GuidoWorld

In this post I’d like to explore the ramifications of a style of our being in the world which is related to voyeurism. Let’s first start with standard dictionary definition of the term voyeur.

voyeur |voiˈyər; vwä-|
noun
a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.
• a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others.

Some thirty years ago I wrote a song called Voyeurs. In the song I took some liberties with the literal definition of voyeur and broadened out its meaning beyond the strictly sexual context. In Voyeurs I focused on a person’s ability to get “turned on by” or “get off on” seeing while not being seen (noticed).

Voyeurs

To the city at an early age
Came a man who would remain back of the scenes
From a town where he was always viewed
In the din he felt serene for he could be

Voyeurs, voyeurs

Got a job on the telephone
Selling siding for one’s home
Good, but not content
Even though he liked much music
From TV he got his kicks
Watch but not be seen

Voyeurs, voyeurs

Found a job as a cameraman behind a one way mirror
Such a rush for him to doubly disappear
Love to see people with guilt on their faces
Then arrested by his anonymous look

Voyeurs, voyeurs

Took his camera to TV
Never felt so complete
Got his lucky break
Now he’s going to a war zone

Bullets flying everywhere
Bodies falling in the square
His camera whirring like his mind
He’s no longer there

Feels the power of life and death
This invisible god this astralette
Feels so strong and able
His goals been reached

A little later on that week
Apollo decides his time has peaked
Takes a gun to help him do
Only what a god must do

(To hear song, got to music tab and then go to Life in the Shadows CD.)

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In the first verse the songs main character, Apollo, moves from a small town to a city. He loves the noise and activity of the city and enjoys avoiding the gaze of all those who knew him in his small town.

In his first job he was able to retain his preferred anonymity by being a faceless voice as a telephone solicitor. Though Apollo needed to remain outside the view of others view, he wanted to see, observe and watch them.

He found his second job of manning security cameras at a large store more rewarding, In this setting he could watch while remaining anonymous. He also got off on the power he had having shoplifters be arrested and their lives altered by his anonymous gaze.

Later he became a TV cameraman and enjoyed his growing influence and anonymity. When he was assigned to cover a war, Apollo felt like he had begun to realize his life’s purpose.

Covering the war he felt powerful, alive and completely invisible. The warring soldiers acted as if he was not there, with bullets zinging by and hitting their targets Apollo was able to walk on totally undetected.

Now convinced that he had become completely invisible Apollo reasons he must now be a bodiless spirit. Since he has become an invisible being that sees and is unseen, that can alter and determine the fate of others Apollo concludes he must be a god. Apollo, now God, takes gun in hand, and must do only what a god can do, and that is decide who lives and who dies.

In some ways the song depicts the birth of a psychopath, but it also epitomizes an extreme form of a way of being in the world which is very common. In this respect it calls into question the health and benefit of the ideal of objectivity and the goal of non-attachment commonly sought in science, religion and spirituality.

A review of the influences on my life while I was writing Voyeurs may be helpful in understanding what the goal and intention of its lyrics were. This will also help in understanding why this issue has remained pertinent to my current existence.

When I wrote this song I was working at a residential facility for delinquent youth. Many of the more difficult clients had mental health issues which fell or would now fall into diagnoses such as sociopath, psychopath, borderline personality, schizophrenia, and other such personality disorders. In many cases I noted how a progressive break with reality or human relationships was endemic to their pathology.

At this same time I was reading more than any other time in my life. My interests were in psychopathology (work related), phenomenology and Taoism.

My interest in all three was in identifying and experiences life as it actually happens. In Taoism I found the beauty and wisdom of learning about ourselves through our relationship with nature and the cycles of life. In phenomenology I learned how to “bracket” all our preconceptions and be open to experiencing and describing life as it authentically occurs. In psychopathology I learned how amazingly complex and rich normal human experience is by contrasting it with the experience of those who have suffered physical and neurological damage.

When I wrote Voyeurs I was performing at clubs with the band Ekstasis (scroll down to previous post). As you recall the band was named after the Dionysiac pagan ceremony whereby people “got beyond themselves” (ecstatic) through rich theater combined with pounding rhythm and song.

