The Status Quo

In my blog on economic power, I stated that I believe the power struggles in society today are between those with wealth, and those who have to work for their income often described as being between the owners of capital and the workers.

This is not a revelation. This is the age old class struggle that's always existed.

The question is why don’t those without money rise up against those who do so that they can take some of it?

The worlds richest 26 people have the same amount of wealth as half the worlds population, some 4 billion people.

If we’re talking about power, surely the power of 4 billion people is far greater than that of 26, why don’t they just fight back and rebalance things?

Even if those 26 people bought some people to form an army to protect them, they still cannot defend themselves against 4 billion people.

So why don’t the 4 billion do something?

There are a number of reasons and mechanisms that are in place to stop this happening.

One is national boundaries. I think I’m English which means I am not French. Even though we are at one level identical and face the same problem.

Another is technology. Those with money and power are those who could create electronic tools and devices which connect the working person. But obviously they wouldn’t do this.

Another is social media. You may have read the above paragraph and thought… hang on, they have invented tools which have connected us. I would say, look at the cesspit of Twitter. Look at how they cannot tell Elon Musk how many accounts are fake or bots and ask yourself; has it brought us together or has it divided us?

Another is alcohol and drugs.  If you cannot remember yesterday, then you cannot worry too much about tomorrow.

Another is a controlled media narrative.  If people are being fed information about scary things like increasing electricity bills or immigrants, then they are not going to worry about 26 people.

Equally, the controlled media will tell you that it’s the outsider, the immigrants fault that you feel so poor, so you have an enemy being served up on a plate for you.

Race division is just one form of division, we are also kept engaged in bitter arguments about left or right politics, or young versus old, leave or remain, or fat versus thin.  As long as we fight amongst ourselves, then we won’t fight the 26.

In addition, in poorer nations where most of the 4 billion live, most are not white and are starved to death with a life expectancy of less than 20. Removing a big part of the threat is a key part of staying safe for the 26.

Terrorism is another form of division. As long as we need protection from the bogeyman then we are not going to fight the real enemy.  Wars are an extension of this as is false wars such as that on drugs.

In wealthier countries, there is the middle class.  This is a group of people who are comfortable enough, so are willing to support the status quo on behalf of the super rich.

For the middle class, House prices and our pensions invested in the stock markets mean we feel we may become poorer if we don’t protect the status quo.

The middle class also have football. If all you do is care about men in shiny coloured shirts and all you read is about how they kicked more balls into nets this week, then you’re less inclined to think about 26 rich people.

Another is education. People who turn off the TV and read could become challenging. You can keep them away from University by making it cost nearly £30,000.

Equally, if you have a fee paying school system and you prioritise those people for University you educate a group of people who are already in the wealthy class, so will defend the status quo with intellectual arguments.

In Britain our class system and aristocracy is another supporting principal of the super rich. Whilst we look down on chavs and benefit cheats we don’t see the vast sums of money stolen from us by well off friends of the ruling elite for covid contracts or MPs expenses.

Another is our political system and politicians. They are now self serving administrators for large corporates and the wealthy elites. Our new PM has said that taxing the rich is counter productive because it stops them getting richer which then helps the poor. Inexplicable unless you accept that she’s doing her job and helping the super rich.

Another is the heorisation of businesspeople and entrepreneurs. We’re told they’re maverick geniuses who got by on grit and hard work. It’s utter bullshit.

Another is American imperial power and cultural influence.

Those with money and power need to keep people bickering amongst themselves and various issues.

We have all the power. But not if we allow ourselves to be distracted and divided.

And you can be sure that people who have put in place multiple defense barriers to protect themselves would put up the fight of their life to retain the status quo.