Walttriznastories's Blog

THE WRONGS OF THE PAST CONTINUE: A REVIEW OF YESTERDAY’S FICTION AND TODAYS REALITY

May 17, 2016 at 9:54 pm 1 comment

This could be considered one of my RANTS & RAVES pieces, but since it’s also a book review, it stands alone as a unique species.

The wide gap between the top 1%, the people of wealth, and the working class is beyond comprehension.

The products sold to the American public, behind the falsehood of corporate manipulation of the truth, is beyond belief.  Unsafe and contaminated products are sold, money is exchanged, and the trend will continue as long as there is a profit to be made.

The wealthy manipulate society to their benefit, robbing the working class of a better life as they fill their coffers of greed.  Something must be done for the common man as his world sinks into an abyss of despair.

If you think these facts were torn from the current condition of our society; you would be wrong. Although these revelations sound much like the current state of affairs in this country they are products of the past.

We now live in a world where wealth thumps conscience and the benefit of the average citizen.  Where the greed continues worldwide, and the richest 85 individuals in the world have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the world’s population (Time magazine).  Where, in this country, the gulf between the common man and the legendary 1%, which if you do the math is over 3 million individuals, control and manipulate our lives to their own benefit.  The conditions of the past and the present mingle in a disturbing never-ending situation for the people of this country.

I have just finished reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  First published in 1906, the work changed our country with the introduction of laws to protect the public from buying contaminated meat products and labor reform.  The novel is an historical work of fiction, and through the primary character’s eyes, we are allowed to see the conditions, beyond imagination, which provide food for our nation at that time.  Where children are forced to work at unbelievably young ages to support their destitute families.

As mentioned earlier, this novel resulted in laws changing our society’s conditions for the better.  Yet, to some extent, the same conditions remain in effect.  Greed has a way of refusing to die.  Industries, today, continue to provide inferior products, causing damage and death to the population.  When these inferior product are discovered massive fines are imposed.  But the profits reaped before the discovery of purposeful negligence far outweigh the fines.  Today, this is good business practice.  I have no proof of this conjecture beyond common sense.  I assume, perhaps wrongly, but I think not, that these companies providing products recalled and deemed hazardous, have a massive army of lawyers and accountants running the dollar amounts for possible fines vs profits.

I will not name the prime industries involved.  But if you have access to any form of news, and also a memory, you know the industries of which I speak.  All you need to do is read or remember the massive recalls and billion dollar lawsuits resulting from the death and injury of consumers caused by unsafe products.

This piece reveals nothing new if you follow the current situation of our society.  The only truth it does reveal is that our use and manipulation by the wealthy has not changed.

This could be considered one of my RANTS & RAVES pieces, but since it’s also a book review, it stands alone as a unique species.

The wide gap between the top 1%, the people of wealth, and the working class is beyond comprehension.

The products sold to the American public, behind the falsehood of corporate manipulation of the truth, is beyond belief.  Unsafe and contaminated products are sold, money is exchanged, and the trend will continue as long as there is a profit to be made.

The wealthy manipulate society to their benefit, robbing the working class of a better life as they fill their coffers of greed.  Something must be done for the common man as his world sinks into an abyss of despair.

If you think these facts were torn from the current condition of our society; you would be wrong. Although these revelations sound much like the current state of affairs in this country they are products of the past.

We now live in a world where wealth thumps conscience and the benefit of the average citizen.  Where the greed continues worldwide, and the richest 85 individuals in the world have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the world’s population (Time magazine).  Where, in this country, the gulf between the common man and the legendary 1%, which if you do the math is over 3 million individuals, control and manipulate our lives to their own benefit.  The conditions of the past and the present mingle in a disturbing never-ending situation for the people of this country.

I have just finished reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  First published in 1906, the work changed our country with the introduction of laws to protect the public from buying contaminated meat products and labor reform.  The novel is an historical work of fiction, and through the primary character’s eyes, we are allowed to see the conditions, beyond imagination, which provide food for our nation at that time.  Where children are forced to work at unbelievably young ages to support their destitute families.

As mentioned earlier, this novel resulted in laws changing our society’s conditions for the better.  Yet, to some extent, the same conditions remain in effect.  Greed has a way of refusing to die.  Industries, today, continue to provide inferior products, causing damage and death to the population.  When these inferior product are discovered massive fines are imposed.  But the profits reaped before the discovery of purposeful negligence far outweigh the fines.  Today, this is good business practice.  I have no proof of this conjecture beyond common sense.  I assume, perhaps wrongly, but I think not, that these companies providing products recalled and deemed hazardous, have a massive army of lawyers and accountants running the dollar amounts for possible fines vs profits.

I will not name the prime industries involved.  But if you have access to any form of news, and also a memory, you know the industries of which I speak.  All you need to do is read or remember the massive recalls and billion dollar lawsuits resulting from the death and injury of consumers caused by unsafe products.

This piece reveals nothing new if you follow the current situation of our society.  The only truth it does reveal is that our use and manipulation by the wealthy has not changed.

ec

Entry filed under: OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS, READER'S OPPORTUNITIES, Walt Trizna, WALT'S OBSERVATIONS, WALT'S OPINIONS. Tags: 1%, corruption, FDA, greed, meat packing industry, recalled products, recalls, The Jungle, unions, Upton Sinclair.