If you also recall that while the Dionysiac cults celebrated visceral life, the Apollo based cults revered the world of beauty and pure ideals of Plato. In an effort to blend the ecstatic visceral world of Dionysius with the cerebral and aesthetic world of Plato that I, being the lead singer of Ekstasis, referred to myself as Apollo.

In this manner I could avoid the pitfalls of both mediums. Through Ekstasis I could remain anchored in the sensorial world of visceral ecstasy without losing the ability to understand, savor and describe that experience to myself.

In the song Voyeurs Apollo is untethered to the sensorial world. He does not interact and participate in life, but only watches others. Apollo does not relate to or feel embraced in the bosom of nature and humanity. He is a detached observer who is objectively removed from the spectacle he observes. Apollo does not participate in life, he does not feel that he is connected to the world he breathes in or the people who he sees.

There is much literature which supports the idea that our sanity depends on our not feeling isolated and totally alone. Not only do we need touch and care as infants, but we all need to be seen and recognized by others, including animals to remain mentally healthy. The more removed, detached and isolated we are or think we are, the more prone to depression, anxiety and mental pathology we become.

An further exploration of the term Ekstasis might help understanding why I chose it to represent the goal of my life and not only my art. As I’ve said the word Ekstasis literally meant “to get beyond oneself”. Yet, in the ceremony one got beyond oneself by uniting in ecstasy with others and nature.

Ekstasis symbolized a total immersion and union with the world and with all people. It was the ability to get beyond one’s sense of self, one’s sense of isolation and merge with the very pulse of life. The reason I named the singer Apollo was to insure that this immersion with the audience and with life, was not blind and totally animalistic. Having Apollo partake, and even lead the ceremony, made sure that this immersion was done, with intelligence and sensitivity and did not revert to chaos, violence or domination.

It seems to me that we are so opposed to our animal nature. We use our inhibitions to cast our animal nature in a purely negative light. Our fears and inhibitions inspire us to make our human and animal nature things to master, overcome and deny.

In science we strive for objective, mathematical and logical truth. In the human sciences we often dwell on the foibles, shortcomings and illusions of our senses, our sense of self, and consciousness. In both pure and human sciences the goal is usually to overcome our animal and human nature. Yet, since we are animals and humans that experience life though our senses, and with our bodies, it necessitates that we denigrate our sensorial experience.

Likewise, the goal of the spiritual world, is to once again deny or overcome the sensual and animalistic nature of man. Spiritualist talk of the pain of attachment, and the illusion of the profane world. They speak of eternal essences, of spirit, the prison of the body, and the folly of the ego.

Yet, the truth of the matter is that we experience love, joy, meaning, satisfaction and empathy because of and through our bodies and animal nature, and not despite this carnal nature.
I think it is natural for those who demonize the body, our animal nature, and who feel the world an illusion to disrespect and destroy nature and their fellow men. When one’s eyes are on Absolute Truth, Supreme Beings, and the eternal, the day-to-day happenings of the real world can seem insignificant and vain.

It is this very detached perspective that I find dangerous and pathological. I think the sick attitude of Apollo in Voyeurs is cultivated and shared by many in our culture and on our planet. It is mainly a matter of degree as the differences between the average person and Apollo is quantitative and not qualitative.

Yes, the degree is significant, but one can’t help but wonder what percentage of war and depression could be averted if we learned how to embrace our humanity and our vital connection with nature. When we denigrate or ignore our own experiences it is easy to minimize the importance of the lives and experiences of others and of every living being on the planet. In many ways a return to animism would be a step forward, yet a larger step forward would be to truly appreciate the beauty and wonder that gives animism its compassion and wisdom.

Jim Guido

The name of my first band was Ekstasis and while I was aware of some of the reasons I chose that rather exotic name for a rock band, many other reasons have been realized through the years. While I was trying to make an artistic and personal point by the name, in many ways Ekstasis has become a symbol of a lot of my life’s purpose. In some ways the concept of Ekstasis has been an underlying thread of my life adventure.

Way back in the early 70’s I was a precocious lad who like most adolescents felt a little out of synch with society and my peers. The bulk of my early years I was relatively intelligent and academically lazy person who favored sports, socializing, and activity over books and reading. Though a straight A student through all of elementary school and most of high school years I rarely, if ever, read my text books. My natural gifts with numbers and my ability to maximize class lecture time allowed me to succeed in classes and tests with ease.

Yet, late in my high school years my rebellious ways led me, with the help of my older brother, to take delight in philosophical thought. By senior year, when not engaged in sports or conversation, I spent the bulk of my time reading phenomenology, comparative religions, psychology, structuralism, mythology, cultural anthropology and the like. I seldom read any fiction and most of that was either negative utopias or existential philosophical literature.

Due to a lack of constant sexual relationships and an excess of mundane conversation I began to feel alone and misunderstood. In the realm of physical activity and sport I continued to feel properly stimulated and rewarded. Yet, when it came to interpersonal relationships I felt deprived and somewhat stagnant.

During the last year of high school I began to write essays and poems which were an expression of my desire and discontent while at the same time a plea to my contemporaries to live life more passionately. I had friends from a variety of artistic and philosophical attitudes and did greatly enjoy dialoguing with them. Yet, in the long run I felt many of our conflicts and disagreements were petty and were a sign of intellectual distance and not really grounded in how we felt and experienced life.

In had noticed that many of the intellectual conflicts I had with females disappeared the more physical our relationship became. It seemed that the more they really felt and experienced me the more they understood what I was really saying. Likewise I found camaraderie much easier on the basketball court than through any abstract discussion regarding sport or any specific game plan.

At was at this time that I began to have the courage to sing at parties. A friend of mine remarked that my voice was more expressive and powerful than most but my sense of pitch was woeful.

He gave me a guitar and told me that playing and singing would probably solve the pitch problem. Within months I was writing songs on a regular basis.When I was in my 20’s I wrote over 20 songs a year and even now in my 50’s I still manage to write between 10 and 12 a year.

During this time period I was reading about the thoughts of Socrates and Plato in the context of the birth of rational thought. This is where I stumbled across the difference between the cults of Apollo and Dionysus. In simplest terms the cults of Apollo revered the rise of rational thought with emphasis being placed on perfection, purity, the sublime, absolutes, and the Platonic ideals. The Dionysiac cults were very visceral and whose goals were more pagan and cathartic, where ecstasy and a sense of unity was the goal.

The texts I was reading talked of a ceremony called Ekstasis where the goal was to get beyond oneself, to alter the static and forge a union with the other. In these states all divisions between people’s vanished and they were organically and ecstatically united with each other.

What I particularly found fascinating with the description of Ekstasis was how the goal of getting beyond oneself and ecstatically merging with others was achieved. The cult was known for its fusing of many different artistic elements, there was poetic performance, percussive and rhythmic dance, along with a crescendo of music and even the performance of a play. This unrelenting sensorial and mental barrage of stimuli allowed the participants to go into a semi-trance state and merge in a world with no demarcation between body and mind, or the self and the other.

In my writing I had begun the skeleton of what was to become my philosophy of intimacy (you can read Exploring Intimacy in the words section of this site), in which I see intimacy as an inherent basic human drive. In this drive we are always oriented to become closer to and strive to merge with not only others, but knowledge, our self, music, nature or whatever else attracts our attention and interest.

The ceremony of Ekstasis spoke to the very goal of my music. I wasn’t just trying to entertain through my music, but to transform my audience into experiencing the very pulsing of visceral life. The goal of my music was to generate a merging of performers and audience into an ecstatic experience celebrating the wonder of life and our drive towards human intimacy and deep connection.

Where I often found myself feeling misunderstood in intellectual abstract conversation I felt that the same ideas presented in lyric and accompanied by the emotion of voice and instrumentation better succeeded at accomplishing deep expression and intimacy. Petty debates over terms and syntax were erased by the fullness and rawness of a musical/theatrical celebration of life.

On stage I wasn’t just heard I was experienced. In order to effectively accomplish this task I began to refine my presentation by taking jazz dance, ballet and mime. Even though I felt good about my music and the energy and ambiance created by the band, I do feel the exoticness of the band was often difficult for a club environment.

