The Startling Link Between Globalisation and Bank Fraud

[Jan Klimkowski]

Them and Us': four new essays by Subcomandante Marcos

by ROAR Collective on January 25, 2013
Post image for Them and Us': four new essays by Subcomandante Marcos

In a new series of essays, Subcomandante Marcos of the EZLN lays out the differences between those in power and those who choose to organize from below.

Can be read in full here.

Here's a flavour:

The salesman speaks:

It's amazing, very "cool", you understand. It's called "neoliberal globalization version 6.6.6," but we prefer to call it "the savage" or "the beast." Yes, an aggressive nickname, one with initiative, very grrr. Yes, I learned that in a self-help course called "How to sell a nightmare"… but let's get back to the machine. Its operation is very simple. It is self-sufficient (or "sustainable," as is sometimes said). It produces, yes, exorbitant profits… What? Invest part of those profits to alleviate hunger, unemployment, lack of education? But those shortages are exactly what makes this baby run! What do you think of that? A machine that produces the fuel it needs to run: misery and unemployment.

Of course, it also produces goods, but not just that. Look: let's say that something completely useless is produced, something that no one needs, something without a market. Well, this gem doesn't just produce useless stuff, it also creates a market where that useless stuff is turned into a basic necessity.

The crises? Of course. Just press this button right here… no, not that one, that's the "eject" button… the other one… yes. OK, push that button and ta-da! There you have the crisis you need, everything is right there, with your millions of unemployed, your water cannons, your financial speculation, your droughts, your famine, your deforestation, your wars, your religious apocalypses, your supreme saviors, your jails and cemeteries (for those who don't follow the supreme saviors), your tax havens, your aid projects with theme songs and choreography included… of course, a little bit of charity always looks good.