We are all sell outs

I feel fine like it is.

there are no alternatives

Capitalism is the best system that anybody has been able to come up with that actually works at the moment.

"don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you"

The government is a slave to the people's votes. Each political decision isn't based on a moral opinion, but on the democratic benefits for that government (ie, the amount of votes they will receive).

This is democracy, just how you like it.

The problem, in my opinion, is that people are disgusting.
I'm personally certain that most people would steal, kill and rape if they felt they could get away with it, even in our western society. Each individual may seem pleasant, polite and friendly, but 'group psychology' is simply instinctive and primal.

It's the people's votes that put our government in a situation of desperate need of oil and dept, not the government's or upper-class' selfish greed.

If we such big supporters of Democracy, I believe the need of political education is essential.

I want to put to you my argument that we middle class westerners are all, ultimately, moral sell outs who trade democracy, equality and justice for what amount to handouts from the ruling elite.

The basis for this premise is that yes, the history of all hitherto existing society, including our own, is that of class struggle; the fundamental division of all social, economic and political power in all countries of the world is that of class. A small ruling, wealthy, land and business owning elite class and a vast working class, of which the middle class is a part of.

Ok so taking that as read, what kind of world is it we live in today? Well depending on your ideological leanings, source of education and where on that class spectrum you lie that could range from a wonderful, democratic, capitalist utopia to a failed financial plutocracy barely more democratic than feudalist and monarchist societies that came before it etc.

I'd argue the latter is quite obviously true. The vast majority of global wealth lies in the hands of private businesses, primarily corporations, who are by definition private tyrannies with CEOs and executives who pass orders down from on high and anyone failing to comply can expect to be removed from the system.

There is some degree of internal regulation, namely shareholder agreements, in other words the corporation is legally obliged to ignore all externalities in the pursuit of profit for the shareholders. In return the CEOs and execs get vast bonuses whilst worker hours increase and wages stay much the same. Essentially wealth is passed up the chain and there is no democratic control over the business. It's important to note that those "externalities" often include destruction of the environment, the loss of jobs, even human rights abuse in some parts of the world, certainly worker exploitation in sweatshops and so on.

Our governments are basically the political wing of these powerful business interests. We may have a chance to vote for one of a handful of parties every now and again but they are usually always fundamentally the same pro-business factions of big business, and in most western countries the winner is usually the party with the biggest financial backing of the business community. Take the US:



Western governments function primarily to further their business communities both at home and abroad. Abroad this means monopolising lucrative resources in foreign nations eg. oil, food, water, coffee, metals and various other valuable goods. Powerful western governments, particularly the US, are able to force trade regulations on these countries that favour US corporate control over local businesses and prevent eg. third world agriculture competing with the US via. subsidies and tariffs, effectively creating a net flow of wealth out oft he third world and into the hands of western corporations. Any nation that fails to comply will be broken open by force (the examples of which should be pretty obvious to you).

At home this means selling of public owned services such as health, education, infrastructure and even the military to private businesses are bargain basement prices so that they can be exploited for profit in the same way soft drinks and TVs are.

If ever these banks and corporations come into financial difficulties while they recklessly pursue these profits through risky loans etc. public taxes are used to bail them out so that those wealthy business elites maintain their wealth with you and I footing the bill.

So here you have a system with almost no economic or political democracy, in which wealth is sucked from the third world, holding it's head under the water in miserable poverty, and which steals our taxes and public services in order to ensure the rich get richer.

Why do we in the west put up with it?




Despite our almost complete lack of control over society, our jobs, the government and the environment, and despite the system in which we live clearly being the cause for extreme poverty worldwide, and often war and economic aggression, we tolerate this because our own lives are relatively cushy enough for us to be too content to bother shaking things up.

We do not live in democracies in any sense of the word, we are ultimately still members of the working class; we do not own the means of production, we are still wage labourers working for wealthy elites to whom the majority of the wealth we generate goes. We are simply a section of the working class who have been selected for preferential treatment in exchange for our complicity with the system.

We square this with ourselves by adopting convenient myths that forgive or deny this injustice, such as "there is no alternative" "human nature says this system is inevitable" "it's darwinism, survival of the fittest!" etc. All of which share one thing in common; their complete and utter fallacy.

So whether or not you agree with the current model of global power, at least be honest with yourself, so long as you are not working to dismantle it you are simply content living within it because you have been bought out by the comforts that the ruling class in our rich countries allow us in exchange for our silence.

As long as I live a quality life, I don't care about anyone else. Call me a sell out or whatever but I'd rather enjoy life then spending it thinking about how to conquer the bourgeoisie.

^^^^^^^^^^

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Can you think of a practical model you would prefer?

I don't think a profit motive is inherently bad but the nature of big business today. I agree with you that it is big business propped up by the state through the methods you outline that is inherently corrupt and stifles competition.

I'd prefer to see co-operatively owned businesses where workers have a proper share of ownership and an association between workers. Without these things you just get wage slaves and exploitation.

I don't think that idea is particularly radical either, you'd still have private property and the ability to make a profit but without exploiting the workforce.

(On a side note I don't agree with charging rent or interest rates either but that's a different matter)

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