Lately we have been inundated with news reports about billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet opining on inequity and the need for higher taxes on the rich,with the latest such pronouncement coming from the founder of the World Economic forum Klaus Schwab. Sadly too many progressives have fallen for this dodge
.
While they talk out of the side of their mouths Gates and Buffet have allied themselves with Monsanto in a bid to bring slavery back to Africa. They do this by foisting GMO's on farmers in the guise of famine relief, but as Indian farmers can tell you once Monsanto gets it's hooks into you they own you for life,literally. Speaking of India, Buffet is currently funding a huge steel mill project that is resulting in the eviction of poor farmers from their lands.So have they seen the light or are they just trying to sedate the masses in an attempt to deflect the anger they see directed at them and the rest of the ruling class, I have no doubt that it is the latter.
So when I hear people like Gates, Buffet and Schwab talk about the need to address inequity what I hear instead is Sorry to awaken you, now go back to sleep
I don't think it's "fallen for this dodge" as much as "exposing the cracks in the system". Many people think of global capitalism as inevitable and impervious to change, and our pressure from below as worthless. These pronouncements expose those assumptions as untrue. If our efforts were completely in vain, if we were so easily swatted away like so many gnats, these corporate giants wouldn't bother to address them.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that these pronoucements are not solutions, and you're right that they're all hypocrites. But the fact that they're saying these things is still noteworthy.
Hi Laura They're definitely feeling some heat or we wouldn't be hearing these things from them and that is obviously a good thing. What has my back up is that I encounter many, mostly on twitter, who are buying their bafflegab. even some who are ready to beatify them and I see real danger in that,for I fear we are being set up to accept a few measly little crumbs like higher taxes on the rich instead of meaningful change
ReplyDeleteUgh. Folks like that are liberals at heart. The crumbs will be enough for them.
ReplyDelete