We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
We Talk Friday Ep. 6: Abuse Me A Little More
I have a friend who was in a physically abusive relationship, for over a decade. I didn't know her during this time, but we were also colleagues and I would drive her to one of our clients every week for a year or two, and we got to know each other well. One of the things I asked her was "why did you stay" which is a pretty stock-standard question, but I wanted an answer directly from a person with experience and since she knows my intentions, she was willing to answer. I don't remember it word for word, but it went something like this.
It started off so well and we were great together, and then the changes in him happened quite slowly, and he was always sorry afterward, and I believed we could get over it, that I should fight to stay with him. But the thing that made it hardest was that I believed I needed him. I felt like if I left, I would lose something I couldn't do without, and I wouldn't survive.
I was reminded of this today when thinking of the current global economic situation at the moment that has been exacerbated by the Trump government in the US. Again, I don't blame American people for this, because one thing that the US has done very well is create a strong sense of patriotism, but the current government is gaslighting citizens and the world. They are making people think that the US has somehow been taken advantage of for all these years, by the rest of the world, when the closer reality is that it is the US and their practices that are taking advantage of everyone else.
Without the rest of the world funnelling money into the US through so many different gateways and mechanisms, the country would not be the largest consumer, nor be able to build the strongest military. It is precisely because the rest of the world hasn't taken advantage of the US, that these things are possible, so don't believe the current narrative.
For instance, the creative accounting practices of the worlds largest companies, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon etc means that they are systematically extracting value from countries, without hiring many people locally (if any) and without paying taxes. For example, in 20-21 Apple took in 9.3 billion in revenue, but ultimately paid 137 million in Australian tax. The standard corporate tax rate in Australia is 30% - they paid 1.5%. And all the others were similar. This is money that mostly ends up back in the US, to drive investments, consumption, and military spending.
The US is an abusive trading partner, but they have successfully turned attention away from the trillions that are pouring in through their hydra-esque gateway corporations, and focused it on things like NATO spending. And this is self-serving anyway, since the trade agreements ultimately force members to buy military equipment from the US anyway.
Yet, the RoW feels like they can't do without the relationship. They feel that if they break those bonds and walk out the door, they are going to lose something and won't survive. This is exactly what an abusive partner propagates in their victim - a sense of dependency. And yes, the current economic trade flows are dependent on the US consumer spending, but that is only the current situation. If the RoW decided to cut ties to a larger degree and instead spend their resources building a consumer market elsewhere, the "single market" of 350M people becomes pretty irrelevant in a global market of 7.7 billion others.
And it should be irrelevant.
The distribution of resources should be far wider than it is, but perhaps more than that:
The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults 20 and over was 41.9% during 2017–March 2020. During the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity among U.S. adults was 9.2%. This means that more than 100 million adults have obesity, and more than 22 million adults have severe obesity. The prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% in 1999-2000 to 41.9% in 2017–March 2020. During the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%.
Maybe a little less consumption would be a good thing?
I get it. That patriotic drive where Americans drop American flags off of every service has been conditioned for decades, but I think that even though Americans might "know" they don't seem to really acknowledge that they are being lied to. That the premise given of their country is not the reality. There is no American dream available for the majority of people, and the call of "freedom" is not very present there either.
The country could be great again, but not really via the path it is on.
Well, that is subjective. If you consider a great country to be one where a handful of people have all the wealth and the control to continually crush down citizens in order to make a little more profit, then yeah, America is on the right path. But, "average wealth" doesn't mean the average person is wealthy. The majority can suffer massively, but the GDP can be growing in double digits.
What is a great country?
Can you define it? When Trump says it, what is he envisaging? Is it the same as you? For me at least, a great country is one where the wellbeing and betterment of humankind is the focus for investment and activities, so that people now and in the future will have opportunities to thrive in value-adding ways that are good for the country, the community, and themselves. There has to be alignment, because misalignment leads to collapse.
Would you stay in an abusive relationship?
How is your relationship with your government? Are they helping you be your best, supporting your dreams? Do they have your best interests at heart, are they engaged with your needs, are they a net positive in your life? Or even though they keep hurting you, they have they made you feel like you need them and cannot leave?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Past Episodes:
Episode 5: No Humour Here
Episode 4: Your Country Sucks
Episode 3: Collapse is Inevitable
Episode 2: Show me the money
Episode 1: Strange bedfellows