As you will read in our 'The Capitalist
Scam' web pages, contrary to what you are being led to believe by our political and
business leaders, the
competitive, economically stratified society is not only invalid
(as
we discuss on our other pages), it is also not making us more efficient and it is
not making our society a better place to live in, but is instead dragging us down economically and socially
(as well as environmentally and ecologically). Below are
some other perspectives on capitalism and elitism in general.
War
Within our
democratic-capitalist society, each individual, family, and company
is required to economically fend for themselves within an
economically competitive social environment. That is, whether or not
you are aware of it, we are all at
war against each other: an economic war, which entails....
- As
individuals, being in an economic war against all other
individuals, all domestic and international companies, and the
government.
- As
a nation, being in an economic war against other nations and
international companies.
-
As an employee, being in an economic
war against your employer.
- As
an employee, being a soldier for a company that is in economic
war against all other domestic and international companies, all
individuals, and the government.
- As
a shareholder of a company, being in an economic war against the
shareholders of all other national and international companies,
other nations, the government, and all individuals.
However, there is no winner in this
highly complex economic war because it has no end, and so one can
only be winning or losing at any one point in time. Because the AEM
can't do anything about the international economic war (at present),
we are only concerned here with our domestic economic wars: the wars
that we can do something about at present.
The domestic economic war is akin to a
civil military war, except that our domestic economic war is a major
aspect of the nation’s constitution, which is why the domestic
aspect of our economic wars cannot end unless we change our
constitution. Unfortunately, the domestic economic war means that
each individual is also in economic war with the leaders of the
state, which means that the leaders of the state, including
democratic leaders will always have an economic conflict of
interests when redistributing the wealth and creating laws.
Right from the outset, it does not sound as
though this ‘everybody against everybody’ economic war is
conducive to achieving such things/ideals as....
- social
cohesion or national unity
- reducing
conflict between people
- reducing
conflicts of interest
- a
society in which everybody is happy to participate and to do
their best for
- trusting
each other
- openness
- supportiveness
- nurturing
- political
and legal equality
- stable
government
- loyalty
- economic
security
- being
an appreciated member of one big cooperative family
- appreciation
and respect for others
However, it definitely does seem as though it
is conducive to creating....
- conflicts
between people
- conflicts
of interest
- monopolies
- endemic
self-interest
- unstable
leadership
- an
underclass
- many
forms of corruption
- property
crime
- conspiracies
- gambling
- tax
evasion
- cheating
- fraud
- black-markets
- ruthlessness
- greediness
and fear of falling (from elitism)
- distrust
in others
- exploitation
- domination
and subservience
- passing
the blame and the costs associated with accepting the blame
- suppression
- oppression
- concealment
- stress
- fear
- paranoia
- suicide
- poor
social cohesion
- isolation
- disloyalty
- back-stabbing
- meanness
- bitterness
- resentment
Likewise, the international economic war
does not sound as though it is conducive to....
- peace
- trust
- world
harmony
Just as a military
civil war expends a great proportion of the nation’s wealth on the
costs associated with paying soldiers and purchasing the tools of
war, so does an economic war have high costs associated with paying
wages and purchasing the tools of economic war (which we will detail shortly).
And while everybody in the nation contributes economically to a
military war, usually involuntarily, in our domestic economic war,
each individual or family, each company, and the nation need to
expend a sizable proportion of their own wealth, in purchasing their
own tools of economic war. By the tools of economic war, we are referring
to those services that one is wise to consume if one wishes to
survive the economic war, such as....
- insurance
cover on anything valuable one owns, or anything belonging to
someone else the one might damage.
- bank
accounts for securely storing and investing one’s money.
- superannuation
schemes.
- security
services and equipment to protect one’s property.
- accountants
to manage one’s financial affairs.
- investment
companies and stockbrokers for investing one’s money.
- credit
schemes.
- workers’
unions.
- legal
services.
- advertising
and marketing.
