The first effect of this social organization is that of bringing people together harmoniously. As examples, charity work and life-saving medical research, which may seem unrelated, are actually the offspring of well-intentioned individuals who were organized into a group and thus able to pool their efforts and maximize their effectiveness. This is the boon of ordered structures of social interactions. However, this positive effect is overshadowed by the dark side of organized society.
People collaborating their efforts in large groups with little control over one another can be a very fruitful experience. However, inevitably in all types of civilizations, which are truly crafted and controlled by a global ruling class, the common person follows social rules and examples for no better reason other than the fact that they exist. This sheep-like activity allows the ruling class to exploit and abuse the masses with little to no consequence.
The ruling classes of various countries have developed methods to quell any retribution for their self-serving behavior. For instance, in the United States, the “American Dream” is an indoctrination tool whereby people are told that if they work hard and apply themselves, they actually have a chance of becoming rich and prosperous and able to control their own destiny. Thus, generation after generation, the American working class plods along in unrewarding and degrading jobs, allowing the economic elites to ravage the country and economy. The working class allows this behavior of the ruling class because, in their ignorance, they believe that it is acceptable to desire and have those privileges for themselves once they rise through the ranks of society. In less-developed and smaller nations, such as certain countries in Africa, a military dictatorship is sufficient to allow a small group of people to exploit the citizens of the controlled nation.
A most poignant observation, upon accepting this view of human society, is that capitalism as it is practiced today belongs on the dark side of social entropy. The very idea of most of the wealth in a society being controlled by a minority of its members is categorically at odds with a morally justifiable view of the world, unless every member of the society has an equal opportunity to gain their share of said wealth. In order to allow every person an equal chance to gain a level of wealth that is proportionate to their contribution to society, several things must occur.
The first necessary change to society is the abandonment of categorizations for people. For instance, the idea of separating people by race, religion, nationality, physical attributes, mental ability, or any other similar factors must be overcome in our society. Until we no longer judge a person by any qualities that he or she cannot control, we cannot legitimately consider ourselves to be magnanimous.
The second necessary change is to end all inheritance of wealth in any form. The purpose of capitalism is to allow members of society to gain a share of wealth that is relative to their motivation and ingenuity. If we allow wealth to be passed down through generations, it negates the point of capitalism. Inheritance allows a person to gain wealth without making a proportionate contribution to society. In addition, all living people should be given equally strong motivation to strive for human progress. Any members of society who inherit wealth are arguably no longer motivated to make progressive achievements in any field of human endeavor, because they are no longer forced to earn their own living. How many important discoveries or inventions have been made by somebody who inherited a trust fund?
As soon as we implement these changes, societal progress will be boundless. The distribution of wealth in the world will become more just and discrimination will end. For the first time in human history, we could be proud to be members of the human race.
3 comments:
Nice man. I liked the first change.
oooooooooooooooh
This is a long comment so prepare yourself....
There is no doubt that a today, a small number of wealthy, powerful people do have a large amount of control over economic and political systems (which sometimes then go on to affect culture). But culture cannot really be “put forth” by just one or a few people, because culture is more of a result of history. I think it’s more that cultural and governmental systems have just evolved out of human need to organize over the course of time, rather than a few people deciding to implement “social control”. I’m not sure if I understand what you’re saying about people following cultural norms like “sheep”. Are you suggesting that people should not follow their cultural norms? I don’t think cultural norms are in themselves harmful, but rather I think it is harmful when people try to strip others of their norms or impose new norms upon them.
As for the “American dream”…I don’t think the founding fathers sat in a room drafting the constitution thinking “how can we get all the citizens of our country to believe in something false that will benefit us elite?” I think it was an ideal that they held to be important to them and something that they themselves believed to be true. But it is only an ideal. I don’t think the working class allows the elites to continue their “rule” over them, but rather it’s more the opposite. Many (mostly the elite) people believe in the power of “the American dream”, and use it to rationalize their success and others’ failures, even though there are many other (socioeconomic and historical) factors that lead certain groups of people to fall prey to certain pressures. For example, the inheritance of wealth (not necessarily just money, but also land, etc) is one of the largest factors in determining one’s economic success in their lifetime, and the amount you inherit is usually linked to socioeconomic and racial status. The importance of individualism and capitalism that lie at the foundation of American society also play a large role in hindering those in lower classes through the “every man for himself” sort of attitude they instill within the American people.
Ideally, overcoming the differences that tend to tear people apart and cause conflict would be a large step towards more peaceful relationships across the globe, but realistically, how do you intend we go about that? How do we overcome the hundreds of years of racial discrimination within our country that still exists in many ways, like unequal wealth distribution? The prejudices that exist are remnants of the past, and it is impossible to just erase those things that have become so deeply imbedded within culture.
I know you could argue any point, and I’m not trying to argue, just discuss! I’d love to hear your response to all this!
-Naomi
This is an even longer response, so prepare YOURself...
I do not entirely disagree with your first point. I'm not saying that the global ruling class creates cultures. However, as I stated in the original post, grouping people together as a nation/religion/race/ethnicity, or whatever label is used, makes them more easily manipulated and controlled. A group of people who share a culture are not immune to this manipulation, because cultures can evolve, just as species can. For instance, it is part of the American culture to seek material possessions. This part of our culture did not exist in the 1800s because manufacturing had not yet become a major factor in the American (or global) economy. However, the fixation that modern people have in buying "consumer goods" clearly comes from the people who sell them, a.k.a. the upper class, who own the manufacturing & technology companies. I'm not exactly sure how they "edited" our culture to achieve this end. Regardless, the world economic elite adapted our country's (and others') culture for the purpose of making themselves even more wealthy. It's pretty disturbing to think about.
The problem with people acting as sheep is that it makes this type of manipulation all the more easy. For instance, people avoid using the word "fuck" in polite conversation. They do this because they were told when they were young that fuck is a "bad word". However, if they had never been told that fuck is a bad word, then they wouldn't be agitated by using or hearing it. This is a small but revealing example of cultural customs that allow different groups of economic elites to stay in power (for instance, the "tradition" of spending three month's salary on a wedding ring). Peoples' willingness to believe in an idea simply because it exists is the single most destructive facet of human psychology (with greed coming in a close second), and is the main way in which the sheep are manipulated by the pigs (Animals is clearly a favorite album of mine).
As for the "American Dream", of course the founding fathers didn't come up with this form of manipulation. After all, serfs spent their entire lives as malnourished slaves living in small wooden shacks growing crops on rented farmland while a duke sat on his ass all day eating and fucking in a huge castle 300 yards away. The idea of manipulating the masses in order to benefit the elite was obviously not created by the founding fathers; nevertheless, they continued the legacy.
Those "socioeconomic and historical factors" that you mentioned were also created by the global ruling class. They all serve the purpose of turning the masses against themselves. Conflicts over religion, race, nationality and a host of other false labels have occurred since civilization began. These labels were created by the elite in order to allow themselves the opportunity to gain & maintain power. If people are constantly living in fear of having a black neighbor or are raised to hate Muslims, they won't spend much time wondering why they are forced to eke out a pathetic existence while the pigs live lives of luxury.
"The importance of individualism and capitalism that lie at the foundation of American society also play a large role in hindering those in lower classes through the “every man for himself” sort of attitude they instill within the American people." I couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to dismantle the divisions that exist within the people of the Earth. I actually believe that these divisions will soon cause the end of the human race, possibly within our lifetime. This could happen either directly, such as through large-scale nuclear war, or indirectly, such as the degradation of the Earth's environment to the point that it can no longer support life. Either way, the greed of the pigs will ultimately destroy us all.
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