jay's entire life up to his mid-late 20's was government subsidized. of course he's going to talk about it being 'bad for competition' now: he's done milking it, he doesn't want anyone else to have the same leg-up. and, of course, just as he feels sorry for all the harmless little fat people in america (like him), he now hates workers and labourers who somehow 'deserve' their predicament (because, oppositely to fatties, he wants to distance himself from his former comrades).
jay, here's the thing about 'austerity' that all of your silly economical-weekly and political theorizing completely overlooks: it's a buzzword, a managerial-class euphemism for 'shit we're going to take away from the ordinary, not-involved majority in order to pay for the elite's fuck-up'. bankers and politicos are not taking the brunt of these 'reforms'; it is not a "oh my god, there was a crisis in global capital and our bureaucracies, how is global capital qua a series of elite and mega-powerful institutions going to change its game, how are we ever to reform the political system!", it's "oh my god, a few elite and mega-powerful institutions dun fucked up, let's let them off lightly so we don't scare them away, and take money away from the voiceless/soon to be disenfranchised". you'll say, in your american way, 'good!' something to the effects that they 'had it easy' or were 'over socialized'. but you clearly do not understand europe. you clearly do not realize the long working days and culture of work that these so-called 'cushty' states have. i don't think some former stevedore from the atlantic seabord could hold a candle to a greek farmer in terms of industriousness and work ethic, so let's not moralize about them being 'cushty'.
'austerity' in europe means cuts to public services; it means a drop in everyday conditions for the average person (some of which may be inevitable, sure); it means a reduction in the individual's purchasing power and ability to partake in society. it's a socio-economic burdening and crippling of the class that deserve it least, amongst this entire shitfuck. another thing that an american may not realize, where even the idea of decent public transport, outside of major metropolitan hubs, is somewhat novel: cuts to public services hurt people in europe. we are a) extremely class conscious, and b) extremely proud of and oriented around our public sector(s) and the state - not
suspicious like you americans are. we are the complete antithetical principle. so, 'cuts' and 'austerity' in britain mean things like: no more arts funding for small public galleries, theatres, exhibition spaces; no more funding for local heritage or conservation projects; no more funding for the obvious amenities and infrastructure that were previously maintained well and run for the 'public good'; no more socialized benefits and tax reductions for those in need of help: single-mothers, young working professionals, the elderly, the disabled. again, in america, 'boo hoo' you may say, 'the free-market will take care of that'. but you are missing the point in the most priggish, head-stuck-in-a-bad-textbook way. the mass 'public' of europe are not going to renege/reverse on nearly a centuries' worth of rebuilding, post-empire/monarchism, and their social projects, because a small yuppie neo-liberal elite fucked it up. we like our small local galleries, rather a lot, thanks very much, philistine americans. it's a tragedy to us that these innocent people are losing their livelihoods, and that the 'public' are losing services and the overall quality of their life.
there is, too, a systematic ideological push to try and 'demonize' various parties (the single mother stereotype; the immigrant 'problem' traditional outlet of frustration; the demonization of the poor as lazy and indolent, a strategy by the ruling class as old as time immemorial) that attempts to 'justify' and pacify people about these cuts going through. but here's the cold and hard truth of it: the financial crisis has nothing to do with workers, or benefit claimers. a huge rhetorical drive in the UK's conservative party to justify one of the most austere budgets we've seen yet is that there are "benefit frauds" and other undesirables, sucking the system dry. financial reality? they account for infinitesimally small portions of the govt's annual spend/deficit. the real truth? the people really bleeding the country dry are tax dodging multi-national corporations, and the financial global-banking 'elite'. the elite who triggered the whole crisis, took billions in public taxpayers' money to save them, and then
refused to lend it back into the national economy/consumer's pockets, who meanwhile saw their high-streets board up and die off, and their previously (hard earned) financial stability taken away.
how does austerity affect working people in europe? lol. you're reading the wrong news-magazines.
Last edited by Uzique The Lesser (2013-03-17 05:44:54)