In the seventies the orgiastic music dominated by pounding rhythm seldom contained any intelligence, and songs with thoughtful lyrics with aspirations of social change fell into either the folk or high brow camp. Most people who went to the bars and local clubs were into getting drunk, getting laid, dancing or being engulfed by a wall of sound. While some people enjoyed the power and theater of my music few appreciated or even heard the lyrics. Those who were into thoughtful and poetic words were often turned off by the power and rawness of the music.

I have often referred to my music as art posing as music, and I realized that most local clubs were meat markets where people went to be entertained and not to be transformed. Though we had some good nights, the band never succeeded at creating the orgiastic environment of my dreams.

I probably would have had more success if I stayed more loyal to the corybantic nature of the Dionysus Ekstasis. There were plenty of metal bands whose driving rhythms did accomplish a form of hypertensive ecstasy. The theatrical element was difficult to pull off in small clubs and was better suited for larger venues which some of my performing idols such as Bowie, The Tubes, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel and Roxy Music were able to successfully integrate into their music.

Yet, what I hoped to accomplish was both the Apollo and Dionysus aspect in a single format. Dionysus without Apollo can become chaotic and blind ecstasy. It can quickly become pure escapism or potentially violent chaos. I wanted a balance of forces.

I felt that intelligence without the body can become empty and arrogant and that ecstasy without thought can become destructive and irresponsible. When I sang on stage I thought of myself as Apollo performing at a Dionysiac Ekstasis.

In my life I worried of becoming too self-absorbed and just living in my head. I saw the sciences as becoming too absorbed in being objective and divorcing themselves from the real world. In fact I perceived science often treating the planet, animals, and even others as just objects to be studied and manipulated for abstract principles and logical ideals.

Likewise I saw religion and spiritualism avoiding real lived reality by finding refuge in the eternal or the universe. Even though Science and Spiritualism posed themselves as opposites I saw them as two horns of the same animal. In both cases real life was objectified and transcended. Science and spiritualism had absolutes and eternal Truths, which portrayed life as an illusion and unworthy of our respect. Science has mind, and spiritualism has spirit and both have a tendency to devalue and sometimes even demonize the very body which makes experience (life) possible.

In the objectified scientific and transcendent spiritual worlds terms such as mind, spirit, god, thought, intuition, the absolute, supreme being, logic, truth, consciousness and Platonic Ideals are all refined and superior to the body and/or have separate existences that transcend of will outlive the body. For me, then and now, life is a wondrous process whereby all my perceptions and experiences are housed and made possible by my having a body.

My body, the world and my consciousness are all aspects of my experience. None are expendable or inessential. The world is not separate from me, and is not fully outside of me. There is no clear demarcation of where the world ends and my body begins and where my body ends and my consciousness begins. At every moment I live because I breathe, and at every moment I’m breathing in the world which sustains me and creates the experiences which create my sense of self and my personal history. When I exhale I give life to plants and trees just as my perceptions have me sense the aliveness of others and nature.

These are the kind of observations, perceptions and thoughts which make Ekstasis possible. At every moment I dance with life, I suck in its essence as it awaits mine. The gaze of others, birds and animals prevent me from feeling alone and keep me sane.

What need do I have to transcend or overcome? If you ask me to choose between human experience or perfection, I choose the ecstasy of the human life world.

How about you?

Here are some lyrics that pose the interactive beauty of a sensorial life that “makes sense” rather than seeks Truth or Absolute Essences. You can hear this song on the Go! CD in the music section (tab).

The World Touches Me 4/26/2008

What I do see is more than I see everyday
What I do feel is more than I sense
Sometimes the world touches me
Keeps me company while I think

I shoot out thoughts like a Tommy gun
Words pour out in rapid runs
Painting the world that is me
Making the world I am to be

Wonder fills my joy
Laughter seasons the stew I’m steeping
Every day is a feast
So much to taste of which comforts and awakens
Sometimes the world touches me
Talks to me while I think

Sharing all our days
Gives my life dimension widens my perception
Listening to the rain
The rhythm is dreamy soothes like honey

Every breath I take
Is filled with wonder new world to uncover (discover)
Everything takes shape
Random seeks order when the world touches me

Jim Guido

It is often noted that the best aspects of human nature come forward during times of emergency, crisis, and disaster. When a land is devastated by flood, hurricane, cyclone, earthquake or a volcanic eruption the entire world sets aside its differences and bands together to provide aid and succor for the victims. In times of need the general populace lends their hands and opens their hearts and wallets to assist those in crisis.

