The Myth of Meritocracy
Capitalism sells a story: anyone can win if they try hard enough. But that story erases structure. It ignores inherited wealth, access to education, and social capital. When the system fails, it blames them. “Losers” become personal failures, not victims of design. This moral twist keeps the working class divided and silent.
Dehumanization of Poverty
Being poor is treated as a moral flaw. Society looks at the homeless, the indebted, the underpaid, and says, “They didn’t try hard enough.” That’s how cruelty becomes acceptable. The poor stop being people with names and histories. They become statistics used to prove someone else’s superiority.
The Systemic Design of Cruelty
Cruelty isn’t a bug in capitalism. It’s the mechanism that keeps it running. Wages stay low because desperation keeps people compliant. Debt keeps people working longer. Scarcity keeps competition alive. When people say “life is cruel,” they confuse the natural world with an engineered one.
Complacency of the Middle Class
The middle class defends the system that exploits it. Many believe they are temporarily embarrassed millionaires. They vote, invest, and think like the rich, hoping one day they’ll join them. This illusion protects the ruling class more than any police force or law ever could.
The Economic Food Chain
Money doesn’t trickle down. It is siphoned upward. Workers create value. Landlords, shareholders, and executives extract it. The poor feed the rich through rent, interest, and consumption. Every dollar spent by the poor ends up in someone else’s portfolio. The system doesn’t collapse because it’s perfectly designed to recycle suffering into profit.
A Needed Cultural Reset
America needs a cultural reset. A complete shift in values. Toxic values create a toxic society. Greed, cruelty, and self-interest have replaced empathy, community, and responsibility. If the United States wants real change, it must start from the top. Media, entertainment, politicians, and education must promote healthier values. Only then can the culture begin to heal from the inside out.