As you know, money is also a tool of
the economic
war because one can make money from money, which also means that all
the ways in which people make money (e.g. one’s job, owning a
company) range from
being poor to excellent tools of economic war (which serves to make
the economic war exponentially more
complex again). Behaviour such as working longer to acquire more
money is also a common strategy in this economic war, and so is
being frugal. For many people, gaining an education is
motivated by the economic war. And all this is done because everybody is aware that
those with more money will always hold an advantage over those who
possess less money in this economic war. And unfortunately, you are
also in an economic war with the providers of the tools of economic
war, and this means that those who offer these services
also have a great conflict of economic interests. But then again, so do your
employers and all those companies that you purchase any products from.
And just as domestic and international
manufacturers of the tools of military war are making a fortune from
military wars, and who therefore have a strong incentive to see that
the war continues; our domestic and international suppliers of the
tools of economic war are also making a fortune out of our economic
war, and they therefore also have a strong incentive to see that the
economic war continues.
What we have discussed so far provides you
with the general idea that the economically stratified society comes
with an awful lot of expensive baggage, which we, the citizens are
paying for, and which will become totally
unnecessary within an economically Egalitarian society. To give you
some idea of how inefficient we have become, consider this.
- Only
4% of the nation’s work force is involved in the
banking, insurance, accounting, finance, and security
industries, but these industries drain off over 20%
of the nation’s total gross profits (i.e. over $45
Billion annually). In an economically Egalitarian society, these
industries will now longer be
required (It is also extremely suspicious that the ACCC has never
investigated these industries for unfair trading or
collusion).
- Domestic advertising or marketing
currently also cost
the nation another fortune
per year. In the AEM's Egalitarian society, we spend
almost no money on advertising and marketing because we are very
happy when you don't buy anything because it saves on material
and human resources.
- As
such, paper and ink usage will reduce dramatically, which will also
saves the nation another fortune each year, and thousands of
acres of land that are currently being used to grow timber for paper
advertising products.
For
the society in general (i.e. taxpayers and consumers), the economic war
serves to waste another enormous pile of money. For example....
- Because
we need to extract tax from each money-earning individual and
company, we need people to think out new ways to acquire tax from
everybody, people to process and enforce tax laws, and
accountants to service individuals and companies and to find
ways of reducing their tax bills. We also need a lot of very
smart, and very expensive people to make sense of the endlessly
complex economy that is created by our economic war. CEOs
often make well over $10M
by the time they leave a company, and often after only a few
years. Apparently, these wages are required to get the best, and
the best means being able to work the economic war better than
anybody else. In the Egalitarian society, such geniuses will not
be required for this purpose because running a business: even
running a big business becomes much simpler (See our 'A
More Humanised Workplace Culture' web page, and other pages for
details).
- Currently,
conmen, over-charging, and other rip offs cost the nation, or
rather individuals and companies another fortune each year.
These behaviours are a product of our economic war, which can no longer occur in the AEM’s
version of Egalitarianism, and there is also no incentive for
them to occur anymore. Find out more about this in our 'The AEM's
Egalitarian Economy' page and our 'The Prevention of
Corruption, Overcharging, Black-Markets, Stealing Money, Blackmail, Confidence
Artists, Protection Rackets, Organized Crime, Rip-Offs, Illegal
Immigration, and Black Money' page.
- Currently,
property crime (including white collar, computer hacking, and
police corruption), another inevitable consequence of the
economic war, and the costs associated with catching these
people, cost the country billions of dollars per year. Almost all property crime will
disappear in the AEM's Egalitarian society.
- Legal
services associated will property crimes, law suites, corporate
law, and other money issues currently cost
the nation even more. These legal services will also almost
become totally redundant with in
the AEM's Egalitarian society.
At the same
time, those people who are involved in these fields can now
start doing something productive for the country, and this should
eventually serve to generate a sizable increase in the income of our
society. Your contemporary
leaders can only dream of achieving the economic efficiency created by
becoming an Egalitarian society, and we also have all
those social benefits that are listed on the 'Home'
web page to enjoy.
