The Invisible Hand... and the invisible string attached to it
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197209,00.html
Yeah I've read many pieces of propaganda like this. They usually contain certain key absurdities such as:
"Such a privatization will promote greater supply and efficiency".
It's sickening that people actually still believe this stuff. I've devoted great thought to understanding why, and all I can say is it must help them sleep at night. Call it cognitive dissonance; if they knew the horrible truth contained within their ideology, they would certainly not be able to sleep at night. Unless they really are evil.
Why does this propaganda persist? Why is it that even after the systematic looting of California by Enron, these people still cannot admit even to themselves that they are wrong? How many times does it have to happen?
The guy who said "Burn baby burn" was just an ordinary person; a low level thug. Yet this privatization gave him the motive to morph into something dreadful; something which has no moral issues about profitting directly at another's expense. And these people have the nerve to set foot in a church and claim they act according to god's will? They are the poster children for atheism.
"And these individuals -- let there be many thousands of them -- will rise from poverty to become part of the investor class, and even philanthropists to their fellow man."
Here we have it, yet another regurgitation of the cream of all right wing propaganda. Where oh where do I start? The investor class? Just what the hell is this investor class? Erm... a group of people who do not produce anything. A group of people who buy up stocks and then dump their shares unless a company focuses on short term gains, even if those gains come at the expense of long term survivability. Sounds like a damn cancer to me. And that is pretty much what they are. The "investor class" is half cancer and half parasite. And now anyone with a little extra money can, via the internet, play parasite with the economy. No wonder we can't get economic growth without spiraling debts and deficits.
What makes me curious is why these people think that any normal person really wants to be part of the "investor class"? All this makes being rich seem a bit less appealing. And what's this about philanthropy? Oh yeah these people actually think it's ok to rape and pillage the rest of us simply because they give back a little of what they steal! How [censored] generous. You're my heroes. But I'm sure Jesus loves you no matter how much you give back.
Here's another winning quote:
"America is not 'addicted' to oil; too many oil-rich countries are addicted to socialism and nationalism, by which problem-solving entrepreneurship is hampered or criminalized."
We're not addicted to oil? Well that's a relief. Talk about living in denial. I can't say I'm surprised. We are NOT addicted to oil, junk food, defense spending, or commercial drugs. Hmm it feels good to say that. If I repeat it three times a day can I be a Fox News contributer?
And here come the attacks on socialism. Oooh the evil socialists. How dare you inflict health care on all your citizens! And nationalism? wtf? These people can't have it both ways. They are a bunch of flag waving Nazis when it serves their purpose... like before the latest imperial invasions. But when promoting their ideology, nationalism is bad? Ah my bad, I see the conundrum. Nationalism is bad for business, but good for public opinion. Solution: lie to the people. Recall that America was once the world's leading exporter of oil, but now we are the leading importer. So, according to right wing fantasy logic, this happened because... why? Because we are too socialist? If America is too socialist then these people really are Nazis. So which is it Mr. Robert L. Bradley, Jr.? Are yall a bunch of Nazis, or do you simply not have a damn clue what you're talking about?
Now that all the pleasantries are out of the way I can get to the point. I actually agree with the concept of the Invisible Hand guiding the market. The problem is, the hand has got some strings attached to it. Usually those strings are under the control of the elite wealthy. That's how they stay wealthy despite spending most of their lives not actually doing anything productive. I guess they consider yanking on a string a couple times a day to be their fair share of work. So how will this invisible hand solve the oil problem?
High prices? Alternative fuels? War? Starvation?
My guess would be all of the above. Unfortuantely that basically means destitution and ultimately death for a lot of people. You see, the "free market" often makes "decisions" that end peoples lives. If oil were to peak tomorrow, and if we were to switch some of our land from food production to fuel production, that would basically put the starving poor in direct competition with the consumerist middle class. Each wants to buy a certain type of fuel, and each type would basically come from the same pool of resources. The middle class would end up driving up the cost of food and fuel, thereby undercutting the survivability of the poor. In a capitalist society anyway. Like any analysis of capitalism it ends the same way: with an extremely oppressed poor majority, and an extremely rich elite minority. Neofeudalism at it's finest.
Let me tell you what the invisible hand would give us, if left unchecked:
We'd have power shortages and prices spikes. Our #1 industry would be gambling. We'd have drugs. Legal drugs, under the complete control of the elite wealthy, of course. We'd have garbage for food. We'd be breathing toxic air. Ooh but the market will solve that problem too. We'd be taking a fancy well marketed drug to cover the symptoms from all the toxins in the air and water. And then of course we'd have to take a second drug to cover the side effects from the first drug. And then a third... and then a fourth. The production of each one would of course exacerbate the original symptoms. But we don't care about such things... because "cause and effect" has always been highly questionable. Especially when you can afford 100 scientists who will say so without losing sleep over it.
Can you imagine an entire economy devoted to gambling, junk food, weapon, and drug sales? It is possible for an economy like this to have the appearance of growth and prosperity. But in the end it's just a ponzi scheme, one that is floating on a sea of oil and debt. I predict that if such a sea of oil (or credit) ever dries up, then we're going to have a lot of skeletons walking among us. I can't wait to see how Fox News spins that story.
