Is This Squid Game?
by C.A. Matthews
I've never seen the TV series, but I've read about it. Most viewers express sympathy with the characters and at least a passing familiarity with the premise. They see themselves living in a sick and twisted game show set up so that no one can win and all of their suffering is for the entertainment of a privileged few.
I can relate. No matter how I try, I never can get a handle on this sick and twisted economic system we're forced to live under. The rules seem to change capriciously in mid-game. All we can really expect playing in the contest of capitalism is to slave away for billionaires at starvation wages and abysmal benefits (if we're lucky to have any) until the day we die.
Well, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm mad as hell. And I'm not going to take it anymore.
What can we do about it? First off, no more lies. Pretending that capitalism somehow benefits everyone in our society is harmful in and of itself. Holding onto this lie keeps beneficial changes from occurring because energy is wasted on upholding the status quo. (Read Exposing The Lie.)
In practical terms this means no more agreeing with those who think all those who "fail" under capitalism are somehow "lazy" or "deficient" in any way. Uh-uh. Anyone who enjoys profiting off the work of others is a failure--a total failure in the moral decency department. They no longer deserve our respect or regard. Feel free to tell them to shut the f*** up.
Secondly, we must fight the system at every opportunity. The workers have the power when they unite to fight for the rights they deserve. Striketober, General Strike, and Strikesgiving are trending hashtags for a reason. Strikes work. We the workers can't let up with organizing ourselves into unions now.
The third thing is the most important action we can take to defeat the sadistic capitalist game runners. We the ordinary people must stop arguing with each other, especially over trivial things. The elites depend on our mutual animosity dividing us into smaller and smaller factions so they can easily conquer us. Capitalists love race hatred and help sow it at every possible opportunity. They salivate over inter-generational conflict because that means children and their parents and grandparents will never coalesce into one large group and instigate a mass action against the bourgeoisie.
We can't let the billionaires bust We the People up and create conflict in the ranks. It's us versus them. It's the only way we'll succeed in throwing them out of power, so keep the focus on us.
It's time we put away this worldwide game of Monopoly or Squid Game or whatever you call it and replace it with one called Cooperation. If we don't do it soon, we won't have any planet left to fight over.
The climate emergency could be abated if we put an end to the military-industrial complex and the carbon pollution caused by the top 10% wealthiest. Focusing on those mighty tasks together alongside our fellow workers, instead of being distracted by capitalists' games that will destroy life on Earth as we know it, is what we've got to do.
No excuses. Time's a'wastin'! Get mad as hell--and then get out there and take out the madmen who created this hell.
Related Articles:
It's Really Weird How Little We Talk About Humanity's Imminent Doom https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/11/03/its-really-weird-how-little-we-talk-about-humanitys-imminent-doom/
Study Warns Luxury Pollution by the Mega-Rich Is Imperiling the Planet https://truthout.org/articles/study-warns-luxury-pollution-by-the-mega-rich-is-imperiling-the-planet/
Americans Are Rediscovering the Power of Unions https://scheerpost.com/2021/11/08/americans-are-rediscovering-the-power-of-unions/
The COVID Supply Chain Breakdown Can Be Traced to Capitalist Globalization https://truthout.org/articles/the-covid-supply-chain-breakdown-can-be-traced-to-capitalist-globalization/
Seen on Twitter:
"There are more delegates at COP26 associated with the fossil fuel industry than from any single country"
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 8, 2021
I don't know about you, but I sure am not comfortable with having some of the world's biggest villains influencing & dictating the fate of the world.https://t.co/vjQRBrcoC7
***
From Friends of the Earth:
Picture this: Sand-covered baby sea turtles hatching from their shells and making the long journey from the sunkissed beach to the salty water. But something’s wrong -- out of the water sticks a huge metal contraption, casting a shadow over the beach. It’s an offshore drilling rig -- and it’s putting the tiny sea turtles in danger. Take action now.
This grim reality could soon become even more entrenched for everyone who calls the Gulf Coast home. The Department of Interior is preparing to sell 80 million acres of the Gulf coast to the fossil fuel industry. The massive sale will pollute Gulf waters with toxic fumes and chemicals, threatening iconic marine life like sea turtles, native fish, birds, dolphins, and whales.
But the sale isn’t final yet, and you can help stop it if you show a groundswell of resistance. Will you act to save marine life from pollution, C.A.?
