Create More Poor Then Crush ‘Em
Anyone familiar with the book of Proverbs knows that it has a
lot to say about the everyday issues of life, including things
said about the poor. In Prov. 14:31 we find that anyone who
oppresses the poor shows contempt for God their Maker.
Certainly, only someone truly cold hearted would systematically
oppress them.
The problem with the poor being oppressed has been with us since
the beginning of time. The only difference now is that those who
are on the leading edge of this oppression can recruit the help
of unsuspecting participants who do not realize they are helping
in an evil scheme. They may even refuse to believe it if they
are told because no decent person would want to do that.
Suppose this were actually happening. What if millions of people
were unintentionally participating in something that could
undermine our economic system? What if it was taking advantage
of poor people while driving even more people to poverty in its
wake? Chances are, anyone who tried to sound an alarm would be
considered a paranoid extremist.
Allow me to illustrate the world's wisdom, the exact opposite of
God's wisdom, with something I learned in a marketing class. I
strongly disagree with this, but it is what I was taught. In
marketing, you seek to identify trends. That's good, I agree
with that. You don't cast moral judgement on trends, don't try
to sort out right from wrong, just sell, sell, sell. It may not
have been put in those exact terms, but that was the gist of it.
I choose God's wisdom and disagree, but folly is a driving force
in modern marketing.
For this reason, we have an abundance of predatory lenders. They
set people up to fail and specifically target the poor. But
that's supposedly OK, because the people they are taking
advantage of want instant gratification and easy money. They are
filling a need in the market by giving people what they want
without regard for whether they can really afford it or not.
If I told you right now that I am a marketing guy, that might
surprise you with what I just said about the industry. Marketing
is not the problem. Marketing without morality is the problem.
Corporate greed and scandals have had significant news coverage
in recent years, but the world system is too blind to actually
learn anything from it.
One thing all con artists have in common is they have learned to
play up on natural human desires and use them to their
advantage. Unfortunately, marketing has sometimes become more of
a con game which is bad for the industry, but also bad for the
market itself.
Our generation has witnessed the rise of mega retailers. Some
are good, some bad, and at least one started out as a discount
store with a noble purpose. Somewhere along the way, many became
power hungry. Their clout and tactics propelled them to the top
of what has become a dung heap. This is not an attack on size or
success. There is nothing wrong with being big and
successful.
The problem is some have taken a leadership role to oppress the
poor and systematically destroy many other businesses. It goes
beyond a healthy competitive spirit, they conduct themselves as
a playground bully, and they have led others to believe this is
the way to succeed. This compounds the problem as they lead by a
bad example.
Should this surprise people with spiritual insight? Absolutely
not! The sad thing is that good people are being taken in
because the marketing plays up on natural human desires. Even
those who can see what's going on sometimes participate as if
their little contribution won't make much difference. If
hundreds of thousands of people have that attitude, it makes a
huge difference.
This marketing trend has spawned both critics and defenders. I
have kept an open mind for the defense, but as I review the
case, defenders appear isolated from the working class as they
sit well fed and well paid, making their defense for Goliath
while they have no idea how the victims feel.
Some of the defenders are very educated, but education does not
provide intelligence, nor can it provide morals. I'm not against
an education, I have one, but common sense can go even further.
Understanding the Bible is the best way to discern everything in
life.
With plain common sense, here's what I see happening.
Major Goliath retailer keeps expanding into more communities.
Consumers with their insatiable appetite for low prices shop for
the best deal regardless of how it is provided. Major Goliath
retailer employs mostly part time help. Benefits eat up so much
of the pathetic pay being offered that very few workers can
afford it, but at least Goliath can say they offer benefits.
Goliath claims that their average pay is not so bad, ignoring
the fact that the numbers are easily skewed with creative math.
The number of workers employed by Goliath who are drawing public
assistance due to the pathetic wages is seldom discussed.
Defenders would say that these people might be totally dependent
on public assistance if Goliath did not come to the rescue and
hire them. Every time Goliath hires, many people line up to get
the work. How can that be bad?
Critics would point out that this is because Goliath either
drove their former employers out of business or forced them to
let workers go. Now, low paid work is better than no pay at all.
Former employers could not compete with Goliath because they did
not have the buying power, nor could they compete while trying
to provide better pay and benefits for their workers.
Oh, but maybe that's just retail. It's low end work anyway,
right? If Goliath puts smaller retailers out of business, it's
just a sign of the times and we should embrace it because it's
good for the consumer. Maybe it's too bad for that small family
chain of 10 stores that grandpa worked hard to build into the
community over three generations, but that's just business. It
is considered acceptable collateral damage for progress.
Unfortunately, Goliath doesn't stop there. Drunk with power,
Goliath begins leaning more and more heavily on his suppliers,
forcing them to make cuts to provide products cheaper and
cheaper. The cheaper Goliath can get it, the higher his profits
soar. Goliath gets more powerful as his suppliers, and the
workers for those suppliers, pay the price. Eventually, domestic
suppliers can no longer satisfy Goliath's appetite, so he buys
from overseas slave labor markets.
Now Goliath has accomplished more than just cleaning up the
retail competition. He has caused job losses in many industries
that supply consumer products. Even where jobs have not been
lost, the quality of pay and benefits has suffered and continues
to go downhill. Instead of Goliath paying decent wages and
benefits, the taxpayer gets to pick up the ever increasing
burden. But at least we are paying less at the store so the
defenders can pretend this is good for the consumer.
Is Goliath solely responsible for this trend? No he is not. But
with the leadership role he has taken, his responsibility is
more than a little significant. The consumer is equally
responsible, but that is a hard pill to swallow because no one
likes to admit responsibility. In defense of the consumer, they
were easily mislead by Goliath's greed and lack of
restraint.
So there you have it folks. Through the example that has been
set, you now know how to oppress the working class and create
more poor using a proven business model. As an added bonus, you
can even get the consumers to play along.
There is a positive side to all this. I firmly believe this
story can still have a happy ending. Small business startups are
on the rise and more organizations are forming to give them a
voice. The Internet is changing the face of business and making
it possible for anyone to succeed. Goliath has weaknesses, and
creative people are finding the cracks in his armor.
If you adapt to the market changes and don't try to compete with
Goliath, you can and will prosper without violating any of God's
laws. In fact, God is your best advocate. Never underestimate
what you can do with a few stones and a slingshot.