The pitchforks are coming

[Kirkland Laing]

You probably don’t know me, but like you I am one of those .01%ers, a proud and unapologetic capitalist. I have founded, co-founded and funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries—from itsy-bitsy ones like the night club I started in my 20s to giant ones like Amazon.com, for which I was the first nonfamily investor. Then I founded aQuantive, an Internet advertising company that was sold to Microsoft in 2007 for $6.4 billion. In cash. My friends and I own a bank. I tell you all this to demonstrate that in many ways I’m no different from you. Like you, I have a broad perspective on business and capitalism. And also like you, I have been rewarded obscenely for my success, with a life that the other 99.99 percent of Americans can’t even imagine. Multiple homes, my own plane, etc., etc. You know what I’m talking about.....


But let’s speak frankly to each other. I’m not the smartest guy you’ve ever met, or the hardest-working. I was a mediocre student. I’m not technical at all—I can’t write a word of code. What sets me apart, I think, is a tolerance for risk and an intuition about what will happen in the future. Seeing where things are headed is the essence of entrepreneurship. And what do I see in our future now?

I see pitchforks.
At the same time that people like you and me are thriving beyond the dreams of any plutocrats in history, the rest of the country—the 99.99 percent—is lagging far behind. The divide between the haves and have-nots is getting worse really, really fast. In 1980, the top 1 percent controlled about 8 percent of U.S. national income. The bottom 50 percent shared about 18 percent. Today the top 1 percent share about 20 percent; the bottom 50 percent, just 12 percent.
But the problem isn’t that we have inequality. Some inequality is intrinsic to any high-functioning capitalist economy. The problem is that inequality is at historically high levels and getting worse every day. Our country is rapidly becoming less a capitalist society and more a feudal society. Unless our policies change dramatically, the middle class will disappear, and we will be back to late 18th-century France. Before the revolution.
And so I have a message for my fellow filthy rich, for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: Wake up, people. It won’t last.
If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us. No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality. In fact, there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counterexamples. None. It’s not if, it’s when...........




The most ironic thing about rising inequality is how completely unnecessary and self-defeating it is. If we do something about it, if we adjust our policies in the way that, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression—so that we help the 99 percent and preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.




The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats - Nick Hanauer - POLITICO Magazine




Hopefully more and more people start to realise this over the next few years and a bit of momentum builds to do something about it. The alternatives to doing something about it aren't attractive for anybody.

[Beanz]

Should people still be making hay then ? Apparently the sun always shines on TV but you need pitchforks for Hay or for hipsters to know what tunes to listen to. If we are all going to hell in a handcart who will be pushing it ? or is it self propelled like those desk toys? What should we do? Justice is not served by sitting on hands or mob handed lynchings, the questions are multitudinous and the answers are for many, untenable. Answers on a postcard or gold bar if you are feeling generous.

[Andre]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

[Gandalf]

I can sense traumatic things happening and it is the accumulation of a variety of things that will likely hit in sequence. The thing with the super rich is that they don't contribute towards society. They suck out far more than they put back and certainly so on a comparative basis and they don't really produce anything. Financialisation is a case in point. It is making money from money or else expanding debt for poor people. The rich go straight to the Central banks for handouts and money grows money, but the poor go to loan sharks like Wonga as they cannot afford to pay their bills (which are 50% more expensive than half a decade ago despite wages going up single digits if you are lucky) and live in spirals of debt. If the elite do produce anything it is typically unethical (Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, etc) and based on giving your data to the government and using slave labour.

We are living in a world where nations are falling heavily into debt, letting people think debt is normal and yet continue to worship finance at the expense of practically everyone as they get free money and pass the inflation onto you. Instead of addressing any of the issues the governments expand the police state and are now going to install street lights that monitor conversations. I mean, really. People of course should piss on these street lights and carry out a variety of other noble acts. If the government can arm terrorists and bail out banks, then the least you should get from it is the freedom to assault a lamp post.

There are seven billion people in this world and in 40 years it will double. Forgetting all the jazz about corruption, the thing that set the Middle East off was food prices. The government keeps talking about deflation, but anyone in the real world knows that it is quite the opposite if you use traditional metrics of inflation. Food inflation (along with transport, taxes, home prices, energy) is rampant and you are only going to see it unravel more and more as the population expands, immigration remains unchecked, oil runs dryer, and weather more irrational. People in the West have been sheltered for a long time and 30 years of mis-management is finally going to come home. Inflation has traditionally been exported, but now it rules supreme everywhere.

The key is to adapt ones values and not worship finance, but to turn away from globalisation and instead towards decentralisation and to local communities. Debt, consumption and worship of finance should instead give way to self control, moderation, and a simple appreciation for farming. More people should move to the countryside and grow food and enjoy simple pleasures. The rat race has nowhere else to go.

