Set your freedom loving bitch free!
I admire the San Diego wanderer and semi-pro Cyrus Sutton more than any other stud in the game. Where other surfers, who should really know better, live in a smug world of conspiracy theories (“The Jooz did 9-11!”), Cyrus, who is 34, isn’t afraid to voice an opinion based on studying the facts.
Let’s examine capitalism, for instance.
It’s a system that has given the west wealth, health and all the technological and educational advances that can only come in a stable, secular democratic society. In what other epoch could the poorest members of a society live in such abundance they can, literally, eat themselves to death? If we weren’t addicted to the death porn of the 24-hour news cycle, you might think you lived in an earthly paradise.
But, capitalism. Such a dirty word. Enslaves the little man while making a venal one percent obscenely rich. Right?
Wrong, says Cyrus.
“Capitalism, I’ve been hearing more and more people denouncing it lately,” writes Cyrus on his Facebook page. “As someone who’s come to embrace and succeed in it after years of alienation, I can understand both sides. On one hand I think the innovation and hustle it fosters can be positive, while the stratification and exploitation are insidious. I’m no expert but shouldn’t we be talking about the foundations of economic systems instead of their flavor?
“I mean shouldn’t we be discussing scale and values first? Is it capitalism that’s the problem or the extractive imperialist framework upon which it hangs? I’ve been fortunate to travel to many countries in which capitalism in a small population (Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Norway, Sweden, France) with government regulation and social services seems to leave most people feeling content and somewhat supported. I’ve also been to Russia and Cuba and seen some good things but mostly people feeling oppressed by the systems they are taught to increasingly rely on.
“I personally think the key is honoring the places we live by scaling down our needs and supporting our communities on a bioregional level with respect for diversity. The larger the scale and more dominant any form of rule, the more perilous it becomes for the people and the planet.”
Are you in Cyrus’ camp, capitalism, mostly good, but could do with a little tinkering around the edges? Or do you think we’d all be better served if the rich were eaten and the wealth distributed evenly?
