[Nettime-bold] capitalist weather report may 1st 2000

[Terrence J Kosick <kosick@sprint.ca>]

One artist's thoughts about capitalism and geopolitics on May 1st 2000.

Independence or teams for survival?

I like leading my life as a artist. If I make money as an artist great
if not so what? I'm sill having the life
I chose and I contribute to culture. To make a go I manage a little
bussiness and occsionally take on skilled workers for larger jobs. I
think about them and keep in touch as they go from job to job,
contractor to contractor big or small. Workers wondering about the rich
west taking what they can to survive. I wonder at thier ability to make
a go of it. Having a small bussiness gives me distance and in a way it
is a part of what it is my artistic life is about.  I wonder if others
see outside of their own interests and manner of surviving like I do? I
wonder if others who are working for a big company feel they are being
exploited and can get out or move around as easily or are they stuck?
Perhaps many can make the choice to have their own business. Be it a
hot-dog stand a power wash service. I think about what people have to do
now, as a worker to survive and in turn make thier community survive and
keep it running. Thinking how it all fits together makes me feel how all
workers and even small companies are very vital. They work as a team
both for the businesses and the communities. Realistically they should
be treated as a teams in a league and like valuable players and not like
treated slaves and traded for anothers' profits. What is more important
is that they not be over taxed on their living wage and the profits of
large companies should be somehow returned to the community whose
labours made those profits possible. It is time the working people of
the world acted like a team.

Big for whome?

Thinking of the independent person and thier paradigm for their self and
their community. If you have connections  i.e. other people's money and
you can establish a larger business or your little business grows to the
point where your chances for greater returns/ profits are realized  you
have to ask yourself "do the lives of those working for you improve and
does the community get something from your activities"?

Where's the Beef?

My beef is that some very profitable business hire many part time to
avoid benfits and pay less taxes. Also those business who buy out other
business to close them down or restructure to maximise their's and their
stockholders profits. (especially stockholders not living or partaking
in that community or whose taxed income does little to benifite that
community). I think of the people who end up on ui or welfare and let
the insurance other worker's are paying keep them there. All that while
factories are set up in another country producing goods or parts. The
cost of living goes up but the wages stay low and the benifits vaporize.

Some Evidence

I can't count the large homes and mansions in my town owned by mostly
offshore business owners who have factories in China and SE Asia where
workers get little pay for products sold all over the 1st world. They
are lavish. Some insanely lavish.  It is only a few places but it is
enough evidence for me to easily wonder if there is a geopolitical
problem with capitalism. Could the reason these particular people, who
extract labour and chose to inhabit their market place rather then where
the goods are made have something to do with the fear that their wealth
could be nationalized? Become the property of The People? Or is the
pollution less here? Or the education for their children better? It
makes me wonder about many other peoples' welfare who put them in such a
favorable position.

Are better wages and improved condtions enough?

I wonder sometimes if some of the profits actually help the communities
whose labours that they pay the going rate to. Is it expected that their
wages like ours be taxed for community centers and better more advanced
schools? I feel a large portion of the wealth or profits of factories is
precisely the property of those people. Viewed simply, the factories and
bussiness thier owners are fortunate conduits for human biological and
capital organization. Since they are users of raw materials and
expenditure of energes the profits should also go to the people whose
independence is sacrificed to the company or factory of that community.

Isn't it Ironic?

Is'nt it ironic that the unemployed, the homeless and the kids living on
the street in the marketplace are so far away from the producing
community? Perhaps these are people who could also be employed making
all the crap everyone else, who can afford it here, are buying while the
peole producing it are working for less than benifits? In some ways it
seems there is a venal geopolitical situation going on, not just greed,
and exploitation, that is, quite simply, a danger to human existence. It
is a system that means everyone and everything connected harm.

Survival for all.

I'm all for small bussinesses and profitsharing and providing for
healthy lifestyles and community responsibility. Giving back to those
who sacrifice their independence to make your large business run. It's
like a biological responsibilty and a measure of good will to your
people and survival for all. Being good and responsible to your
neighbours and sister communities whereever they are. Lending a hand and
being hand in hand. It is about time we assessed all big business and
unfair taxation welfare and cheap labour befor it kills us all by
sucking the life out of the planet.


terrence kosick
artnatural






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