Why is our (Western) world controlled by business and the all-mighty dollar?

Why is our (Western) world controlled by business and the all-mighty dollar? How did we get into this state?

The love of money , I guess.

Why are you targeting only the Western world in your query, Willamena?

You can blame it on human Nature; on greed. The strong, clever and connected will always seek to monopolize everything they can. That's why government creates regulatory and oversight departments.
Unfortunately, the right wing has succeeded in convincing the public that the very entity that we set up to protect us from the usurpations of the corporations is, itself, the usurper, allowing corporate interests to promote a culture of runaway consumerism.

You could also make a case against Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics, which has devastated the middle class and produced societies of paupers supporting a tiny, powerful elite everywhere it's been implemented. "Free Markets" = an impoverished working class supporting a handful of corporate robber-barons.

Seyorni said:

Why are you targeting only the Western world in your query, Willamena?

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Because that's the one I live in, and so the one I know.

Seyorni said:

Why are you targeting only the Western world in your query, Willamena?

You can blame it on human Nature; on greed. The strong, clever and connected will always seek to monopolize everything they can. That's why government creates regulatory and oversight departments.
Unfortunately, the right wing has succeeded in convincing the public that the very entity that we set up to protect us from the usurpations of the corporations is, itself, the usurper, allowing corporate interests to promote a culture of runaway consumerism.

You could also make a case against Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics, which has devastated the middle class and produced societies of paupers supporting a tiny, powerful elite everywhere it's been implemented. "Free Markets" = an impoverished working class supporting a handful of corporate robber-barons.

Click to expand...

That's an excellent post. All true, but...

The (Western) bracketed part was unnecessary, Wilamena. The whole godforsaken world bows to monetary and corporate interests now, and Democracy died in 1913 when the elitists took over the Federal Reserve. America is a corporation, and its debt is owed to the British Crown via the Virginia Company, it all goes back to the financial services city-state in London, called the "City of London", the hub of World money-monopolies.

Also, there's the occult angle; secret societies who authored the system long ago. Amazingly complex the study of money is. We had a Grain standard introduced by Sumeria at the so-called dawn of "Civilization", then precious metals (Gold, Electrum, Platinum) and now we have fiat, cash ex nihilo. The High Priests of all the Religious States (re: nations) since civilization was first arrived at have controlled the purses of Kings, and now in modern day Goverments. It's the same system repeated in different iterations over and over, run by hidden elitist powers behind the priesthoods (now elite "bankers") who ensure the continuity of a social structure that does what Seyorni says; results in a poor working-class supporting a super-monied elite @ the top, with the middle-class built up and smashed down at will.

There's more, but it just goes on and on...

Seyorni said:

Why are you targeting only the Western world in your query, Willamena?

You can blame it on human Nature; on greed. The strong, clever and connected will always seek to monopolize everything they can. That's why government creates regulatory and oversight departments.
Unfortunately, the right wing has succeeded in convincing the public that the very entity that we set up to protect us from the usurpations of the corporations is, itself, the usurper, allowing corporate interests to promote a culture of runaway consumerism.

You could also make a case against Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics, which has devastated the middle class and produced societies of paupers supporting a tiny, powerful elite everywhere it's been implemented. "Free Markets" = an impoverished working class supporting a handful of corporate robber-barons.

Click to expand...

My first thought when reading this topic is why limit this to the West? Haven't all societies in one way or another been motivated by power and isn't the 'golden rule' is he who has the gold makes the rule? Money is what makes the world go around.

First you control the money, then you control the business, then you control the government.

More power!

Willamena said:

Why is our (Western) world controlled by business and the all-mighty dollar? How did we get into this state?

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Because we're idolaters. We worship Mammon.

And I disagree with Seyorni and Random. I think it's appropriate that you specified Western world. NOT because the West is more greedy than other parts of the world. It is not. But because Capitalism is so deeply ingrained in the West.

Is it bad that it plays such a prominant part of our society? Or are you just curious about why?

I seem to recall that hierarchical societies began about 5,500 years ago in what is today Iraq.

One factor that made such societies possible was the neolithic revolution in agriculture, which began some 5,000 to 7,000 years before the hierarchical societies. That revolution produced a surplus of food, which allowed the eventual rise of a leisured class able to devote its energies to ruling others rather than to feeding itself.

Another factor in the rise of hierarchical societies was the marriage of religion and politics. The first rulers were called "god-kings", for instance. That's to say, about 5,500 years ago, some folks figured out the trick to getting others to support a ruling class was to wed politics and religion.

The world has never really been the same since.

Money empowers the elite (who make it from nothing, make everyone else use it to live, and charge them "interest" for using it.)
thus controling and enslaving the masses the world over.

When you see through it all, money is nothing more than a "point" system, that keeps people in their place.

Many excellent comments.

:islam:Nyx

Willamena said:

Why is our (Western) world controlled by business and the all-mighty dollar? How did we get into this state?

Click to expand...

all-mighty dollar? a little less mighty nowadays

But to your question: because it works better than changing cows with sugar.
Your question should be why we attach to materials so much perhaps. Money is simply the flow towards those materials. We just turned that flow into basics and whalla!

All developed/ing countries are controlled by businesses, not just the "West." Wealth in every situation has equated to power since surplus was first extracted through innovation. Whether it be the landed gentry, aristocracy, or capitalists, a dominant class emerges from force and deception. When you enter the world at a disadvantage to another, you are naturally compelled to grant them privileges you otherwise would have mocked or only constrained yourself to through abject slavery.

Since Sunstone brought up a Marxist historical analysis towards the growth of hierarchy, I would just add the love for money derives from commodity fetishism. Whereas previously peasants didn't enjoy the leisures of mass production and thus resorted to very niggard religious standards, people are now seeking comfort from the harsh realities with all the new things they can consume.