In my personal experience in human services I have often been amazed at how the poorest and most disadvantaged will share any money, food or gift they happen to stumble upon with their family or friends who are also in need. Some of the greatest acts of kindness and charity I have witnessed has come from those with the least resources.

Yet, the fact of the matter is there are many on our planet that are in crisis each and every day. While some events and situations make head lines and touch many hearts inspiring incredible acts of charity, there are many that somehow never rise to a level of getting people to truly make an impact or save lives. Each day thousands if not millions of people are starving, or suffering from some other form of life threatening need which goes unattended.

Let’s look at the following questions.

Do we have enough food to feed the entire planet?
Do we have enough resources to provide shelter and sufficient protection from the elements for all human beings?
Do we have the resources to educate and provide access of information to people allowing them to improve themselves and acquire their needs?
Do we have the resources to provide basic quality health care to all those desiring these services?

The answer to these questions is in most cases a solid yes, and in other cases at worst we can say that we have resources for the great majority of people. Yet, despite having these abilities and resources millions of people each day are doing with out and suffering unnecessarily. It is often said that we have a distribution problem and not a lack of resources.

According to Wikipedia, the fundamental purpose of government is the maintenance of basic security and public order. I would also say that from a philosophical level the reason for government has often been described as a means to protect the people through the enforcement of law. These definitions of government would be in contrast to anarchy where the lack of law could result in mob rule, and a relatively primitive form of survival of the fittest.

The fact of the matter is that governments are failing miserably at their basic function. We have the ability and resources and governments rather than being the vehicle for providing citizens with basic needs and securities have become the major obstacle of these basic needs being established and provided.

Providing people with food, shelter, clothing and health care is by definition the least we can do for people. We as individuals need to help make sure that governments fulfill their basic function, rather than their being agents of war and division which through fear and hatred keep our hearts and hands from providing others with the basic needs for human survival.

When millions of people are in crisis, providing for their basic needs is job one. No government is deserving of praise, respect or the support of their citizens until they are devoted to ending the suffering of all our contemporaries. In times of crisis individuals are able to put aside differences in ideology, belief and politics to focus on the matter at hand, We now need our governments to have a heart at least as big as the majority of its citizens.

It truly is the least we can do. And until we do it, it really is hard to say we have accomplished anything.

Jim Guido

I feel that Capitalism is often given too much credit for causing the growth in the standard of living and quality of life that many in the industrialized world have experienced over the last century or so. Though admittedly it has at times played a significant role in these areas, it has also been an impediment to progress as often as has been a cause of improvement in the quality of life.

One mistake often made is to equate capitalism with the industrial revolution, where in truth the industrial revolution made modern capitalism possible. I would be more comfortable saying that capitalism has been a beneficiary of the industrial revolution rather than a cause of it.

The following excerpt by a blog written by Richard K. Moore will emphasize the relationship and distinction between capitalism and the industrial revolution.

“A new way of creating fortunes had been born. Instead of slowly amassing wealth over a lifetime, or risking a voyage in search of treasure, there was now a systematic way to amass wealth relatively quickly.  A person with money to invest could seek out the latest leading-edge inventions, develop a still-more efficient factory – and steal market share from his now-outdated rivals.  A way had been found to use money to transform initiative & innovation into wealth. Out with the old methods, in with the new methods – and behind it always the investor – driving the process while amassing a fortune. This method of amassing wealth was eventually given the name capitalism.  A capitalist is someone who invests money in an enterprise with the objective of receiving more in return than was invested.”

A capitalist was originally one who invests money in the technology of the industrial revolution in order to make more than he invested (ie: make a profit). What this is essentially stating is that a person becomes a capitalist by first acquiring capital by savings, inheritance or borrowing and then by investing that capital into new ventures promising additional profits.

