By Christian Marx
America is teetering on the edge of collapse and possible civil war. How did it come to this?
Every problem the U.S. currently faces can be traced back to capitalism.
America has always been based around a rugged, dog eat dog type of individualism. A Darwinian survival of the fittest mentality. This is the only country in the Western world without socialised healthcare. Tens of millions can`t afford to go to a hospital, and many that do, find themselves bankrupted by hundreds of thousands for major surgery.
The corporate elites run both major parties. Together with their toxic media, they can rule the masses with an iron fist, primarily through disinformation and lies. Confused, frightened and uneducated people cannot vote for their best interests.
The current disclocation engulfing America is the senseless murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd. Yet another thuggish cop has murdered a person of colour. The anger erupted when NOTHING was done. The cop was only sacked after country wide outrage, and now has been charged with 3rd degree murder. However, there is every chance he will get off scot free, like so many killers before him.
Capitalism is the underlying root of the problem. Firstly, George was arrested on suspicion of a forged $20 bill. This in itself is a symptom of the crippling poverty engulfing much of America.
45 MILLION Americans are living below the poverty line.
This poverty has been systematically increasing since the Reagan years. One of the biggest causes of poverty has been the free trade deals, particularly the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA) which gutted local manufacturing and industry, in favour of offshore jobs at third world labour rates.
Compounding this is the complete decimation of state services, such as food banks, healthcare, education programs, etc.
Poorer areas, especially places with a high black populace are the hardest hit. There is also a systemic attack on blacks and other minorities through the hard-right lens of the media. Narratives are shaped via deceptive and negative stereotypes. The black man is portrayed as a criminal and dangerous individual, even when he has done no wrong, and is merely standing up against injustice.
Compare the vastly different narratives to the white libertarians who invaded congress with semi automatic guns, versus the black protests against police brutality. The white libertarian militias were largely praised in the media for standing up to “state oppression,” while the black protesters were scorned and mocked as “dangerous thugs.” More reading here.
There is an underlying media bias of whites being “good” and blacks “bad.” This of course ties into the division needed in order for capitalism to continue to benefit the primarily wealthy white establishment and to neglect the needs and rights of black people and other marginalised minorities.
Sure, there has been a black president, but as Dr Cornel West explained:
“We tried blacks in high places. Too often our black politicians, professional class… become too accommodated to the capitalist economy, and too accommodated to celebrity, status, power and all that superficial stuff.”
In other words, capitalism does not just corrupt rich white people, it can drive a wedge between different classes of black people. Those that are permitted into the club of politicians and wealthy donors, themselves become corrupted and turn their backs on their poorer brothers and sisters. Sadly, capitalist greed transcends colour, creed and cultural backgrounds, which makes it incredibly insidious.
Compounding this is the constant censorship and omission of scientists and legitimate sociologists, linguists, and other intellectuals from the progressive sphere. They just don`t get a platform. If one dares to challenge the inequalities of capitalism or its multitude of problems, including environmental, sociological, cultural, or geopolitical, one is either completely de-platformed, or in extreme cases attacked and ridiculed, for example Julian Assange, for daring to expose the murderous actions of the U.S government and its imperialist war machine.
In summing up, capitalism has thrust a dagger into the heart of America. Capitalism has essentially eaten itself. Greed has pushed it to achieve greater and greater profits into fewer and fewer hands. This results in huge community dislocation, poverty, neglect, violence, the suffering of millions, and racial scapegoating by the mainstream media.
The more people are affected and left behind by capitalism the greater the resistance against the establishment. Paradoxically, the greater the resistance, the harsher the state brutality will be. The profits of the wealthy will be maintained, no matter how violent. This is what end stage capitalism looks like. Fascism can be defined as the merging of the state and private capital. This is the killing of America.
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Christian Marx is a political and social activist interested in making the world a fairer place. He has a Bachelor of Social Science and has a keen interest in sociology, politics and history. He was one of the organisers of the March in March rallies in Melbourne and is the founder of the progressive news and information site: Don`t Look At This Page.
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