Amerika

In the 1960s, people started looking for a bogeyman to replace (a) Kings (b) Hitler and (c) King George.

We needed a reason why things weren’t perfect; after all, our intentions were good. Obviously, either we were flakes, or some Oppressor was keeping us down.

The useful target that emerged was the corporation. After all, corporations transact business in the most impersonal way, and because they’re shareholder-driven, are the most ruthless.

But let’s think a moment:

• Coca-Cola cannot profit unless there’s a huge market of clueless people to buy colored, flavored sugar water for a 2500% markup.
• McDonald’s cannot profit unless there’s a huge market for clueless people to buy sugared, deep fried food for a 1500% markup.
• Monsanto cannot profit unless there are farmers out there desperate for any means possible to increase yield.
• Wal-mart cannot profit unless there are millions of people who would rather buy cheap plastic junk from China that lasts for a year, instead of quality products that last 10.
• Big Media cannot profit unless vast swathes of the population can be coerced into buying the same movie, hip-hop CD, or self-help book at the same time.

Who’s the enabler here? The vast clueless masses. Why do corporations become evil? Because the low-hanging fruit is not only so greedy for a good deal that it penalizes us for raising costs to raise quality, but also, is completely oblivious to what happened in the last pay period.

It’s kind of like blaming our leaders for the fact that most people vote for the simplest, least rational solution. They don’t want difficult truths. They want easy answers. They view politicians like their dry cleaner, or the dude at the hardware store: I’ll take care of that for you. Sure, there’s a 100% markup… you don’t mind, because it’s out of sight and out of mind. Just numbers now.

Our popular fiction is that we as individuals are suppressed by life and therefore need to retaliate by pursuing our pleasures. The reality is that our unchecked pursuit of pleasure causes intolerance for realistic thinking, and then, we create our Oppressors from our own laziness, callowness and inattention.