It is time to stand up to the fiscal decadence of the society of today, the society that has abandoned ethics and morality for selfishness built from irrational self interest, irrational because poverty and unemployment hurt the economy rather than help it.
New Zealand is no longer a nation that can be called in support of social justice, the mainstream media and political elite (especially under the current National government) have used propaganda and campaigns of misinformation to bring the New Zealand public to this point of view; that the poor are burdens on the state, low wages are acceptable and high unemployment and poverty is an acceptable loss.
Whereas in Europe and America they are actively protesting because of what they see as wrong, it is only largely the left and centre-left here that is protesting social injustice. There are not tens of thousands on the street, because they are blind, blind to epidemic social injustice. They only see music and party away, ignoring that the American artists they are listening to oppose such injustice back in America.
Most New Zealanders can only be cowards, cowards for refusing to show integrity, cowards to not stand with Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and America in opposing austerity; austerity which is breaking apart families, destroying lives as well as leaving the elderly and disabled to die on the streets. New Zealanders would rather switch on the TV or the radio and sneer at those in hardship, ‘get a job’ they say when there are no jobs, they say ‘toughen up’ when you have depression, and when you have a recurring disability their response is ‘don’t be lazy’. This is how far our social fabric has imploded, we are no longer a caring or just society.
But I would be intellectually dishonest to state that this shift in the national consciousness is exclusive to New Zealand, it has after all been in the United States and in Europe for a long time, under the surface. It was when times were good before the ‘great recession’ that we never saw the demons under our the surface, these ‘austerity’ banshees prepared to spout ‘fiscal responsibility’ as an excuse to violate the human rights of the worst off. America is already fighting back, as are many political parties in Europe (particularly in Greece and Hungary); as is the left and centre-left in New Zealand, but there is still a very long way to go politically and socially to restore the ideals and integrity that has been lost in the ‘good times’ and the bad.
There will never be a ‘brighter future’ in New Zealand, in Europe or America until the austerity demons are back in the box, and out of our economic and political system. But the brainwashing has spread far, we have to fall back or vomit in horror at those that enthusiastically push with a nod and a wink, or a happy smile the destruction of morality and ethics in the name of ‘economic efficiency’. The best way to stand up is to protest, or if you can’t do that donate; or if you can’t do that vote for the parties against austerity measures, against allowing these austerity banshees to ruin and otherwise destroy our economy and way of life.
Everyone with a heart, or some ethical fiber left should stand in solitary with Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy; and the whole of Europe and the United States. Austerity is not okay, it is not right and it will not return anyone to ‘surplus’, Greece is near bankruptcy and they still claim ‘austerity is working’. Here in New Zealand the National party government claims austerity is working, that we will ‘return to surplus’ with the highest unemployment numbers in decades, the largest yearly deficit for thirty or forty years; some might say it is comparable to the numbers here during the great depression.
Though the most interesting argument of the austerity crowd is that debt is spiraling out of control, this is a malicious lie and simple economics on business could refute it. I will use the premise that the government is a business, this business is in heavy debt; it has two options either sack staff, weaken and eventually collapse from the debt or alternatively take out a loan and grow the business to outgrow the debt. The second option is the best one, even the New Zealand experience (during the 1930s and 40s) has shown that a national debt of 200% and above is survivable, survivable without big cuts to social services and the fabric of the ‘welfare state’.
But the fight against the austerity crowd is only beginning, the opening shots have already been fired in Greece with a commitment of many parties to oppose austerity; even within the globally disliked IMF there are sparks of change, they have been forced to admit that austerity is not working and that there may be another way (though they refuse to openly oppose austerity). We have to go the extra way, with activism, by making our voices heard in the media and in politics.
Otherwise the pain will continue to go on, and eventually (if we aren’t careful) everything we have fought and died for in the second world war will be for nothing. We will have abandoned the notion that the individual human life is worth something, and in doing so adopted the National Socialist ideal that the weak in society ‘deserve to die’ . Austerity supporters don’t believe in human rights, only economic efficiency and greed; and greed not in a good way, a kind of greed that stipulates for a return to feudalism and serfdom for the middle and working class.
Are we going to need another French revolution to change the social consciousness and our economic system? Or will we take it on ourselves to change our system now, so such an extreme action will never have to be taken, to regain our human rights and have social justice for all.
Now I will return you to your normal programming. ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength’. Or. Like I have you can stop reading their propaganda, stop listening to their lies and think for yourself. Just like Socrates and other great thinkers, that stood against the injustices and wrongs of their time.
Hope Out.
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