2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: How to spot a threat to Democracy: Bernie Sanders and Philip K. Dick on radicalism and revolt [View all]starroute
(12,977 posts)The established order thrives on keeping people insecure. It wants workers to feel insecure so they won't argue about wages or working conditions -- so unions are systematically weakened. It wants the poor to feel they're not entitled to anything so they'll be grateful for what few crumbs they get. The health care system, the system of student loans, the ever-rising cost of housing and certain other necessities (even as electronic toys become cheaper) are all exploited to keep people worrying about where they might end up if they don't toe the line. Even pee-in-a-cup regulations are designed to keep anyone subject to them feeling that one wrong step could spell doom.
These things are commonly justified in terms of some variety of social Darwinism. Either a high level of insecurity is needed to keep people on their toes, or docile workers are needed to keep American business competitive, or some other variation on the same theme. It's all a real-life version of Survivor where most of us will end up being voted off the island.
But that isn't how human beings thrive. It isn't how they innovate and invent and create. It isn't how we got here and it isn't how we can move on from where we are now.
And trying to reduce inequality as long as we maintain a system that continues to foster insecurity will not solve our most fundamental problems.