The Rest of Us

By Phil Polizatto,WWH – I could hawk a loogie every time I hear someone like John Boehner say that to tax the rich would be an act of class warfare. I say, if its class warfare you want… bring it on! The problem is not enough people understand class consciousness. The ruling class is made rich through their multi-national corporations, the weapon of choice wielded by the people who refer to themselves as the “job creators.”

We have been under the thumb of a ruling class since the Age of Exploration, when imperialists corporations of western European countries, and centuries later the United States, “colonized” less developed countries, killing millions of “savages;” raping their land and exploiting their resources. All under the “moral authority” of The White Man’s Burden which is to say the burden of gold, silver, gems, teak, coffee, tea and other weighty treasures.

The rich knew they belonged to the ruling class. The enslaved and conquered knew they belonged to the underclass. But did everyone in between know to which class they were assigned by their “masters?” Did the longshoreman who had to unload the heavy riches off the ships think he was a notch above the enslaved? Or did it matter as long as he knew he wasn’t at the bottom of the heap? And that the promise of rising to the top was always just over the horizon?

The Industrial Revolution brought to the imperialist homelands the same ruthlessness the ruling class had always exhibited. This time it was the brutal treatment of workers; minimal pay and tortuous working conditions; the scam of company towns. Any means necessary were used to ensure the maximization of profit and all means were condoned under the “moral authority” of Corporate Capitalism.

The rich knew they belonged to the ruling class. The workers knew they belonged to the underclass. But did those in between know to which class they were assigned? Did the manager of the coal mine think he was a notch above the workers? Did the hired gun at the Haymarket Massacre think he wasn’t part of the underclass? Or did it matter as long as they both knew they weren’t at the bottom of the heap? And that the promise of rising to the top was always just over the horizon?

When life got unbearable enough, the underclass rose up and Unionism was born. They had achieved class consciousness, which must precede any kind of organizing because once you recognize you belong to the same class it becomes a lot easier to organize. And organize they did! Unionism, in its heyday, was an effective counterbalance to corporate domination. For a brief time in our history, we enjoyed the basic comforts of a middle class. Many were happy to stay there. But the ambitious wanted to believe they could enjoy a higher stature than another, which gave rise to such terms as “lower middle class” and “upper middle class,” not realizing that it was the ruling class who assigned these hierarchies of wealth so that the lie of rising to the top was still just over the horizon. They relied on the tried and true method of divide and conquer, pitting us against each other. But in fact, there were still really only two classes: the ruling class… and “the rest of us!”

Now, it seems that in the United States and elsewhere, the economic debacle whose blame I put squarely on the ruling class and their spawn, multi-national corporations, is regressing quickly into an Age of Deploration.

Deplore the sports star who makes millions because he increases the wealth of his owner. He is an oddity who gives false hope to the average young athlete who sees sports as his only option to get out of poverty. Deplore the entrepreneur who turns his private company into a pubic one, thereby making the maximization of profit the only criterion of success rather than the well-being of the employees. Deplore the respect of the planet being secondary to the accumulation of wealth which is to the detriment of all beings. Deplore the lack of social and economic policy that would allow all to partake in the basic necessities of life. Deplore the few who make it “big” and reinforce the gullible belief that fortune awaits everyone who works tenaciously. Deplore the many stupid people who vote against their own best self-interests. Deplore those who think themselves comfortably wealthy, for they may be in for a big surprise when confronted with the medical bills of a catastrophic illness, the vagaries of the stock market, or become a victim of downsizing. Deplore the misguided fantasy of the nouveau riche that the ruling class will eventually let them into their club.

Deplore the lie that we are a free people with upward economic mobility. To those who think they are “sitting pretty,” I say, be patient. It’s just a matter of time before the wave of consciousness crashes over you, slapping you awake to the realization that you are just another pawn of the ruling class and you will suffer the fates of those whom you think are a notch or two below you. A rising tide raises all ships, but the ruling class’s multi-national corporations are sucking the tide out, and soon you will be with “the rest of us.”

Deplore the shifting of history into reverse. Soon we’ll return to feudalism and fiefdoms, lords and serfs. When enough have suffered and realize we are all serfs controlled by the overlords, effective organizing can happen and the true uprising can begin. The vanguard of hippies, peaceniks, and environmentalists has already begun the fight, but only when all “the rest of us” hit the streets will we be able to shift history back into drive.

Globalization of corporations is like the tentacles of a germ cell cancer which infiltrates every part of everyone’s life. And it will eventually find its way into the incestuous ruling class. They may be the last to be affected, but they, too, will eventually suffer. First, “the rest of us” must achieve class consciousness so that we recognize one another, so that we can organize effectively. I think wealthy people themselves do not realize they are not and will not become part of the ruling class, because in a Capitalist society, success is measured in money, not in a standard of living to which all are entitled. They think their wealth separates them from the “rest of us” when in fact they are part of us… they just haven’t recognized it yet because the suffering hasn’t caught up to them… yet.

I recently heard an interview with a Tunisian woman describing the first weeks of their “Arab Spring.” She said no one really knew what was going on. There was great confusion. But when we gathered in the square, we simply had to look at one another to know we were one. People who had nothing. People who had something. We were “the rest of us” fighting in unison against the ruling class.

Europe is next, though they are much more aware of the forces at play than we are. I can’t wait to see the glint in their eyes when they recognize each other as “the rest of us” and hobble, disrupt, and sabotage the Machine. But they also have the luxury of understanding that Socialism is as important to a government’s sustainability as Democracy. On that count, they may have an easier time adjusting to a new world. But first, all will have to suffer more. They will have to hit rock bottom, say enough is enough, and become the critical mass that realizes wealth is not the measure of success, but the well-being of all; that they too are “the rest of us.”

Here in the United States, it is an entirely different matter. We are so ignorant that someone like Michele Bachmann can use the word “socialism” as if it is a crap-filled diaper thrown in the faces of good, church going Christians, and get away with it. Ironic since Jesus was a Socialist. And the good, church-going Christians believe her because they don’t realize they are really “the rest of us.”

Only when “the rest of us” can look each other in the eye and recognize we are one, can effective organizing begin. It will get worse before it gets better. It may take decades. But we will beat back our oppressors and those who dominate our lives solely to consolidate themselves more firmly as the ruling class under the guise of being “job creators.” It is a lie. They are no such thing. But according to them:

Ending slavery harms the job creators.
Paying wages harms the job creators.
Sharing the fruits of labor harms the job creators.
Contributing to society harms the job creators.
Acting fairly harms the job creators.
Equality harms the job creators.
Paying appropriate taxes harms the job creators.
Creating jobs harms the job creators.
Tax the rich! Tax the corporations! If the ruling class thinks this is class warfare, so be it. You have been served, though there will be no servility anymore from “the rest of us.”

(My thanks to Frank Metully whose conversations and photos inspired this article.)

To contact Phil or find out more: check out his website and blog For a copy of HUNGA DUNGA
Phil Polizatto – Worldwide Hippies Bureau Chief – West Coast USA, is a graduate of The School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He was a feature writer for the overseas division of UPI, a copywriter for CBS, and an award-winning corporate film producer. Mr. Polizatto is a published poet and a regular contributor to Worldwide Hippies as well as a variety of other arts and literary journals. Hunga Dunga is his first published novel. He resides in the Pacific Northwest.