Why We Can't Have Nice Things

In a capitalist "democracy" (although strong arguments are being put forward as to why we should call it "neofuedal 'democracy'") short-term profit accumulation takes precedence over any kind of "general welfare" or public good. In fact, there is no distinction between them. More profit is always good and no law shall be passed that restricts this axiom. Because it would look bad if corporations had their own police and army, they created the state and a veneer of "democratic" goverance, supposedly of, by and for the people. Some rubes actually buy into this farce but most people simply accept it as "better than fascism". No matter how bad their lives get at least they don't live in Ethiopia. Of course "government" and "the state" come in many shapes and sizes, and often at a very local level people try to put environmental or social justice concerns ahead of profit. But power flows from the top so a higher level of capitalist government can be enlisted to "pre-empt" these brave attempts at local autonomy. Rubes who identify as "conservative" can be enlisted to support these restrictions on their own freedom by framing the issue as socialism vs the free market. Because they can't understand the way the tyranny of the capitalist state is exactly the same as the tyranny of the market, the state simply enforcing market dictates, they consume more shit and wave flags. They pass laws enforcing their own slavery. When you are that stupid, you deserve to be in chains. Meanwhile, as the social fabric continues to unravel, we naturally see law and order becoming the simplistic go to for the forces of reaction. The George Floyd Rebellion backlash melds perfectly into growing disgust over massive homeless camps. The answer? more cops. More guns. Bigger fences. Destroy antifa. Who knew?