Some weeks ago, Insider wrote an article championing the positives of life in Ireland today, and while he thinks it is correct to have an optimistic outlook on life in general, perhaps sometimes we can let optimism cloud certain material realities.
Insider believes that, fundamentally, our outlook is determined by our philosophy, and our philosophy is determined by aspects of material reality we hold to be true.
Everyone on the face of the earth has some degree of philosophy that guides their social, political and economic outlook. Many people may be unaware of how their own internal philosophy defines itself in relation to a wide variety of issues. In that context, many people may be unaware that they even have a philosophy or that they adhere to certain general philosophies.
The cost of living
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Having a positive mental outlook is not exclusive to any one way of thinking, or any one philosophy, but it does not exclude a person from applying a critical analysis to the objective situation that exists in the world around us. For example, you will never find a more optimistic person than a socialist, and while socialists spend a lot of their time bemoaning the inequalities and exploitations that exist within capitalist society, rather than becoming depressed and unmotivated by the sheer scale and impact of such problems, their optimism drives them to fight to overcome these problems and to avoid falling into the false or even pessimistic idea that change is impossible.
There is no point whatsoever in denying reality in order to convince ourselves things are better than they really are, just as there is no point in dwelling on the negatives and thinking there is nothing we can do about them.
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So let us confront some basic truths, not for the purpose of focusing on the doom and gloom within the objective situation, but rather to highlight the things we need to change for the better.
Yes, we can spin things to say that the economy is doing great compared to a lot of other countries, but the problem is that for most of us, this does not translate into a betterment of our day to day lives. The cold reality is that for large sections of society, and a disproportionate amount of young people, their efforts to put their heads down and do their work is not resulting in better conditions.
The reasons for this are multifaceted - increased cost of living including, disproportionate costs associated with rents; sky high insurance costs that make driving a car next to impossible for many; rising prices for essential goods and services, such as energy and childcare; the high rate of precarious working conditions, which again hit young people
‘Rampant inequality’
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The bottom line is that wages for many workers are not enough to cover essential living expenses. The old adage of ‘a fair day's work for a fair day's pay’ just does not ring true in many cases.
The problems we face in Ireland are not unique, they are replicated in many countries across the world to various degrees, and in that context it is somewhat pointless to gage our success or failure against that of other countries experiencing the same problems. Success or failure can only be measured against people's lived experiences. It is all well and good if the economy is growing but if that doesn't translate into a growth in living conditions then tell Insider why ordinary workers should give a damn?
This old outdated idea of trickle down economics is now completely discredited. It has led, not to the rising of all boats, but instead to rampant inequality and extremely uneven distribution of society's resources.
The rich keep getting richer
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The facts speak for themselves. When the 10 richest individuals on the planet own more wealth than more than 50 per cent of the world's population, something is seriously wrong with the system. This fact gets recited a good bit, and it can seem a bit abstract, but it is not limited to the likes of Jeff Bazos and co, it is replicated throughout society at various levels, for example Ireland’s own nine billionaires saw their fortunes increase by €3.28 billion since March.
This uneven wealth distribution is a dominant factor in why workers cannot afford basic necessities, why public services are struggling to cope, and why millennials will be the first generation in centuries to have a lower living standard than their parents.
There is an interesting phenomenon happening in America currently, where workers are quitting their jobs in record numbers. The main driving factor for this is due to issues around low wages; ever increasing stress; pressure within the workplace to meet unrealistic demands set out by owners and managers; uneven work-life balance; an inability to plan life around the demands of work; and the mental health issues that arise as a result of such conditions.
The need to organise
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If this sounds familiar it is because so many of us in various industries in this State are experiencing the exact same thing. In times past, these kinds of workplace issues would be dealt with by workers expressing their grievances via trade unions. However, given that unions have been practically nonexistent in recruiting workers in the most precarious industries in recent decades, and the fact the the bureaucratic leadership of the unions are more comfortable at the negotiating table of the bosses than on the ground with workers, it comes as no real surprise that this is what is occurring.
Capitalism is a system built on inequality, it has managed to maintain itself over several centuries due to a cyclical rebalancing of this inequality at specific points. This rebalancing often expresses itself in social upheavals where workers and bosses face off against each other and a struggle ensues where eventually some form of wealth redistribution is achieved by workers. As Karl Marx mentions in the opening lines of The Communist Manifesto: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle”.
Human labour
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These words are as true today as they were in 1848 when Marx first wrote them, this is because the fundamental nature of capitalism has not changed, and if workers are going to better the conditions they must get organised. After all, it is human labour that is the source of surplus value/profit, therefore workers not only deserve a greater share of society's resources, it is they who should also decide how they are distributed.
Yes, it is a fact that the capitalist drive for profit at all costs is what is driving climate change, so of course workers and young people should fight for progressive solutions to this crisis. Thinking happy thoughts and hoping it goes away is not a solution!
Yet fear not, Insider is confident and positive about the ability of workers and young people to do what is necessary, but first they must organise.
