Originally Posted by Taichiliberal View Post
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the main problem with our society is that it's based on competition for limited resources and opportunities. This starts as early as grade school, were it is imbedded into your mind that unless you past certain test within a certain time frame, you are essentially finished and of no use to society other than the most menial and unpleasant jobs and living conditions.
That means there are winners and losers....and the winners really don't want to be bothered with the losers beyond a certain point (i.e., servitude or entertainment).
Mind you, there are factions of our society that are compassionate...which is why you have charities, soup kitchens, etc. And there are factions that are rational and practical....which is why you have social security, unemployment insurance and welfare.
But a large portion of the "winners" balk at the very notion of a fraction of their earnings be put into a communal trust so that people don't end up homeless beggars on the street. Which is essentially irrational, given that these same people don't want to have to deal with crime and living next to squalor.
And let's face it, people are NOT going to ceremonially commit suicide because they don't make the grade for this job or that career, or are suddenly jobless and homeless due to the mismanagement, greed or illicit activities of some of the winners. So yes, there will be crime of all sorts....and then there will be people who just snap and commit acts of violence. And then there will be those who are overwhelmed with despair and take to drugs and alcohol. Or those who will create "alternative" means to make a living that may not sit well with the winner's idealism.
And the "winners" will surround themselves with gates and walls and paid security....and expect that waiter to have that dinner on time and properly served, or that cup of coffee and doughnut ready in the morning (while driving/walking on clean streets). It's not their concern that the people who keep the lights on or mine the metal ore or do all the little things can't afford to live where they work or afford the items they produce.
Hence the problems we see now.
Do I have the solution to all of this? Well, I could say "learn to share and be nice to each other", or "stop penalizing women in the workplace for being able to give birth" or "you don't have to like or agree with someone to give them the respect and courtesy YOU expect" or "stop being greedy" or "just give people a decent wage to afford simple, decent living" or "acknowledge that smart, rich people can be corrupt and should be stopped"......but these seem to be to hard for most people to accept, let alone do.
CHANGE IS HARD, BUT DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER HOPING FOR DIFFERENT RESULTS IS INSANE.
So it's back to discussion, voting, advocating, and the threat of civil unrest/violence. Who knows, maybe people will catch on before turning the world into a garbage heap and incurring the wrath of God and nature (aka- "global warming")? Let's hope so.
