I must admit this stance is cliché, idealist, and possibly unrealistic. Even so, I can no longer tolerate climbing up this slippery, man-made social pyramid.
Given my backstory it’s no wonder that I came to this point. I was born in the former Yugoslavia, a country built on the ideals of socialism. I might leave the capitalism vs socialism debate for another post. The point I’m trying to make is that unlike so many people in the West, I have been exposed to a different system. If at least by hearing about it from my family and reading up on the Internet. I don’t think of the old socialist system as completely superior, but hearing stories about the differences between the two pokes serious holes in the ultra capitalist system we have today. For me, there was always this ingrained belief that things are worse now than they have been in the past. One doesn’t need to share the same background as me to realise what’s going on, but being exposed to a different culture certainly helps.
Disclaimer
I am no historian, I don’t have a degree in politics or economics. I’m not armed with any breakthrough information and facts on these topics. I could hardly defend this argument in a drunken pub conversation, let alone against some privileged PHD in political science, defender of status quo douchebag. My weapon is the ability to question the status quo. My ammo is common sense. My weakness is to give in and play the capitalist game “because what else are you gonna do?” I’m trying to improve on my weakness.
Are you nuts? We’ve never been so prosperous!
It is true that the average person today enjoys unimaginable luxuries only decades ago. Most of us living in the West can travel anywhere at the drop of a hat. We have technology that is so advanced that we are struggling to cope with it. On a surface level we are more enabled and liberated than ever. Yet if you scratch beneath the surface you will uncover a different truth altogether. Unfortunately most of our modern luxuries are a facade. We’re winning the technology game and losing the society game.
The pension age is going up, the price of land has skyrocketed in recent years, as has cost of living. I am experiencing these things in Australia, but this is a global phenomenon which becomes only worse in most other places around the world.
My hypocrisy
I am in no way talking from a position of superiority. I’m very much part of this entire system. Every day my actions help it prosper. I’m completely stuck in it. As much as I’d like to think otherwise, I’m just another one of its stereotypical creations. I am decked out with the latest Apple gear, mostly buy branded clothes, and spend way too much money on renting an apartment I could never hope to buy.
On the outside it would look like a world of affluence but in reality I live pay-check to pay-check. I’m not alone in this. I’ve learned that, in reality, only the super rich are truly rich. The rest of us pay for expensive lifestyles.
All this is frustrating to admit. I’m not the first person to figure out that money doesn’t buy happiness but I guess some things you need to see for yourself before you believe them. I have never been so well off and independent in my life. Yet, I can’t help but notice the stupidity of this social model. The higher I climb the hierarchy, the more ridiculous it seems, and the more I want to find a way to escape. I always wondered what it was like to be successful in this system. It has its positives but it’s certainly not everything it’s hyped up to be.
The escape plan
1. Redefine financial success
And I absolutely 100% still do. I’d love to live in a pimped out pad like this one. Yet, I am not willing to pursue this dream because I would have to slave out for the rest of my life to attain and then maintain this lifestyle. Most people, including myself, will not be able to ever afford such luxuries. So you have two options: keep pursuing it (as popular culture and successful businessmen will tell you) or pick a different vision of success.
Not long ago the tiny house movement caught my eye. The owners of these places are average people who decided to do something different to live within their means.
I have to admit that it would be hard to adapt to this sort of living environment. On first sight it looks cool. I can see a lot of people wanting to spend a weekend in one of these. But think about it. This is your entire living space. Day in and day out, for years. It wouldn’t be easy. Especially at the start. Still, the money-saving benefits make this style of living incredibly tempting.
3. Think globally
Corporations are smart. They do it. Purchase cheap labour from South East Asia. Add some marketing and a massive markup to the mix and sell it to seemingly (and sometimes truly) rich people in the West. Cha-Ching!
