The myth of the benevolance markets
Just a quick late night thought, nothing factual, but lots of easy soft fear that disappears in the light of day when there's places to see, people to do, things to go, or something like that.
My mind imagines a slow process that occurs as people surrender their power in exchange for trinkets offered by strangers. First its pretty beads maybe, then a nice mirror for the Mrs, some white lightning for the wild nights, and perhaps a warm wool blanket for the kids. Nothing to object about.
It's all not looking too bad, and then the settlers start coming, and you question but are assured the land was legally sold to them, where you had once roamed free, and they're cuttin' down the trees, building things that never were ther before.
Wait, that's the WRONG story. No this one maybe has a little thing called a mortgage and monthly payments a little beyond what you can handle, at least with that credit card balance that has been rising for the last few years so now the once easy minimum payments are starting to seem a bit steep. And that car payment is due next week, and your paycheck today is already emptied just paying last week's bills, and of course your car insurance is also 2 weeks overdue and they're going to turn off your policy in two weeks even if you can make your car payment.
Wait, that's not MY story either. Naw, but there's an unlimited number of stories of people who choose NOT to turn down a no-brainer offer by hucksters known by many names, but all comes down to greed.
AND more scary yet, these direct marketers of greed are NOT even the real culprits in this pyramid scheme. They might as well be just like you, just another Joe trying to make a buck to pay for their nice home or new car. No the real enemy is worse that that. The enemy is those who actually have a couple pennies to rub together and CHOOSE to invest those pennies in a few stocks in companies that pay marketers to figure out better and better ways to sucker money from people. No it is probably worse that that. Average Joes with a few bucks in the MARKET are not the problem, but its the above-average Joes with more than a few pennies to rub together who think the right investment can double their wealth again, like it has for the last 17 times or whatever.
Debt is the simplest measure of the blackness of the heart of this system we call "The free market." On the bright surface it is OPPORTUNITY. It is creativity. It is the best and the brightest envisioning a better world and having the tools to see what they can do.
But WHY does it cost so much? Why does it depend on the vast majority holding great debt and a few on top controlling the vast majority of the wealth?
Any well-trained marketeer will tell you that the RICH earned their wealth and the damned government better keep their grubby hands off the loot, so these inspired folk can continue making the rest of us rich by trickling down on us.
I know how easy it is to support the socialist/communistic propaganda as well - blame the rich for all the shortcomings that happen upon a naive people who were tricked into enslaving themselves for trinkets. If only we could take all the wealth back, and share it everyone will be happy.
No no, I accept that dream is mere projection, scapegoating, even as I accept more than not, the market is full of darkness and small mindedness.
But here, in my dark hours I tell you: Beware!
There are limits to our good fortunes, and ever though there will be convenient scapegoats to be found when the tide seems to turn away from you, that does NOT end your responsibility for where you ended up.
So be afraid. Consider the market is NOT your friend, but at best a neutral force that can help or hurt, but most of all IT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. It will not save you or your neighbor if the dominoes finally get rolling.
Sometimes I look to enemies, sometimes I just think we're all playing the game of running down the slope and hoping the momentum can carry us over the next hill. It's a gambling game.
Overall my trust of the markets is a trust those who have most succeeded will want to continue the game FAR BEYOND good sense, and for all their risk, they've already won, and can pull out if the chips turn down, while the rest of us can lose everything, if we're unfortunate to miss the timing.
I can't imagine why ANYONE would invest in the stock market. It's CRAZY to me to imagine all the trillions invested in a market that can evaporate overnight.
It's crazy to me that local businesses are dependent upon bank loans of imaginary money created from the fractional reserve system for real profits, while we ought to be supporting our OWN debt by our OWN savings.
It is amazing to think. Put $1000 in the bank, and the collective banking system can turn it into a $9,000 debt to the lend out. It's a great scheme. It allows the money system to expand and allows a new business to open sooner than later, and create new wealth to pay back the loan.
And the house of cards works as long as there's no wind.
Unfortunately as much as I love happy endings, really, there's lots of wind we can't control, and I don't like the idea we're dependent upon a vast system of growing debt to support everything we depend upon!
Well maybe it's all legit. Maybe all the wealth really does have colateral to pay up when things don't work out? Well, in the end, wealth equals land and hard assets - things not fixed in value, but ownable at least.
An interesting thought - Apparently something over 60% of the people "own" homes, but I wonder what that means if the banks have mortgages on all of them.
I wonder what a graph would look like for "OWNED homes and businesses" without debt? I mean like over time. How is it distributed?
