I flew back to Nashville from Aspen, CO this morning, and
fell into a conversation with my seatmate about the current state of the US
economy. “I’m the 1%” he told me. I’m not, I replied.
“Where do you stand on gun control?” he asked. I favor it.
“Me too, but you shouldn't be. Anyone among the 1% who isn’t in favor of gun
control is a fool. The same with anyone in the 99% who favors it.” And why is that?
“Because this country is on its way to a civil war: the 1%
versus the 99%. Right now the 1% runs the country and controls the military. The
military is our jobs program for the poor. When the 99% rise up against us, we will use the army against
them. What's happening in Syria will happen here. Some among the military will
turn against us, but most will see that their future lies with serving us
rather than killing us. If we allow the civilian poor to arm themselves it will
make it that much harder to defeat them.”
I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure what to say. So he just
went on.
“Capitalism is a culture of winner take all, and winners rig
the system to keep winning. When the losers finally catch on that
they can’t win, they'll take to the streets and bring their guns with them.
Of course you can’t stop them from owning some guns, the Second Amendment and
all that, but I would restrict them to the most primitive hunting weapons, and
not let any military grade or military style hardware get into their hands.”
What about a revolution via the ballot box?
“Never gonna to happen. We own the media, the media tells
people what to think. Liberal media, conservative media, MSNBC or FOX, it doesn’t
matter. I’s just circus, just distraction. Media figures and politicians are
all millionaires. The difference between them is an illusion designed to keep
the 99% believing there is hope that one day they too can be rich.
Never gonna happen.”
Your view sounds very dystopian. “Dystopian for you, utopian
for me.”
As I
sat thinking about what I had just heard, I couldn’t help noticing that this one percenter was stuck in the same cramped tin can I was. It gave me
hope. But probably not enough.
6 comments:
I thought you didn't fly first class? What is a 1%er doing in the cheap seats? Was he undercover or just thought it was safer to blend in?
This was a local commuter jet. No first class.
Send him off to Ecclesiastes and make him sweat a bit.Fraser
What he's not thinking about is the fact that the people holding the guns in his "1% army" are all 99%ers.
"What he's not thinking about is the fact that the people holding the guns in his "1% army" are all 99%ers."
Not smart ones though. Military people are like trained dogs. They do whatever massa tells em to.
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