There are quite a few other similarities that
we can identify between military wars and economic wars (e.g. the
physical structure of the society, the shaping of the culture over
generations of war), For example, while a military war rages, the society takes a
beating, and we can expect see such things as....
- refugees
- fatherless
families
- orphans
- no
farming
- poverty
- high
rates of death, particularly amongst young adults
- less
education
- no
social services
- destroyed
infrastructure
While an economic
war rages, the society
also takes a beating. We can expect see such things as....
- long-term
unemployment
- homelessness
- poverty
- suicides
- broken
marriages
- aboriginal
poverty
- child
labour
- struggling
social services
- bankruptcies
And just as the refugees of a civil war help to
keep the wages (of soldiers or any workers) down as low as they can
go, (long-term) unemployment created by our domestic economic war also
helps to keep wages (of workers) down.
When a civil war ends, all sides....
- will
no longer need to waste the country’s money purchasing tools
of war.
- can
stop wasting the intellectual and physical labour of the country’s people on
trying to win the war.
Instead, the nation’s money and physical and
intellectual labour can be used to make the country more productive,
within a more cooperative domestic environment, and it can also be
used for badly needed social services.
When our domestic economic war ends (i.e. when
we are economically egalitarian or in economic peace time)....
-
all of us will no longer need to waste
money consuming the tools of economic war.
-
all individuals and companies can stop
wasting time, brains, energy, and money fighting and
plotting against each other.
-
our governments can stop wasting their time
and energy, and our money trying to manage it.
-
our legal, law enforcement, and social
services can stop wasting their time and energy, and our money
dealing with the social problems that are perpetually created by
this economic war.
Instead, and once again, the nation’s money
and physical and intellectual labour can be used to make the country
more productive, within a more cooperative domestic environment, and
it can also be used for badly needed social services.
So, the idea that our domestic economic war (i.e.
capitalism) is good for the economy and the society is about as
funny as the idea that civil war is good for the economy and the
society. The truth is that just as in a civil war, our domestic
economic war (and also the global economic war) is dragging us down
economically, socially, environmentally, and ecologically.
These economic wars are also the reason
behind....
-
Land clearing
continuing at an alarming rate,
-
Our non-renewable
resources being extracted as fast as possible,
-
Most
strikes,
-
The
abuse of power for self-interested reasons,
-
Monopolies,
-
Tax
and tax fraud,
-
Becoming
motivated to gamble,
-
Insurance
companies resisting to pay up,
-
Inflation,
-
The government
under funding such services as education, health care, and family
services,
-
Being
encouraged to consume more than we need,
-
and
many other money and resource consuming practices, which we have come
to accept as normal within our society.
Those who are brought up in a time
of economic peace will not be able to fully comprehend what it must
have been like during the economic war, just as our generation
cannot fully comprehend what it is like to live within a military
war zone (for many
generations). And you may find it
hard to understand what it is like to live in economic peace time, just
as those who were born into a long-running civil war found it hard to
imagine what their society would be like when the war ends, but you
mustn't let yourself become too afraid of ending the war that you have
become accustomed to (i.e. being afraid of the unknown). There is nothing to
fear and everything to gain for yourself and your
descendants.
But if our contemporary leaders
and elite have their way,
it is a war that would never end, because they are telling you that
this is the best way to go. And they believe this because they are
doing very well in this economic war. And besides, what war? Your governments often
remind you that you are very lucky to be free and living in a
country at peace. This is not war they say. It is all good healthy
competition, which will ultimately be beneficial for the society.
But nobody wins a war, least of all average citizens. You are in
an economic war against individuals and companies that own billions of dollars,
and this is why they have been winning this war from long before
you were born, and will continue to do so. However, if nobody will admit
that there is a war, nobody will ever begin to seek peace.
The
sad thing is that for many wealthy people, the economic war is an
addictive game, which has no point except to make money. There is
nothing like the thrill of winning big money, and it is very easy to
believe that it means that one is something special, which is why
winning a battle in the economic war is such a hit. The elite don't need to make more money, but they can't
resist their capability to do so and the social power it provides. In
the beginning it is like gold fever, but eventually we often economically
dominate people for fun, and often continue to work long hours doing so.
