8. Economic misery and ‚Conscious Capitalism’

For years we follow the efforts to project a more environmental and socially conscious image to the very system which erodes the natural life basis for our societies and destroys our social relationships and reduces an ever increasing majority of people to disposable workforce, with no right to a job, no right to housing, no medical care, ... while a minority is living it up incl. heated entranceways to their garages. 

While the ADB tells us that the so called success of lifting people from poverty in Asia is a mere statistical effect resulting from totally inadequate and arbitrary poverty lines, in the EU the Gini coefficient is rising.  Seeing poor people in a poor country is one thing, but finding countless people living on wet winter streets in rich Paris is an insult. Because we HAVE the means to provide a living to these people, poor countries do not comprise of. EU countries are rich and this is particularly demonstrated with the shopping sprees during the Christmas season. The confrontation with families living on sidewalks between the merry shoppers appears unbearable if one does not look away out of being ashamed.

However, I recall Ziyuu san’s rage about the depraved poor in Asia. We shall not pit one form of poverty against the other.  All are unacceptable.

 

The churches provide soups fort he poor in the centre and the distribution is packed with clochards (http://www.soupesainteustache.fr/).

Take the train from CDG tot he city and watch the kilometres of cardboard housing along the train lines!  This is worse than Bangkok, where one only needs shelter from rain, whereas here the grey cold hast o be kept out oft he shack as well. Imagine in addition the potential brutalisation oft the inhabitants. Even where people still have a better place to stay the potential violence (just google Paris news) will again result in disaster as it did in the banlieus before.

THESE are just parts oft he the tangible results of capitalism fort he masses.  Any consciousness on the side of exploiters holds only for their profits. THESE must be ensured and the corresponding fall out for our environment - currently producing and consuming as if we’d comprise of the resources from several earths, but we have just one - and societies need to be camouflaged with nice statements during redundant conferences.

There is nothing like a conscious capitalism and business will never be a force for good. In the contrary, the antagonisms grow daily plain for everyone who opens his/her eyes to see and feel.

As the French paupers once washed down the aristocrats the drain of history the paupers of modern times will scrape the parasitic class of capitalists off the surface oft he earth. 

Alas, I fear it will possibly be too late to build a human society out of the future remains of our capitalist world. Natural AND social resources have been largely consumed and post-catastrophe societies may be rather determined by the individual fight for survival than the idea of humanity.