Down Vs Up - A Manifesto
4 Steps to Defeating the Elite Ruling Class and Winning Back the Safety and Equality We Deserve
PREFACE
Like so many of you, I’m angry. I am pervasively unsettled. I know this life can be better for myself, my loved ones, and the world around us. As a parent, I fear for the future of my two children (who are 15 and 10 at the time of this writing). As someone who strives to be an empathetic and compassionate human being, I am grieved by all the unnecessary suffering in this world and the foreboding diagnosis that we are careening toward a future where this will likely get exponentially worse.
I also feel torn and stretched thin by so many injustices. A world that we are dependent on that we continue to poison. Unspeakable cruelty towards our fellow humans and other sentient animals and plant life. I just can’t speak of them all!
For some of you as you read this, you can immediately think of a wrong in the world. You can see it, in tragically vivid colors, feelings, and images. They are permanently imprinted on the deepest core of your being because they are personal. You have been wronged, or someone or something with whom you share life has been harmed…or you are part of a community that has been the victim of systemic abuse, some for centuries. I feel tears and rage surging as I think of you. I am so sorry. And, again, I am so angry! I want to do whatever I can to make you feel seen and to stand with you in your fight.
So there is a tragically and infuriatingly long list of social injustices out there, each representing causes worth living and, if need be, even dying for.
But recent events (e.g. United Healthcare CEO, meet Luigi) have highlighted that there may be one social injustice that is foundational to most if not all of the others--that being the rampant GREED and greed-inspired power and resources grab at the hands of this elite ruling class. Or as many have noted, the 'ah-ha' epiphany has been that it's, "not left vs right, but up vs down" or top versus bottom (i.e. class consciousness).
Like others, I am arguing that challenging the rule of oligarchs and a world defined by plutocracy be the primary focus of our voices, energy, and resources. We, the masses, need to prioritize this Down VS Up cause. I would argue that much of the frustratingly slow progress—or even lost ground—on other social justice issues can, in part or in whole, be traced back to the resistance of the elite ruling class. They are in the way of progress, and they need to be moved out of the way.
What I write here is not a research paper. It's a synthesis of my thoughts on the current, exponentially expanding gap of inequality that we are experiencing particularly here in the US, and what we should DO about it.
My voice is not new, and it is not alone. I hope that those who read this find it encouraging. I dream that we can cry out in unison and in the power of our collective action with such volume and force that the ones who seek to exploit and control us retreat and we once again have the opportunity to lead the world forward.
who is the enemy?
There's a long history in the US, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, of a few individuals amassing substantial wealth and therefore power (J.P. Morgan, Carnegie, etc.). That ‘power’ is defined as the ability to influence or control the daily life experience of the vast majority of us, usually subdivided into ‘the working class’ or ‘the poor’. (Note: I don't like the assumption or implication that the poor aren't ‘working’, but that is the current common language.)
But from what I've read on the subjects of economic justice, what I have observed in my career in social work, and what I've personally experienced as a member of the working class, there is an undeniable rapid escalation of the consolidation of wealth and other assets into fewer and fewer hands, particularly since the 1970's.
A new class of Robber Barons are putting the OG roster to shame. They go by names like Buffett, Gates, Musk, Bezos, and include multimillionaire and billionaire politicians (just look at the names of politicians on both sides of the aisle that likely come from families of great wealth and have significant net worth).
These are who I am referring to as ‘the elite ruling class’: A small number of individuals or families and the institutions, businesses, and organizations they run, who have amassed affluence and influence on an unprecedented scale, resulting in incalculable harm to the rest of us and nearly everything else on this planet.
They are the mega-wealthy leaders of the corporate world (CEO's and C-suite leadership, board members, and other senior staff who make ungodly amounts of money) and the wealthy political establishment that protects the former's interests as well as their own wealth.
OUR POWER
As powerful and seemingly confident as they may seem, this elite ruling class is terrified at the prospect that the majority of us will wake up and realize our collective power.
They effectively need four things from us in order to maintain and expand their power:
our money (spending it how they want)
our labor (that we continue to produce more and more for them as their "human resources")
our blind obedience to their order (that we do not break from the culture and patterns of daily living that benefits them)
our ignorant or compromising ("lesser of two evils") vote to select for them their desired political leadership
Well, in the words of one of their own, "Go fuck yourself. GO. FUCK. YOURSELF!"
We can bring them all to their knees FAST, and dramatically move this world towards the kind of planet we want to live and love on, IF we are 1) focused (unified) in what we want and 2) organized for maximum collective impact.
OUR DEMANDS
Their power—leveraged by their wealth and the position it buys—has been effectively used to...
a) directly or indirectly control public policy (laws and regulations) via campaign contributions, lobbying, bribery, litigation, etc. in order to protect and grow their wealth and access to policy-making and makers
b) shape the narratives (via corporate media, corporate-funded 'research', PR and marketing firms, etc.) so that the masses either idealize or glorify greed, fight among themselves due to secondary issues (i.e. blame the real or perceived threat on “those people”, usually the ones being exploited by the wealthy), or resign themselves to their current reality.
This power must be checked and the gilded age of plutocrats and their puppet politicians ended.
We can have conversations, and no doubt vigorous debate, on what replaces the void once their tyranny comes to an end (e.g. social, political, and economic contracts/systems).
But if there's one thing the vast majority of us can agree on, it's that there should not be people out there who make more money in a year or even a few hours than most of us make in a lifetime, or who have amassed so much wealth that their posterity for generations could hypothetically skate by on lives of leisure and luxury while the rest of us toil to just 'get by'.
In short, Beverly Hills and Skid Row should not exist on the same planet.
