They look at their lives and feel proud that they are able to consume so many impressive consumer goods that commercials scream about, movies and TV show us, and stores happily sell us on credit. They do not dwell on the gigantic level of outsourcing of manufacturing to low labor cost countries over the past several decades. They do not depress themselves with the reduced incomes here in the U.S. They have not become obsessed as I apparently am about rising economic inequality. They are not reading articles on Internet sites about our delusional prosperity for the people on the losing end of economic inequality. They are not constantly reminding themselves that mere possession of goods does not tell the whole story about income or wealth. They do not get angry when hearing about increases in the GDP, even though such numbers say nothing about the distribution of income and wealth.
In my recurring dream the evil, devious but ingenious consumerism foundation of the American economy keeps proclaiming victory - such a brilliant way to keep Lower Class working- and middle-class Americans peaceful, docile and even hopeful. Though I keep seeing millions of people losing out as the expanding economy mostly benefits the Upper Class, my fellow Americans keep consuming, oblivious to how that keeps a corrupt system alive. They just keep marching with "consumer confidence" to the beat of delusional prosperity.
Visions of class warfare erupting in the USA keep reappearing in my dream, but few others seem even to think about this. The population at large FEELS good because of high consumption equality, despite their incredible debt. Collectively, this army of consumers has the power to change the economy. But individually they only keep buying more stuff that not so many years ago would have seemed impossible. They are drugged by consumption. So many high-tech, electronic gizmos available as affordable and NECESSARY consumer products. I see an American culture with one purpose. To provide continuing stimuli for consumption. Borrow more, buy more, owe more, worry more. No matter that virtually nothing bought is made in the USA. Sure, the Upper Class has access to an incredible array of luxury goods and services and an increasing financial capability to afford them. But the "losers" in our economy stay glued to their large plasma screen TVs and their high-tech computers, plugged into their cell phones and Ipods, consuming more crap food, remaining politically disengaged and distracted - but seemingly confident - consumers. Debt feeds their consumption addiction. Revolt is not on their minds. No matter what progressive writers say, the rich and powerful elites keep control. Consumers keep spending, elites keep increasing income and wealth inequality.
Have these millions of willing victims fallen victim to some bizarre parasitic disease that eats brain cells? Are we witnessing an army of consumer zombies? Once people are infected by - let's call it the Elitist Worm - they become trapped, mesmerized by their own cycle of work, consumption and debt, their immune or defense system immobilized. No longer able to critically think and evaluate the system they sustain. Are they slaves as in the conventional historic model? Not at all. They are Americans! with so many constitutionally protected rights and freedoms that they barely notice, once infected, that their fabled great American democracy has robbed them - literally - of their economic health, and not just now. Infection by the Elitist Worm, like some undetected computer virus, will only make things worse over time.
A housing bubble? The whole damn economy is one economic bubble. Yet despite their continuing loss of economic health, as if in a dream state, they remain obedient consumers of stuff and debt. They watch the Upper Class with envy, hoping against hope that they will be that long shot winner that rises up from the Lower Class by realizing the American dream and becoming RICH! Delusional democracy and prosperity breeds delusions of upward mobility that once actually existed here in the United States of Delusion. Not slaves, just deluded free, men and women, hard workers, trying to be optimistic, often through religious faith, even as they know in some part of their consciousness that the system has beaten them.
Why bother voting anymore in our free elections? The game is stacked against them. No politicians will come to the rescue. Some actually eagerly anticipate the end of days - Armageddon. [I went to countdown.org to check on how close we're getting - good news! - we're on track. That's one way to deal with economic inequality. Better yet, the doomsayers see this truth: "It seems like the more gadgets & luxuries with which man tries to find happiness & satisfaction, the more discontented & miserable he becomes!"] So maybe people are not as happy as they pretend to be. But fully facing our ugly economic and political reality in the here and now is repressed through what psychologists call defensive cognitive dissonance. Truth will not set you free, just cause pain.
Better not be fully aware of the awful predicament they are in. Good jobs going overseas, so why bother to get college degrees? Illegal immigrants flooding in, so even jobs requiring physical skills are never going to pay well. Highly educated legal immigrants also pouring in, depressing professional salaries. All to provide more obscene salaries and stock options to corporate elites. No likely way in to the exclusive economic aristocracy that rules our land.
Yet there is this delusional hope resulting from the enormous size of America's Upper Class. Common folk know that there are MILLIONS of really rich and wealthy Americans - many MILLIONS of millionaires. People who just wealthy are becoming super-rich. Just look at all those $50,000+ cars out on the roads and all those multimillion dollar McMansions from coast to coast. Hard to tell yourself that you - Mr., Ms., and Mrs. Nobody - that you cannot join that huge number of financial successes. Keep dreaming, keep believing in America - land of opportunity. Buy another lottery ticket. Keep self-medicating by overeating unhealthy fast foods. Don't let all that ugly, painful truth in. Be thankful for Wal-Mart. Let the Elitist Worm keep rotting your brain as you move zombie-like through blissful consuming, borrowing and working long hours. Forget family time and free time. Forget getting good health insurance. Certainly forget any experimental treatment for the Elitist Bug designed to remove all the delusions, lies, dreams and propaganda from deep inside your brain.
Sooner or later the Elitist Worm will win. Your system will suddenly shutdown - job gone, no health insurance, sickness hits, real estate market crumbles, home gone, bankruptcy no longer wipes out your debt. Rebooting through class warfare and a Second American Revolution is like some science fiction scenario stuck in my dream. I keep imagining a courageous third-party candidate for president - some heroic John Wayne, Charlton Heston or John Galt character that will break through the corruption and rid the body politic of the endemic Elitist Worm. Some day.
But I recall reading yesterday that in 2005 the U.S. population in prisons and jails reached a new high of 2,186,230 - I kept saying to myself "over TWO MILLION Americans are in prison and jails." It boggles my mind. The number increased by 2.6 percent from 2004 - more than double the rate of population growth. In 2002 the big news was that this imprisoned population had topped 2 million for the first time. I'm sure Bill O'Reilly feels proud of this progress. Selling American democracy abroad is not easy when about half of all the imprisoned people in the world are in American jails and prisons. More progress is assured. Many studies have found correlations between economic inequality and violent crime. Build more prisons! With cheap illegal immigrant labor of course. No matter. No other country - democracy or not - can top our prison rate. Let them have their universal health coverage. We are doing a great job protecting our Upper Class. Better yet, for those that suffer the most we have a solution - lock them up. And now and then, for appearance sake, also lock up just a few of the many corrupt politicians and corporate crooks. Keep delusional justice alive. All this imprisonment reminds me of Soylent Green. Wow! - that woke me up.
Time to check in and see how John McCain and Hillary Clinton are doing in their sincere quest to save the nation, and to hear the latest speech from President Bush. Now there's someone who rose up from private sector failure and captured public service success through unflinching commitment to self-delusion and subservience to the Upper Class. Plus he overcame his handicaps of low intelligence, poor verbal skills, and inappropriate public smirking! What a role model. I'm feeling better now.