A capitalist is one who has or acquires surplus money to fund an enterprise. Once beginning the business he uses advanced technology (mass production, automation, etc.) and human labor to under price and outperform his competitors, gaining in increased market share and additional capital to invest in more ventures. The cheaper the human labor employed, the greater the opportunity for increased profit margins available to him.

So to recap in capitalism those who have an inherent economic advantage over someone else can use capital to increase their economic success through increasing the disparity between themselves and their competitors. Likewise they will gain an increasing economic disparity between themselves and anyone they employ.

The entire process of capitalism is fueled by and dependent on a process of increased disparity with a greater percentage of wealth going to fewer and fewer people. Capitalism is inherently a very competitive system with each transaction involving a relative winner and loser.

Seen from above you could track capitalism like a sports tournament whereby each participant who wins advances to the next round where the loser either goes home or plays in a consolation contest in the losers bracket. Even though a person who loses today may win tomorrow, over time a general trend emerges whereby every sector is dominated by one or two winners. Losers either become lesser pawns in another’s business or tries their luck in another emerging sector or new technology.

Yet, let’s be very clear here the advances in overall social wealth and standard of living are not caused by successful capitalist or their companies but rather by the inventions and technology they employ in their business. Many of the best inventors, innovators and influential minds have never been capitalists or even wealthy.

Though capitalism may be the mechanism by which many beneficial practices, medicines, inventions and technologies have been introduced into society they have rarely been the cause. Many past societies and eras saw great technological progress and improvements in the quality of life without capitalism. We recognize Egypt, Ancient China, the Greek and Roman Empires, the Ottoman Empire and the Italian Renaissance, (to name a few) for their positive technological and practical impact on the life of men.

Even Capitalism as a system has had its own share of times and events which have made the life of almost everyone more difficult and painful. The US often has a tendency to refer to itself as the beacon of capitalism and its positive effects on the standard of living of a majority of its citizens. Yet, the economic progress and improvement in the American standard of living has been anything but linear.

Almost the entire US history has been capitalistic and a product of the industrial revolution. Until recently the US economy has been dominated by the so called business cycle, where over a four year period the economy would have a boom followed by a bust. Now some would say that the majority of these recessions were minor blips on the road to progress, yet that would minimize the suffering many people endured. Yet, no one can deny the fact that economic depressions have long term consequences which can destroy lives for generations. The US had depressions in 1807, 1837, 1873, 1893 and 1929-1939.

I would like to backtrack a little and talk about the ways in which capitalism in the US in particular benefited from inventions and resources which may highly exaggerate capitalism’s ability to generate wealth and a higher standard of living for its citizens. A new virgin land held many benefits for a capitalistic system.
There was a seemingly endless supply of land which was viewed as instant capital. At that point in history land ownership was equated with wealth and position and owning land gave you opportunities others did not have. In the early US, only land owners could vote and therefore, only land owners were citizens and fully protected by the law.

Much of this land was rich in one way or another. A good portion of the land was far more fertile than Europe or the East. Farmers were able to acquire fertile cheap land and almost free labor (slaves). Much of the land was covered with rich forest land which could be used for fuel, construction and materials. The land was also rich in minerals which came in handy for the burgeoning technology of the industrial revolution. The varied and plentiful wildlife made fur trading and fishing important industries.

All in all from a resource point of view the US was a veritable Garden of Eden. Any industrialized economy would have flourished in these circumstances. Yet, despite all these riches the US still suffered through economic hard times and depressions. Not only that, but capitalism helped made sure that a relatively few people amassed the bulk of these natural riches and their benefits.

We all have heard stories about the Wild West, but one seldom reflects on the fact that almost every part of the US was a wild west at one time. Pioneers were always pushing further west, and each new thrust revealed a new wilderness to harness and exploit. Without much organization to towns their was little organized law or governance. The ambitious and ruthless had the inside track at becoming successful capitalist while the meek, weak, careful and kind were destined to a hard life where whatever they acquired or earned could be taken from them with little or no recourse. The term “robber barons” was not created in admiration for these early capitalists.

