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Robert Putnam (1995) has suggested that membership in US voluntary associations has declined in recent decades, a contention challenged by various writers. Historical evidence indicates that associations come & go, reflecting changes in society. Using specific examples to prove that some malaise is threatening democracy is a risky business. Some associations have simply failed to meet the needs of a better-educated, more discriminating public & have paid the price. A Darwinian process of selection goes on all the time among the many thousands of US groups. Different kinds of voluntarism are constantly being invented; eg, the Internet & World Wide Web have created a whole new voluntary world, which is just beginning to find its voice. This underlines the need for a more detailed examination of the issues & the data than has been the case. 80 References. Adapted from the source document.

Mexico is now plagued by guerrilla uprisings in its poorest states, the most theatrical and celebrated of which is that of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas under the leadership of the enigmatic, pipe-smoking Subcomandante Marcos. The rebels have made the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) a focus of their fury and have cleverly used the Internet to air their complaints. While free trade certainly is contributing to the economic problems of the Mexican underclass, the depopulating of rural areas and growth of the cities is an almost inevitable trend that even the most dramatic gestures by Marcos and his followers are unlikely to postpone. NAFTA has become a scapegoat for the modernization of Mexico.

Presents the ongoing revolt in Chiapas, Mexico, as a postmodern uprising, complete with its contradictory leader, fragmentary attack on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), & heavy reliance on new information technologies. Subcomandante Marcos has been a master at juxtaposing himself against Presidents Carlos Salinas & Ernesto Zedillo in a case of outright publicity campaigning. It is argued that his ideas are an odd mix of 1960s Marxism & contemporary populism put forth through an incessant use of the Internet. His scapegoating of NAFTA, while largely accurate, is perceived as an easy attack on capitalism & the neoliberal market. Marcos's future portends an increasing reliance on popular culture for money & exposure & a possible drop in popularity due to impending political reforms. Adapted from the source document.