Will the Corporatocracy Stand?
Democracy and a habitable planet are about to be determined
I live in a nice, old city suburb of Buffalo, NY, a village really. It’s solidly middle class, but shows frayed edges in those who drive ancient rusted vehicles, and the occasional homes whose owners can’t afford to paint the siding or a new roof. There’s a sweet little business district within walking distance where a seasonal farmer’s market is held, and the town hall resides, an interesting stone building from the 1930s. It’s my polling place, and the early voters were there in long lines the past week. I walked over this morning and voted without difficulty. There was virtually no line which surprised me, and no jacked up pickup trucks accompanied by large, heavily bearded, angry men. My experience in rural voting upstate was considerably different, where struggling country folk turned the side of their barns into Trump shrines. I never had a problem, but the anger was still penetrating.
People have a right to feel angry. I get it. I think most of us feel sold out. Liberal or conservative, life has gotten far more difficult for the majority of us. However, the division we suffer has been manufactured by the wealthy. The lies and omissions in the media they own are constant and toxic. It’s class warfare, which simply comes in different guises in different times. “Liberal” or “conservative,” I hate labels as well. They’re used for division. We all need and deserve the same opportunities and protections. Clean, safe food and water, access to good medical care, jobs that support a reasonable future, and hope for our children.
Election day has finally arrived. As usual, we’ve been told it’s the most important election ever. In this case, it's actually true. Salvaging an inhabitable planet is on the ticket. Holding onto any semblance of democracy, with hope to restore what has been chipped away at and fully realize that elusive ideal, is on the ticket. That ideal is being undermined by the billionaire class, and I desperately hope enough people recognize the common enemy, so I can get out of bed with hope tomorrow.
I’ve been on Substack for three and one half years now. This dedication has come from recognition that the Earth has reached her planetary boundaries. I have worked every day to understand the issues and science. I’ve done plenty of hard work in my life, including sweaty, physical labor. I’ve built stone walls with heavy rocks. I’ve worked gardens with a shovel. This endeavor has been equally exhausting, if in a far different way. I’m no intellectual elitist, but pretty damn smart, and don’t apologize for that. I think being smart infers responsibility to do good. I believe in education, and that its essence should provide tools for critical thinking and the ability to analyze the work of specialists in their fields. Many of those specialists, over 15,000 of them in 2017, warned us of climate change and overshoot. I try to bridge that gap in my writing. Some believe climate change is a hoax, part of a larger, more sinister agenda. While conspiracies have certainly happened and exist now, climate change and overshoot aren’t part of them, rather a result of greed driven decisions that led us here. They’re a result of oil industry subterfuge (real conspiracy), and this three-part series is a must-watch to understand. The creating of The Illusion of Fossil Fuels is destined to end, and neither party is talking about The End of Oil.
There is no doubt we have been living in a corporatocracy for many decades now. Democracy, always challenged and unequal, has been reduced to data points of merit based on our individual ability to sustain unsustainable consumption. Meaning has been stolen from our lives. Those that have enough material success to appear successful, may wonder why they’re still sad and angry. Those that are envious of their “success” are misled by the 24/7 pounding of lies into our heads. The answers lie in degrowth, either happening with our guidance, or continuing on this deteriorating path, believing we are above nature and immune to the failing health of our planet. Degrowth, which I wrote about here, is a beautiful opportunity, but closing window for better lives.
This election is a choice between continued corporate tyranny and outright fascism. The former must be defeated, and the latter as well. One represents a slower death, the other a hastened one. Neither is acceptable. This tyranny must end, and only will if we demand it. Our hope is only equal to what we’re willing to sacrifice at this moment. We must become physically active, marching in the streets, loud. If Harris is elected, and you think our problems are over, you’re wrong. Passivity, waiting for our elected leaders to do what’s right, has led us to oblivion.
This article is far shorter in content and detail than usual. I am quite tired. Thank you considering these words, anyhow.
I hope to wake with hope tomorrow, with the ability to write freely. Our most basic rights, which we assume could be lost.
I appreciate you being here.