The ruthless could claim land that wasn’t theirs, harm or kill workers that objected to their terms and harm, kill or steal from competitors that didn’t have their stomach for immoral greed. The resources were there for all, but capitalism and a lack of regulations ended up giving mastery of it to but a few. One would be hard pressed to present a case that capitalism improved the standard of living for most pioneers during the first century of American life.

The true birth of the American middle class and the glorious rise in the standard of living for the masses began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inventions in farm machinery and agriculture did make farm labor more tolerable, yet at the same time put many people out of work. This forced many to the slums of the cities to find work in the emerging factories of mass produced goods. Yet, even these people experienced some of the benefits of electricity and coal in protecting them from harm and the harshest elements.

As the industrial revolution progressed capitalists began to need a consumer class to purchase all the goods and products being mass produced. Business leaders such as Henry Ford realized he had to pay his workers enough so they could afford to purchase the cars he was manufacturing. Quickly American capitalist learned that they could make two pennies for every penny they paid their worker, and make even more when their workers showed corporate loyalty by buying the products of the company they worked for.

Yet, the dramatic growth in the middle class came during and following the war years. The US was the major lender during the war years and reaped the benefits of this investment after the war. While other nations borrowed, lost civilian and military lives, and endured severe destruction to their homes and land, the US sat relatively isolated from the skirmishes and gained far more than it lost.

The US emerged from the war as the last man standing, and in relatively good financial position. The next few years saw the US take over the baton of empire from its European brothers. Russia, though suffering more damage and casualties than any other nation during the wars, became the US’s foil during its empire building years, due mainly to the fact that it offered communism as a challenge to capitalism.

The American middle class soon mushroomed out of capitalism’s growing need for a consumer class. The factories for war planes and munitions soon gave way to factories for washing machines, refrigerators and a host of conveniences whose profits stuffed the wallets of America’s new capitalist heroes.

As the US emerged as the empire it gained access to, if not control of, almost all of the world’s resources treating every nation’s assets as its own. The US populace which initially was opposed to involvement in both world wars was not excited about getting into the additional conflicts needed by an empire wanting to maintain and expand its influence.

One has to wonder how much of the rise in the standard of living of the American middle class was used as an incentive and bribe to gain their allegiance and support for the US’s empire building military actions. The USSR whether by design or good fortune was the perfect dupe to help galvanize the support for both capitalism and US empire aspirations.

Yet, even before the fall of the USSR the needs of capitalism began to outgrow the spoils of empire. Even with the entire globe’s resources and wealth at our disposal capitalism began to sputter threatening both the existence of the American middle class along with the continued fiscal expansion of our wealthiest capitalists.

Despite all the world’s resources and an endless stream of new technologies capitalism needed more fuel to sustain its momentum. So, in the 1980’s the US economy need for borrowing money to insure enough capital for further expansion increased. Over the last three decades the need for capitalists and governments to borrow and print money in order to keep the entire capitalistic system afloat has skyrocketed. Now, it takes something like $10 of borrowed cash to generate one dollar of profit. Obviously, not a good ratio.

Not only have the disparities inherent in the very mechanics of capitalism reached ridiculous levels where owners make thousands more per hour than workers, but the standard of living of the American middle class is tumbling. Yet, the multinational corporations are no longer dependent of a wealthy American middle class to sell their wares to, now they have 6 billion potential customers instead of 350 million.

In fact a sharp decline in the wages and standard of living of the American and European middle class will only help quicken the dream of a global economy. In the global economy which George Bush 1 more aptly called it “the new world order” you will have the ultimate capitalistic system whereby a few own almost everything and all workers earn about the same.

The majority of American’s will most likely tolerate and even support this logical unfolding of capitalism as long as they continue to falsely credit capitalism with our previous improvement in the quality of life and standard of living. The future of automation, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology considerably call into question the need for most workers, and if everything is owned and hoarded by a few trillionaires than what need will we then have for consumers.

I contend that increased disparity is inherent in modern capitalism, and the logical conclusion of increased disparity is a world of a few power lords and a planet full of subsistence living serfs. I’m not predicting this, I’m only pointing out that this is the logical outcome if we were to play out the path we are currently on.

Jim Guido