globalization the key to communism?

this proposition is heavy on the theory, light on the details.  be warned.

one of the most enlightening and rewarding academic decisions i’ve ever made was to focus my attention on sociology and exploring all the alternatives it provides to the status quo system in place in modern western civilizations.  i say this with particular respect to economics, which i find to be the most displeasing areas of study among universities.  the reason for this is that economics seems to hold itself to the status of science when it is clearly not.  even worse is the manner in which universities seem to treat economics as a science.  the field of economics implies a study of the ways in which a society might organize and structure the means of production and distribution.  what it actually is is an in-depth study of one economic ideology and how it organizes and structures our society.  the economics major at rutgers heavily promotes micro and macro economics and further specification built upon those principles, principles which are products of economic liberalism stemming from adam smith’s theories.  this is somewhat like working towards a physics degree and only learning about einstein’s theory of relativity without any concern for quantum mechanics or attempting a political science major and learning only about american democracy with no regard for monarchies or dictatorships.  the reason for this is clear; as rutgers is an american institution and thus prepares students for american life, which is dominated by capitalist economic principle.  the university is preparing students with the knowledge they need to properly integrate into the existing social system.  it makes little sense to teach marxist economics or tribal economics as we don’t live in a world of those principles.  i recognize and understand this necessity, however, it intensely frustrates me when undergraduates study economics assuming it to be somehow the only legitimate system, or worse yet, regarding the teachings as somehow scientifically reliable.  anyone who has taken a sociology or history course on adam smith knows that all his theories are predicated on fundamental assumptions of human nature which have not ever been scientifically verified.  furthermore, his theories are also philosophically juvenile in their assumptions of moral right and good, focusing entirely on the material with no regard for the human condition.

one might argue that western capitalism is clearly the only viable economic system as it is the system which has succeeded.  well, this argument is like saying that the eagles are objectively better  than the giants because they knocked them out in the play-offs.  it confuses existence as an argument for legitimacy.  simply because the giants happened to lose this one game does not effectively prove them to be an objectively worse team.  worse yet, it does not account for any circumstantial variables which might influence outcomes.  simply because the giants are not going to the super bowl this year does not prove that they could not ever attend the super bowl.  yet, many seem to believe that because american capitalism held out against communism, it is somehow objectively a superior ideology and that because communism failed once, it can never succeed.  to better understand this argument, one must understand the premises of communism.

it is the belief of many that communism failed because it was unable to effect a true manifestation of its tenants.  the belief is that the failed form of communism was not truly communism.  it is a well documented characteristic of marxian communism that the revolution be of global proportion and that for communism to truly work, it require the unanimous revolution of all nations.  i believe this is because marxism does not argue that capitalism is an inefficient model, but rather an unsustainable one from a humanistic liberal perspective.  capitalism addresses society as a machine, disregarding the humanity of its members.  this does not mean it is productively weak, but rather immoral and unsustainable.  in a material competition, there is a good chance that capitalism will indeed defeat any other economic model.  however, that is not to say that were marxism to have succeeded in converting the world it would have failed by some intrinsic defect.  perhaps it simply was not time for such an economic model to arrive.  the insulated nation states of the time were still too insular to foster a global revolution.  capitalist influence was too strong and its material allure too magnetic.  however, there is a growing trend which may hint at a future where a marxist revolution is more plausible.  american economic might during the cold war was far too influential to overcome.  economic assistance plans like the marshall plan kept key nations from the marxist persuasion.  furthermore, the strength of the american middle class mitigated the vital role that class inequality must play in a communist revolution.  so what has changed?

