society, that we may ever see.
I am indeed glad that I had chosen to read Anand’s book at such a point, for as insightful as this book is, I feel its minute flaws would have been lost on me if I had read it at any other time. But that those flaws be so minute, speaks to me about the rigor with which Anand writes this truly provocative book.
The Emperor Wears No Clothes.
Anand presents to us a world in which the wealthy, the affluent, the privileged attempt to tackle the problems we face on a day to day basis. In it, we are shown a culture, a method of thinking, and a set of rationalizations, that expose these elites as being incapable of solving the very problems they want to.
He shows us different aspects of what he calls ‘Marketworld’ by presenting it through the eyes of those that inhabit it— with MarketWorld being the culture of problem-solving that seeks to do so…:
1)At a profit.
2) With no skin in the game.
We are shown a world, of people who claim they want to “change the world”, and yet present solutions so incompatible with the vastness of the problems they seek to tackle and so misconstrue, twist, or create the illusion of the problem being different than what it really is.
From the get-go, we are, for example, introduced to Hilary Cohen, a woman of wealth, brought into MarketWorld through the belief that somehow one can only accomplish the good they want to do, by joining certain consultancies: The Mckinsey’s, Goldman Sachs’, etc of the world.
Very soon, however, she would confront the quick realization, that the sort of problems she wanted to tackle(inequality and issues of social injustice), would not be what she was tasked with. Instead, contrary to the promises these organizations make—that is to provide truly world-changing solutions— she is tasked with managing spreadsheets and databases to optimize businesses.
This very introduction speaks to what Marketworld is, a culture that believes the world’s greatest problems can be solved through business and profit.
We are given a view through Silicon Valley which adeptly notices some of the greatest problems in the world, and yet cannot admit to itself its incapacity to solve these problems, let alone, NOT try to make a profit from them.
This thinking presents itself as a “win-win” sort of approach to tackling problems.
We are shown through the mindsets and hearts of the privileged elite, through their charities and philanthropies… revealing tiny glimpses every time of the err of their thinking.
This thinking Anand reveals—rarely through his own voice— to have spread not necessarily due to the malice of these elites, but by their ignorance on the human/social elements of the issues, as well as constant rationalization of their inability to tackle these issues.
These rationalizations often lead them to take a path of attempting to solve big social problems on their own, often leading to inadequate results.
Subtle, Clear and Disarming.
Although finding myself on the libertarian-left end of the political spectrum, I never truly understood Anand’s discontent for philanthropists and philanthropies as a whole. Like many who believe in the power of technology to change the world, I saw his disdain for Big Tech as unwarranted especially when it didn’t come from an angle that took into account network effects. I sometimes saw his cynicism of the elites to be misplaced in particular contexts, and sometimes, downright wrong in his interviews.
I found a different Anand in his writing. The Anand that was oft outspoken, took a backseat.
Anand wrote this book for people like me. Yes, I may be skeptical of the government and its ability to tackle problems, I may even be skeptical of Big Tech in regards to issues like privacy and the increasing centralization of the internet. But I never truly asked myself if this sort of market-based/technical system of problem-solving was truly apt in solving the greatest social problems of our time.
I guess that spoke far more of me than I’d like to admit. No, I am far from elite, but I have lived a life of relative privilege.
Anand writes with a style that I have never before witnessed. It feels as if being pulled through various worlds, and then being guided into a new reality. Anand’s voice is rarely often heard, but when it is, it exists as if to speak for you, to bring into light what he has already revealed to you— more aptly— what you have come to see yourself. This powerful and yet subtle way of writing has the intended effect of disarming oneself. It almost feels like it was written as a plea, a powerful plea, to the very “elites” he had been criticizing throughout the book.
The perspectives of those we are shown are, in many cases, the very words of these MarketWorld higher-ups. Many reveal to themselves and us, the audience, that they truly have doubts in this asymmetric approach to problem-solving. We see truly influential players in the system like Andrew Kassoy and Darren Walker deal with their inability to get their fellow corporate world leaders to participate far more in their democracy and for the better.
If they themselves question their ability for positive social impact, perhaps we, the average citizens of the world, should be far more willing to critique them making decisions on our behalf.
The critique in perspective.
