Call it what it is
In the practice of exorcism, it is said that the possessing demon will lose all its power when called by its true name. The same is true for oppressive economic practices that rely on public ignorance. Many of these despotic schemes are dependent on a consensual lack of understanding. If the true nature of our financial system and its inner workings were brought to light, the propagandized populace would have no choice but to abandon it altogether. Like a demon, the central planners will isolate, obfuscate, and debilitate their victims to create helplessness. The fabricated dependency on this monetary system will expire once we can all call it exactly what it is.
Financial jargon is simply a propagandic shroud that hides the true meaning of words and their connotations. The best example is the term inflation. The bankers will have you believe that inflation is somehow a natural phenomenon required to grow an economy. However, the money supply is entirely independent of economic growth and inflation is simply the relation of production to the existing currency in circulation. Call it what it truly is… Currency devaluation.
When governments run deficits and are forced to issue debt to their central bank, the consequence is currency devaluation. When banks are allowed to keep fractional reserves and create interest-bearing loans out of thin air, your currency is incrementally worth less with each loan. When your government bails out that same irresponsible banking system or injects trillions of “economic stimulus" into markets, they are destroying the value of the dollars you work for. If it were illegal, it would be called counterfeiting.
Another fun example is the term capitalism, which was made up by a smelly communist to describe the controlled economies of the modern world. People like to blame our perceived economic system (capitalism) for monopolies, extreme wealth gaps, boom & bust business cycles, and widespread poverty. Nevertheless, a true free market with limitless competition and equal opportunity do not create those inequalities. That is because Marx’s capitalism does not define free market economies, it describes the fascistic corporate system purveyed by central banks and inefficient governments.
Our system is not capitalistic, it is definitely not a free market. Competition is quelled by government-based nepotism; exchange rates terminate fair trade; wealth redistribution destroys all economic principles, and the excessive interest charged on consumer debt is downright usury. The rules of accounting and finance for banks are far different from the average joe. Inequality is written into law so call it what it is… communist oligarchy… or a socialist kleptocracy... maybe a fascist plutocracy… cyberdeutocracy? Perhaps there isn’t a word yet for the amalgamation of state, central banks, corporations, technocrats and financial elite. Just don’t call it free-market capitalism, because we are very far from that.
The doublespeak extends far beyond malicious financial practices. The medical system is wrought with nutritional fallacies and pharmaceutical conflicts that inspire more illness than health. Don’t call it healthcare, it’s sickcare. Higher education has been distorted into 4-year government sponsored summer camps thanks to subsidized loans and bulky admins. It should now be called schooling, and it shouldn’t convey the same measure of specialization as actual education derived from work experience or apprenticeship. Media that is intentionally dishonest is not news, its propaganda. Food and consumer products full of known carcinogens should be called FDA approved poison. Institutions funded by the taxpayer should work exclusively for the public, any that instigate corruption or favor corporate interests are deemed criminal organizations.
Each of these flawed systems are not stuck with this level of inadequacy. The more they are held to account, the easier it is to improve them. Find out their true meaning and actions; ignore the flavored jargon attributed to their good intentions. Their power is derived from our collective ignorance and willful neglect for accountability. Without this involuntary consent, the systems would actually be culpable to the people. Technology has granted us with instant communication, and real-time auditable ledgers. We can use this to drive transparency in our leaders and rectify our systems. Speaking truth to power first requires the truth. Call these demons exactly what they are and demand the change we deserve.
“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people”
-Thomas Jefferson *unconfirmed*