Greetings Loyal Readers,
Been a long, long time time, but I am still working and living. In recent weeks the winds of chaos of the Wall St., global financial markets and the global economy have buffeted the lives of the rich, the middle class and the poor.(Actually these winds have been brewing for quite a while) The last grouping being a sector, that our great hope for the future, Barack Obama, does not directly mention in his campaign presentations. Then again, maybe I just missed that part in his speeches. In my opinion, this economic storm has historic and oceanic consequences.
Like nothing before, it seems to be an indictment of a system, an ideology, a culture, that places profit over people,that assigns worth and value to individuals and huge swaths of humanity, based on financial portfolio. The difference this time seems to be, that having gorged themselves on the material and human resources of the world, those who dominate the global economy, are now in the throes of wretched purging, an inevitable outcome of the brazen binging spree they were on for centuries.
What we are witnessing is not a mistake, not errors or indiscretions of a perfect system as those who worship at the altar of the market are bound to claim. We heard that before, in their own tales about the golden idols of Babylon.
The attempt to assign blame to one or the other sector of those of us caught up in the domination of this global leviathan is specious. Shameful attempts to blame the efforts of those,e.g. victims of the so-called sub-prime market, who in pursuit of the American dream were set up by the Pied Piper of capitalism. Many drown in the now evident whirlpool of falling home values, combined with terrifying plunge in the personal income/assets of a vast majority of the working class and now a even more painful credit crunch. Trillions lost from pension funds.
In effect these are symptoms of the deeper problems I just mentioned, a systemic/inherent faultline in the very character, the nature of the monopoly capitalism. Focused on the goal of maximizing profit, driven by the need to ever expand the markets of consumption and exploitation, compelled to dominate and control the resources of the many for the benefit of the few, the monster turns every event into an opportunity to ramp up its deathlock. It tightens the screws on the real source of its ill gotten gains, the natural and human resources of the world. They cynically offer a trickle down theory and twist the dagger of insult and injury further, as they indulge in the wealth created by the blood, sweat, tears and yes, genius of the oppressed.
So engorged with the blood of its victims, the beast is massive and unstoppable. Noble attempts to oppose it, win some transient victories, but lose the battle.
Attempts to accommodate oneself to the bullying of this kind of enslavement, lead like any disease to self denial, self destruction and death. The structure of abuse and exploitation has to collapse on its own contradictions. Our problem, common working people of the world, is not the same as those who rule.This is in effect because of the very concrete issue of identity and identification within the context of an oppressive global culture. It clouds ones ability to respond effectively top crisis and to appreciate the value of life itself or even to recognize one's own self and interests. Think back to the Stockholm Syndrome,or remembering Brother Malcolm's incisive observation about the house slave, may be of some help in this analysis. Indeed the master is sick, you read the rest as to why we should pray for a stronger wind. A tough proposition, but events seem to validate this with every passing moment.
I close with a few reflections and questions to consider.
Can those who run and have run things for so long, solve this problem of their own creation? They are at their wits end and trying to use the same medicine that created the crisis.
Indeed the govt. will probably have to turn to the same "experts" corporate raiders, to come up with the brilliant solutions to resolve this enigma. Check out who is the project manager for how to spend the loot from the seven hundred billion plus, bailout of Wall ST.
Even if they could save the Titanic/slave plantation, would that mean deliverance or
salvation for the rest of us.
How come in most calculations of the economic crisis the fact that this is a country engaged in a prohibitively expensive global war on terror, so-called, is not factored into the equation/popular discussion?
Check the following....
It might be helpful to dust off the work of John Kenneth Galbraith and to pay attention to Naomi Klein's thesis on disaster capitalism , particularly her refrain that "ideas have consequences" in relation the the legacy of Milton Friedman.
Reflect on Peter Tosh's prophetic chant " What a day when the dollar dies".
Yet all is not lost we will survive this mess as our ancestors have before. But we can only do so on our terms, this Titanic is listing heavily. We have seen the housing market jobs, credit etc., watch now for more disruption in the energy market and yes the challenge to the US dollar as the dominant global standard.
Of course those of us free enough to acknowledge our identity, could make a "b" line to our cultural fountain and look at, or lean on what has always delivered us. Our cultural legacy has within it, the seeds to create the world we want and need. We find that resource by turning to each other, for respite and solution to the trials and tribulations we face. Garvey among several said and lived the truth that we can and must be the solution to the problems that face us. Once we accept that responsibility these challenges become less ominous and the restoration of integrity, so vital to the integrity and validity of our liberation becomes an matter of course.
This process will yield results, because the fruits of our labor and creativity will be for the benefit of our own communities. The way of being we can create, can never come from our oppressor, never from the dominant culture. Even if it wanted to, it does not know how to be that humane, has not got the integrity or humility to ask.