[brocktonblockbust]

Should people still be making hay then ? Apparently the sun always shines on TV but you need pitchforks for Hay or for hipsters to know what tunes to listen to. If we are all going to hell in a handcart who will be pushing it ? or is it self propelled like those desk toys? What should we do? Justice is not served by sitting on hands or mob handed lynchings, the questions are multitudinous and the answers are for many, untenable. Answers on a postcard or gold bar if you are feeling generous.

leave the Hay Maker out of this, biotch

[brocktonblockbust]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

but my conspiracy theories are daft

[Andre]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

but my conspiracy theories are daft

What? I dont pick on you.

I was interpreting what he said above into laymans terms.

No conspiracy,we are run like sheep.

[Beanz]

I can sense traumatic things happening and it is the accumulation of a variety of things that will likely hit in sequence. The thing with the super rich is that they don't contribute towards society. They suck out far more than they put back and certainly so on a comparative basis and they don't really produce anything. Financialisation is a case in point. It is making money from money or else expanding debt for poor people. The rich go straight to the Central banks for handouts and money grows money, but the poor go to loan sharks like Wonga as they cannot afford to pay their bills (which are 50% more expensive than half a decade ago despite wages going up single digits if you are lucky) and live in spirals of debt. If the elite do produce anything it is typically unethical (Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, etc) and based on giving your data to the government and using slave labour.

We are living in a world where nations are falling heavily into debt, letting people think debt is normal and yet continue to worship finance at the expense of practically everyone as they get free money and pass the inflation onto you. Instead of addressing any of the issues the governments expand the police state and are now going to install street lights that monitor conversations. I mean, really. People of course should piss on these street lights and carry out a variety of other noble acts. If the government can arm terrorists and bail out banks, then the least you should get from it is the freedom to assault a lamp post.

There are seven billion people in this world and in 40 years it will double. Forgetting all the jazz about corruption, the thing that set the Middle East off was food prices. The government keeps talking about deflation, but anyone in the real world knows that it is quite the opposite if you use traditional metrics of inflation. Food inflation (along with transport, taxes, home prices, energy) is rampant and you are only going to see it unravel more and more as the population expands, immigration remains unchecked, oil runs dryer, and weather more irrational. People in the West have been sheltered for a long time and 30 years of mis-management is finally going to come home. Inflation has traditionally been exported, but now it rules supreme everywhere.

The key is to adapt ones values and not worship finance, but to turn away from globalisation and instead towards decentralisation and to local communities. Debt, consumption and worship of finance should instead give way to self control, moderation, and a simple appreciation for farming. More people should move to the countryside and grow food and enjoy simple pleasures. The rat race has nowhere else to go.

What he said.

[Dia bando]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

but my conspiracy theories are daft

No mate your just fucking daft.

[Gandalf]

Actually, no. Brockton is not daft. He is a remarkably observant and salient person and should be respected as being so. He is no expert, but like me, he reads it like a book. He should be listened to. I like Brockton and there is nothing daft about his politics. He is in the zone.

[Kirkland Laing]

Should people still be making hay then ? Apparently the sun always shines on TV but you need pitchforks for Hay or for hipsters to know what tunes to listen to. If we are all going to hell in a handcart who will be pushing it ? or is it self propelled like those desk toys? What should we do? Justice is not served by sitting on hands or mob handed lynchings, the questions are multitudinous and the answers are for many, untenable. Answers on a postcard or gold bar if you are feeling generous.

There are four pages to the article, not just the first one. The guy actually has the right idea. He'd probably go further and advocate creating strong labour unions and encouraging union membership but he's aiming his article at a bunch of people who are going to find the initial message disturbing enough without mentioning the u word.

[Master]

Inequality is increasing and the pie is getting even harder to get to. Cameron and his Billionaire friends are continually trying to perpetuate this division.

Read this article it is excellent.

Tory summer party drew super-rich supporters with total wealth of £11bn | Politics | The Guardian

[Beanz]

Actually, no. Brockton is not daft. He is a remarkably observant and salient person and should be respected as being so. He is no expert, but like me, he reads it like a book. He should be listened to. I like Brockton and there is nothing daft about his politics. He is in the zone.

The twilight zone

[Andre]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

but my conspiracy theories are daft

No mate your just fucking daft.

You're. And Im just fucking anal.

[Andre]

preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too. It’s not just that we’ll escape with our lives; it’s that we’ll most certainly get even richer.

In Laymans terms:

"We have been managing people for centuries and they think its been fair because they are fed housed, transported and repaired.

Calling all farmers of humans, who are hungry unsheltered or sick.

Go and tend to them before they realize they are animals and kick your door down turn on you and eat you or your young. The police will do our biding but we have to manage them too. (We have time to re-manage the flock and the controllers and we will still get to skim the cream for ourselves).

but my conspiracy theories are daft

No mate your just fucking daft.

You're. And Im just fucking anal.

Not in a ghey wey.