Thread by @gwensnyderPHL

(thread)

It is not a coincidence that the mega-rich

1) promoted misinformation about herd immunity

2) just captured 2/3 of new wealth created during the pandemic

3) makes sure THEY are protected with quality filtration in spaces like Davos.

These phenomena are linked.

Capitalism is a beast that needs to be fed.

Specifically, it is a beast that feeds on new markets.

To function effectively, it must constantly create new markets (aka stuff to sell us).

Over the past 20 years, one of the biggest ways this was done was through privatization.

Charter schools, water, street cleaning, public gas works, street meters.

It was an unmitigated disaster for residents and workers, but VERY profitable for industry.

How was this mass privatization of public goods done?

Best explanation comes from @NaomiAKlein (the good Naomi, not THAT Naomi) with "Shock Doctrine."

Basically, neolib politicians and corporations took moments of crisis-- some real, some manufactured for this purpose-- and announced sweeping privatization measures to "fix" the problem.

Here in Philly, then-Mayor Michael Nutter used the 2008 recession as an excuse to decimate our city's services.

From selling off the snowplows to trying to close our libraries and swimming pools, he slashed.

Could have taxed the rich, but.

Privatization was the point.

The Brownstone/Davos crowd applied this austerity practice to COVID proactively.

In this case, there was an entire public health apparatus making their wholesale dominance of the public health "market" difficult.

So they defanged the public health apparatus.

The capitalist class has effectively converted what could have been a passing horror into a likely permanent crisis market, one that will end up lining many of their pockets regularly for the foreseeable future.

This is how austerity capitalism works.

They don't want mitigation plans that hinge on public funding, because

1) they do not want to be taxed to pay for it, but also

2) they do not want that market to close.

Crises are profitable.

Once you understand the profitability of crisis and continued crisis, a lot of the half-ass "solutions" these folks offer for societal problems start to make sense.

They are inadequate and/or counterproductive by design.

They keep the crisis markets alive that way.

The big problem with austerity capitalism is, it's not a great longterm plan for anyone. Not even them.

We're all on the same planet.

Isolating yourself in Mask of the Red Death castles from the peasant plague can't work forever.

And so many of them have deluded themselves into adopting this bullshit "longtermist" philosophy.

Which is essentially the idea that they can screw over the bulk of humanity, just as long as they find a way to keep the "best of humanity" (them) safe and thriving.

That's why so many of the tech elite are so into Mars settlement.

Screwing humanity on earth *is the plan.*

Mars is their foolish little escape pod plan.

It's ridiculous, of course.

It's not going to come in time to save them, or their kids.

But these are not the biggest minds of our time.

They are just the most rapaciously cunning ones.