Meanwhile the biggest companies, and their owners, are raking in record profits, globally.
This isn't a coincidence, it's by design - the working class gets squeezed so the capitalists can live it up with more money than anyone could spend in a thousand lifetimes. This was always the case in capitalism (and feudalism before it) of course, the pandemic was just an accelerator, they saw how much shit we would take then, and haven't stopped pushing since (like with the wars, that of course aren't some unfortunate biological mutation, but a choice made by some very wealthy and powerful people to try and increase their wealth and power). And the more they squeeze, the more desperate people get, which means we're easier to manipulate, exploit, and divide.
If it wasn't so evil, you might admire how well it works (for them, of course) - individualism and consumerism have been so deeply ingrained (along with the "basics" capitalism was built on - racism, sexism, ableism, cis-heteronormativity, and so on), and socialism and communism (never mind anarchism) framed as the true evils of the world, and just like that you keep the working class so divided and distracted and focused on getting themselves out of the bucket you've put them in, that they don't even realise that if they work together they can tip the bucket over and all be free..
Raiderkev@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m not an Aussie, but 3 years ago, things were truly looking up. I was just getting financially where I needed to be to buy a home, had gotten a few promotions, and was genuinely excited about prospects in life. Covid killed all of that. My payment today would be $2500 higher than it would have bought back then. That money is not in the budget. Housing skyrocketed to a point where I don’t think I will ever afford a home. Then interest rates went sky high, and prices of homes didn’t move a bit. That killed a lot of my ambition to work as hard, and care as much about my career. At this point, why even try? I’ll just get by til my boomer Mom passes away and move into her house when /if that ever happens. I’d need like a 50% salary boost to get back the buying power I had 3 years ago. I just don’t care anymore.