Capitalists need subsistence consumers – which is why the time for a universal basic income has arrived…

Here’s the thing, I’m not going to make some progressive, hippie dippie argument for a universal basic income. I’m arguing that it’s time has come whether we like it or not, and that we can make it a good thing for us and our planet.

I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in the minds of the elites of the world – you know, the real bourgie-ass bourgeoisie – but my guess is that a chunk of them already realize that it is in their interests to start considering vast swathes of the working class and working poor as pure consumers, mostly of the subsistence kind rather than the hoarding kind, but consumers nonetheless.

Considering the new changes with unprecedented increases in those applying for unemployment insurance and the environment doing better than ever with capitalism slowing down, I daresay many rational power heads are seriously considering different forms of universal basic income.

I think that there is a calculation going on, among business and state actors alike, that seeks to keep circulation, and thereby the economy, going even if it means a reduction in the overall “size” of economies. This might seem counterintuitive to the unfettered profit game – but we must remember that if they do this, they’re not doing so because they’re altruistic but because they’re playing the long game and see the writing of economic collapse on the wall due to environmental destruction.

That’s where something like universal basic income comes in. I suggest that this current moment is ripe for making this a political reality. From the proletarianization of the consumer, our system is starting to go full cycle and consumerize the proletarian. As far as the capitalists go, this scheme is cold and heartless, mind you. It has little to do with wealth redistribution or economic justice, but rather keeping consumers alive and consuming.

However it has the potential to transform our communities.

Just like social security and universal healthcare systems the world over helps keep the overall wellbeing of society at a higher baseline, so too can systems of basic income. And from there can grow a lot of nurturing communities carrying far lesser stresses in the long term (there’s a reason social democratic societies consistently score high on happiness indices).

But our culture has to change from viewing universal basic income as a handout to viewing it as an economic condition. This is why I started this piece with the rationale of the capitalist – to keep the consumer alive and law-abiding so they can keep consuming. If we view it that way, as nothing more than a symptom of late capitalism, then we can use it to change the way our communities conduct social interactions, having more time for our families and friends, building organic communitarian societies.

Ultimately a universal basic income is nothing more than what capitalists and powerful state actors deem is the bare minimum to keep us as law-abiding consumers. We should advocate for it, take it, and keep advocating for more of it – all while fighting the culture war against capitalism by building nurturing, sustainable communities with it.

There has always been a Third Way in American Politics (Big I for Independent)

“As things stand today capitalist civilization cannot continue; we must either move forward into socialism or fall back into barbarism.” (Karl Kautsky, 1892)

Alas, the great white hope I had for there to be a potential working class champion in the White House has been pulverised to dust. It just confirmed what I’ve always known – that both major parties in American politics are meant for the wealthy elites and their running dogs. The one percenters rule. The five percenters put them in power. The fifteen percenters benefit. They’re all either Big D Dicks or Big R Rectums.

But one thing is for sure – the working class across race, gender, and sexuality lines is getting messed right the fuck up regardless of who’s in the White House or Congress. One party does so openly and without any shame whatsoever, the other makes vague gestures towards supporting the working class before joining their colleagues in kowtowing to capital. It has been this way for damn near three generations or more. The last real working class friendly president was FDR (and that’s by American standards of plutocratic governance).

So I’m done with these tricksters. I wasn’t fooled by Obama in 2008 or 2012. I gagged when HRC got the Democratic nomination in 2016, and I am certainly not going to be fooled by Biden (another sex predator for nominee…which makes, what, the first Bush, Bubba Clinton, The Orange Rapist, and now the fast-dementing Joe B. Does being a sex predator now qualify as an advantage for elite scum to get into the White House and Congress?)

Anyhoo, I have decided to confirm what I always thought was the guidance of my innermost political conscience – discarding this two-party plutocracy.

Naturally, this won’t sit well with the sanctimonious fear-mongering of the “but, but, what about Trump?” crowd or the “there is no third way!” crowd or the “aaaaah, commies! let’s get ’em!”crowd.

Fair enough. Can’t please ’em all. Them crowds I mentioned above are sizeable but their size is waaay more pronounced by their cultural megaphones and spare change.

And they keep getting smaller by the day.

Political independents (which electorally means Big I Independents, including my guy Bernie) are actually the majority in America. So here I present why Big I Independents might just be the crazy, chaotic, working class revolution this country needs.

