Reading Mr. Glasser”s letter from the14th, I was reminded of a quote from the Nobel prize winning novelist, John Steinbeck, in a letter to Adlai Stevenson. The quote is as follows, “If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much, and I would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy and sick.” Although this was written in the late 50s, it seems like a prophecy come true. Mr. Glasser was accurate in his searing indictment of corporate America, but I believe that we are all guilty and culpable.
Who is it that crowds department stores, pushing, shoving, yes, and even trampling over other people at discount sales? Who lines up in the early midnight hours when a new technological toy is advertised?
The greedy corporations can only make profits when the consumers buy their products. It”s a symbiotic thing with greed from below meeting the greed at the top. Without our assistance and consumption, they could not and would not last a month. The corporations promise us ease, comfort, instant communication and the gullible and frustrated answer this call again and again in their never ending search for instant happiness.
That is the capitalistic system we live under and the one we swear to uphold, the one that makes us “miserable, greedy and sick.” Is it a necessary evil? Are we really angry enough to deny ourselves these unnecessary products?
Until we can answer these two questions, I”m afraid we are caught in a velvet trap of comfort and luxury. Until we cease to cater to these legal thieves, and their increasing new toys that only imprison us, we have no right to complain. But thanks to people like you, Mr. Glasser, and the occupiers who are questioning and demanding answers, we are at least aware of this stranglehold.
Just remember, without us, the consumers who pay their salaries and buy their products, they are useless.
Harold Riley
Clearlake