the american economy is weak.  the middle class is shrinking.  class inequality is greater now than ever before in the 20th century.  most importantly, american capitalism has recently implemented a campaign of globalization, joining the world’s economies into one megaeconomy without borders.  this i believe to be a potential death knell of modern capitalism.  perhaps not in my lifetime, but eventually, if globalization continues to unite the world’s economies, it will lay out a foundation for global revolution like the world has never before been afforded.  with the unification of the world’s economies, a communist revolution would no longer face the problem of staggered levels of development among nations.  the exploitation of laborers would no longer be a social condition specific to single nations, but an epidemic held in common among all globalized nations which are exploited by the wealthy nations of the world.  in essence, globalization transforms the world into one enormous model of the smaller, individual economics we see in developed nations today.  instead of poor laborers in ghettos working for rich capitalists, we have the poor geographic regions of latin america, africa, southeast asia, all laboring now for the benefit of the wealthy nations of western civilization.  the exploitation of laborers becomes truly international and the vision of a global proletarian revolution becomes shockingly plausible.  what america is finally coming to understand is that free market capitalism knows no national borders.  trade is the ultimate bond between nations.  as corporations move to exploit cheaper and cheaper labor in foreign countries, american laborers find themselves increasingly short of work.  what needs to happen is the reformation of the american working class to an american service class.  if america wishes to continue its trend of a borderless global economy, then it must transform its citizens to become the capitalist owners of that economy.  american workers cannot compete with the labor that developing nations can provide.  they are becoming an obsolete class, yet little is being done to transition those families and individuals to the service jobs which foreign nations cannot provide.  american employees of ad agencies, media corporations, financial institutions, and software developers need not worry about their foreign counterparts in mexico, indonesia, or nigeria because there is no competition.  if america is to succeed in the globalized world it is creating, it must not only shift its labor exploitation to international territories, but also promote and develop its own service industry to manage this new global market.  this means more americans need specialized skills and talents only developed nations can provide in order to exploit the cheap labor that developing nations are so eager to provide.  otherwise, the poor laborers of america will continue to suffer and a tremendous social problem will erupt.  to avoid massive civil unrest in america now, it must embark on a campaign which might ultimately lead to global communism later.

consider this, however unlikely and far-fetched it seems:

the world’s largest communist nation, the people’s republic of china, holds the largest share of us treasury securities of any foreign nation, a whopping $585 billion.  if it were to sell this debt, it would undercut the dollar and cause an almost immediate recession of epic proportion, throwing the entire global economy into severe turmoil.  epic recession means epic unemployment and poverty which is the breeding ground of communist sentiment.  the world’s largest communist nation has the ability to plunge the world into a period of almost guaranteed communist reform.

beat me to it

i was thinking of writing an article regarding the middle east the other day, but then i got distracted and probably played some gears 2.  however, after reading terence’s article, (here) my interest was reinvigorated.  t touches on good points, most agreeable of which was the ridiculous amount of propaganda people feel obliged to post.  i don’t care what side you’re rooting for because you are a college student on facebook.  what could you possibly know about the conflict in the middle east that cia analysts and high ranking policy makers have not already considered.   i don’t necessarily blame the posters because they live in a society which practically forces them to utilize barbaric communications to express their ideas; however, i would be ashamed of anyone who took a look at any media piece focusing on the conflict with more than a grain of salt.  there are perspectives and contexts which the majority of westerners do not and cannot understand.  nobody enters a hot-zone like the middle east with a camera and no agenda.  that’s simply a distaste for self-preservation.  the people who understand the situation best are those who are running the show.  the israeli government, hamas officials, middle eastern political figures.  these men and women are orchestrating a very dangerous theatrical engagement which relies on the concealment and often manipulation of public perception (that would be the crap you ppl keep posting).  it makes me laugh when someone in the states has the gall to believe their information and opinion on the affairs abroad are so credible that they ought to promote their beliefs.  tell me about why your room design is so awesome, or why you hate the alexander library; i can actually believe that you might know what you’re talking about in those instances, but don’t fucking preach to me about events clearly beyond your comprehension, or at least do so with some humility!  i don’t know exactly why shit always goes down over in the magical land of oils-r-us; i might venture guesses based on what information i’ve attempted to gather, but i can’t possibly envision a person stupid enough to base their opinions on what i have to say.  that’s like taking stock advice from a hotdog vendor who works on wall street!  this is why i try to inject some humor into all my propositions, because i simply don’t believe in them enough to write with the zealous conviction needed for seriousness.  and now, let me tell you what the fuck is going on in the middle east and who’s to blame.

it’s everyone!  we ain’t perfect, (some people think it’s wrong to eat pork!), and that’s alright, because there’s no such thing as perfect anyway!  so these imperfect people, the jews, always get into schoolyard scuffles with these imperfect arabs over who gets to play on the four square court.

