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It seems that exploitation by the corporate class leads to everyone else responding by supporting the exploiting class.
1. Illegal immigrants who come here enrage certain voters who have their nationalistic pride preyed upon to make them vote for politicians who will empower the corporate class (most people who hate mexicans vote GOP, who only empower corporations even further). Nevermind the fact that the reason so many people come to this country is because the corporate class can hire illegal immigrants and pay them lower wages, no benefits and treat them worse than US workers. People respond by empowering the same groups that are helping to piss them off in the first place.
2. High unemployment is driving people to join the military, which makes it easier for wars for economic purposes to be fought.
3. Lower wages and standards of living encourage people to do more consumption at big box retailers who offer lower prices because of their political and economic influence.
4. According to Erich Fromm and Max Blumenthal, a life of personal trauma can lead people to identify with radical right wing culture. Bill O'Reilly was badly abused as a kid. So was Michael Savage (who may secretly be gay and hate himself). Glenn Beck is a mess. Many leaders of the GOP have been caught in sex scandals or infidelity. So a lack of economic insecurity may make people more afraid of the world, and more prone to supporting authoritarian right wing policies. The trauma of WW1 and the great depression empowered authoritarian regimes all over wealthy nations (fascism in Italy, Germany and Spain. Communism in Russia. The KKK in the US). So economic destruction could lead people to support politicians who empower the corporate class, and lead to more economic destruction.
5. A sense of inferiority due to economic insecurity can lead people to more easily succumb to attempts to prey on that insecurity by stoking class warfare to give those people a sense of personal superiority. "I may not have a job and may not be able to support my kids. But at least I'm better than immoral gays and irresponsible blacks." That kind of thing.
I'm sure there are other examples. But all in all it really seems like exploitation by corporate interests can and do lead people to engage in behaviors that only serve to empower the corporate classes even further. Exploitation can lead to class warfare, a culture of personal trauma (which empowers class warfare and authoritarianism), economic support of the corporate class (because their influence can offer lower costs on goods and services) and an empowerment of the military with new recruits.
Shit.
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