Bernie Sanders and the Growing Opposition to Unimpeded Systemic Power Structures

‪#‎FeelingTheBern‬ ‪#‎BernieSandersForPOTUS‬
As a society, we have been told that capitalism is synonymous with democracy, or, more accurately, that capitalism begets democracy. In the globalized world, we see now that the two are not fuel for each others’ fodder. China is arguably an aggressively capitalist country, but its’ political system is as far from democratic as they come. The prevailing belief (historically) has been that the economic systems in place are bigger than any one individual or collective, no matter what the size; that the systems in place are so massive and infallible, and completely impenetrable to any sort of reform or modification. Even more egregious is the fact that time and time again, the little guys are being made to pay. The prevailing narrative is as follows: when times are good, the little guy pays (with lack of tax exemptions, indentured wage labor, systemic poverty, etc) and when times are bad, the little guy still pays, as he is forced to bail out the big guys. We’ve seen this on numerous scales, both locally and globally with the 2008 financial crisis, in the US with the subsequent carte blanche bailout of Wall Street using taxpayer money, and in the Eurozone with the dehumanizing practice of austerity in Greece, Spain, and other member states (where fraudulent systems were the cause of bankruptcy, not the people).

But occasionally, a voice of not simply change, but one of reason and compassion comes along. In the United States, that voice belongs collectively to the people who support Bernie Sanders, with Sanders as the figurehead. What makes Sanders different is that he is not running on a platform of personal ego inflation, he is simply unifying the millions of previously unheard voices, in a society where those who echo xenophobic or otherwise ignorant status quo rhetoric are much more audible in the media circus. But, I have to ask: Why would anyone oppose banking reform that favors and protects the consumer? Why would anyone oppose free public colleges at a time when globalization threatens an undereducated America’s competitive edge? Why would anyone oppose a working mother being granted time to tend to her newborn infant without fear of losing her job? Or quality healthcare for all in a nation with the best possible treatment for patients with serious and rare diseases alike? Or oppose foreign policy reform that favors cooperation over unimpeded, continual military pontification? Why would anyone oppose a better shot at a good life for themselves, their families or neighbors, or even someone you dislike? Instead, ask yourself how Sanders common-sense policies can make your life, and those of all people, better. Even a one-percenter benefits from free public college tuition for their children. Everyone speaks of the establishment or powers that be as if we are far too small to stand up to the might of the proverbial dollar, but we’re not because financial systems are far more unreal than our inherent value and collective interest as human beings.

Given what we’re facing — potentially catastrophic rises in global temperatures, enormous competition for increasingly dearth resources, a global population which is expected to reach 12 Billion by 2050, unimpeded globalization and associated trade agreements which undermine sovereignty and democracy, women who still suffer at the hands of society just for being born, economic systems that dismantle the very notion of human rights, and people who simply can’t be bothered — protecting and honoring life is all we’ve got, if we don’t defend the quality and inherent value of it, then we risk becoming entirely spiritually and communally bereft, entering into a despotic territory that leaves so many good people out. Is that what we want?

That said, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you’re not “feeling the Bern”, you’re inflammable. But Bernie would do something about that, I’m sure, as he’s the type who opposes the unhindered use of environmentally damaging, cancer-causing flame retardants in all our fabrics.