the jews made this land grab way back when and ever since then shit has been shitty.  of course, it’s not really their fault.  it’s actually those dick faces, the western europeans (you too america) who thought they had the right to make decisions like building nations within nations.  see, everyone has to live somewhere.  land is the most valuable resource of all; it’s where we build homes, drill for oil, raise pigs, pimp hos, etc.  societies form around the lands they’re on.  we protect our land because it’s essential to our livelihood.  now, when mexicans come to america, we get all up in arms about them stealing our jobs.  (LOL, you’re worried about those jobs?!)  now take that sentiment and apply it to the palestinians.  they don’t want jews coming and taking their shit!  why not share?  because they’re not hippy bitches.  so it seems like the jews were some sneaky thieves, but HEY, at least those arabs had a land to build around.  those jews were kicked out of their homes way way back when and they’ve been wandering around ever since, and like i said before, nobody wants people stealing their jobs and land, so they’ve pretty much been hated wherever they go.  well, eventually a bunch of jews were like, “dude, why the fuck do we keep going around pissing people off, why don’t we just make ourselves a little country of our own and stop getting everyone so angry at us.”  that’s an admirable gesture jews!  but first they gotta go and get themselves a country!  well, let’s try to move back to the “homeland” they thought, “i know someone else lives there now, but maybe if we get shitloads of jews up in there, they’ll leave or something.”  well, that didn’t work (dumb, jews, dumb).  the arabs were not leaving (wtf arabs!)  looks like the jews plans failed; but all of a sudden this big fucking war broke out in europe thanx to this guy who LOVED coffee and hated his philtrum.  he also HATED jews, probably cuz one turned him down in high school and you know how those high school grudges stick with you.  he got everyone that hated jews together and was like, “let’s just fucking kill them all, then we don’t have to worry about them anymore”.  well, when the people who didn’t have to deal with the jews heard this, they were like, “OH SHIT PETER!  we don’t mind the jews so much, why you beefing?”  they all fought for a while.  obviously, no one cared about the jews enough to fight a war for them, it was cuz of other stuff also going down at the time, but afterwards, when the winners found out about how much the losers hated jews, they were like, “how do we stick it to those dicks we just fucking rocked?  i know, let’s be super cool to the jews,  that’ll piss off the krauts.”  so then those douches in england were like, “hey jews, we’re gonna make this country for u over in that useless land we own.  it’s gonna be INSIDE another country and you’ll probably have to kick out some peeps, but like, whatever, u’ll figure it out!  aren’t we sooo cool?  sloppy seconds ain’t so bad, man.”  well, the palestinians were like “HEY! don’t taze me bro” but the jews kinda raped them anyway cuz they were BFFs now w/ the superpowers and they got to borrow all their sweet toys.  but then all the other arabs were like, ‘hey, WTF!  we saw what happened when those americans built themselves a country inside native american territory, and we can’t even fucking gamble so FUCK that future.”  they all got together and were like, we gotta fuck these jews up so bad that they don’t wanna live here anymore (kinda like when a black person moved into a white neighborhood those many centuries ago before america became civilized (centuries right?).  but the jews remembered what happened the last time they tried to crash in other ppl’s cribs (disagreeable showers) and they were pretty sure they didn’t want to go through w/ that whole thing again so they were like “wtf, these arabs ain’t so tough, we’ll just fight them.”  and the two lived happily ever after.

so when we try to fix this problem, let’s remember that it’s everyone’s fault; trying to place moral blame now is kinda like booking suspects after u’ve already convicted the criminal.  how do we solve a problem that has no right or wrong?!  well, this is america ppl.  u find out where all the money is and u go to it.  i don’t know enough about the economics of that useless land of exaggerated mythology to make any accurate judgment calls, but it seems like there are way more muslims and arabs than jews in the world so i gotta say, F the jews.  nothing personal.

iron man

before you applaud, you should know that he is a republican

critical race theory 2: why blacks and hispanics are poor

here’s a post that i’ve been planning on writing for a really long time, but couldn’t find the words to keep it interesting enough to capture the attention of an audience. i will attempt to use pictures and videos and other media related links to help jazz up an otherwise tedious and immoderately drudging topic. mind you, this article isn’t meant to incite change. far from it in fact; it’s almost the opposite as i am attempting to explain why struggling for racial and social equality is just an exercise in futility. all the statistics are taken from the income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the united states: 2005 report released by the us census bureau in 2006.

in 2005, there were an approximate 293,834,000 us citizens. the break down of the four major ethnic categories are as follows: white: 66.48%, black: 12.44%, asian: 4.17%, hispanic: 14.24%.

