Category "Crisis! Crisis!"
In these difficult times, everything is questioned, even holy sacred free trade...
Free trade is this rule that says: "Let's buy whatever we want, in any country, at any condition, as long as it's cheap!!", ain't it? Not cool, it means the quality norms of the product probably suck ass, and let's not talk about the work/life conditions of the workers who made these products... Besides, it is said this kind of bullshit encourages offshoring (yeah, why would you make the French, the Brits, the Europeans who've got social rights and minimum wages rather than guys who are only asking for a bowl of rice?), so it causes unemplyment to rise in developed countries, and therefore worldwide levelling down.
Protectionism sounds a bit like economic xenophobia, or even autarky: "Let's make everything at home, at least you can be sure about the quality and workers' life conditions!" so there is no trade anymore between countries. (Tell me if I'm wrong.) But then, how would we get chocolate?? Or even, uranium for our nuclear power stations?! I'm sure that, should we illegalise chocolate import, it would go through customs anyway, just like drugs. So, not really efficient either, I think. And it's a bit sad not to exchange with your neighbours... I prefer having a more internationalist, more globalist vision.
But the solution seems to me to be ready already! Fair trade. Yeah, if you make fair trade compulsory, with particular criteria, for example, we state that we want items that have not been made by children, or products whose composition respects the environment, there you create levelling up.
Economy is really simple, I don't get why people bother!
Here in the UK, supermarkets use self-checkouts a lot, that is checkouts with which people register their items themselves and pay, that is checkouts who do not require the presence of an employee, that is checkouts that cause staff cuts, that is unemployment-generating checkouts.
I don't use these checkouts, thinking that I do my little good action for the day by avoiding to encourage jobs destructions.
Today I went to Sainsbury's and while passing by the checkouts, I thought it would be a shame if they closed the fast checkouts (you, when you have only a basket) to replace them with self checkouts and then I realised that, indeed, they had replaced them with self checkouts! I wanted to go to a traditional checkout but since the shop was about to close, they told me to use a self checkout. It was nothing, but it really annoyed me!!
And then, I thought of the moment when I worked in an assembly chain factory to pay for my driving license (which I didn't get in the end, anyway..). I remember thinking to myself at the time this kind of job should be forbidden because nobody deserves to do such a debilitating job. Maybe in the end it is the same with these checkouts... But still, when you're in a comfortable position, especially during a time of crisis, cutting staff is just disgusting.
Everything is getting fucked up in the UK. Recession is hitting hard and it looks like things are all going the wrong way.
First of all, big corporates are falling down, or announcing massive layoffs. Woolworths' downfall was quite a shocker. But an industry is making record profits: fast food chains! Indeed, KFC is about to create new restaurants and hire about 9000 people. Other chains are going the same way. Although the country is still debatting the numbers of obesity, that we are told to eat organic, people just don't have money anymore and are bound to eat at McDo's, rather than the nice corner restaurant. Yesterday morning, Metro called this the "Fast Food Nation".
Besides, a completely crazy story: a 13-year-old boy, Alfie, became a father of a little girl with a 15-year-old teen. This is already shocking but it gets worse: two other boys in these ages disagree and claim to be the real father...! Some politicians, among whom the leader of the conservative opposition, David Cameron talked about it like a symptom of "Broken Britain". Besides, a priest praised the two young parents for not having an abortion. At this very moment, Alfie must still be harrassed by paparazzi.
But hey, let's not forget all the other ongoing debates, such as knife crime among youth. And on the newspapers' headlines, apart from some sensationalist titles, you can still see Kate Moss. And in the background, nostalgia for the Thatcher years... Even though her neoliberal policies are being disavowed by the violent crisis shaking the country. Tony Blair is very cunning: he left just before everything fell down. At least, he won a prize from it. Really, things are going the wrong way.
The day after NYE, Marion and I went to Oxford Street and had lunch at McDo because we were very hungry. And broke. Yeah, only writing it, I feel guilty. All the more as these bastards actually make money out of it. Anyway...
After taking our junk food trays, we went downstairs. It was weird. All these people packed underground, eating shit like gooses being forced to eat... There were screens playing stupid music videos... As if, when you're eating shit, you also want to be listening to shit.
And I was there, I was part of it. I had the feeling I was in the middle of some dystopia.
They made Björk, they are now making Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the first openly homosexual head of government. Let's remember she's an interim Prime Minister, she has not been elected but chosen by the President, and her government will probably not make it through the elections this year, given how Iceland is in deep shit.
Update: I've just seen that Jóhanna tried, 15 years ago, to take power in her party, but had lost. In her concession speech, she had said:
My time will come!
Wow.
Massive strike in France today. This is the best present!!
Update: the strike on a webcam!!
Last week here in London, some people were shocked to learn squatters had moved in Park Lane, one of the most prestigious streets of the town centre. And not in any house, in two mansions that allegedly belong to the Duke of Westminster.
I don't think it's shocking. On the one hand because I know squatters, and the other hand because I think it's normal given the price of accommodation here. Who wants to pay a huge amount of money to live in a box in the middle of nowhere?! I pay £475 per month for a room. The area is very dynamic and there is a good atmosphere in the house but it's still a room! Besides, the house is falling apart and the landlord doesn't seem to care. I'm considering moving out again or squatting as well!
Today, Barack H. Obama will become the 44th President of the United States of America. (If you still didn't know about it.)
We can start rejoicing about George W. Bush's departure, the man of the illegal war against Iraq, the man of Guantanamo, the man of the war on science, the man who will be more or less held irresponsible for the current economic crisis.
We can also rejoice of Barack Obama's victory, a man who won by talking of change, progress, etc. Will he manage, though, to answer to the huge hopes he raised in his country, but also around the world? Many doubt it.
Anyway, his inauguration is a step in the right direction... So let's celebrate!
Shopping, these days, is a political act. If you are brave enough to buy a $2,000 Prada handbag, you might rationalize that you are helping to stimulate the economy. Solidarity, people!
This is an ironic sentence taken from an article in the New York Times. The worst thing is that... it's true! When you read such things, you realise how fucked up the world goes.
Via LOLFed.
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