(no subject)
It's funny that "Labor Day", a holiday pushed through by worker unions and members of both the communist and anarchist parties in the 1880s is now celebrated as such a boring holiday in the United States. In fact, we're quite tame when it comes to celebrating Labor Day. Most countries celebrate it on May 1st and it is accompanied by high-profile political speeches and demonstrations.
Ironically, we celebrate Labor Day the least yet we "labor" the most, according to most studies among industrialized nations. Year after year the United States ranks at the top for hours per work week and least amount of paid time off. The word "union" is shunned in present day America, and there is even a cultural tendency to ridicule those in Europe who work less than us by implying they are weak or lazy.
What people in America fail to realize is that we're in a modern day form of slavery by consent. Our economy is failing, yet we're working more and more hours. The median household income is falling while the median house price is rising. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting fucked. Credit card companies own our lives, and by implementing a myriad of "Terms and Conditions" they assure that we'll never be free of their hold. And guess who these credit card and banking industry people know... if you guessed our politicians then you get a gold star. All their money and influence ensures that the people of this country will never really be heard. Sure, every 4 years we get to vote through a fucked up electoral college system for a president, but that doesn't mean that he/she represents us. The current presidential-fuck-up aside, all presidents are more concerned with the elite of the corporate world than they are the laborers who make that system work.
A capitalist democracy is an oxymoron, and it always has been. Political figures know that they need to continue the facade of democracy while preserving the interests of private business, and they're damn good at it. A capitalist society will always look after those who make the money, and will NEVER treat everyone as they were created equal. Any welfare recipient who thinks they get treated equally with the CEO of an oil company is a fool, and the Constitution is a farce, although it tends to help us out from time to time. This country is getting surpassed in so many areas, from education to GDP to military strength, and yet we as a people are doing little about it. Anyone who has taken a Western Civ class can probably see the similarities between us and the great empires, all of which who fell. The question now is how much will it take to topple the empire that is America, and where will I end up when all is said and done? The only good news for us is that much of the industrialized world is not much better than us right now, so we may be safe for a while.
Ironically, we celebrate Labor Day the least yet we "labor" the most, according to most studies among industrialized nations. Year after year the United States ranks at the top for hours per work week and least amount of paid time off. The word "union" is shunned in present day America, and there is even a cultural tendency to ridicule those in Europe who work less than us by implying they are weak or lazy.
What people in America fail to realize is that we're in a modern day form of slavery by consent. Our economy is failing, yet we're working more and more hours. The median household income is falling while the median house price is rising. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting fucked. Credit card companies own our lives, and by implementing a myriad of "Terms and Conditions" they assure that we'll never be free of their hold. And guess who these credit card and banking industry people know... if you guessed our politicians then you get a gold star. All their money and influence ensures that the people of this country will never really be heard. Sure, every 4 years we get to vote through a fucked up electoral college system for a president, but that doesn't mean that he/she represents us. The current presidential-fuck-up aside, all presidents are more concerned with the elite of the corporate world than they are the laborers who make that system work.
A capitalist democracy is an oxymoron, and it always has been. Political figures know that they need to continue the facade of democracy while preserving the interests of private business, and they're damn good at it. A capitalist society will always look after those who make the money, and will NEVER treat everyone as they were created equal. Any welfare recipient who thinks they get treated equally with the CEO of an oil company is a fool, and the Constitution is a farce, although it tends to help us out from time to time. This country is getting surpassed in so many areas, from education to GDP to military strength, and yet we as a people are doing little about it. Anyone who has taken a Western Civ class can probably see the similarities between us and the great empires, all of which who fell. The question now is how much will it take to topple the empire that is America, and where will I end up when all is said and done? The only good news for us is that much of the industrialized world is not much better than us right now, so we may be safe for a while.