4 ms·

It's crazy how the cycle of human ignorance just keeps repeating itself. "Inflation isn't happening, you're just spreading misinformation! Everything is fine!"

It's crazy how the cycle of human ignorance just keeps repeating itself. "Inflation isn't happening, you're just spreading misinformation! Everything is fine!" "Inflation might be happening, but if it is, it'll only be transitory and not as bad as our detractors suppose it will be!" "Inflation is happening, it's transitory, it'll be over soon!" "Inflation is happening, it's not transitory, and we don't know how long it'll last." "How do we start looking at fixing this inflation problem? Spend more money!" The economic power of the individual in small, tighter-knit communities/countries vs the influence and economic power of conglomerates competing in the global market is a David vs Goliath-tier battle that was lost a long time ago. Countries/businesses who survived by running lean, trying to keep things local, etc - have been priced out by the power of the global conglomerates and governments trying to get a piece of the pie. Inflation is such an insidious tax - it affects everything and just domino effects into absolute chaos if mismanaged. Your bank account is worth x% less. Your wages are technically worth x% less. Companies trying to stay afloat or maintain/exceed profits year over year will raise prices of their goods (store cost/"shrinkflation" of packaging) to try and lessen the blow of higher transportation costs, etc. Not sure what the solution is other than something similar to what the french did to their ruling class hundred of years ago - I don't condone violence at all, but it seems like it's getting to a tipping point where some bolt is going to finally shear or the last straw will land on the camel's back.

throwaway5959 4y ago
Curious where you live that things are so bad you think a violent revolution is necessary.
- schainks 4y ago
  Question of when not if: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchforks-are-coming-for-us-plutocrats-108014 https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchfor...
- trafficante 4y ago
  There’s definitely a burgeoning undercurrent of “no political solutions exist that can solve our problems”. It doesn’t seem exclusively limited to the “very online” folks: anecdotally I’ve had it expressed to me irl from people on both the right and the left here in Portland. Primarily the right but, since the abortion SCOTUS leak, the frequency from the left has increased tremendously. And if the federal government is truly facing actual questions of legitimacy from both sides, they seem to be doing all they can to make the problem worse. We needed a Transparency Board and instead got a Disinformation Board.
  - epakai 4y ago
    We need less transparency when it comes to lawmaking. Quit enabling corporations and constituents to buy and coerce our representatives' votes like they have since the 70s (sunshine laws). The disinformation comes because its an effective way to coerce those populations into influencing elected representatives. You take away visibility of voting (secret ballots, like real elections) and now nobody holds power over how an individual representative votes. No more fixed party line votes. Reduced public backlash to minimize shitty discourse. Its the only way to allow representatives to really align their votes with the people because otherwise we cant afford a seat at the table.
- timcavel 4y ago
- scohesc 4y ago
  North America is all you really need to know. Occupy Wall Street happened 10+ years ago. A large social movement that honestly didn't get very far or do much of anything to raise awareness about the wealth inequality of the united states/the western world. People were already frustrated 10+ years ago and it hasn't gotten any better. Rising inflation, rising housing prices making it harder for people to start their own family or participate in a system that's slowly getting more and more out of reach for the average individual. Corporations/Governments have figured out (maliciously/intentionally or unexpectedly) that it's easier to placate and distract people from how hard they're getting screwed by integrating their corporate identity with social causes in countries they operate in like Pride (companies LOVE the LGBT community in June in the west, but they're somehow forgotton when they're operating in countries like China, Africa, etc.), co-opting country's identities ("You're not a TRUE citizen unless you buy Y Beer!"), or pretending that they "care" about tragedy and disasters that happen in our world. Corporations don't have emotions so they like to try and manipulate others' feelings for the corporations own benefit. They're faceless monoliths (machines) ran by millions of people (cogs) that have had their jobs compartmentalized and trained to follow instructions without thinking for themselves - only to follow orders from authority figures because if you don't, you're going to be poor and it'll be all your fault - you should have done what they told you!
  - dukes82 4y ago
    I honestly believe identity politics was amplified as a way to diffuse class warfare and create infighting in the (shrinking) middle and lower classes
    - lurquer 4y ago
      Identity politics is used in lieu of class conflict. For various reasons, the US does not perceive itself as having classes… difficult to foment a Revolution if the ‘proletariat’ all think they can grow up to be President someday (or at least a gazillionaire.) It was determined that race might be a sufficient proxy. Time will tell.

throwaway5959 4y ago

Curious where you live that things are so bad you think a violent revolution is necessary.

schainks 4y ago
Question of when not if: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchforks-are-coming-for-us-plutocrats-108014 https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchfor...
trafficante 4y ago
There’s definitely a burgeoning undercurrent of “no political solutions exist that can solve our problems”. It doesn’t seem exclusively limited to the “very online” folks: anecdotally I’ve had it expressed to me irl from people on both the right and the left here in Portland. Primarily the right but, since the abortion SCOTUS leak, the frequency from the left has increased tremendously. And if the federal government is truly facing actual questions of legitimacy from both sides, they seem to be doing all they can to make the problem worse. We needed a Transparency Board and instead got a Disinformation Board.
- epakai 4y ago
  We need less transparency when it comes to lawmaking. Quit enabling corporations and constituents to buy and coerce our representatives' votes like they have since the 70s (sunshine laws). The disinformation comes because its an effective way to coerce those populations into influencing elected representatives. You take away visibility of voting (secret ballots, like real elections) and now nobody holds power over how an individual representative votes. No more fixed party line votes. Reduced public backlash to minimize shitty discourse. Its the only way to allow representatives to really align their votes with the people because otherwise we cant afford a seat at the table.
timcavel 4y ago
scohesc 4y ago
North America is all you really need to know. Occupy Wall Street happened 10+ years ago. A large social movement that honestly didn't get very far or do much of anything to raise awareness about the wealth inequality of the united states/the western world. People were already frustrated 10+ years ago and it hasn't gotten any better. Rising inflation, rising housing prices making it harder for people to start their own family or participate in a system that's slowly getting more and more out of reach for the average individual. Corporations/Governments have figured out (maliciously/intentionally or unexpectedly) that it's easier to placate and distract people from how hard they're getting screwed by integrating their corporate identity with social causes in countries they operate in like Pride (companies LOVE the LGBT community in June in the west, but they're somehow forgotton when they're operating in countries like China, Africa, etc.), co-opting country's identities ("You're not a TRUE citizen unless you buy Y Beer!"), or pretending that they "care" about tragedy and disasters that happen in our world. Corporations don't have emotions so they like to try and manipulate others' feelings for the corporations own benefit. They're faceless monoliths (machines) ran by millions of people (cogs) that have had their jobs compartmentalized and trained to follow instructions without thinking for themselves - only to follow orders from authority figures because if you don't, you're going to be poor and it'll be all your fault - you should have done what they told you!
- dukes82 4y ago
  I honestly believe identity politics was amplified as a way to diffuse class warfare and create infighting in the (shrinking) middle and lower classes
  - lurquer 4y ago
    Identity politics is used in lieu of class conflict. For various reasons, the US does not perceive itself as having classes… difficult to foment a Revolution if the ‘proletariat’ all think they can grow up to be President someday (or at least a gazillionaire.) It was determined that race might be a sufficient proxy. Time will tell.