There is very little wrong with Anand’s critique of a system that prioritizes the use of the sort of technical thinking I cherish, to tackle messy human structures. But what happens when, society as a whole faces a problem, that requires the sort of technocratic problem solving that Anand critiques.
What if that problem, let’s say was a pandemic.
I do not think Dani Rodrik’s words come most immediately to Anand’s mind.
In the book, Dani emphasizes that globalist/technocratic thinking may work best in regards to large scale problems like a pandemic, or global warming, but less so in regards to local issues.
What if that so-called pandemic occurred, would it prove this dichotomy right? In the past few days, and months we have seen the US government gain massive relative power, over corporations big and small, and neigh infinite resources in regards to tackling the threat that faces us.
All the ways that Anand had claimed Billionaires and the corporate elite may undermine the system can literally be revoked and altered in a matter of seconds. We have the chance before us to set a new global order and in many cases, this responsibility lies not on the behest of companies, corporations, and individuals, it lies in the very power of government. This chance we are shown is being squandered by those meant to represent us.
In short, the government has become as relatively powerful as could be and yet, the response has ventured on the catastrophic both in regards to the technical aspect of tackling the pandemic response as well as its economic response.
This reveals to me the tiny yet significant flaw in Anand’s book. He portrays the issue of the failure of the government to act on behalf of its citizens as an issue caused by external forces.
Even if we take into account lobbying and external moneyed interests, we realize quickly that money does not work in a vacuum. There is no politician that does not have the choice to say no to corporate interests.
While we have high ranked CEOs literally advocating the demise of poorly performing crony capitalist organizations, and advocating on behalf of smaller companies and the people, we have people in government acting on their own behalf.
Case one.
Case two
The true problem in such a massive crisis reveals itself not to be the vain rationalizations of the Billionaire elite, it is, however, the incompetence of those who find themselves at the seat of government.
Although, yes, the elite have to do far more to encourage and strengthen government and democracy, the problem has been wrongly defined as, “how do we make Billionaires weaker so as to strengthen the government”. The real definition of this problem should have been, “do we vet for aptitude and competence in government, public institutions, and democracy as a whole?”
The earlier shifts the point of focus. It says the Billionaires and Marketworld elites are primarily to blame for what should be the constitutional duty of our representatives.
Anand’s own book shows to me once again not malicious intent by the global elite, but a severe disdain for the status games and subjective nature of politics that allows for truly catastrophic solutions.
When Kassoy mentioned that he “never been very good at it. I can’t tell you if that’s lack of courage, lack of an understanding of how to—like, I think being a really good activist requires some amount of manipulation, and I’m not that good at that.” what he actually meant to say is that he does not have an affinity for the sort of status games that permeate these social roles.
Meanwhile worldwide, we see technocratic, globalist infrastructures most suitably address the issues we face. Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore are very much technocratic in their approach to governance. And yet, given their proximity to China (where the pandemic originated from), have handled this problem far more adeptly than could have been imagined.
In regards to South Korea, such a feat would not have been possible without a unified approach. The swift response on the side of the government was due in part to their ability to leverage their tech start-ups.
Taiwan, also made use of the sort of Big Data/ spreadsheet-like approach to tackling the virus.
We see these governments make use of their tech sectors to design truly adequate solutions. We see the words of globalists like Bill Gates who have ringed and called for the necessity of global action towards pandemics, ring true. We see global philanthropies step up in what should have been global cooperation between nations.
I have always been an enemy of centralization irrespective of its nature, but the pandemic proves Anand’s theory of case somewhat faulty.
What needs to be done after all this is over, is that we will need to assess the type of people we truly want in our government. More specifically, we need to think of the recreation of the government and the institutions therein. We need new means through which to hold our leaders accountable. For the truth of an ailing society, lies far more in the competence in its leadership.
This means that the MarketWorld elites will need to participate in what is the collective role of the society, as citizens not as leaders. But it also means that we will have a far bigger conversation about the role of government, accountability, risk, the competence of elected officials, as well as new means through which governments should or should not exercise its powers. In short, a whole rethinking of our democracy and how best to satisfy the needs of the general populace.
Conclusion
Winners Take All is a truly provocative book questioning the plutocratic approach through which decisions are made on our behalf. It is a once in a lifetime critique of the existing structures of the market elite through their own eyes. It is a book that has, if anything, made me so much wiser.
Rating: READ IT NOW!
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