Top Vs Bottom - A Manifesto
4 Steps to Defeating the Elite Ruling Class and Winning Back the Safety and Equity 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 top versus bottom”—that is, class consciousness.
Like others, I am arguing that the primary focus of our voices, energy, and resources ought to be challenging the rule of oligarchs and a world defined by plutocracy. We, the masses, need to prioritize this Top vs Bottom 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 with our voices 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, Rockefeller, 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 and power.
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
We have a simple message for those who seek to rule us through our money, labor, daily schedule, and vote. 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) control public policy (laws and regulations) via campaign contributions, lobbying, litigation, “gifts” (aka bribery), etc.
b) control the narrative via corporate media censorship, corporate-funded 'research', PR and marketing firms, etc.
Why do they do this?
It’s all about establishing the rules and the political relationships most favorable to their materialistic and egotistical greed and ambition and ensuring that there is no viable challenge to that established hierarchy.
They know that government mandates and protections are the surest way to force the masses into their system.
Controlling the narrative is critically important to defending wealth and position as well. Their goals are to Deify, Divide, Distract, and Demoralize. They actively want the masses to either…
idealize or glorify (Deify) the wealthy and their greed, knowing full well that it will be, for the vast majority, a fool’s errand after an impossible dream OR guarantee that the few “success stories” join their oligarchical club
fight among themselves (Divide), i.e. blame the real or perceived threat on “those people” instead of those who are actually exploiting all of us
preoccupy themselves with entertainment and amusement (Distract), to numb the pervasive pain inherent in their subservient existence to the elite ruling class
resign themselves to their current reality (Demoralize) so there is no will to muster opposition to their oppressors.
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 excessive 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 and its handmaid political establishment:
WE DEMAND THAT all employees be paid a LIVING wage and the same benefits the ruling class enjoys. 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 and branding) 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 all of their employees with a living wage and healthy benefits (robust vacation, sick and maternity leave, hybrid or remote work, etc.).
(Note: By ‘living wage’ I mean a compensation that is adequate to secure quality housing, safe food and water, necessary transportation, comprehensive medical care (physical and mental), adequate communication tools, and 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.)
As part of this demand, our elected officials would require by law that employer-sponsored retirement plans offer employees the ability to invest this tax-free benefit 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.
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.) This should especially be true for industries that provide essential goods and services—that is, housing, food and water, healthcare (physical and behavioral), transportation, communication technologies, essential banking services (including all companies that provide loans and lines of credit), and our common defense.
Corporations or NGO’s that are the recipients of Federal contracts would be mandated by law to: 1) cap senior leadership compensation to a reasonable percentage above that of the company’s entry-level employees, 2) pass annual audits with substantiated violations of this requirement or any misuse of funds leading to the termination of the contract, and 3) not participate in public trading (we don’t need another level of profit to be motivating greed and diminishing services; and yes, this is especially for you, healthcare industry and military contractors!).
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 is our baseline expectation 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 if not more punitive than current criminal punishments. 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 be established and enforced that ensure that wealth does not grant unique access and influence in public decision-making. This includes a legal mandate (perhaps even a Constitutional amendment) of zero-tolerance for elected officials engaging in conflicts of interest and bribery. Those who do must be barred from public service for life and potentially face other civil or criminal punishment, with no possibility of a Presidential pardon. Also, no lobbying of elected officials by anyone other than citizens of a representative’s district, State, or other municipality. Additionally, our government must strengthen and vigorously enforce antitrust laws, including the breaking up of mega-corporations. We cannot let a select group of corporations and their leaders monopolize markets and therefore acquire the kind of power that only invites the exploitation of their employees and customers as well as political corruption.
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 - This is especially true for those of us who can afford non-essentials, i.e. the “middle class” and higher. We need to coordinate targeted boycotts of greedy and abusive businesses and industries. 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. As a rule of thumb, buy from locally owned small businesses.
And let’s not give our money or volunteer our time to nonprofits that are perpetuating or enabling inequality, especially for those with leadership sporting obscene salaries. As someone with nearly a quarter of a century of professional experience in the non-profit world, trust me…the non-profit industrial complex is real!
DON'T SWEAT (OR BLEED) FOR THEM - Unionize, walk out, strike, 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. If you choose that last option, go out with some style like former Walmart employee, Beth McGrath, and her epic intercome mic drop (below)! Or refuse to work for corrupt companies or organizations in the first place. Watch the plutocracy squirm when they can’t control or recruit their worker bees.
SHUT IT DOWN - Engage in peaceful but disruptive mass civil disobedience, such as marches, sit-ins, human blockades, occupying public spaces, etc. Their superiority is based on us following their order and rhythms. They are designed to maximize our capitalistic ‘productivity’. When ‘the daily grind’ 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. We take it to the streets to bring the gears of economic exploitation and political domination to a grinding halt.
Lastly, PROMOTE PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP THAT LOOKS LIKE US. Only elect TRULY principled representatives who pledge 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. To that end, we expect our leaders to produce results through legislative and administrative actions.
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. How about a rule that no aspiring or established politician gets our vote if their median net worth is more than 20% of the average, middle-class, working adult (approximately $190,000-$200,000).
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 are standing in line to apply for the social safety-net benefits that we fought hard for.
Welcome to our world. And you’re welcome.