(COMIC) The 1% Out Of Their Element
Some economic paradigms only work here in the developed parts of the world. How quickly would all that tough talk from the Trumps of the world change when you put them in a place where only Conan the Barbarian could rule?
I don’t pretend to get much involved in news, politics or economic policy; occasionally I stick my head out from the sand a peer about, only to be assailed by what can only be considered absolute nonsense. What nonsense, you ask? Everything. The economy is going into the toilet, jobs are scarce, prices are rising, gas is unreasonable, and it seems every other authority figure we’re supposed to trust (teachers, coaches, religious leaders, and politicians) are embroiled in one scandal or another – - usually sexual, and now with recent frequency, involving children. Side note: What is up with that?
To top it all off, young people are out in the streets protesting peacefully, only to have their demonstrations squashed, many time violently, by police. I have no problem with cops (in fact, I was considering joining the force for some time), but this whole business with the Occupiers and the police reminded me of the full duties of a police officer and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Things look a little bleaker than usual, but the majority of the problems we face here in the West are First World Problems. It could be much worse. Much, much, much worse. Have you ever stopped and marveled at how lucky you are that you were born here in the West? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try to fix the problems that are plaguing us now, but the fact that we have some form of representative government is a blessing (and no, I’m not going to get into the all the conspiracy theories behind that right now). Yes, we have, for the most part, a functional democracy where we vote those in charge….and that is why we, the People, are to blame for our current state of affairs. We are the ones who voted those officials into their offices, and for every educated and enlightened voter who thought deeply on a campaigners political agenda, there are three more voters who were distracted by a candidate’s soundbites on abortion, gay rights, or the fact that he or she simply opposed Obama. Two different kinds of voters, but both “The People”, no less.
So what does that mean?
Socio-economic trends come and go, but I can say that here in America, the 9-11 attacks followed by Bush the Younger’s catastrophic presidency (a fact which we have already forgotten) has had a profound effect on the American psyche. In addition, the huge let down that Obama seems to have been has only exacerbated the sense of ill-portent. We’re confused, afraid, and operating on that primal, “monkey” part of our minds that violently clings onto everything around us – - when we are like this, we can’t think clearly and we vote for people who, quite plainly, suck. So many of the economic issues we face now are because we elected corrupt politicians who either turn a blind eye to what the banks/big business/whathaveyou are doing or they actively endorse them.
We the People, not politicians, have some serious shit we need to reconcile with. Could it be racial issues? Gender identity issues? Sexual orientation issues? If you believe in secret designs; is there some sort of conspiracy to to divide along social issues so that the elite can rule unchallenged? Perhaps the face of America and Europe is changing, and what we see are the pains of transformation. There is something deeper going on in our collective conscious, and I’d love to hear what some of you have to say.
Leave a comment below!
(also, big thanks to Will Riley for helping me work this blog/comic out).
They said cheer up, it could be worse, so I cheered up and sure enough things got worse
Yeah, this is the first world, but it sort of feels like it might not stay that way, doesn’t it? Great piece of writing btw. You should peek out from the sand more often.
Thanks!
We might be sliding downward to “Second World”, but maybe that is what is need in order to put things perspective. Maybe some time with our nose in the dirt could be healthy.
“Somalia” needs to be a clearer label. As it is it looks like it’s part of the dialogue because the print is the same size as the dialogue. Also it should be more centrally located if it’s a label. Maybe at the bottom in bold or something. Also it’s hard to see the helicopters and therefore hard to see why the guy is all of a sudden being grabbed from above. Should be more obvious. Otherwise, the drawings are good. Maybe you might consider another panel or two to help clarify things. Love the concept. I think it’s very powerful and well-placed. I also like your essay of explanation.
I meant to reply to this earlier; Thanks for your honesty! I think you’re right in that I could label things a bit clearer, and you might be right about the three panel set up. When I got home last night I started experimenting with four panel, vertical layouts which I think might work better for this wordpress theme.
You make a valid point, and expressed it eloquently too. I agree that we do need to look at our own behaviour and attitudes before blaming our respective governments for all our problems.
It is a tough time for us here in the UK and Europe as well as over in the States, but as you said we should try to appreciate the good aspects of our society, while working to change the bad parts. There are definitely places that are worse off.