12.58% of all american citizens that year lived below the poverty level. that’s approximately 36,950,000 individuals. now, let’s see how this group breaks down ethnically. the report shows the following percentages: white: 43.92%, black: 24.81%, asian: 3.79%, hispanic: 25.35%.

for a nation founded upon an ideal of every man being equal, you would expect that socioeconomic statuses to be spread out equally among all the races. however, such is not the case. clearly, through the statistics alone, we can see that there is a disproportionate number of minorities who fall under the poverty level. blacks and hispanics are almost twice as likely to be under the poverty level, relative to their percentage within the total american population. white people are disproportionately above the poverty level. it’s clear that there is a significant correlation between race and socioeconomic status. you can find an even more detailed table of income statistic based on race and gender here. the question that remains to be asked is why this inequality exists.

the answer can be found in marxist economic theory which states that those who control economic power in a nation control social power as well. if white men come and colonize a nation and set up a new economic system, it can be inferred that white men will control the economy. as immigrants of various races join this nation, they will be subjected to the economic system inherent to the nation. now, in order to maintain an economy, one must maintain a strong labor force. without a strong labor force to man the blue collar workings of industry, that industry crumbles. the problem is that the labor force is not paid very well since their jobs usually apply to activities which do not require extensive mastery or experience. they can be easily replaced. if too many people are qualified for high level jobs with big salaries, they will all be attempting for a much smaller niche which cannot support them all. this is why america, and indeed every economic entity requires people who are willing to work in the labor force or who are simply unable to ascend any higher. how does one ensure that he can continue to amass a large enough labor force to maintain his industry? one must actively manipulate society to create that work force. louis althusser, a french marxist and theorist, describes what he calls an isa (ideological state apparatus). it is a complement to the rsa (repressive state apparatus). in order to maintain order, societies utilize both to domesticate its citizens. the repressive state apparatus is basically the law and those who enforce it. it is the force used to keep order. if there is an uprising or riot calling for change, the rsa may be used to quell the incident. however, repressive state apparatuses are expensive to maintain and almost impossible to use in controlling an entire population. thus, an ideological state apparatus is employed in order to indoctrinate the citizens into becoming complacent and productive citizens. everyone can agree that it is fair to allot rewards to the best man, but what if the system that allows for training is imbalanced, or what if two men are equal in their qualifications. if a child is raised in a poor family and that poor family can only afford to send him to a poor school, where he receives a poor education, that child will inevitably receive a poor job. however, because there is no favoritism given beyond qualifications, this result is fair and acceptable. thus, schools act as part of the isa, preparing you for an economic role in society. if a church preaches that you must live in a certain way, work in a certain way, spend in a certain way, it is an isa. if your parents raise you a certain way that promotes specific career opportunities, they are an example of the isa. the ideological state apparatus is anything which may impart an idea effecting your choices and abilities relating to the economy of the society you belong to.