Why don’t we copy their mentality to make our lives better? Make a western salary, live in a developing country. Unfortunately this is only viable for information workers, but I don’t see enough information workers attempt to take advantage of the position they are in.
4. Escape consumer traps
I shop online whenever possible. I’m in charge. I take my time, research something carefully, read up on reviews from independent sources and compare prices easily.
In a physical store I’m exposed to an environment where the person serving me has a different agenda. Even an honest salesperson (there are a some out there) will never have the exact same agenda as you. They don’t get paid by their honesty, but by how much they sell.
It’s not even the environment that’s the main problem. The problem is the number of middlemen in the supply chain, each adding a markup on the total price for their value adding services. That’s why online shopping is great because usually there is only one middleman like Amazon or eBay sitting between you and the manufacturer and sometimes you can purchase straight from the manufacturer.
So when I absolutely must purchase from a brick and mortar store, I like to get as close to the manufacturer as possible. That means getting away from this environment:
… and instead shopping at a place that looks something like this:
Remember, convenience = extra cost which you will end up paying for
5. Think outside of the box (i.e. don’t follow the herd)
With my limited dealings with rich people, I know this is something they do all the time. I know a guy who had experience working in the import/export industry. His jobs was to buy and sell natural resources between countries. Anyway, he was showing me around his new house. It featured a lavish bathroom with a sauna and an outside area for a jacuzzi. What surprised me was that I could afford what he was showing me.
Instead of buying bathroom appliances in Australia, he travelled to China, bought directly from the factories where they are made, rented out a shipping container, and then sent all the goods back home saving thousands, including the travel expenses. It’s something I’d thought of previously but dismissed straight away because no one in my social circle had done this before. Of course it was fairly easy for him since he was familiar with the complexities and bureaucracy of shipping goods between countries, but this isn’t brain surgery. Anyone could figure this out.
Rich people take great pleasure in fucking the system, and why not? It saves them money. If you think a little outside of the box, you can too without doing anything illegal.
6. Embrace the sharing economy
I used Airbnb twice, on both occasions in otherwise expensive cities. Airbnb has been such a success that the city of New York has made it illegal. You know we’re onto something when the establishment decides to ban it in order to protect the corporations.
Other examples of sharing economy products out there are Uber, Neighbourgoods, and Lyft among a growing number of others. I love these products because they are disruptive and make big businesses extremely anxious, which is always fun to watch.
7. Products don’t make you sexy
People want to feel attractive and desirable. It’s ingrained in us. It makes us feel validated. Marketers know this and exploit it whenever possible.
The obsession people, myself included, have with brands these days is astounding. It’s a form of escapism. A little taste of success, royalty, desirability. You buy the product and you feel stimulated, for a while. Then of course you can’t have expensive clothes and a cheap phone. And the car you drive? It has to be on par with your other possessions. You get the drift. It’s an addiction and it’s hard to break.
Not only is this detrimental to your bank account but to your self esteem as well. “I need this thing, in order for people to like me and to be desirable. I am not good enough as I am.” None of these advertisements explicitly spell this out but subconsciously the consumer develops this attitude over time. All this keeps us trapped in the system as we slave away and get into unnecessarily difficult financial situations to stimulate this unquenchable thirst for prestige and status.
I’m not saying that buying branded products is bad, full stop. No. Being obsessed by them is bad, especially if you start living outside of your means to attain them. I try to pick my battles here and only invest in products I feel serve a real purpose in my life. Honestly though, I still have room for improvement.
8. Charities are a load of bullshit
“Oh how can you say that? Don’t you believe in helping people in need?” I have passionate views on a lot of things but this one really gets my blood boiling. Here’s what I believe in: It is the government’s duty to see to it that wealth is distributed fairly and it is the people’s duty to hold their government accountable. Why the fuck should I pay for their greed?
