Dissent
The current economic conditions in the U.S. impact workers, the people who actually perform the tasks that keep this service-oriented economy moving. By some estimates, 20% of the working population is unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile Wall Street profits soar to new heights.
Materialism is the driving engine of this economy. As a result, despite the general increase in health and longevity resulting in less hard physical labor to maintain a high standard of living, a shrinking percentage of the population enjoy the full benefits of rewarding employment and assured income. This is simply an unsustainable trend. It will inevitably lead to social discord and violence without proactive resistance and dissent.
The unfortunate mentality, born of the crushing work of the Industrial Age, that work is something to be gotten through for so many decades before reaping the happy leisure of retirement, persists. The materialistic carrot of more work leading to more luxury fails as a model for older workers, whose wisdom dictates a simpler lifestyle with less complications. So, we now have the stick, waved by Ayn Rand Republicans and Libertarians: We will punish you for opting out of the workplace by cutting your retirement benefits and health care insurance. The double-speak of this position is astounding, since there are few jobs for older workers, who are the most effected by the current unemployment crisis.
The capitalism of materialism is a bulky and clumsy ship, built on rigid supply-demand principles of an imaginary "free" market. There is no freedom actually in this model. It is a model tilted in favor of the haves against the enslaved have-nots. Fearful capitalists point to anecdotal success stories whenever this is pointed out. The entrepreneurial model of the Reagan Era is slowly being revealed as having severe shortcomings in providing a safe, equitable and stable society.
A humanistic capitalism is shouted down in America by vested interests, represented by a bought-off media. It is labeled as Socialism, as if Socialism is a bad thing. Playing to the poorly educated, sabotaged for decades by the same vested interests who have gutted public school systems of the nation for tax relief, the bought-off media empires breed fear of social innovation. This would inevitably entail dismantling the power of the greedy who now maintain control. Adults and children are indoctrinated into a numbing political correctness under the guise of preventing hate crimes. The message is clearly, "You cannot trust yourself or your impressions about anything if you are not conforming". Independent thought is discouraged by social media networks, like Facebook, where people self-edit for fear of becoming unemployable.
Those who speak out loudly are labeled "conspiracy theorists" or "crazies". They are equated with terrorists, assassins and bigots. The politics of fear are succeeding better than any wily politician could have hoped. Meanwhile, the politicians themselves are grappling to join the new aristocracy.
In my opinion, it is impossible to be a humanist in these times without objecting to these trends. To profit from the stratification of society into the rich and the poor is simply wrong. No amount of "social entrepreneurship" (good works, repackaged as small businesses) can justify the dismantling of social security, housing programs or health care provision for everyone.
It is a sad time when Americans have to look to Greece, France or Tunisia for models of protest against social injustice. It is even sadder that religious fundamentalism in America resembles religious fundamentalism in Pakistan. The U.S. used to be a model of public education and equanimity, despite social inequities. However, the new aristocracy, based in corporate and inherited wealth, threatens the principles of democracy in America. They recite The Constitution verbatim to justify their actions. It must be remembered that some of the men who wrote The Constitution were themselves slave-holding aristocrats in their time.
Materialism is the driving engine of this economy. As a result, despite the general increase in health and longevity resulting in less hard physical labor to maintain a high standard of living, a shrinking percentage of the population enjoy the full benefits of rewarding employment and assured income. This is simply an unsustainable trend. It will inevitably lead to social discord and violence without proactive resistance and dissent.
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| Tunisian Labor Protesters |
The capitalism of materialism is a bulky and clumsy ship, built on rigid supply-demand principles of an imaginary "free" market. There is no freedom actually in this model. It is a model tilted in favor of the haves against the enslaved have-nots. Fearful capitalists point to anecdotal success stories whenever this is pointed out. The entrepreneurial model of the Reagan Era is slowly being revealed as having severe shortcomings in providing a safe, equitable and stable society.
A humanistic capitalism is shouted down in America by vested interests, represented by a bought-off media. It is labeled as Socialism, as if Socialism is a bad thing. Playing to the poorly educated, sabotaged for decades by the same vested interests who have gutted public school systems of the nation for tax relief, the bought-off media empires breed fear of social innovation. This would inevitably entail dismantling the power of the greedy who now maintain control. Adults and children are indoctrinated into a numbing political correctness under the guise of preventing hate crimes. The message is clearly, "You cannot trust yourself or your impressions about anything if you are not conforming". Independent thought is discouraged by social media networks, like Facebook, where people self-edit for fear of becoming unemployable.
Those who speak out loudly are labeled "conspiracy theorists" or "crazies". They are equated with terrorists, assassins and bigots. The politics of fear are succeeding better than any wily politician could have hoped. Meanwhile, the politicians themselves are grappling to join the new aristocracy.
In my opinion, it is impossible to be a humanist in these times without objecting to these trends. To profit from the stratification of society into the rich and the poor is simply wrong. No amount of "social entrepreneurship" (good works, repackaged as small businesses) can justify the dismantling of social security, housing programs or health care provision for everyone.
It is a sad time when Americans have to look to Greece, France or Tunisia for models of protest against social injustice. It is even sadder that religious fundamentalism in America resembles religious fundamentalism in Pakistan. The U.S. used to be a model of public education and equanimity, despite social inequities. However, the new aristocracy, based in corporate and inherited wealth, threatens the principles of democracy in America. They recite The Constitution verbatim to justify their actions. It must be remembered that some of the men who wrote The Constitution were themselves slave-holding aristocrats in their time.
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