so, because white men were the first in america to establish industries and control the economy, it is natural that they would hold a great portion of the higher paying jobs. when an immigrant arrives without the communication skills required to work in a service industry, they are made to work in the labor force, practicing the universally held ability to provide manual labor. history has even shown that before racist sentiments went out of fashion in the modern world, race was commonly used as a convenient excuse for labor designation. american slavery is the most notable example as plantation owners who required cheap manual labor subjugated black slaves on the principle that blacks were an inferior race, unfit for equal human rights. such ideology helped create the backbone of the budding american economy. by the time slavery was abolished, it was already too late. black people were brought to a new world, dominated by another race and given nothing to compete with. reconstruction failed to make the necessary social changes, and white people maintained their dominant jobs. the only difference now was that they needed to pay a small wage to their black workers. the black race was still relegated to menial physical labor. so why are minorities disproportionately poor? it’s because they need to be in order to fulfill the labor force requirements. it’s because rich white men do not want to give up their cushy jobs to facilitate a more balanced society. when society gives aid to the underprivileged, we cry foul and point out the inequality of that aid. it is because every black or hispanic man who gets into an ivy league school is one less white man who could have. are you willing to be the parent that allows that? are you willing to relegate your child to a menial life for the sake of social equality? of course not. who would? what many people do not realize is that in order to help the less fortunate, those who have fortune must make sacrifices. the problem with the nation is that too many people want change without sacrifice. you may be a liberal white male, partaking in noble social causes on your daddy’s watch, but at the end of the day, when you get your ivy league diploma, you will chase the big figure salaries, and when you get them, that’s one poor undereducated person you just took a job from. the mere fact that you went to an ivy league means you filled a spot an underprivileged person might have had. the mere fact that your mommy and daddy can afford to send you to college means they have jobs that underprivileged people could have had.

until now i have neglected a major statistical anomaly, which is the fairly balanced and equal treatment of asian americans and their economic standing. you might have noticed that asians were the only class whose poverty percentage closely matched their population percentage. if you checked the income table, you will have seen that they also have the highest average income of all the races. even big businesses are starting to take notice. why do asians not suffer from this failings of minority status? it is not because asians have an unusually strong work ethic or are smarter than other races. the answer is that the modern asian immigrant comes from moderately developed nations and only the best of them can really afford to migrate to america. this means that those who arrive are already considerably educated and moderately wealthy. consider that african americans are mostly descended from slaves who were involuntarily dragged across the atlantic to america. they had nothing to begin with and once released from bondage, were given nothing to start over with. simply put, they were left to fend for themselves as white men controlled the economy and society within which they struggled. it has taken them decade upon decade to slowly build up to where they are now, a status still far from being equal. asians who immigrated to america, like myself and my parents, did so after a great deal of planning and consideration, as well as a great deal of saving to help them get started after the move. my dad was a professor and my mom was a pediatrician, both of them earning a decent wage and both of them highly educated. they were highly motivated and extremely hardworking people. they could not retain their professions after moving to america, and worked menial jobs for many years while getting new educations. it was a very difficult endeavor, and very admirable to behold, but their previous education and saved money helped make the transition easier. a great many hispanic citizens come from destitute nations and have little money or education, but they can make the journey simply because of geographic convenience. traveling from central america and mexico into the united states can be accomplished a lot easier than from asia, so a great many of them can make the trip without much resources. once in america, they’re willing to take on menial labor because the income is still greater than that which they would have earned in their native countries.

i’m not saying that poor minorities are forced to remain poor, that they cannot climb the socital ladder and become wealthy individuals, but it would be completely ignorant not to recognize that for the poor, it is a much more difficult goal to achieve than for a rich white man, and that difference in difficulty is all it takes to keep entire social classes down. if you want to change things, you cannot just fight the inequality outright against a majority unwilling to abdicate their high-earning jobs for you. any change that happens must be subtle and fair. the best way is to work harder and better than white folk. teach your children to work harder and better. education is the only thing that will pick you out of the rut. the sad truth is that you and your children must sacrifice fun for hard work. you must overlook the decadent media portrayal of american life and realize what priorities are most important in attaining better jobs and better pay. unfortunately, a great many parents do not do this well enough and their children end up trying to fit in socially before they can economically, not realizing the cost of living like an american. the media (another powerful isa) has a great part in how the youth of america is brought up and without parental supervision, it will inevitably corrupt the work ethic that the underprivileged must cultivate in order to succeed beyond the prior generations. that, however, is an article for another day.