Tell the DOI: Don’t sell the Gulf of Mexico to Big Oil polluters!
| SIGN NOW |
While the Gulf was just starting to recover from the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010 and the decades-long Taylor Oil Spill of 2004, Hurricane Ida caused dozens of rigs and pipelines to rupture, spilling even more toxic sludge into the Gulf. The Gulf experienced 2,000 new incidents of pollution in its waters after Hurricane Ida. And that’s not all -- in the past two years, the region suffered the worst red tides in over a decade.
Oil spills aren’t a rare occurrence in the Gulf. In fact, offshore pipeline leak rates in the Gulf are more than 10 times higher than the national rate. And these spills cause a host of health issues. People living nearby can experience respiratory problems and pneumonia from the fumes of oil spills alone.
The federal government should be protecting our Gulf waters and the people and wildlife who call it home -- not sacrificing them to fossil fuel mega-corporations. But the only way we’ll save the Gulf is if people like you take a minute to sign your name and demand the DOI cancel this sale.
Demand the DOI put people, wildlife, and the planet before Big Oil profits!
| SIGN NOW |
Once a sea turtle swims through an oil spill, there’s no way to guarantee it will survive. Wildlife rescue efforts after oil spills are far from 100% effective.
But if the DOI sells more of the Gulf coast to Big Oil, the spills and their catastrophic impact will only become more frequent. And the sale will impact everyone from Texas to California by increasing carbon emissions from fossil fuels and hurtling us closer to climate catastrophe.
The
climate crisis has already been declared a code red for humanity.
Selling off more land to fossil fuel developers is exactly the opposite
of what we should be doing. But instead, President Biden is breaking his
campaign promises to end oil and gas leasing in our ocean. The only way
to stop this is if you raise your voice and speak out against fossil
fuel destruction now.
Help send 30,000 comments: Tell the DOI to keep Big Oil out of Gulf waters!
| SIGN NOW |
Standing with you,
Hallie Templeton,
Senior oceans campaigner,
Friends of the Earth
***
From OpenMedia:
Have any of your posts ever been taken down on a platform? Do you want to see more regulations online? Do you wish freedom of expression was the rule online? This is the opportunity to share with OpenMedia what you think about content moderation by social media platforms.
While the First Amendment of the constitution restricts the ability of the government to penalize people for what they say on online platforms, platforms are currently able to set their own rules for speech on their services. Some people want platforms to set fewer rules, while others want to see more restrictions over harmful speech such as misinformation and harassing behaviour. We want to know YOUR preferences regarding the content you see on online platforms. Any changes should be made based on people’s actual needs and requests. This is your opportunity to participate!
We have partnered with Simon Fraser University and research funder Mitacs to develop an in-depth survey to consult your opinion about content moderation and the type of values you prioritize when deciding on online content.
A lot of our best ideas start with our incredible community members, like you. Would you take some time to take this survey and share your thoughts?
We hope this research will provide significant information about the public's preferences when it comes to regulating private online spaces. The results of the study can contribute to public policy decisions based on the opinion of the citizens to shape the digital regulations of the years to come.
Thanks for all that you do,
The OpenMedia Team
***
We're
demanding that the U.S. government accept responsibility for the harm
caused by Agent Orange — the toxic chemical used as a weapon of war on
the people and land of southeast Asia from 1961-1971 — and provide
assistance to American veterans, Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American
victims, and their children. For the past six decades,
millions of people sprayed directly by Agent Orange as well as their
descendants have suffered from various cancers, birth defects, and other
deadly diseases. Contaminated areas in Vietnam continue to poison the food, soil, water, and wildlife.
It's far past time for the U.S. government to address the poisonous legacy of the American war in Vietnam. Join us in telling Congress to pass H.R. 3518: Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2021.
This May, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3518, the
Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act, saying: “The United States has a
moral responsibility to compensate the victims of the Agent
Orange campaign. In the same way we are focused on beginning to repair
the damage of systemic racism in the form of reparations, and the war on
drugs with restorative justice, it is also our responsibility to try
and atone for this disgraceful campaign during the Vietnam War.”
H.R. 3518 calls on the U.S. government to:
- Fund significant assistance to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims
- Clean up the lands and eco-systems contaminated by Agent Orange in Vietnam
- Provide additional assistance and health care for U.S. veterans' children affected by Agent Orange
- Address the health needs of affected Vietnamese-Americans
- Require the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to conduct research on the health effects of Agent Orange
Tell
your U.S. Representative in Congress to co-sponsor this important bill
to help alleviate those suffering from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam
and the U.S.!
Thank you for taking action,
Greta Zarro
Organizing Director
World BEYOND War
greta@worldbeyondwar.org
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