Yeah I've read many pieces of propaganda like this. They usually contain certain key absurdities such as:
"Such a privatization will promote greater supply and efficiency".
It's sickening that people actually still believe this stuff. I've devoted great thought to understanding why, and all I can say is it must help them sleep at night. Call it cognitive dissonance; if they knew the horrible truth contained within their ideology, they would certainly not be able to sleep at night. Unless they really are evil.
Why does this propaganda persist? Why is it that even after the systematic looting of California by Enron, these people still cannot admit even to themselves that they are wrong? How many times does it have to happen?
The guy who said "Burn baby burn" was just an ordinary person; a low level thug. Yet this privatization gave him the motive to morph into something dreadful; something which has no moral issues about profitting directly at another's expense. And these people have the nerve to set foot in a church and claim they act according to god's will? They are the poster children for atheism.
"And these individuals -- let there be many thousands of them -- will rise from poverty to become part of the investor class, and even philanthropists to their fellow man."
Here we have it, yet another regurgitation of the cream of all right wing propaganda. Where oh where do I start? The investor class? Just what the hell is this investor class? Erm... a group of people who do not produce anything. A group of people who buy up stocks and then dump their shares unless a company focuses on short term gains, even if those gains come at the expense of long term survivability. Sounds like a damn cancer to me. And that is pretty much what they are. The "investor class" is half cancer and half parasite. And now anyone with a little extra money can, via the internet, play parasite with the economy. No wonder we can't get economic growth without spiraling debts and deficits.
What makes me curious is why these people think that any normal person really wants to be part of the "investor class"? All this makes being rich seem a bit less appealing. And what's this about philanthropy? Oh yeah these people actually think it's ok to rape and pillage the rest of us simply because they give back a little of what they steal! How [censored] generous. You're my heroes. But I'm sure Jesus loves you no matter how much you give back.
Here's another winning quote:
"America is not 'addicted' to oil; too many oil-rich countries are addicted to socialism and nationalism, by which problem-solving entrepreneurship is hampered or criminalized."
We're not addicted to oil? Well that's a relief. Talk about living in denial. I can't say I'm surprised. We are NOT addicted to oil, junk food, defense spending, or commercial drugs. Hmm it feels good to say that. If I repeat it three times a day can I be a Fox News contributer?
And here come the attacks on socialism. Oooh the evil socialists. How dare you inflict health care on all your citizens! And nationalism? wtf? These people can't have it both ways. They are a bunch of flag waving Nazis when it serves their purpose... like before the latest imperial invasions. But when promoting their ideology, nationalism is bad? Ah my bad, I see the conundrum. Nationalism is bad for business, but good for public opinion. Solution: lie to the people. Recall that America was once the world's leading exporter of oil, but now we are the leading importer. So, according to right wing fantasy logic, this happened because... why? Because we are too socialist? If America is too socialist then these people really are Nazis. So which is it Mr. Robert L. Bradley, Jr.? Are yall a bunch of Nazis, or do you simply not have a damn clue what you're talking about?
Now that all the pleasantries are out of the way I can get to the point. I actually agree with the concept of the Invisible Hand guiding the market. The problem is, the hand has got some strings attached to it. Usually those strings are under the control of the elite wealthy. That's how they stay wealthy despite spending most of their lives not actually doing anything productive. I guess they consider yanking on a string a couple times a day to be their fair share of work. So how will this invisible hand solve the oil problem?
High prices? Alternative fuels? War? Starvation?
My guess would be all of the above. Unfortuantely that basically means destitution and ultimately death for a lot of people. You see, the "free market" often makes "decisions" that end peoples lives. If oil were to peak tomorrow, and if we were to switch some of our land from food production to fuel production, that would basically put the starving poor in direct competition with the consumerist middle class. Each wants to buy a certain type of fuel, and each type would basically come from the same pool of resources. The middle class would end up driving up the cost of food and fuel, thereby undercutting the survivability of the poor. In a capitalist society anyway. Like any analysis of capitalism it ends the same way: with an extremely oppressed poor majority, and an extremely rich elite minority. Neofeudalism at it's finest.
Let me tell you what the invisible hand would give us, if left unchecked:
We'd have power shortages and prices spikes. Our #1 industry would be gambling. We'd have drugs. Legal drugs, under the complete control of the elite wealthy, of course. We'd have garbage for food. We'd be breathing toxic air. Ooh but the market will solve that problem too. We'd be taking a fancy well marketed drug to cover the symptoms from all the toxins in the air and water. And then of course we'd have to take a second drug to cover the side effects from the first drug. And then a third... and then a fourth. The production of each one would of course exacerbate the original symptoms. But we don't care about such things... because "cause and effect" has always been highly questionable. Especially when you can afford 100 scientists who will say so without losing sleep over it.
Can you imagine an entire economy devoted to gambling, junk food, weapon, and drug sales? It is possible for an economy like this to have the appearance of growth and prosperity. But in the end it's just a ponzi scheme, one that is floating on a sea of oil and debt. I predict that if such a sea of oil (or credit) ever dries up, then we're going to have a lot of skeletons walking among us. I can't wait to see how Fox News spins that story.
posted by Iconoclast421 at 9:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home