Small bands of men and women held together by common backgrounds, struggle courageously, yet hopelessly, against each other and a powerful foe. Faceless multinational corporations sweep across the land, crushing feeble attempts at resistance and assimilating all in a never-ending quest for power and profit. One day, a charismatic leader emerges and, brandishing the pristine ideals of democracy, unifies the masses and vanquishes corporate greed. Order is restored and civil society flourishes once more. However, in his rendition, the hero doesn't win.
Barber begins by recounting the tired tale of corporate greed run amok.
Bolstered by the illusion of autonomy, corporations squandered domestic resource supplies. When these reserves gave out, they went prospecting abroad rather than facing the less profitable paths of recycling or replacing materials. Only governmental intervention, at the request of the people, made alternative paths attractive. But as multinational corporations extended their reach, they became less subject to individual national governments and eventually even adverse to their meddlesome interference. At the same time, a frenzy of mergers created a class of state sanctioned monopolies that further weakened the legitimacy of the nation-state.