The World's Leaders are Meeting at G-20 and Why I Don't Feel We Really Should Care
The world is in pretty bad shape right now. We all know that. But it's in bad shape for a whole bunch of different reasons. Economics is really the least of our problems. Sure, it sucks that finances are in bad condition, but so is the world. And so is each one of our countries in that world.
One of the problems that they won't address in this economic summit is the wealth disparity that exists in each country and across the world. It's really bad. There are very poor people and there are very rich people. Those in the middle? Not so much as there used to be. They mostly tended to coasts into the poor category.
But no one cared when it was happening because the only people who were listened to were the ones who had the money and the power. No one cared what the poor thought. No one cares now. Are there poor representatives at the G-20 summit? Nope. Maybe a poor country that might get a seat in the balcony, but that's about it. No, the people who are going to attend are the rich ones, and these rich people are going to talk amongst themselves to figure out how they can get back to making themselves rich again.
Obama has one good idea and that's to state that the United States is no longer going to be the consumer that it once was. But that's probably not really even his choice. The number of people who are capable of being that type of consumer has dwindled, and people have started to realize that charging up huge credit card balances is not conducive to long term happiness. So, that's really a symptom to something that was going to be happening anyway. So, really, nothing new has been revealed here, unless everyone else going to the summit was going there with the hope that the US president was going to announce that gratuitous spending was going to be the answer out of the crisis, and it was going to be one way (with the US taking the brunt of the spending and giving it to other countries).
There are massive protests going on at the G-20 summit, and the funny thing is, the media is covering these protests as "events" rather than as movements. There's a big difference. An event happens once, and you don't focus upon it again. A movement happens over time, and if you don't pay attention to it, it becomes revolutionary. The media doesn't cover these things very well. I've been shaking my head all week long as I've seen EVERY dispatch from CNN read that "anti-capitalists, anarchists and environmental activists" are preparing for protests. It also appears that CNN appears disappointed that the protests were not as violent or disruptive as they predicted. So, as expected, the impact of protests will be marginalized because no one burned anything down or overturned any cars. And one wonders why people don't protest anymore, unless they intend to do actual violent protesting.
Right now, there's a huge row over the fact that France and Germany are about to leave the summit because, well, the summit isn't actually causing anyone to do anything. Gee. What a surprise. They feel that the summit is coming across as one of those "feel good" expressions that world leaders often do when they don't actually want to do anything substantial. Okay, they haven't said exactly that, but that's the point they're actually trying to make but their press secretaries are too polite to come out and say so.
Look forward to lots of "exciting" speeches that don't do anything. I'm hoping that they'll invite Jimmy Carter to write a strong letter of protest and displeasure at those that did bad things, like bankrupt entire sectors of business, putting thousands of people out of their homes and jobs.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program of America's Top Sous Chef.....
Stumble It!
One of the problems that they won't address in this economic summit is the wealth disparity that exists in each country and across the world. It's really bad. There are very poor people and there are very rich people. Those in the middle? Not so much as there used to be. They mostly tended to coasts into the poor category.
But no one cared when it was happening because the only people who were listened to were the ones who had the money and the power. No one cared what the poor thought. No one cares now. Are there poor representatives at the G-20 summit? Nope. Maybe a poor country that might get a seat in the balcony, but that's about it. No, the people who are going to attend are the rich ones, and these rich people are going to talk amongst themselves to figure out how they can get back to making themselves rich again.
Obama has one good idea and that's to state that the United States is no longer going to be the consumer that it once was. But that's probably not really even his choice. The number of people who are capable of being that type of consumer has dwindled, and people have started to realize that charging up huge credit card balances is not conducive to long term happiness. So, that's really a symptom to something that was going to be happening anyway. So, really, nothing new has been revealed here, unless everyone else going to the summit was going there with the hope that the US president was going to announce that gratuitous spending was going to be the answer out of the crisis, and it was going to be one way (with the US taking the brunt of the spending and giving it to other countries).
There are massive protests going on at the G-20 summit, and the funny thing is, the media is covering these protests as "events" rather than as movements. There's a big difference. An event happens once, and you don't focus upon it again. A movement happens over time, and if you don't pay attention to it, it becomes revolutionary. The media doesn't cover these things very well. I've been shaking my head all week long as I've seen EVERY dispatch from CNN read that "anti-capitalists, anarchists and environmental activists" are preparing for protests. It also appears that CNN appears disappointed that the protests were not as violent or disruptive as they predicted. So, as expected, the impact of protests will be marginalized because no one burned anything down or overturned any cars. And one wonders why people don't protest anymore, unless they intend to do actual violent protesting.
Right now, there's a huge row over the fact that France and Germany are about to leave the summit because, well, the summit isn't actually causing anyone to do anything. Gee. What a surprise. They feel that the summit is coming across as one of those "feel good" expressions that world leaders often do when they don't actually want to do anything substantial. Okay, they haven't said exactly that, but that's the point they're actually trying to make but their press secretaries are too polite to come out and say so.
Look forward to lots of "exciting" speeches that don't do anything. I'm hoping that they'll invite Jimmy Carter to write a strong letter of protest and displeasure at those that did bad things, like bankrupt entire sectors of business, putting thousands of people out of their homes and jobs.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program of America's Top Sous Chef.....
Labels: Economics
Stumble It!
posted by Duane @ 2:33 AM
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