That’s right folks, like it or not, Humans are no longer the bee’s knees when it comes to (in the most liberal sense of the word) life on Earth. Humans, we had our run, and it was a pretty good one, but Big Corporations have taken over and it is shaping up to be a short, destructive reign.
We give corporations life by giving them our time, and money. Big corporations are animals which feed off of the blood, sweat, and most importantly money of people. Their only instincts are to compete, in the capitalist fashion, and accumulate as much wealth as possible. It is the only thing they know how to do. They feed off not only us, but also each other, destroying and consuming one another to become stronger and larger.
Since corporations have taken hold in our society, they have gained increasing levels of control both over the people and governments of the world. Decisions which have been made leading to the destruction and exploitation of this world and everything on it have been made, by people, on behalf of corporations. We have allowed ourselves, and our governments, to be led towards decisions and policies which lead to increasing reliance on money, and allow for optimal flow of capital and resources around the world.
As the situation in the Gulf of Mexico exhibits, big corporations (and the tiny minority of the population which control them) are the hand up the rear end of the flimsy puppet that is our government. In capitalism, it is no secret that money speaks. It is the driving force behind the education, and ideological control corporations hold over the masses. People look no further than the messages which are piped straight to their home through the mainstream media to tell them what they want to: buy, act like, look like, and (if they are in the minority of people) vote for.
As a society (The western world, and increasingly others), we want nothing more than to be comfortable. Luckily for corporations, new technologies allow them to keep enough people just comfortable enough to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately for humans, the number of people corporations are required to keep happy is getting smaller and smaller every year. The world gets more and more unequal every day. Because of the monetary and legal systems we have allowed to surround us, our entire lives are controlled by ideas of ownership, and private property. Private property, and the money which purchases it, is disproportionately in the “hands” of corporations.
Even though it is ultimately humans which are what drive corporations, this setup only serves to distance individuals from the decisions they make. The decisions made by those working for corporations are generally solely profit-generating based. I say generally, because there are always exceptions, and in the business world, there are occasionally corporations which have some form of human conscience, and manage to conduct their business with minimal negative impact on humans. Unfortunately, most corporations are hierarchical in organization, where a minority of people reap the vast majority of profits. These individuals use the corporate structure to alienate themselves from the terrible social, economic, and political atrocities that are committed on their behalf, for their direct benefit.
In the Western world, we are willfully ignorant of the real cost of own comfort. We do not think critically about how we are able to have our most impulsive, short-sighted desires. When we listen to our iPods or wear our new shoes, we do not think about those who toiled to create these items. We do not think about it because if we did, we may not feel so good about it. The vast majority of our manufactured goods come from countries where people are kept in abject poverty, and only healthy and free enough to make it into work 6 days a week to keep making us the literal or virtually disposable items we use every day.
We are so blind to the world around us that we ignore even those in our own towns, cities, and countries. We justify our own wealth by thinking that we have achieved our own comfort or position because of “hard-work” or some other deserved reason. We chastise those who do not flourish and succeed as lazy, or unwilling to improve their own situation we know nothing of. We do not, or will not see the multitude of social and systematic inequalities which rigidly maintain the status quo.
The “American Dream” is just that, a dream. Pointing to an anecdotal example of someone who has succeeded despite barriers is calling the exception the rule.
In Western Society, which is the recipient of vastly disproportionate amounts of the worlds wealth and labour, we in theory have democracy. In reality, any semblance of democracy has been stripped from us by the undeniable effect of money on our governments and the decisions they make. As I said, in capitalism, money talks, and especially so when it comes to politics. Money, combined with the media shape the discourse on our government, and limits the discussion to the angles and issues which are in the best interests of those with the money. In our world, a tiny minority of people control the vast majority of the wealth, and these are the people who choose our leaders, policies, and ultimately make the decisions in most levels of government.
Even if you limit the scope of our analysis to western, “civilized” countries, where adults (an arbitrary age) have the vote, we still do not have democracy (even though we could). The last decade in Canada has seen less then 50% voter turnout in every federal election. This, by definition, is not democracy. It is the minority of people ruling the whole (Oligarchy). In addition to the majority of disillusioned apathetic non-voters, I would contend that most voters do not even vote for people who will adequately represent their interests.
Most people vote based on perceived tradition, colour, or as a emotional response to a single issue. We still have massive inequalities in our represented officials in every single area of perceived distinction of people: gender, race, religion, and everything else we use to divide ourselves. If we truly had democracy, our governments would not constantly make decisions which benefit corporations to the detriment of individuals.
As an example of one of the many deficiencies of our system, in the last federal election, something like 8% of voters voted for the Green Party. The Green Party currently holds… (drumroll) ZERO SEATS. Where is the democracy there? What happened to those individuals voice? They were lost in the mess of a electoral system we call First Past the Post.
These are obviously massive issues I am raising, but the point is that as long as corporations control our government, and dictate the policies to them, we will not have democracy, or equality in this world.
As this whole rant was pointing out all of the problems in the world, I will end with some positive steps we can all take to fix this world:
- VOTE. While you still can, as often as possible. Vote for someone who will truly represent your interests. We are all different, and the best way to find a consensus we can all live with is ensuring that each of our opinions are taken into account in the governments which rule us.
- Raise your voice (as Bad Religion once said). Even if you didn’t vote, you have elected officials who’s job it is to listen to you, and take your opinion into account in the decisions they make. You cannot expect them to do everything you want, but you should expect them to listen. They also cannot do what you want unless you tell them what that is. Chances are they won’t ask you, so you have to tell them.
- Think before you do. In everything from what you do, to what you say and what you buy. The almighty dollar speaks louder than your voice sometimes, so make sure it says what you want. If you choose to support a company, make sure you agree with how they conduct business. I promise you if enough people take their dollars elsewhere, business will follow. Real, positive changes can come from smart, informed purchasing.
- Be nice to each other. Especially those who have it worse off than yourself. Be aware of your preconceptions and prejudices (we all have them), and put them to the side. Think about how you like being treated, and try not to let people live how you would not want to.
Anyways people, that was an exhaustive go at a very big issue I am only scratching the surface of. I encourage you to think about what I have written, and to comment by clicking below. I am sure that most (if not all) people will disagree with something I have said here, and if you do, I would like to hear about it.
I love you all people, lets fix this world together.
