Inching Along

All I've added to my schedule is one class; it doesn't seem like I should be that much busier. I'm in class every Tuesday night 6-10 and have a bit of homework. Yet it seems since I started I haven't been reading anything. I haven't even touched the pile of kids books on my desk and only seem to get to this book during lunch. I just finished chapter 7 today. Not real impressive. Anyway, a few measly thoughts;

Globalization

People said that old man Durham himself was responsible for these immigrations; he had sworn that he would fix the people of Packingtown so that they would never again call a strike on him, and so he had sent his agents into every city and village in Europe to spread the tale of the chances of work and high wages at the stockyards. The people had come in hordes; and old Durham had squeezed them tighter and tighter, speeding them up and grinding them to pieces, and sending for new ones. (from chapter 6)

A rather ingenious plan, really, if you only view other people as objects to consume and discard. And that, to me is the big problem with unadulterated capitalism, it leads to a consumption mentality that becomes all-consuming. Everything and everyone else is there for you to use if you can just be clever, strong, advantaged, and lucky enough to find a way how.

For Hadrian

He had learned the ways of things about him now. It was a war of each against all, and the devil take the hindmost. You did not give feasts to other people, you waited for them to give feasts to you. You went about with your soul full of suspicion and hatred; you understood that you were environed by hostile powers that were trying to get your money, and who used all the virtues to bait their traps with. The storekeepers plastered up their windows with all sorts of lies to entice you; the very fences by the wayside, the lampposts and telegraph poles, were pasted over with lies. The great corporation which employed you lied to you, and lied to the whole country--from top to bottom it was nothing but one gigantic lie. (from chapter 7)

While continuing the theme of the first quote, when I read it today this also made me think of Hadrian and his recent posts; it seemed in keeping with his viewpoint of late. There are a lot of things to love about this country, but it does seem to be a double-edged sword with equally detestable qualities.