Beyond amassing this kind of wealth, the vast majority of us likely agree that the wealthy should also not have unique access and influence on our civic decision-making process and platforms for public discourse.
But that leads me to state the obvious: If there is one thing at the heart of greed and corruption, it is money, and lots of it. So the best way to fight against the elite ruling class is to hit them in their pockets and bank accounts. More on specifically how we can do that below.
But what should we be demanding they change in return?
As the great Frederick Douglass once said…
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
The goal of our demands is simple: to take away their power. We do that by demanding or more accurately forcing them to make changes that level the playing field economically. Put bluntly, we need to make them poorer and the rest of us wealthier (until humanity figures out a better way of existing without currency).
Specifically, we should demand the following from the elite ruling class:
WE DEMAND THAT all their employees be paid a LIVING wage and the same benefits they enjoy. They want us to embrace a scarcity mindset. They want us to feel content with pitiful raises, bonuses, or the occasional ‘generous’ unplanned day off or staff party. Or that the office gets remodeled (really just an investment in their assets) or other perks that they know are pennies on the dollar expenses in comparison to what it would cost their compensation, their net value, and their shareholders’ value should they actually compensate us at a living wage.
Note: By ‘living wage’ I mean a compensation that is adequate to secure quality housing, safe food and water, necessary transportation, adequate communication tools, and hopefully have sufficient money left over to enjoy some leisure and to plan for larger, long-term expenses. And we shouldn’t have to work two or more jobs to earn a living wage.
To see what a living wage would be in your area, check out MIT’s Living Wage Calculator. If you are in California, you can also check out United Way’s Real Cost Measure.
Conversely, WE DEMAND THAT compensation for CEOs, other C-suite staff, etc. be slashed to levels more common to, say, those in similar positions before the mid-1970s and earlier. (Read this just to get a sense of how out of control it has gotten since that time period.)
WE DEMAND THAT laws be passed that require that employer-sponsored retirement plans offer employees the ability to invest this benefit tax-free in other non-market-based strategies or special savings accounts limited to the purchase of larger assets (e.g. homes, cars, etc.). The current stock market is a ruse to make the middle class believe that they are making smart, long-term investments when in reality it's just giving the ultra-wealthy more of our money for legalized gambling.
WE DEMAND THAT social safety nets be secured and strengthened to ensure that those who are unable to meet their LIVING expenses from employment are guaranteed access to safe housing, healthy food and water, comprehensive medical (including dental) and behavioral healthcare, access to essential transportation and communication resources, and education and training (to empower their exploration of what they would like to create or contribute to this world during their life). Guaranteed access to these things are our baseline expectations of our social contract.
WE DEMAND THAT the goods and/or services sold by businesses (especially large businesses) don't further the suffering or death of other living things (humans and other animals, plants, land, ocean, sky, and space). We're simply asking that the health and safety of our bodies and the environments we depend on and enjoy not be compromised. We want laws on the books that put the wanton pain and loss of life that comes from business ‘decisions’ to be on par with criminal punishment. And law enforcement needs to be properly resourced when it comes to pursuing those who commit ‘white-collar’ crimes.
WE DEMAND THAT robust laws and policies (e.g. conflicts of interest and bribery) be put in place and/or enforced that ensure that wealth does guarantee unique access and influence in public decision-making. Additionally, our government must vigorously enforce and strengthen antitrust laws, including the breaking up of mega-corporations.
OUR ACTIONS (CHOICES)
The elite ruling class is obviously not going to volunteer to give up their wealth and power and concede to these demands.
So what specific actions can we take to Robin Hood these fuckers? Like many others, I'm personally committing and encouraging others to make the following four choices…
DON'T BUY THEIR SHIT - Boycott businesses or don't give money (or volunteer time) to nonprofits that are perpetuating or enabling inequality in wealth and/or a class of society with exclusive access to elected officials and the civic decision-making process. Conversely, we ought to reward ethically good businesses with our patronage and support other organizations that don't further or enable inequality, greed, and corruption.
DON'T SWEAT (OR BLEED) FOR THEM - Unionize, walk out, be a selective conscientious objector (i.e. refuse to do unethical work or follow unethical orders in the case of military service), or resign if able. Or refuse to work for corrupt companies or organizations in the first place.
SHUT IT DOWN - Peaceful but disruptive civil disobedience (e.g. marches, human blockades, etc.). Their superiority is based on us following their order and rhythms. When life doesn’t go ‘business as usual’, they lose money. We need to throw off their groove and show them an untamed dance that reminds them that our bodies and voices matter more than their profits.
Lastly, PROMOTE PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP. Only elect TRULY principled representatives (that's right, they REPRESENT US) who will make it their number one objective to root out and make illegal any attempt by the elite ruling class to buy out and therefore benefit from a corrupt government. Rid the government of the greed of corporations and the mega-wealthy, and we will see a positive domino effect across most if not all other social justice issues.
Note: Follow the money before and after they are elected. If they themselves have a net worth in the millions of dollars, or are supported by the elite ruling class, they will not get our vote. Period. Commoners need only apply, thank you.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Extraordinary individuals, organizations, and organic and grassroots movements have been and continue to be leading this fight against the elite ruling class. And there are leaders yet to emerge.
Like never before, we need to unite across common divides, stay focused on our demands, be compassionate and encouraging towards one another in this fight, and be well organized in the coordination of our actions so as to have maximum impact.
Our children and those to come, and all that lives and breathes on this planet that we share, deserve better.
For the members of the elite class, brace yourselves. Either recover your sense of conscience and be a part of our movement, or watch as we tear down your empire bit by bit until you aren’t sure how you will pay for your next month’s rent or put food on the table.