The Workings of the World Part Deux
- gerdyjohnston419
- Nov 22
- 5 min read
Emotional platitudes are easy to give and not good enough for me to leave this subject off on. Let’s go back to the American world and let me just flat out say that I think America’s global power has been a net negative for the world as a whole. Capitalism is a gross economic system that goes against the natural ecosystem of the world. Yes there are hundreds on hundreds of ecosystems on the planet and I’m not going to pretend like I’ve studied each and everyone of them. The worldwide ecosystem is cyclical and sustains itself naturally. Humans as they are today have only been around for 50,000 years but we’ve been around in some shape or form for at least 1,000,000 years. The climate crisis as we know it today is because of over use of fossil fuels for the last century. The folly of humanity is constantly assuming we are above the natural order and thinking that no matter how dire the situation we will preserve and live on. Where does America fit into all this?
Well America has clung to capitalism like a leper that swears their disease is actually saving them. Capitalism is an economic system that operates around privately held means of manufacturing/production for the sake of profit. The supply and demand of the free market is used to determine the goods and products that get created. In theory a free market lends success to those that deserve it while allowing failure to those that don’t. However in practice a true free market causes the greediest to commit egregious acts in the sack of cutting costs and making the largest profit; leading to a world of apathetic people that just see their fellow human as something to exploit to maximize their personal profit. Only through regulating the free market has the United States ever had times of prosperity and growth. Greed can be a powerful motivator but a society that continually uses it as it’s main emotion will find themselves with a population full of people that have nothing but apathy for each other. Why should I help my neighbor when these rich people have screwed over everyone in their lives and have gained massive success for it? Things operating for profit will always be looking to exploit, either labor or the land in order to cut costs and maximize their gains.
Americans like to boast that we won World War II and the Cold War because we outspent our enemies. But when you break it down there are many reasons why America came out as the “victors” of those wars. Due to less industry being present for a shorter period of time and a degree of geographic isolation America had vast amounts of rare earth minerals and land that had yet been industrialized. America had the privilege of remaining neutral in both World Wars for sometime thanks to the fact that the conflict was happening on the other side of the planet. Americans have fought on our own soil in a bloody and gross conquest but I can talk about manifest destiny in another post. Since its founding America has been a capitalist state, one of the main drivers for the revolutionary war was George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were the wealthiest landowners and land speculators in the colonies and the British didn’t want them to sell any land west of the Appalachian mountains because of the hostility from the local population. We’ve always been a country built on greed, money and blood; there is nothing wrong with admitting this fact and we are far from the only country that has such a violent beginning.
In my previous post I said something along the lines that conflict drives humans at times. It’s a foolish endeavor to attempt and wash the blood out of humanity's past because if we aren’t willing to look it in the face we will be doomed to repeat it and never learn from our mistakes. I don’t believe that America’s bloody history and exploitation of the indigenous people is the worst thing humanity has done to itself, remember that tidbit about cannibalism being rampant around 100,000 years ago. The quest for profit America uses as fuel has poisoned us and because we had the resources and geographical advantage we became a global superpower. This infected the world with the idea that things can only operate and run for profit. There are many countries that refuse global capitalism and go their own way, but they are often crushed and dissolved from within from foreign interference. If you don’t believe that capitalism is global then please explain to me why each “civilized” state is slapped with a credit rating maintained by the United States. There is no such thing as good debt and I curse Alexander Hamilton for proposing the idea of it. Debt doesn’t give anyone motivation, it only puts people in fear of owing too much, and think that living comes stapled with a price tag. We should not live in a society that makes it a crime just to exist.
Reform and revolution are the two horsemen of social progress but these days I find little in separating the two. Regardless of your theory the only thing that matters to me is your praxis. There is no objective right way to get things done correctly but I’d prefer not to get my hands dirty. In order to move forward the United States needs to stop operating for profit and focus on sustainability if we want to continue to exist. I would like to live to see a future for humanity and we need to make some rapid changes if we want the world to stay liveable for the foreseeable future. Yes a natural disaster could come around and wipe us out at a second's notice but I’m not worried about that because it’s something I can’t control. Greedy companies and corrupt politicians are something I can work towards stopping. Be it through litigation or protest they are humans that can be stopped. They may hold unthinkable power but they have a heart that beats like every other person on this Earth. If they are worried for their lives that will result in change but it is still up to us to make sure the correct outcome happens this time. Think locally and get organized because there are people out there that share the same opinion. Humanity has always been in the end times because our future is uncertain. It’s important to be realistic about your expectations but don’t let that stomp the hope out of your heart. With every sunrise is a new day and it’s good to hope each day is another small step in progress that we will all benefit from.
Sources:
While Wikipedia is a great starting point I highly recommend going to the sources for these pages and reading them directly.
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