[Peace-discuss] "the little people" need to "suck it in and cope, "

[E. Wayne Johnson]

"...the average American loves to hate their neighbor's way of thinking, 
believing or living, both domestically and internationally, and so they 
MUST be changed through use of force.  You see this represented in the 
platforms of all party, yes, even the allegedly deficit hating Tea 
Party.  But this fanaticism to change every single human on earth to 
conform to the angry American way of thinking is the biggest cause of 
the deficit I believe.  The taxpayer calls in law enforcement if a black 
man takes a slice of pizza or a Muslim man walks the wrong way in 
Pakistan; and, in each case, the tens of thousands of dollars option is 
always taken and when the bill comes they shriek and then murder some 
more people to make up for the anxiety of having so much debt.  It's a 
luxury to find so many things wrong with so many other people; 
hopefully, it is a luxury that Americans will soon give up.  As it is, 
they are bankrupt and increasing their debt burden in an orgy of 
punishing & abusing people all around the world, domestically and 
internationally..."

(above quote from Stacy Herbert at maxkeiser.com)

/Resentment, frustration and anger are now ubiquitous features of U.S. 
culture. This is the consequence of several factors, none of them positive./

*"Horn broken, watch for finger."* This bumper sticker perfectly 
captures the zeitgeist of the nation: the horn is broken, and everyone 
is giving everyone else the finger.

*Why are simmering resentment, frustration and anger now ubiquitous 
features of U.S. culture? I would posit the following factors:*

*1. A culture of entitlement*: the U.S. is now a culture of takers 
obsessed with getting their "fair share" of the swag/borrowed money. "We 
were promised!" (public employees); "I earned it!" (Social Security 
recipient, though only the first 3-4 years of benefits are drawn from 
his/her contributions, and everything after that is welfare drawn from 
the hides of current workers); "healthcare/income security/housing is a 
right!" (everybody's got rights, but nobody seems to have any duties or 
obligations); "it's for the children/elderly!" (that is, my expense 
account, million-dollar pension, etc. are nominally protected by the 
banner of "education" and/or "healthcare"), and so on.

Those with access to "private welfare" such as CEOs are a privileged 
class; most of us have to elbow our way to the crowded public trough. 
The truly select feed at the Wall Street trough, which combines private 
welfare skimmed from shareholders and investors, and Central State 
welfare issued in unlimited billions via bailouts, Fed purchases of 
toxic debt, backstops, loan guarantees, etc.

But like the story about the attractive young lady who blushingly agrees 
to share her favors for $10,000, but balks when the suitor downgrades 
his offer to a paltry $100 (with the punchline being, "We've already 
established what you're willing to sell, now we're just haggling over 
the price"), the recipient has sacrificed autonomy in accepting the 
entitlement, regardless of the source or size. This is how complicity to 
a host of embezzlements, corruptions and exploitations is purchased.* *

*2. A culture of victimhood:* Victimhood is rewarded, shouldering ones' 
own load and thrift are punished. Like rats in a maze, Americans respond 
to incentives and disincentives: as a result, everyone is shouting out 
their claim to victimhood. The cacophony is reminiscent of a classroom 
of spoiled children all claiming excuses for their odious behavior and 
poor performance.

*3. Unrealistic expectations: *nobody wants to do demanding physical 
labor, so skilled-craft jobs go begging and companies have to train 
workers. Favored careers include sports heroes, Web entrepreneurs (as 
long as the work isn't too arduous and the cashout comes quickly), 
entertainers, film makers, etc.--all highly desirable and all scarce in 
the real world.

Offers which don't meet Americans' lofty expectations of their market 
value are rejected with a sniff (and good old American optimism: 
"something better will come along soon").

Numerous financial websites offer up fare such as "how many millions do 
you need to retire comfortably," as if saving hundreds of thousands of 
dollars is even an option for the vast majority of wage-earners.

*4. Hype, hypocrisy and propaganda dominate the nation's politics and 
mainstream media: *soaring rhetoric about growth, recovery, the American 
can-do spirit, the benefits of bailing out the Financial Power Elite, 
etc. have raised expectations that have repeatedly been dashed by reality.

All these relentlessly glad tidings and admonishments flow from the 
rentier-cartel Power Elites of the State/Plutocracy partnership, which 
owns the MSM (mainstream media) and most of the nation's productive wealth.

Thus we get billionaire Charlie Munger (one of a pair of outstanding 
hypocrites at his firm) suggesting that "the little people" need to 
"suck it in and cope," leaving him and Warren to the task of reaping 
billions more from ongoing taxpayer bail-outs of firms they bought into 
with State collusion.

The announcement that the Great Recession is over is simply the latest 
in an unending line of increasingly meaningless pronouncements 
transparently designed to persuade the public that everything's really, 
really getting much, much better, and their sour mood in the face of 
this outpouring of "good news" is irrational and, well, downright 
annoying. Get with the program, people! Everything's going great! (at 
least for billionaires who were offered Goldman Sachs shares at the bottom.)

*5. It's somebody else's fault:* you can fill in the perps, but leave 
the American public/consumer/voter as hapless, helpless victims of 
nefarious forces.

*6. The frustration of addicted debt-serfs:* We hate the nation's 
political class and the "up yours" service provided by Corporate 
America, but we are seemingly powerless to rid ourselves of these 
Overlords and leeches. Voters rail against dysfunctional insiders, yet 
they re-elect the craven parasite in their own district. They complain 
about cable TV providers but don't cancel their service lest their 
addiction to the smack/coke cocktail of TV be curtailed.

*7. The 30-year erosion of the middle class:* this chart says it all:

Income Graph

Image: itulip.com <http://www.itulip.com>

The middle class filled the growing gap between stagnant earnings and 
steep increases in living costs, healthcare (a.k.a. sickcare), 
education, and housing with a second income (Mom, aunty, sister and 
Grandma all entered the workforce en masse) during the 1970s, and then 
they filled the still-widening gap in the 80s, 90s and 2000s with 
ever-expanding debt.

The dot-com bubble provided the illusion that permanently rising 
equities would painlessly fill the gap (pension plans were happy to join 
in the mass delusion). When that fantasy imploded, it was quickly 
replaced with the exact same fantasy, only this time based on housing.

*Now that the "housing never goes down" fantasy has imploded*, the 
dwindling remains of the once-great middle class are slouching 
dejectedly through the ruins of the political center (which cannot hold 
because there is no center, only a State/Plutocracy Elite and a rabble 
of State dependents defending their fiefdoms), filled with bitter 
resentments at this undeserved plight--for isn't this the Greatest 
Empire the World Has Ever Known?--beset by anxieties about the rough 
beasts (let us call them austerity, restraint, humility, responsibility, 
patience, sacrifice and thrift) whose hour has come round at last.

And just to end on a lighter note:



Read more: 
http://www.businessinsider.com/are-resentment-frustration-and-anger-the-defining-feature-of-the-new-american-2010-9#ixzz10Q1tzMIx

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