I got a kick out of this segment from last night’s Maddow show, hosted by Chris Hayes.
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Throughout human history the upper classes have always believed the lower classes have to be forced to work. That’s what’s really screaming out at me in Hayes’s commentary. It’s the attitude coming from upper class people who see themselves as inherently virtuous, just because, looking down paternally on the less fortunate and thinking you will prove your worth to me by working your ass off for me.
Oh, absolutely!
Let me see if I got this straight. If poor women must work to earn money outside the home in order to have dignity, and if rich women do not have to work outside the home in order to have dignity, then it is money–even if you did nothing to earn it–not work, that defines dignity.
Well, hell, I’ve never had any class, but if I hit the right lottery numbers, I can win me some dignity.
Rich Conservative POV:
“Well, Goddammit!
Someone’s got to work so our trust funds keep growing, so that we can keep (snicker, snicker) creating jobs for you people!”
(Turns around, leaves room, and ROFLHAO!!!)
Wait, what? Mitt Romney is willing to spend the state’s money to pay for “childcare” for these worthless parasites? That’s double taxation! Their employers are already forced to subsidize these creatures’ existence with so-called “wages,” and now they’re supposed to subsidize their replacements as well? How hard can it be to keep a proletarian larva breathing until it’s old enough to work the machinery?
Stephan,
It won’t take too long for them to be old enough be old enough to polish the inside of guns, large and small – ala, “Schindler’s List.?
From Harper’s Index – Percentage of income increase during the ‘recovery’ that went to the top 1% of earners – 93. Got to wonder how hard they ‘worked’ to pull off this latest scam-the-middle-class caper.
I’m sure Ginny Thomas busted her ass for the $700,000.00 she raked in from part time work at the Heritage Foundation over a 3 year period…Not to mention how taxpayers are paying for her husband’s daycare.
I came across a book entitled, “The Invention of Capitalism” by Michael Perelman. It’s about the contemporaries of Adam Smith of “The Wealth of Nations” fame and how in creating capitalism, they needed the government to help them create the wealth. I have only read excerpts and am trying to get a copy to read the whole thing; but, essentially, during that time period the peasants were able to feed and clothe themselves by shooting game, fishing, and using other resources of the land. The peasants led happy fulfilling lives without the wealthy. Thus, in order to get the peasants to need to work in their workhouses for little or no money, they had the government make it illegal to hunt and fish, etc., by making laws to achieve their goal. When I get a copy and have read it, I will let you know what else I have learned. But, so far, I have learned that capitalism couldn’t have been created without the government helping the wealthy screw the peasants into a life of poverty so the rich could get richer. Not much seems to have changed. Boy, is this something they don’t teach in history class. Wonder why? Not.
Bonnie,
It’s an age-old tradition.
Remember Robin Hood? He became an outlaw for hunting deer on the King’s land.
Why was the whole forest the King’s Land, so only he and his family and cronies could?
Because… because it was. Shut-up – THAT’S WHY!!!
And I’m sure we could find examples in all cultures for thousands of years.