Taking it another level deep...
The French have a gotten a few things right: cheese, wine, and a nice bloody revolution. They've also endured cycles of largesse and abject poverty. They've seen dynasties rise and fall, and they've said some of the most amazing things about this, namely, that all property is theft and that behind every fortune is a crime. Something to think about.
And then there are the scenarios given to us by writers like Orwell, Bradbury, Burgess and others who envisioned ruling empires like Britain or the US in the full hot mess of post-peak dystopia. Liberty is generally the first casualty. Civility, personal safety and anything like joy are not long behind it.
I posted a link earlier to the bumper sticker artwork that read: Fascism is Capitalism in Decay.
So while we debate who's responsible for what and who's involved and who isn't, and whether or not we want socialism, capitalism or communism, we need to realize, and quickly, that fascism is always the default, and it's ready to assume control in the absence of any other organized and cohesive movement.
Linus is right. It's time we started calling this a depression. And it's also time we started to realize that we may well be on the precipice of gaining or losing everything. Let us hope the unprovoked police brutality in the OWS NYC protest is not a sign of the latter.
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