Good-Bye Globalism 2
Writing at the Inky, James Howard Kunstler suggests that “globalism” is dead. I’ve not figured out my opinion on his thesis, but I think it’s worth a read. Here’s a snippet:
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April 5, 2014 at 12:11 pm
Started off real well. I like the way he described the US “Bombing Paupers” global strategy although he might have added it’s a money-maker as the reason it refuses to die.
“mentally inert, drugged-up, tattoo-bedizened populace of twerking slobs.” A little too much of high-button Ted Nugent sauce, here. A bit unfair, too. Does he get out much among us or is it just an example of “Get Off My Lawn-ism?”
The other part where he lost me was the “money-printing” thing, the mention of “inflation.” There’s no effective inflation in the US right now. In fact, we might be in something economists are beginning to call secular stagnation. These are giveaways, tics that spurts from people who believe taking the country off the gold standard was the start of everything bad. It also points the finger of the angry old man at the US government. The US dollar is the world’s reserve currency. Like it or not, it affords the country special privileges and the breaking of rules that other countries simply cannot get away with. One of these is the printing of money. And, anyway, the debt is coming down, or hasn’t he heard?
I agree things are bad and getting worse here. But only for a certain large segment of the populace. I don’t see how globalism ends since much of it is now driven by the global networks. You don’t have to pay Americans to do anything in the new economy if you can write software to do it and outsource everything else to server farm crowdsource sweatshops in impoverished places. If Walmart keeps depreciating in value because most Americans are skint do the Kochs care? Do the people on the Google bus? Nah.
April 5, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Hey, payday loan shops are doing well. Check-cashing and other financial services for people who don’t have and can’t get bank accounts are doing well in my neck of the woods. Been that way for awhile, much of it part of globalism. However, now it’s taking on a more homegrown domestic clientele, people who are in and out of prisons, for example. If you live in the right neighborhood and pay attention, such things are there for everyone to see.