Imagine walking down the street with your partner, pointing out other people and telling your they are better looking, richer, nicer, and likely a better lover than yourself. And then to prove the comparison correct, you point to all of your own flaws and speak to your partner in a terrible way.
Do you think this is a good strategy to keep your partner?
It is akin to sending your customer to the competition, because they have a superior product than you are selling. And once they have been introduced to an alternative that is better, cheaper, or makes them feel great, the chance of them coming back is slim to none.
Our actions can create attention, and the more attention we have put on us, the more under the microscope we become. And when under the microscope, the chances of seeing the imperfections, the failures, and the red flags increases. And then, so does the likelihood of looking for better alternatives, or not as bad alternatives. And when the actions of what is under the microscope raise and highlight more and more points as to why an alternative is needed, the chances of staying in the relationship reduces.
I was writing the other day how we have relationships with everything we have (and don't have) in our lives, whether it be a person, a dog, money, or the walls of our house. Some of these relationships are more important than others, but all have some affect on us as individuals, and how we see the world. And I see it, the relationship that the rest of the world has with the US is abusive, on the US side. Of course, that is not how it is positioned from the US side, as it is like a wife-beating husband who says he does it out of love.
What I think we have forgotten is that there are alternatives to the current situation now and looking outside of what we have been doing so far, would provide a lot of healthier alternatives to staying in the economic relationship with the US. And, while it would be far better for the rest of the world to break away and start building its own capabilities instead of chasing US debt dollars, it likely would be better for the majority of Americans too, because it will create alternatives to what is a very imbalanced economy that leaves most people lacking, with a small minority with massive excess.
This isn't about being anti-American either. It is about creating a healthier economy that is more rewarding for all participants, rather than a global system built to over-reward those who actually do harm to the majority of participants. It doesn't just happen in the US by any measure, but the stranglehold the US has on the world economy exacerbates the issue and normalises the problems, making them seem acceptable.
But the current conditions are only acceptable when there are no viable alternatives. However, the more that the flaws are highlighted and the more often and serious the relationship abuse becomes, the more attractive alternatives become and the more options are created. This current situation is a chance for power to be more decentralised away from the control of US forces, and those who benefit from them.
Will this happen?
Probably not, because it is much like that beaten housewife who stays with their partner until one day they go too far, and kill them. All up until that point, fear keeps them in the status quo. The fear for the rest of the world isn't the US military, it is being cut off from the US economy. An economy driven by ever-increasing debt and overconsumption to the extreme. It is more convenient to sell to the US then to build alternate economies across the world, but it also means being under the yoke of the US. Pushed enough though, perhaps countries will start not only resisting, but changing their policy to one where they look to replace especially the services that are currently sourced from the US, and incentivise using the alternatives by taxing the US services appropriately where they earn the income. Do this, and suddenly those over-valued tech stocks, lose a huge amount of their earning potential and investors also look elsewhere to alternatives.
As said, it might be unlikely, but if we don't start building and supporting alternatives, we are going to be stuck in this abusive relationship until it chokes us out completely. Since I am not a billionaire, nor a most people on earth, we should be actively looking to fork away from this clusterfuck of an economy and try alternatives that are more likely to provide better outcomes for all of us.
One of my friends was in an abusive relationship for over a decade and when I asked her why she stayed, she answered that she really thought the person loved her. She knew it was wrong, but she felt that it was normal, and that for some reason she deserved the situation, and no better.
But under the microscope, it doesn't hold up.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
And you may be rewarded.
