Hubby says the protests are only about the American economy. He says I shouldn’t fret so hard about the economy or the protestors or the whole movement.
I know I worry about things too much. I overthink and over stress. And I see patterns in time.
I see rich people gaining power through their wealth and making laws that solely benefit themselves. I see isolated wealthy in ivory towers not understanding why the “peasant class” are so upset. I see revolution tearing the old system down and starting anew… And allowing a different set of wealthy start the whole cycle again.
I also see Australia, my home, being used again and again as a dumping ground for other nations’ “waste”.
The British dumped convicts here. And any surplus Irish from the Potato Famine (amongst many other problems). The World Wars allowed Europe to dump boatloads of refugees here. America quasi-routinely attempts to dump their dangerous products/expired medicine on us because it hasn’t been banned here yet.
I also know that where the greatest world power leads, Australia tends to follow like a puppy. We, as a nation, have been trailing after America since about WWII, following as many of its own policies as the Australian public would let us get away with in a kind of sycophantic need to be just like the big boys.
I worry because I know some of the major corporations are trying to get a toe-hold over here. There’s already been some upset because we can’t be bought on the issue of fracking to get gas from the ground. Our water is too deep, too precious, and too vital to waste for corporate gain.
Turn a mountain into a hole for coal? Go for it, but keep your fracking hands off our fracking ground water.
I worry because I know that those corporations will try to take advantage of the lag between American action and Australian action in order to dig their avaricious claws into our country, our government, and our way of life.
They’ll either be dumped or foisted off on us. And Australia is almost stupid enough to go for it. Almost.
But we have been standing up a bit more often, for which I am proud. And grateful. We can say ‘no’ to the money-grubbing evil of big corporations.
I’m just worried about whether or not we will.