Profits Over People

It’s hard to make any sense of the various news reports we get bombarded with regarding the state of the economy. The latest indicators point to things improving at the end of the year, though not as dramatically as initially predicted. Gotta love predictions from the same people and sources that had a large role in creating all this. Why do we still give these assholes a platform?

Some things we do know - home prices keep giving new meaning to the concept of the bottomless pit, and more and more people are out of work and losing their homes. It’s perfectly clear that shit is bad and people are hurting. Lots of people are hurting in ways they never imagined possible. So why is it that we don’t seem to be questioning the fundamental principles of the system that got us into this mess in the first place? Why do we accept the premise that a few tweaks here and there, and beefed up regulations will make everything better? We act like children unconditionally believing our parents when they tell us not to worry and everything will be ok, because we simply don’t want to face the harsh reality that the vaunted system of capitalism just might not be so wonderful after all.

Our culture has become so obsessed with wealth and excess that we can’t even see what’s right in front of us. We listen to the talking heads in the media and from the business community when they tell us that our system is still the best there is, and we should expect downturns like the one we’re experiencing. We have to take the good with the bad. These are the same multinational corporate conglomofucks that led us down this road, into this sea of despair. But we listen to them because they have shiny suits, perfect teeth and hair, and represent all we wish to be.

Above all else, the one thing these profit-obsessed assclowns represent that we aspire to become is rich. And we continue to accept the ludicrous notion that in order for there to be some that are rich, there also must be some that are poor. Just because something gets said over and over again doesn’t make it true. And if it is the case that there do need to be the poor in order for there to be the rich, why don’t we just reject both? Why do accept this disparity instead of a more equitable distribution of resources?

Wealth distribution continues to be more and more disparate. The rich have been getting richer and the poor poorer for the past several decades. There is no longer such a thing as the middle class in the same way there used to be. We have embraced a system of capitalism on steroids that not only values profit, but does so in a way that marginalizes the importance of all else, including our fellow human beings and their well-being.

We’re driven to become an exception, a person who is part of the rich. And we are consumed with this despite the fact that history and the current state of things tells us that only a miniscule fraction of us will ever be in a position to make this possible, let alone have it actually happen. So we buy into the fairytale that serves the interests of those authoring the myth, and turn off the part of our brains that controls critical thinking. We become unable to question, to recognize that things are happening that point to the existence of huge disconnects between the ability to make a profit and care for humanity at the same time. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the dissonance in the simultaneous increase in homelessness and home foreclosures. We have more vacant dwellings and more people without a dwelling. What the fuck?

Homelessness has never been about a lack of supply. There are no “No Vacancy” signs adorning the metro areas of the US. Homelessness has always been about greed and a lack of concern for our fellow human beings. Can’t afford to pay what the market dictates? Well fuck you, your ass can sleep outside. And your kids too.

I mean really, how insane is it that we don’t stop and ponder the fact that we are all aware of the increasing number of houses and apartments that sit vacant, while we also see an increase in the number of those forced to live in shelters and on the streets? Kinda seems like the two are related, maybe one issue could even provide a solution to the other? Na, fuck that; it’s all about the Benjamins – those that adorn our currency, not those that are forced to live on the streets.

It’s times like this when I miss George Carlin the most. In addition to his general mastery of the English language and his understanding of how the powerful have used language throughout history for shady purposes, Carlin had a particularly venomous streak for capitalism and the super rich.

I dug up this 1992 piece on homelessness and golf that I think is particularly relevant today. This clip is particulalrly important to me not only because I hate both golf and homelessness, but because it's the first thing I remember that got me to begin to question the construction of arguments and positions via the use of language. Click here to view. Enjoy.