Where people may perceive economic inequality and recent social-justice outrages as separate issues, I see total integration. None of our problems are new; whats changed is the collapse of the myth that permitted us to ignore them. The ramblings of Russel Brand contain a kernel (or several) of truth: hyper-individualism, which weve grown comfortable taking for granted, has been carefully inculcated, and for a reason. Here we have a society that requires your whole energy and concentration just to stay solvent, but one that theoretically rewards your effort and cooperation, or at least everyone elses-- a society where an upper-middle class existence is supposedly normal and everyones embarrassed not to have one. Such a society is perfectly tailored for the interests of the super-wealthy, who wish, above all, to avoid scrutiny. Yesterdays emperors may have erected bronze colossi of themselves, but todays overlords prefer obscurity. I think my good friend Tai was accurate in his assessment: theres a silver lining in all this bad news, which is the end of complacency. A radical is no longer a malcontent, its someone whos paying attention.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 17:38:04 +0000
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