I see much of what is occurring lately to be a fear response.
Can’t raise minimum wage for fear that business will suffer.
Does business not suffer when people do not have money to spend?
This is the obvious first step on the journey to the decline of capitalism. First you create an underclass, give them just a little, instill them with fear of having nothing and make them fight each other for the pittance that barely allows them to keep body and soul together.
Continue to add to underclass through regressive systems of taxation and elimination of middle management.
Continue to raise prices, move jobs to offshore areas where people are even worse off, major profits for those who count.
The one fly in this ointment is who is to buy the goods? As fewer and fewer people can afford anything more than merger food and shelter, as fewer and fewer people can contribute to the economy through consumerism, the system will start to crack and fall apart.
We might take the proactive approach. We might consider instilling humanity into our economic theories.
Things like well fed, well educated workers being able to accomplish more, things like equal rights for all citizens, things like well funded public daycare so that children have safe and loving environments and women having opportunity for employment.
We might take that approach were it not for the fear factor.
The fear that allowing the underclasses some dignity would interfere with the ability to smear them as authors of their own misfortune.
The fear that women will see that society rides free upon their unpaid labours.
The fear that once people are not fighting each other for crumbs they will turn their attentions upon the immoral and inhumane actions of those in positions of power.
Feminism raises the hackles of those so used to their privilege they cannot fathom not being in control.
It was once said that nice women don’t want the vote. Now it is said nice women don’t want to be feminists.
Nice women will—well make nice— with the men in power so as to have little gifts bestowed upon them. Little gifts like, livable income, daycare, right to control ones fertility, minor things.
Nice women will not use bad words. Words like fuck, for instance. Golly gee wilikers, darn, gosh, are all acceptable words for nice women.
Nice women will listen when the men tell them the acceptable boundaries of feminism.Tell them which subjects should be addressed, and when to just sit down and accept things as they are.
Extremism will not be tolerated.
Definition of extremism? Expecting self proclaimed leftist, progressives to actually believe in things that are..um..progressive.
Progressive (though some say extreme) things that Bread and Roses members believe for instance.
Women’s rights
Gay rights
The right to education
The right to housing
The right to free and open government
Democracy
The right to be paid a fair wage for a day’s labour
The right to control one’s fertility
The right of free speech
The right of net neutrality
The right to point out the wrongs.
It is folly to continue to support the status quo based on the fear that a more equal and compassionate society may not allow you to continue to think you are special.
It is folly to think that people should quietly submit to a fate not of their own choosing.
It is folly to think that women will or should quietly accept second class status. Accept the couching of their rightful anger in terms intended to make light of the issues and which insult those raising them.
It is a folly born of fear.
“Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake.”
Excellent post. I actually believe fear is one of the main reasons the right has such support. (See my post on hy people vote right wing. One of the worst motivations is fear – it is understandable, but problematic.
Very well said.
I truly believe most people are tired of hearing the same old same old lines thrown out by the coporate elite and the politicians that serve them as to why we must always have a portion of the population under the poverty line.
When the ascension of globalisation and right wing politics started in the 70s we heard all about the eficiency of business and the inefficiency of government. We heard about trickledown economics and how government should be run like a business, we fell for it.
Then there was Enron and Accenture and dear old Conrad among too many other failures and scandals to count. We’ve seen an ever increasing instability in our manufacturing and infrastructure combined with an attempt to role back the clock on women’s equality and reproductive freedom.
If we have to sustain our society by keeping a segment of it in the poor house, living hand to mouth with all of the stress that that produces, we do not have a society that is worth supporting.
Right frickin’ on, Sister!
One might say that your rights are Universal rights, and are irrelevant to gender, with the exception of fertility.
Adrian, can you tell me who is was that did not say that women’s rights are human rights?
Good grief!
The rights are listed with the preëmptive concerns of the blog author:
Women’s rights
Gay rights
I believe in the rights of humans. Who’s with me?
So you are saying then that you believe as I do that these are simple rights and freedoms and not extremisms as we have been charged with?
Or perhaps you missed the part where this section of the post was about defending against charges that the beliefs of Bread and Roses members are extreme and are under the impression I am saying these things are women’s issues only.