I blame them because it’s their fault, that’s why
I’m working on an article that tries to simply explain the economic collapse of 2008. With all of the Occupy Wall Street-type protests, I’m seeing reactions by some folks wearing blinders, saying things like “why are you protesting Wall Street?” and “yeah, unemployment is high, but you’re not going to find a job by marching in the street”.
So I want to write an article to say “we’re protesting Wall Street because they did this to us.” True, the politicians are also to blame. Frankly, the whole Occupy Wall Street protest is basically saying “the whole system is set up to keep rich people rich, and powerful people powerful, even if it means hurting everyone else. And that is fucking unfair!” Economic systems and political systems should serve the people who live in those societies, not the other way around.
So there’s your message. “Shit’s wrong, and we’re angry!”
So that article is coming. I’m re-reading all of the info I’ve got about why the economy imploded so I can try to understand it, and then condense it down to something comprehensible (that’s always been one of my talents). But man, as much as I’ve understood how all this happened, it is so much worse than I ever thought. True, Wall Street’s astounding recklessness caused the collapse. And their greed is a heavy weight stopping the economy from rising out of the muck. But the extent to which they’ve scammed and re-scammed and re-re-scammed and re-re-rescammed the government for avalanches of money–your money and my money– leaves me reeling.
Oh, it’s also a very confusing and boring story. Wish me luck as I try to make it clear and readable.
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For a few years now, I’ve been reluctant to write much about politics. It felt useless. The economic wasteland, the increasingly moronic and vicious politicians, the collusion of Democrats, the flailing of the Left. I didn’t see much point in trying to describe the hellscape around us, or try to rally people to take action against it.
I then got an email from an acquaintance who’d created, run, and then dismantled a radical activist magazine. He seemed sad that I wasn’t continuing to write, and I explained my despair to him. He agreed, recognizing territory he also knew well. But he carried a few flames of hope and passed them along. “Independent media alone changes little or nothing,” he said. “Indie media connected to organizing and movements does.”
And now that there are flying sparks that might become a movement, you’ll pardon me if I have to go put my fingers back on the keys.