election 2008

voting is important. change happens slowly, and you have to constantly work to keep it rolling in the direction you want. i don’t like gays and their butt-fucking ways. can’t i get a president who will kill all the gays? not likely, but maybe if you push in that direction, and keep at it, one day, maybe not in your life time, but someday, your children might live in a gay free world. what’s that? you hate blacks? well, if you vote for a white man with a background in snobby white southern business, or anyone who boasts an elephant pin on their lapel, you’re taking a step closer to exiling all those lazy blacks from america. it’s hard work, figuring out the candidates that fit your needs, but if you want change, you have to do it. luckily, some places make it easier for you. i recently found this site and it helped me gain insight into which 2008 presidential candidates are best suited to facilitate my dreams of being an upper-class millionaire, ordering a legion of underpaid laborers to do the work i’m unwilling to bother with, all so i can support a lavish and luxurious lifestyle with my close friends, and preferably the top 25 most beautiful models in the world. it also stimulated growth in my bald spots, helped me lose 47 lbs, increased my focus and memory, and even enlarged my penis. check it out if you don’t believe me. take the quiz, and in 15-30 days, you will see instant results. but seriously, take it and learn something. i’m not gonna be dramatic and tell you that the fate of the free world rests in your hands, because bono has that all under control, but you do have the power to push for slight changes that may evolve into reforms that heavily impact your life in the future and the lives of your family and friends. do the right thing. learn a new trick. when the time comes, vote.

http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html

this isn’t the only research you should do. it’s just a good way to get started. once you find your political champions, learn a few things about them. make sure they don’t dress up in leather and fuck filipino ladyboys on the weekends, or do, whatever floats your boat. what’s important is to understand what your choices are and what they stand for and whether they can help you get knee deep in pussy, the fine brazilian variety that’s so poor, she’ll fuck you simply because you’re a middle-class american. those are the best kind because poverty dissolves inhibitions.

fyi: i got barack obama (63%) and al gore (62%)!

the power of an al gore

greenhouse gases and global warming aside, there is a special achievement that al gore has accomplished which i would like to recognize. if you read the news or watch tv, you know that a green wave is coming. the pop-culture phenomenon that’s sure to extend into the next decade is going green. everywhere you look, somebody’s telling you to go green. switch to these light bulbs, drive these cars, use this many sheets of toilet paper. leonardo dicaprio wants it, sheryl crow wants it, brad pitt wants it (although granted, he’s pretty much trying to save everything), cameron diaz, edward norton, even the pope is hanging with the ‘cool’ kids now. and if you ask any american who the face of the green revolution is, they’ll tell you, mr. almost-president al gore. now, regardless of my own views on global warming, al gore’s success is quite an accomplishment. not because of the cause he is championing, but because of the way he’s doing it. with an academy award-winning documentary to slingshot his campaign to the forefront of pop-culture, gore was able to galvanize the most powerful weapon in america, the media apparatus. the cascading effect of green awareness seems like a juggernaut gaining momentum with every product, ad, celebrity endorsement it gets. now science may be a powerful tool, but we all know that there are a lot of stupid people in the world that need more than scientific evidence to convince them to switch light bulbs. what they need is some good old-fashioned peer pressure, because while facts might give the average joe a lesson in climatology, peer pressure gives him a chance to improve his own standings, and being the egocentric creatures we are, we’ll respond much better to public approval than long-term results. if your neighbor’s doing it, and your co-workers are doing it, and that cute girl in your dorm with the magnetic ass is doing it, then you better believe that sooner or later, you’ll be doing it. al gore has made green a cultural phenomenon, like peace-loving hippies or the third reich. everyone wants to be apart of it. nobody looks to jim johnson in wisconsin for advice on being a hip, trendy guy. jim gets me my milk and nothing else. when americans want advice on being sexier, trendier, and more appealing to others, they look to hollywood for the answers. who drives a prius? the coolest, sexiest, pot-dealing milf in agrestic, that’s who. who wants to reduce greenhouse gases? the hottest and hippest that hollywood has to offer, that’s who. who wants to fuck more beautiful people and strut about with a smug grin of self-satisfaction? you do, and you can start by doing what hollywood tells you. and once you fold, maybe that creepy girl in your econ class with the big head and the even bigger crush on you will fall in line as well. so go out there and buy yourself a bag that’s not made of plastic, and make sure everyone knows it, because your sheep-like idiocy just might save the world; and al gore knew it the whole time.

“…but i am made from cheap, unethical labor practices in china (but it’s okay, they’re the leading co2 emitter in the world)!”