Days of Destruction
There
are places in the United States where, in the words of Bernie Sanders, the race to the bottom is
displayed naked for all who dare to look. In reality, not many people do
dare to look. Chris Hedges calls these places "sacrifice zones," and he
describes four of them in his book: Pine Ridges, South Dakota; Camden,
New Jersey; Welch, West Virginia; Immokalee, Florida. These places are
the carcasses that unfettered capitalism leaves behind when jobs are
shipped oversees, inhabited by the people who make up the reserve pool
labor (those who many of us, especially those in power, choose to forget
about). These are places where nearly all measures well-being match
those of third world countries, places where the scars of history -
slavery, genocide, discrimination, and manifest destiny - are still
visible. These are places inhabited by people whom the law is meant to
control and subordinate, not empower or protect. Here, the police beat
you when you step out of line, and schools discipline you if you raise
your voice. Here, corporations pillage the land with impunity, and feed
those lucky enough to have a job starvation-level wages. These are the
places that ought to make those of us with power and privilege ashamed.
Make no mistake, these sacrifice zones are not abnormalities in the
system of capitalism that dominates the country and births corporations
that line the pockets of politicians with dollar bills. The system is
not broken. It works to make a very few more wealthy than the mind can
grasp and the soul can accept, and slowly disposes of the rest.
Watch Hedges discuss his book with Bill Moyers in 2012
Watch Hedges discuss his book with Bill Moyers in 2012
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