Later, we fear losing our wealth, which usually inspires
us to do whatever we can to maintain our addiction, and many of us will
be quite ruthless about it. Companies on the other hand, particularly companies listed on the stock market are virtually obligated to make more money as part of their
function within the economic war, and particularly when there is no end to
the economic war. For most elites and big companies, social benefits
don't enter into the equation, regardless of how well they justify
themselves to the society.
To
finish, think about this. To believe that economic incentives are
required to maintain and develop your society is the same as believing
that you need war to maintain and develop your society. However, there
are many people who do believe that they need war to maintain and
develop their society because war has long been a major part of their
relations with neighbouring peoples, and you believe that you need
economic incentives to maintain and develop your society because this is
what has long been a major part of your relations with other people
within your society. And those who gain and maintain power and social
respect through doing well within a military war are likely to believe and to tell their
people that war is a necessary part of life, just as those who gain and
maintain power and social respect because they have succeeded within the
economically stratified society are also likely to believe and to tell
their people that economic incentives are a necessary part of life. And
neither group would hear of changing things.
To gather a more comprehensive picture
of the waste in labour, resources, and money derived through living
within our economic wars, it is worth reading J. W. Smith's book, "World's
Wasted Wealth II". Chapter 1 and extracts from other chapters can be
found at
http://www.ied.info/books/www/intro.html. While this book relates mainly to the
USA, it is just as relevant in understanding the waste that occurs
within any economically stratified society, and particularly capitalist
states.
Merging
Why
do companies merge? They merge for the same reasons that people merge
together to form a society, and the same reasons that countries or
colonies merge together to form a greater nation. That is, companies
merge to become more economically powerful in the marketplace by
combining resources and cutting the costs of management and
administration. Also, they no longer need to compete against those
companies that they have merged with (which is why it is often perceived
as anti-competitive behaviour). However, in Australia (and most other
places), much of the benefits derived from the citizens merging together
to form a nation are lost because within the nation, each privately owned
company is left to fend for itself within the domestic and international
marketplaces. When Australia becomes an Egalitarian state, it is akin to
all Australian companies merging together to become a super company, in
which resources are shared, buying power is considerably increased, and
management and administration costs are considerably reduced. And
reducing costs will serve to make Australian products and services much
more exportable, and increased buying power will serve to make imported
products and services considerably cheaper.
Little Kings
Amongst
the said benefits of becoming a capitalist society is that all the
taxes that were going into the King's coffers could now be used to
provide greater funding for social services.
However,
because
we all pay taxes within our capitalist society, most of us have become
like little Kings who also resist digging into our coffers to fund social services.
Indeed, we are forever complaining about paying taxes, and governments
who wish to remain in government are forced to pander to our resentment
by keeping income taxes as low as possible. Consequently, social
services are always inadequately funded, and this problem is becoming
worse with every decade. The AEM
gets past this problem because no one pays income tax, as social
services are generally funded by the profits derived from state owned
businesses (i.e. all businesses). Further, because all members of
the society, including members of government and their families, receive
the same wage and use the same social services, high quality of services
are guaranteed.
Elitism is a Social Sickness
Elitism is a social sickness that is created and perpetuated by those
who crave power and wealth, and who have succeeded in acquiring, maintaining,
and securing power and wealth. Even though most societies treat their
economic elites as success stories, they are only successful within a
socially dysfunctional culture that has been shaped by
the self-indulgent ambitions of the most power hungry, greedy, and
ruthless people within the society, and such people can not be described
as possessing well-balanced personalities. In a functional society, free of this social
sickness (and even in a society with this social sickness),
one who wants more than everybody else displays that one has not yet
emotionally matured as much as your average 13 year old child. Such
people are always going to exist (especially in a society that
encourages us to be so self-interested), and they would be relatively
harmless and productive members of the society provided that we don't allow
them to actually have more wealth or more power than others. It is like
giving alcohol to alcoholics. There is no end to their desire for more,
and there is no end to the fear of losing the advantages that they have already gained.
