Why do the American working class not protest? As I have mentioned before, no society can function without laborers. We can not all be business owners, for who would mind the store? The Europeans have understood the power of the working class united to enforce change, and they enjoy a great deal of work/life satisfaction because of it. They protest, and they most often win. Why do they win? They win because they recognise that their society depends upon them to function. Why do the Americans not recognise this?
Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck. My last article discusses the psychology of spending that entraps us into a pseudo-submissive state. We fear for our jobs, we fear poverty, sudden disasters, and instability. But mostly, we fear our employers. And it is because of this fear/vulnerability that we say nothing when our rights are violated and/or slowly and insidiously taken away from us. They, (we), suffer from chronic low self esteems. Just in case you haven't noticed it, many bloggers through out this country are voicing their dissent amongst themselves, but is it all talk and no action? Imagine, if you would, the working class suddenly going on strike. That's right, all of us! The middle class hosts the largest majority of people and yet we fail to take advantage of this. For if they/we did, our society would finally truly understand the real meaning of the word 'democracy.'
Let us look back in history and review the successes of past revolutions: from the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement to Women's Rights. The people spoke. They united, and were heard. And yet, here we are now, in 2008, and not one of us is making so much as a dent in political policy. Slowly, but surely, the middle class is under attack by the likes of employee rights violations such as the establishment of 'will to work' states; the absence of pensions, the dwindling away of employee benefits, extraordinary expensive educational institutions, HMO's ( if you are even lucky enough to obtain group health insurance ), the impossibility to apply for bankruptcy via the new bankruptcy laws enforced by, guess who? Yes, the creditors. The very creditors who have relentlessly manipulated us into debt by allowing lines of credit far above what they knew our incomes could sustain. The very same creditors who used the psychology of spending to their advantage, and won. And now finally, even Medicare is exploiting our senior citizens by cracking down on what they will or will not cover. And social security? Do you feel secure? I, for one, do not.
Speaking of HMO's and Medicare, do you know what health care providers are or are not in your network? Let me tell you an enlightening story. You have a medical emergency and you call 911. You are taken to the nearest health care facility that is, "Thank god!" you say, in your list of 'in network' providers. You trust that all will be taken care of financially, as you are rushed off to surgery. You are hospitalized, and your life is spared. A few months later, you are sent a bill, or two, or three; and you are utterly perplexed that your health insurance has denied much of your claim. "Why" you ask? You followed the rules, the hospital was in network, "What's the problem?" you ask yourself. The problem is this: although Hospital x is 'in your network', the emergency room physician who treated you is not. The surgeon? "Phew!" you say. Luckily, he is employed by the hospital and his services are covered. "But what is this? The anesthesiologist is not? No!" That is your third bill. And it is an enormous one because the anesthesiologist bills not by the hour, but by the minute. " How could I have possibly known this? " you ask.
Honestly, my intention is not to scare you, but to enlighten you. But these things can change if we would only protest it! It is really that simple. These things are very literally, life threatening.
What then must we do?
