SOCIO CULTURAL ARMAGEDDON
I
want to start with two questions:
What do you know about Armageddon?
And Why did some italian sociologists say that “Armageddon is closer than it appears”?
What do you know about Armageddon?
And Why did some italian sociologists say that “Armageddon is closer than it appears”?
- · In the first part I’ll introduce the so called socio-culutral armageddon
- · In the second part I’ ll give you some data and information about this phenomenon
- · Finally I’ ll describe the reasons of social inequality, the role of finance in this dangerous social shift and the possible reforms.
A socio-cultural
Armageddon: and the ongoing confrontation between finance and society.
Literally,
Armageddon is the place of the final conflict between good and evil, usually
mentioned during the medieval period.
Today, we have to face this conflict and we have to take part on this conflict. The cultural model that has characterized the last 30 years has presented a financial leadership that has contributed to increase inequality. Inequality, poverty , moral degradation , conflicts , individualism and a high level of social exasperation that is dangerously rising in our country are the results of this cultural model.
"Beware of false prophets, you shall know them by their fruits," reads the Gospel.
Well, the data on inequality and the consequences on the social background are the tragic representation of these "fruits".
The 85 richest people in the world have more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion people combined, more than half of the population of the planet.
In Anglo-Saxon countries, where democracy is culturally stronger and more representative, inequality has split society.
In the U.S., the earnings of the richest 1% represent the 40% of national incomes and the trend is growing: more than a sixth of Americans needs a food stamp, poverty returns to the levels of 1963.
Moreover, the GDP with the same level of taxation increases inequality, giving unnecessary resources to the rich, taking away the middle class that holds up the system. In Silicon Valley, the spearhead of United States development, there is "The Jungle" , the largest camp of homeless people in the country.
But the gap between rich and poor is also remarkable in Britain. The five richest families have more wealth than the 20% poorest people in the country, and the last reforms were focused on less taxes to the rich and welfare cuts.
In Italy the situation is not different. The society is weakening and is living the same deep contradictions. According to the latest available studies (2012, supplied by the Department of Finance), 5% of higher revenues represent 22.7% of the total , and 10% of families own 46.6% of wealth.
In this sense finance is considered an incontrovertible and academic truth and an exact science, but it is based on a false hypothesis pursued with clear determination: it has accelerated the process of concentration of wealth, becoming a tool of the hegemonic global policies. It creates a world where “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”.
Finance becomes a parasitic system, a kind of locust in real economy, which is destructive, because money does not generate money. It destroyed the social systems and compromise the achievements of society and also the goals of Welfare State. The individualistic research of profits makes the decisions in the "perfect world" of finance: These decisions don’ t take care of their social effects.
Finance continues to lay down the law causing irreparable damages in the so called Common Law countries ( U.S. and Britain ), but the difficulties of the U.S. to maintain a strong position in the world influence (as the Crimean situation showed) are ruining the financial dominant system that now have to face a cultural model based on real economy.
Even the recent investments of American finance in our country (Blackrock fund), made with an unusual rapidity, show the important role that finance try to maintain in the policies of the country. But we must remember that our society is built on a tradition view of real economy, and not on finance. The latter is not in our DNA and so we will always be losers and dominated.
The real battle will be played, in the coming years, the rules of a socio-cultural model based on financial capitalism that has created a crisis of values and social conflicts will be discussed. Can a social model based on inequality and social disintegration be sustainable? Can the economy be superordinate to the society? History tells us that it is not possible, but once again we are here risking to find ourselves in front of the chaos, in a sort of Armageddon. Will we be able to understand it and to replace the "bellum omnium contra omnes" with the old sense of "societas”?
Today, we have to face this conflict and we have to take part on this conflict. The cultural model that has characterized the last 30 years has presented a financial leadership that has contributed to increase inequality. Inequality, poverty , moral degradation , conflicts , individualism and a high level of social exasperation that is dangerously rising in our country are the results of this cultural model.
"Beware of false prophets, you shall know them by their fruits," reads the Gospel.
Well, the data on inequality and the consequences on the social background are the tragic representation of these "fruits".
The 85 richest people in the world have more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion people combined, more than half of the population of the planet.
In Anglo-Saxon countries, where democracy is culturally stronger and more representative, inequality has split society.
In the U.S., the earnings of the richest 1% represent the 40% of national incomes and the trend is growing: more than a sixth of Americans needs a food stamp, poverty returns to the levels of 1963.
Moreover, the GDP with the same level of taxation increases inequality, giving unnecessary resources to the rich, taking away the middle class that holds up the system. In Silicon Valley, the spearhead of United States development, there is "The Jungle" , the largest camp of homeless people in the country.
But the gap between rich and poor is also remarkable in Britain. The five richest families have more wealth than the 20% poorest people in the country, and the last reforms were focused on less taxes to the rich and welfare cuts.
In Italy the situation is not different. The society is weakening and is living the same deep contradictions. According to the latest available studies (2012, supplied by the Department of Finance), 5% of higher revenues represent 22.7% of the total , and 10% of families own 46.6% of wealth.
In this sense finance is considered an incontrovertible and academic truth and an exact science, but it is based on a false hypothesis pursued with clear determination: it has accelerated the process of concentration of wealth, becoming a tool of the hegemonic global policies. It creates a world where “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”.
Finance becomes a parasitic system, a kind of locust in real economy, which is destructive, because money does not generate money. It destroyed the social systems and compromise the achievements of society and also the goals of Welfare State. The individualistic research of profits makes the decisions in the "perfect world" of finance: These decisions don’ t take care of their social effects.
Finance continues to lay down the law causing irreparable damages in the so called Common Law countries ( U.S. and Britain ), but the difficulties of the U.S. to maintain a strong position in the world influence (as the Crimean situation showed) are ruining the financial dominant system that now have to face a cultural model based on real economy.
Even the recent investments of American finance in our country (Blackrock fund), made with an unusual rapidity, show the important role that finance try to maintain in the policies of the country. But we must remember that our society is built on a tradition view of real economy, and not on finance. The latter is not in our DNA and so we will always be losers and dominated.
The real battle will be played, in the coming years, the rules of a socio-cultural model based on financial capitalism that has created a crisis of values and social conflicts will be discussed. Can a social model based on inequality and social disintegration be sustainable? Can the economy be superordinate to the society? History tells us that it is not possible, but once again we are here risking to find ourselves in front of the chaos, in a sort of Armageddon. Will we be able to understand it and to replace the "bellum omnium contra omnes" with the old sense of "societas”?
I think that the
only way to revitalize this system is reform this system. We need to change our
vision of public spending and our consideration of social economy and we need
to think about benefits we can get from a spending policy.
Academic theory supposes that individualism and "profit motive" will open new horizons and new opportunities, but what everybody can show today is the increase of inequality and of unemployment. And now when we are speaking there are 3.3 millions of italians looking for a job and 600.000 guys unemployed, 4 millions are vulnerable to poverty and the poverty line grows every day of 650 units.
Academic theory supposes that individualism and "profit motive" will open new horizons and new opportunities, but what everybody can show today is the increase of inequality and of unemployment. And now when we are speaking there are 3.3 millions of italians looking for a job and 600.000 guys unemployed, 4 millions are vulnerable to poverty and the poverty line grows every day of 650 units.
Spending on welfare is a great opportunity not only to revitalize the public finances but also to fight unemployment and poverty. We have to invest in crucial and productive areas, and we will take these resources from a more equal redistribution of revenues from taxes.
We will follow the reforms of Giulio Tremonti, taxing the great multinational companies and cutting the gap between rich and poor (Robin Hood reforms), in a new vision of Equality.
Luca Luciani
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