My thoughts are still occupied with “inequality”and I’m wanting to get more written. Hard to pull a solid, edifying piece of writing together though, because the more I read and think about it, the harder it seems to be to get it all into a few words for a blog. My latest reading is a book by Tariq Ali, “The Obama Syndrome”. I noted that Ali makes the same points about the rich co-opting politics as John Lanchester does in his book “Whoops”. Ali talks about the “dictatorship of capital”, and makes the point that any pretence that this isn’t the case “disappeared after the collapse of the old communist enemy.
I want to come back to the aspect of inequality I was originally thinking about – why those badly affected by the increasing inequality don’t make more noise about it – revolution! – as I was saying in previous blog entry, somewhat tongue in cheek. Following are what I believe are some possible reasons. Effective protest needs organised numbers of people, so first off you need an organiser. And what’s happened to one of the most effective organising instruments we’ve seen in the last say 100-odd years? The unions? Detroyed, decimated or at least depotentiated by western governments of all ilks over the last 30 years or so. Right-wing governments led the way, but the more left-leaning never did anything effective in re-empowering unions. We all know that the more left-leaning governments have leaned quite a lot the other way in the last thirty years.
But the Occupy Wall Street movement inspires hope. How heartening this was. Happened here in several NZ cities and around the world. Great! Don’t know what’s happening with this group currently, must check them out.
Revolutions arise from contexts of extreme social injustice and poverty, such as existed in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, or in Central America in the same and later periods. We don’t have these extremes in the west – yet. In the case of the Occupy movement, a motivating factor for protest is the sheer greed, criminality and other chicanery that’s occurred that absolutely pissed off the “little person” everywhere.
The New Scientist used a phrase “relative poverty” to describe a contemporary phenomenon: groups of people at such a reduced level of income that they are not able to fully participate in their society. There are probably not enough numbers at this level, to be effective in creating protest, and also, how would anyone in these circumstances have the energy to be active in such ways. Not only lacking the facilities that most of us take for granted – car, landline phone, Internet access, other electronic fripperies, ability to pay doctor’s bills and the power bill, they will also be eating cheap, nutrient-poor foods, and living in basic, often sub-standard housing.
How about those slightly higher in the heap? Those groups of people whose slightly better incomes and slightly more comfortable lives are usually the result of two or more adults in the household working? It’s still a tiring struggle for those at this level to provide the basics and just a little more. Why haven’t they made a bit more noise about the inequalities and the systems and people that created them? I can think of several reasons, one of which is the aforementioned – needing the time and energy to do so. But also, there’s the unknown and obscure nature of the systems and processes that help the rich (in cahoots with politicians and governments) get richer and get more of everything. You have to have energy, time and commitment to delve into information sources, and to know where to look in the first place. Then, they’re complex and difficult to understand in many cases. I’m finding it hard going reading John Lanchester’s book. He tries to make the information accessible, but the financial and banking systems themselves are arcane and mysterious places to a layperson, full of specialised language, and, as Lanchester is just saying in the bit I’ve got up to, a sort of specialised mathematics of financial risk. And then you’d have to meet with others and discuss these ideas, and …… yep, organise! Hopefully there’s a groundswell of protest now, which will continue to gain momentum, with the core Occupy people keeping us informed.
But will the “consumption factor” inhibit widespread protest about inequality? Excluding those at the lowest level of economic disadvantage, the rest of us are able to be consumers, and consuming keeps us happy. Even those in lower-socioeconomic strata are able to consume because of the plethora of very affordable cheap goods that flood our markets daily – and the freely available credit if you don’t have the cash this month. Planning to get things, buying things, and having things is seductive – for about 5 minutes. The “hit” wears off, but no problem, there’ll be something else to buy to ease any vague feelings of discontent we may occasionally feel stirring. Shopping is a major contemporary recreational past-time in western society. If one was inclined to be a little paranoid, one might propose that the production and availability of cheap goods, including cheap fast foods, is part of a conspiracy of the rich elite. At one end, ensure your influence with governments, at the other, provide this vast market of things by which you “enable” the addiction of the populace. Supplying the addiction means you numb out the people and ensure their lack of focus on the bigger picture.
It’s definitely hopeful that the Occupy movement got such attention in the media and a widespread following at that level and “on the ground”. Many people did stop consuming long enough to pay attention and in some cases, do something. Sometimes when I’ve felt everything in the human world is really shitty I remember that we’re living in the age of Kali Yuga – destruction! Is it all written in the cosmos? Good to know that many people around the world are still protesting for justice and against the venality and sanitised criminality of those who’ve thought they could get away with it for too long. They inspire me to sign up for the Occupy newsletter, and not to give in to the despair that the Kali Yuga vibe sometimes induces in me.
I have some more thoughts about “them and us” – that will be the next blog.