Because FDR stands for Fuck Democrats and Republicans…

Thus, in honor of real working class struggle, here are 3 reasons why we should support Independents at all levels of electoral politics:

It is a viable Third Way (and is the best chance for working-class representation): Did I mention the fact that the majority of Americans are political Independents? Let me quietly whisper it again…THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE POLITICAL INDEPENDENTS…and even many of those traditionally voting blue or red, tend to do so holding their noses. The two main parties have created this false dialectic between Democrats and Republicans when in reality the main economic dialectic has always between the elites and the working class. And elites saturate both parties. There is almost no working class representation, especially at the higher levels of government. Working class Independents can break that hegemony once and for all. One just needs a little spine and the ability to think beyond oneself. Speaking of which…

Real democracy is scary (for the puritan elites in control of everything): I think traditional supporters of both parties are under this illusion that they are participating in a wholesome democratic exercise. Or at least that’s how they couch their political cowardice. If you think your democracy needs only two parties then you’re not interested in democracy, you’re just interested in keeping the status quo going. You’re scared of real change and you probably have an overblown sense of self hating the sheep on the “other side” in social media streams. In reality we, ALL of us, mean nothing to these parties or the larger system. The only time we become something to these scum is when we shift track from business as usual – when we rebel. Real democracy is scary with its possibilities and communicative in its realness, not sterile and silencing. If you are finding yourself in a sterile exercise that keeps electing predators of the capitalist and sexual kind, then maybe it’s time for a change. And while you consider this life change, please know that…

The White House and Congress aren’t everything (and frankly should be made more irrelevant): Now, contrary to how people might view my politics, this is not just tilting at the windmills. There is great practical resilience to such a movement. Of course, I’d be the first to admit that truly Independent candidates are hard to come by that can shake things up at the federal level with the stranglehold that the two parties have due to their coitus with monopoly capital. But the fed is not as powerful as many Americans think it is. A LOT of political power and potential for meaningful change on the ground happens in municipal, district, county, and state elections. This is what needs to be strengthened if we’re really concerned about the health of democracy in our society. People need access to the elected representatives that are involved in legislative governance over them. That access is much easier to gain when its geographically local. If we break the elitist hegemony of the two-party system at the city and state levels, the swamp in DC will matter less and less, eventually withering away. That’s a good thing.

There has always been a Third Way in American politics. There has always been the possibility of a genuine working class revolution that benefits all of society. But it does need hearts and minds to develop courage.

Break the cultural shackles and the political shackles will soon crumble.

I’d rather lead a strong life than a long life…

I say this with great care and circumspection. I understand that this statement – at a time of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is a loaded one, what with healthcare systems in supposed First World countries having to play Sophie’s Choice on a daily basis.

Which is why I wish to accord due diligence to a statement as intense as one that directly chooses strength over longevity as a life choice.

I think that, whether or not one lives a rich, interesting, adventure-filled life – that of course has traumas, pains, and struggles – generally comes down to living in the present and letting go of the illusion of control (this is not some smarmy attempt at new agey wisdom on my part, but rather a harkening back to some very old-agey wisdom that pretty much every cultural canon of though/philosophy/religion/grandmotherly-wisdom etc. ultimately comes to in the end).

And I believe strength over longevity, i.e. choosing to live a strong life over a long life is the path forward for us as a species. At the very least it is the path forward for me.

(I’m already 40…which means that I’m a record setting, trailblazing, ultra-senior citizen for a cro magnon man.)

And the reason I choose strength over longevity is because it’s actually the only choice available. You can’t choose to live long no matter how much you might want to believe you can. If you live long, you just happen to have beaten the evolutionary and geographic odds this life cycle around. But eventually we are all going back to the earth, and once you go there the concept of time elongates a bit for speciated beings like us.

You can’t choose to live long, unless you consider a very, very different definition of life. For now, let’s stick to the current cultural human definition of living, which roughly equates to a 80 year lifespan, give or take a few. Within that cultural concept of life, I argue that it’s stupid to try and live a long life. It’s much wiser to try and lead a strong life.

What do I mean by that?

Now, certainly there are measures that give oneself a statistically high possibility of living a 80-100 year old life, which would be considered a long, long life by our current cultural standards and definitions. Measures like reducing stress, exercising, eating healthy and tasty, taking time for the self and loved ones, enjoying life – all measures that should be practiced daily. But one can’t actually choose to live a long life, not unless you’re already an 80 year old geezer (in which case, congratulations! you’ve lived a really long life – for a human – live it up for the rest of your days, no ageism here…) No matter what, you can’t control all the forces around you that might give you an untimely death. Frankly everyone thinks their death is untimely regardless of how long they live, so it seems like no one is capable of having a “timely death” (something which I think will be my life goal here on out).

Semi-jokes apart, a healthy sense of mortality is what I mean when I say I choose to lead a strong life. This is something that comes easy to many people – i.e. leading a strong life by having an innately healthy sense of mortality. Many are able to do this without having to resort to daily masturbatory morbidity or nurturing nihilism (which in my case often takes the form of various addictions as well that I try to burn through with labor, exercise, and writing).

But leading a strong life doesn’t come easy for those of us with more active demons and monsters as lifelong travelling mates.

We must embrace the strength our glorious finitude. Sometimes we do so with great health and healing. Other times it might just be the healing. Still others might just be enjoying the fuck out of life.

Really it boils down to these few words…

I will live the way I live and I will die the way I die.