No, not thinking about sharing the wealth, just questioning success and power and how things are going.
My mind imagines a slow process that occurs as people surrender their power in exchange for trinkets offered by strangers. First its pretty beads maybe, then a nice mirror for the Mrs, some white lightning for the wild nights, and perhaps a warm wool blanket for the kids. Nothing to object about.
It's all not looking too bad, and then the settlers start coming, and you question but are assured the land was legally sold to them, where you had once roamed free, and they're cuttin' down the trees, building things that never were ther before.
Wait, that's the WRONG story. No this one maybe has a little thing called a mortgage and monthly payments a little beyond what you can handle, at least with that credit card balance that has been rising for the last few years so now the once easy minimum payments are starting to seem a bit steep. And that car payment is due next week, and your paycheck today is already emptied just paying last week's bills, and of course your car insurance is also 2 weeks overdue and they're going to turn off your policy in two weeks even if you can make your car payment.
Wait, that's not MY story either. Naw, but there's an unlimited number of stories of people who choose NOT to turn down a no-brainer offer by hucksters known by many names, but all comes down to greed.
AND more scary yet, these direct marketers of greed are NOT even the real culprits in this pyramid scheme. They might as well be just like you, just another Joe trying to make a buck to pay for their nice home or new car. No the real enemy is worse that that. The enemy is those who actually have a couple pennies to rub together and CHOOSE to invest those pennies in a few stocks in companies that pay marketers to figure out better and better ways to sucker money from people. No it is probably worse that that. Average Joes with a few bucks in the MARKET are not the problem, but its the above-average Joes with more than a few pennies to rub together who think the right investment can double their wealth again, like it has for the last 17 times or whatever.
Debt is the simplest measure of the blackness of the heart of this system we call "The free market." On the bright surface it is OPPORTUNITY. It is creativity. It is the best and the brightest envisioning a better world and having the tools to see what they can do.
But WHY does it cost so much? Why does it depend on the vast majority holding great debt and a few on top controlling the vast majority of the wealth?
Any well-trained marketeer will tell you that the RICH earned their wealth and the damned government better keep their grubby hands off the loot, so these inspired folk can continue making the rest of us rich by trickling down on us.
I know how easy it is to support the socialist/communistic propaganda as well - blame the rich for all the shortcomings that happen upon a naive people who were tricked into enslaving themselves for trinkets. If only we could take all the wealth back, and share it everyone will be happy.
No no, I accept that dream is mere projection, scapegoating, even as I accept more than not, the market is full of darkness and small mindedness.
But here, in my dark hours I tell you: Beware!
There are limits to our good fortunes, and ever though there will be convenient scapegoats to be found when the tide seems to turn away from you, that does NOT end your responsibility for where you ended up.
So be afraid. Consider the market is NOT your friend, but at best a neutral force that can help or hurt, but most of all IT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. It will not save you or your neighbor if the dominoes finally get rolling.
Sometimes I look to enemies, sometimes I just think we're all playing the game of running down the slope and hoping the momentum can carry us over the next hill. It's a gambling game.
Overall my trust of the markets is a trust those who have most succeeded will want to continue the game FAR BEYOND good sense, and for all their risk, they've already won, and can pull out if the chips turn down, while the rest of us can lose everything, if we're unfortunate to miss the timing.
I can't imagine why ANYONE would invest in the stock market. It's CRAZY to me to imagine all the trillions invested in a market that can evaporate overnight.
It's crazy to me that local businesses are dependent upon bank loans of imaginary money created from the fractional reserve system for real profits, while we ought to be supporting our OWN debt by our OWN savings.
It is amazing to think. Put $1000 in the bank, and the collective banking system can turn it into a $9,000 debt to the lend out. It's a great scheme. It allows the money system to expand and allows a new business to open sooner than later, and create new wealth to pay back the loan.
And the house of cards works as long as there's no wind.
Unfortunately as much as I love happy endings, really, there's lots of wind we can't control, and I don't like the idea we're dependent upon a vast system of growing debt to support everything we depend upon!
Well maybe it's all legit. Maybe all the wealth really does have colateral to pay up when things don't work out? Well, in the end, wealth equals land and hard assets - things not fixed in value, but ownable at least.
An interesting thought - Apparently something over 60% of the people "own" homes, but I wonder what that means if the banks have mortgages on all of them.
I wonder what a graph would look like for "OWNED homes and businesses" without debt? I mean like over time. How is it distributed?
No, not thinking about sharing the wealth, just questioning success and power and how things are going.
posted by Ares Olympus at 2:25 AM
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