The religious leader caught extorting parishioners for time, energy and resources to present the “image of God” while parishioners manage the disgrace of believing the scam. CEOs earning money for running a business into the ground while chastising the working poor for a lack of “financial literacy” and “poor discipline.” Colleges having billions in endowment funds while offering little except the idea of being one of the “elites,” while counseling government officials against forgiving student loans. “Family values” politicians being caught with multiple affairs and using government funds to solicit sex workers. In the end, the dominant narrative has functioned hypocritically, yet people are still so drawn to it. Unsurprisingly, people would rather isolate incidents than gain awareness about corrupt, hierarchical systems and work to change them.
Anyone in Generation X is familiar with Bill Gates not only because of Windows, but because of his unethical employment practices and his monopolization efforts. Recently, it has been revealed that Bill Gates is steadily purchasing farmland–during an era where food prices have been consistently rising and destroying healthy diets around the country. During the Cuban Revolution, farms were taken so that people could work the land and to alleviate starvation. This was also part of an effort to overthrow a dictator, who greatly benefitted investors from the United States. To this day, there has been extensive economic hostility against Cuba because of its disinterest in submitting to governments managed by outsiders. Even supposing that Bill Gates was really buying farmland to “create job opportunities,” with his employment and leadership records, why is it acceptable for him to have large quantities of farmland, but wrong for a nation to reclaim itself from foreign interference? This is merely rewarding selfishness in the face of deprivation, but nobody can tell that to most US constituents–and certainly not Bill Gates himself.
Governments on all levels are bleating that everyone should be building to alleviate homelessness based on the supply-and-demand principle. However, not only has private equity bought several properties, keeping them vacant to gain more profit, but mostly luxury units have been built. Almost nobody can afford to buy or rent these properties, but prices are portrayed as the “market rate,” silencing most property management companies and people struggling to pay bills. On the West Bank, Israel seized more land this year than in the past 20 years, and thanks to the press’s complicity, has looked like a valiant hero against Hamas for doing so. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has also yielded to coercive pressure to reimburse colonial interests that were lost during the country’s struggle for its own independence. This is purportedly being done to “legitimize” the country in the eyes of foreign investors. Haiti is also well-known for paying for its independence by reimbursing France for the loss of its colony. Apparently, seizing land for profit while making people homeless is the only acceptable way to take things from other people, while asserting one’s humanity and autonomy deserves retribution.
Finally, the world is facing one of the most contentious elections in United States history–really, this time, as opposed to all those other fake times in the past. There have been a variety of voter intimidation tactics, beginning with the gerrymandering that gave the US its terrible reputation among marginalized classes. Ballot boxes are also being burned, as well as lawsuits being filed to discredit the results if the “wrong” president is elected. Yet, if several US constituents are to be believed, it is countries like Russia and Iran that need intervention. In fact, Pakistan is supposedly jealous of the “freedom” in the United States, despite the President himself stating that violence could be possible.
Competition, including competing ideas, is supposed to be the fruit of innovation. Without such, people will never get enough information and will make choices based on desperation. Unfortunately, we live in a world where those who cannot compete on a level playing field will cheat everyone else by refusing to acknowledge their incompetence, putting everyone else at a disadvantage. When someone says that it is acceptable for one person to do certain things while it is wrong for others to do the same things, citizens worldwide should actively question the confidence of such a statement.
Chasing A Dying Empire 