It would seem logical and quite in keeping with "nature" that the wealthy and the elite would find myriad ways of justifying greed and the lack of solidarity. It makes little sense for the powerful to feel guilt over their position (indeed, such guilt or shame is what keeps a multitude of capable people from accumulating such wealth). It also seems fitting that greed-justifying writers, intellectuals and politicians (who may or may not directly belong to the economic elite itself) would be handsomely rewarded, lavishly praised and supported in many ways by that elite. John Kenneth Galbraith famously wrote in this regard that the modern conservative was engaged in the pursuit of finding a superior moral justification for greed.

"Justify our place atop the pyramid...even if our official, religious-based morality reminds us that there is something terribly wrong about large accumulations of wealth in the face of extreme poverty and suffering", they might say... If only to alleviate their consciences and allow them to feel good about themselves. But the usefulness of greed justification obviously goes beyond helping the rich sleep better. When Naomi Klein insists that Milton Friedman's economic theories were quite "profitable" (indeed they were!), she is pointing out that not only are such intellectuals well-rewarded for their work, but that the elite they serve are also freed to accumulate far greater wealth and power. For this to occur, the greed-justification theories must also somehow appeal to the much larger numbers of poor and middle-classes.

Now this is quite a trick, given that the economic policies (including a war-like foreign policy) that free the elite to accumulate more wealth almost universally work at the expense of the poor and middle classes. The question for the powerful has always been: how convince the overwhelming majority of people to wholeheartedly support our right to cynically exploit them - even to the point that they are willing to kill and die for this right?

And that brings us back to yesterday's closing rant about the current anti-taxation movement. The Obama adminstration is working to lower taxes for the vast majority of Americans, and raise taxes on the wealthy (to a point that would bring them close to what they were under that great socialist Reagan). So we are treated to the spectacle of thousands (what some columnists are calling an Astroturf, rather than grassroots, movement - given that it would seem to be rather manipulated and artificial, the manufacture of consent, as Chomsky put it) of protesters out in the streets, in the guise of "patriots", many working and middle class people crying out against raising taxes on the rich. 

What?

...ok...so they're idiots. But all those folks working in the corporate media who are rousing them to action? The Fox News contingent? Are those people real? Did they come from outer space to fuck with our heads (the graphics and production style would seem to support this theory). In any case, as an athiest, this pains me...but since I simply cannot imagine what would make so many people work so hard towards such an utterly fucked-up end...I'm left with begrudgingly having to admit of the existence of evil. Only evil could let such things happen...But what the hell is evil? Is it possible to define that concept without immersing oneself in the religions again?