You might be saying to yourself that you want more
power or wealth than others, and
you do. We all do. We continually see what life at the top is like
compared to life at the bottom and we know what we would prefer. And we
all want an easier lifestyle. This is
why we refer to it as a social sickness. It affects
almost everybody within the society because the existence and the
deliberate visibility of elitism nurtures
this sickness, and this not only serves to further
develop this social sickness, it makes it much harder to cure. It also serves to make the quest
for more,
even more ruthless. It is because the social sickness of elitism is so
contagious and addictive that it
takes several generations of Egalitarianism for the society to get over it
properly. Fortunately for most of us however, we don't ever achieve
the fulfillment of these desires (because we are not as obsessed as those who
succeed, or we are not prepared or able to do whatever it takes), and this forces
us to grow up to
a fair extent. We still want more than others, but since we have had no
choice but to cope with not having more than others, we are kept in
touch with reality.
Most elites are caught up in the game of
making money. They no longer need to play the game, as they have
more than enough wealth to retire in luxury if they want to. Instead
however, they often become motivated to work even harder because
making money is extremely rewarding and addictive. It is a lot like gold fever, and it
is unlikely that most people will resist the opportunity to make lots of
money when they can now do it so easily (i.e. because money makes
money). Therefore, the wealthier one becomes, the more incentive one has to
keep playing the moneymaking game. It's like betting on the horses: it
gets in to your blood, and you can't resist having another dabble.
Elitism is actually an anti-social or
socially dysfunctional social sickness. That is, it puts the economic
interests of individuals (and their families and companies) ahead of the
interests of the society, and this is why elitism causes of a whole
range of social problems (as discussed on our other web pages). Elites
deny that they are totally dependent upon the exploitation of the
society to be elite, and instead claim that the society is dependent
upon elitism. The belief that we need the promise of wealth to inspire
people to improve our society and technology indicates that the way we
think (or rather, the way we have been brought up to think) is socially
dysfunctional. That is, if we thought in a socially functional way, the
promise of wealth is not required to inspire us to improve our society
or our technology if we perceive it as socially beneficial to do so. In fact, the promise of wealth tends to
motivate us to place our self-interests ahead of, and at the expense of
the interests of our society. As such, elitism tends to stifles the process whereby the society
takes care of individuals, and where individuals take care of the society, and
it instead encourages the development of a heartless economically stratified society. And then it
serves to prevent economically isolated non-elite individuals in
their ability to be competitive against those people who have already
become economically elite (which of course, was always the plan),
thereby preventing these people from improving society or technology,
even for self-interested reasons.
Elitism is the product of blatant domination, and as such it nurtures
the ideology of the bully (The personalities of economic bullies are no
less socially dysfunctional than the personalities of schoolyard
bullies).
However, most elites are deluded about
their own self-importance and actually do believe that they deserve
more power or wealth, although it is also true to say that possessing
more power and wealth has a strong tendency of motivating us to think
this way, and particularly so when it is supported by the culture. In
fact, most people will start believing that they deserve more even when
they have only a little bit more than others. This is why we cannot rely
upon people who possess power and/or wealth within our society to rid
our society of elitism and the many social, environmental, and economic
problems that are created by it. They actually think that they are the
role models that others should aspire to be like. Some elites even
praise themselves for giving charity or helping poor people achieve some
goal, but the truth of the matter is that charity or help would usually
not be required if elitism didn't exist.
Fortune Worship
One of our members,
Marvin Friedenn, has written a book titled, "Sermon on the Flats:
An Egalitarian Alternative to
Fortune Worship." Amongst
other issues, Friedenn discusses how the religions that dominate elitist
societies are forms of fortune worshipping. If you would like to purchase a copy
of this book, visit
http://www.thealternativebookshop.com/cocu0002.html