Charities are a way for us Westerners to rinse ourselves of our guilt. Yes our government helped kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions of innocent people in Iraq, but if I give $50 to Unicef I can sleep at night. Bullshit! You and I are both guilty for not stopping our government in their role in this massacre. I didn’t even go out to protest the war. Charities and the church go together in this regard. Donate and you’re forgiven.
I absolutely believe in helping people. I use Kiva to donate to individuals around the world. The premise is that you give people interest free loans which they use to help kick-start their business. If the business gets off the ground, they pay you back, interest free. If not, then you lose that money. I believe this helps foster long-term change and Kiva claims that 100% of the money you give goes to the borrower. You can give additional donations to Kiva to help them pay their bills.
The reason I mention charities in a post about capitalism is because they compliment each other. An easy way for those in power to rinse themselves of their guilt and continue on their largely greedy and destructive path. Philanthropy has been misused so heavily it has become the epitome of what is wrong with the current system. McDonald’s boasts about their Ronald McDonald House Charities. That McDonald’s! Helping children with cancer? Does anyone else spot the irony here?
I’m using McDonald’s here as an easy example. Most corporations do this.
“So what would you prefer? That corporations keep all the money to themselves and not give back to the community?” Yes that’s exactly what I’d prefer! Maybe instead of donating money to kids with cancer you start feeding them real food that hasn’t been induced with cancer causing chemicals?
9. Don’t vote
In Australia it’s mandatory to vote. Or at least to turn up to the voting booths. You draw a doodle and go home. Since the Australian Sex Party and WikiLeaks Party were formed I started voting for them because they have some policies I can actually support. (I have no idea what the Australian Sex Party is about but with a name like that they get my vote). The problem with voting is that it makes you feel like you’re making a difference. Voting is a better tool at keeping the masses under control, by letting them vent their frustrations, than it is at creating positive and long-lasting change.
10. Pay in cash
It is no secret that Balkan people love to pay in cash, myself included. It’s one of those long running jokes. “I pay keshhh.”
People often laugh when I tell them that I have paid for absolutely everything I’ve ever owned in cash. Not out of ridicule, but because I so accurately meet that stereotype. To me it just feels right to buy something you’ve actually saved up for. Thankfully my parents are there to lend me money in times of need. So technically it wasn’t all in cash. I did make sure to pay back quickly when I borrowed, though.
Unfortunately this isn’t viable in every situation. Good luck paying for a house in cash. House-buying is a scenario I still have no answer for. I despise the idea of mortgages because they render implausible my sacred oath of always paying in cash. I fear the convenience of a mortgage. You want to buy that extra thing? I already have this loan. A few extra thousand dollars on it won’t make a big difference in the grand scheme of things. What’s the cost of a new TV compared to that of the massive mortgage I’ve already taken out? Spontaneous purchase justified.
Mortgages condition you to the idea of borrowing more than you can pay back in the near future. On the other hand, if smartly done, they can be a powerful tool on the road to financial independence. Especially once you throw in the popular argument that is “why pay off someone else’s mortgage by renting?”
11. Save some for a rainy day
I’m terrible at this. God forbid some crisis occurred. I’d be in real trouble. I’m writing this one down as a to-do item.
Capitalism, make what you can of it
Not all the problems identified here are exclusive to capitalism. Desire, overconsumption, greed, advertising, manipulation. None of these are capitalist innovations. At the end of the day I am the one who buys more than needed and consequently I don’t attain financial independence.
The beef I have with capitalism is that it flourishes in a world where poverty is abundant. The lower and middle classes are the fuel of all social structures. Yet it is that same mass of people that are seeing their privileges taken away from them one small piece at a time. Capitalism is not freedom.
The system is infinitely stronger than any one individual. I don’t know if I will live to see the day when a better system replaces the current one. That’s outside of my control. I’m going to focus my efforts on making the most of what’s there. The current system is there to be outsmarted whenever possible.
Ultimately, the establishment holds the power and writes the rules of the game. We need to be clever about our game plan and, if possible, bend the rules to our advantage.
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