We have:
the war on drugs
the war on terrorism
the war on poverty
To me all these equate as a war against the poor. With defoliation of crops in Colombia increasing FARCs membership, Polarizing muslim populations across the world to hate America even more, and at home creating a subclass that is pretty much represented only by Hip Hop.
When are we going to stop trying to FORCE everything?
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/03/15/alqaeda.splinter/index.html
When we live in a country where incarceration is seen as a valid way to fight unemployment, something is terribly wrong.
Why is working hard considered a “virtue”? Isn’t the point of working to help one’s survival? If so how come with all our technology making us more productive and efficient are we required to work more hours just to make ends meet?
Part of how I make my living is by throwing parties. This doesn’t garner me much in the way of currency, but I get a certain amount of free stuff from the communal aspect of the party scene. People tell me that this isn’t really being a “productive” member of society. But what am I supposed to be producing? In the current issue of Businessweek it’s telling me that an increase in productivity is what’s driving up unemployment, something I’ve been talking about for years ever since I really started to give a lot of thought to those laid off autoworkers back in the 80s when I was a kid. They keep telling me that there are always new jobs, but what about the people who lose everything in the meantime? Why is it always the middle class and the poor that lose everything and are considered “Acceptable losses”? Not only do they tell me that this isn’t being a productive member of society, but I hear that I should understand why labor market jobs are considered replaceable and that it’s ok. Why is it ok that people are replaceable? Isn’t the system supposed to benefit the tribe? Why do I feel that I’m considered 3/5ths of a man in this current system? And why exactly am I divided against black and hispanics who I have much more in common with than with the rich? Why am I supposed to own up to some racist ideal that I don’t really hold?
Why should I support those that are rich? Because they ‘scraped their way to the top’? Somehow I don’t believe that’s really true in most cases. Most of the wall street types turn their noses up at me when I run across them in bars. They tell me I should accept it because that’s the way the system works. However my criteria for a working system is that it takes care of the tribe, something that this system pretty clearly does not do, in my estimation. So if I were in a job that made me a “productive” member of society then I would be a replaceable cog as well? Why is it that hippies living on communes growing their own food are looked down upon as cooks and quacks?
I think this country is completely insane.
Erek