Thread by @ThatRabbiCohen, When I was in 9th grade, my school was obsessed with a [...]

When I was in 9th grade, my school was obsessed with a card game we called "Capitalism." (I've also heard it called a**hole.) The premise was pretty simple-- the dealer dealt everyone a random hand. Equal shot at success. But after the 1st hand, the rules changed. (1/)

The players who did worst gave their top cards to the players who did best, who would give their lowest cards in exchange. The closer you were to the middle of the pack, the more of your hand you kept. So it started out fair, but once you were down, you tended to stay there (2/)

Being the winner was electric. You couldn't lose. Your hand was basically made by the people who were below you. And if you were losing, it felt like there was absolutely no way to climb to the upper echelons.

The difference between the game and reality? (3/)

We don't start out even. And the winners take from the entire rest of the bunch.

During this virus, the "haves" have been just fine. Better than fine. They've gotten richer and richer.

The "have nots" have nothing.

And it's not just about the literal lack of money. (4/)

It's about the feeling.

When I give a donation, or order take out, or pay my student loan bill even though I don't have to because I'll save money in the long run, I feel good. I feel like I'm doing something good.

But it's chance that I'm still working. It's luck. (5/)

The money that I've been able to put away during the pandemic isn't virtuous. It's not because I deserve it. It's because synagogues moved online. I never stopped working. My expenses went down because so much shut down, but my income stayed steady. So I get to feel good. (6/)

Folks who've been struggling during this time? That's not their fault. My artist friends who work to thrive in a city where rent is impossibly high and suddenly watched all their work dry up? That's not their fault. The career servers whose restaurants shut? Not their fault. (7/)

And let's not forget about the rich. The folks who've earned billions during this time because their business was in the right place at the right moment when people went inside, and never mind who has to get screwed so the top can get richer.

This is the card game, see? (8/)

This is what happens when the rich get so rich that they forget everything else.

This is what happens when capitalism is worshipped, when we value profit over people, when taking from the poor becomes automated.

The system is working exactly as it's supposed to. (9/)

Right now, people in my situation-- people doing fine-- are being told to buy gift cards, to order take out, to shop local as much as we can, to make donations.

And I am doing all of that and glad to do all of that.

But I can't fix the system. No one in the middle can. (10/)

Our society requires radical change. Our society requires a cold, hard look at itself. And yes, that is frightening. But it's far less frightening than continuing to live as though the rich deserve to screw the poor. And that is how we're living now. (11/)

We need a relief package that prioritizes people without means.

We need to take the economic impact of this virus seriously, forgive student loans, and offer free healthcare like every other wealthy nation.

If we don't? We'll just keep playing this terrible game.

(end)

Latest Threads Unrolled: