How do you fight the system?

Right now, in the world today there is only one choice for an economic system. That's corporatist capitalism. By it's very nature it is set up to funnel public funds into private hands in order that the rich elite becomes ever richer. What it does to the rest of us is leave us out of the equation except as gaping mouths to be fed an ever increasing mass of stuff.

Unfortunately as the rich get richer the poor and middle class tend to get poorer. The numbers of people falling below the poverty line is steadily increasing thanks to the Friedmanite Chicago school of economics that has held sway in the world for 30 years (for an excellent analysis of this paradigm shift see The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein). The IMF and World Bank, as well as the good ole US of A, have made certain that countries with any kind of social programs, populist regulatory systems or infrastructure improvement projects, are forced to gut these programs and infrastructure, sometimes at gunpoint. Why do they do this? To make sure that the robber barons of multinational corporations are allowed to ride into town unhindered by even the semblance of a sheriff to keep things civil.

From the democratically elected president of Iran in the 50s to the democratically elected presidents of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia (I could go on) in the 60s and 70s, the corporatists have made sure that no democracy would stand as long as it worked for its own people and not for big business. Only through dictatorship and oppression could the draconian economic measures of the IMF and World Bank have been stuffed down the throats of the third world in order to line the pockets of rich elites.

Unfortunately this is the system we now have throughout the world. Where social programs, decent infrastructure, good education and public goods (such as low cost utilities, access to clean water, and free airwaves) are a thing of the past. The system is so ubiquitous that it's almost impossible to opt out of it.

How do you fight the powers that be when they practically control our very thought patterns? You can't go to the store to buy a piece of clothing or a vegetable without running smack into the corporate machine.

One must ask, what would hurt the multinationals the most? What can the average human being do to refuse to be a part of the corporatist agenda? How do we opt out of the slave wage/slave consumer paradigm that we are allotted by those who would rob us blind and make us obedient little batteries to power the machine? How do we refuse to believe that "War is Peace." and not buy into the Big Brother mentality?

The one area that the big corporations are weak is in the area of profits. If profits don't keep climbing they lose. They can create another war, they can create another disaster in order to suck the economic life out of the shell-shocked citizens. But what if we refuse to be duped? What if we opt out of their consumer/consumption paradigm? What if we no longer buy their stuff? What if we grow our own food or buy our food from local people who grow it? What if we don't buy lots of cheap, poorly made clothing from Walmart and instead buy it from second hand shops or garage sales? Without consumers all that stuff sits on the shelves. Without consumers, profits would suffer. Even if only 10% of the people stopped buying all the corporate made garbage that is thrown our way it would hit the corporations where it hurts.

And what if we refused to be slave labor, working for an hourly wage, most of us without decent benefits, no hope of any decent retirement (401Ks don't count; as we have seen they can be wiped out in a heartbeat) and certainly not receiving the massive bonuses of the CEOs and the shareholders. CEOs don't make things that can be sold to bring in the profits. And certainly shareholders don't either.

So if we opt out of the slave market of corporate labor, what do we do instead? Create a local economy, supported by other local economists. At first it wouldn't be easy because people aren't used to buying local. They're used to going to the big box stores to get lots of cheap stuff. But what if you decide you don't need lots of cheap stuff, but instead go for a small amount or moderate amount of locally produced, well made stuff that will last 5 to 10 years longer than anything produced in China? Decide what you would like to do with your life if you didn't have to go to that boring 9 to 5 slave's job every day, Monday through Friday. Then figure out how to make a living at it. Sure it would probably be a lot more work. But it would be work that has true worth to you, to your community, to your family and eventually to the world.

As for the corporate controlled government with their hands in our pockets, if you keep your income below a certain level you don't have to pay taxes. And your money won't be going to support the rich elite, illegal and unjust wars, torture, destruction of democratic governments, and arms dealers. "But," you say, wringing your hands, "how can I possibly survive without making all that money? How can I have all the goodies and the brand new (gas guzzling) car and the 3000 square foot house with a pool and all the amenities?" For this, please read Radical Simplicity: Small footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel. It is possible, and in fact, it is necessary if we are not to end up in a Soylent Green world.

Building communities of people opting out of the corporatist rat race would provide support for those choosing this lifestyle. A good example of the type of community possible can be seen in many Amish communities in the U.S (not all, mind you. Some have fallen prey to the need for a paycheck.). These communities have their own banks that are supported by customers in the community through good financial responsibility. They buy and sell goods among themselves, without need of inputs from the corporate world. It is a much simpler, slower and less harmful way of life. I'm not saying you have to do without electricity or drive a horse-drawn carriage. But producing your own power through wind, water or solar or a combination of all three would certainly reduce your ecological footprint as well as remove the need for corporate controlled energy (re: Enron and the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars through market manipulation).

I'm not saying that completely cutting off all commerce that involves corporations would be easy. You might opt to make your own clothing but where does the cloth come from? If you have a local cloth mill where does the fiber come from? If you have your own cotton fields, hemp fields (the more sustainable choice), or sheep herds, where do the machines come from (used machinery? I'm sure in this country with the outsourcing to China and other low cost producers there must be used machines that could be obtained)? It is a daunting task to reinvent an entire civilization. How on earth do you replace the corporate made computers? Perhaps by supporting locally produced ones, if that's even possible?

So we start with baby steps. We start buying our clothing second hand. We sell that 3000 sqft house and buy a piece of land where we can grow our own food, raise our own livestock, quit the 9 to 5 slavery, do what you've always dreamed of doing for a living. As long as you don't want to be one of the wealthy elite leaching off the rest of society and others' hard work. I find that most people simply want to be comfortable and happy, safe and relaxed. They don't need to make millions for that. And if the thought of growing your own food is simply too much, support other local growers. A local economy currency or straight up barter could be instituted. Communities across the world have done this already. Wouldn't be terribly difficult to duplicate in most areas. These steps have the benefits of cutting the corporate umbilical and letting the national government know that we aren't going to pay for their wars and destruction any more. And it grows community. "It takes a whole village to raise a child." would no longer be hollow words in the fragmented, hyper-individualistic, me first world we live in now.

The only way to break the backs of the corporations that are most responsible for the destruction of our environment, the looting of our national wealth, the poisoning of our children and the violent expropriation of the commons is to hit them in the pocket book. Opt out of their all consuming program to take all the wealth they can steal from the poor and middle class to enrich the controlling elites. Don't let them control us in true Orwellian fashion. Free yourself from the Matrix they have created for us. Refuse to be a battery.