This is a society
that has convinced its masses
that we are not slaves.
This is false.
They have removed the physical chains,
stopped the beatings,
“ended” discrimination,
and instead they’ve given us jobs.
Jobs in which we are paid too little.
Jobs in which we work too hard.
Jobs for which we deserve better.
Jobs that only
serve the Straight White Cis-Hetero Man.
Do not be fooled,
we don’t have a choice.
We aren’t treated with kindness,
with compassion, with humanity.
No one forgives you for being human,
for making mistakes,
for having a bad day.
This is business.
Hard, cold, cruel.
The only thing of any importance
is the money.
Not the people
that do the living and dying and working
in every town.
Just that the rich
are made richer.
Their lives cushy and plush
while we work and toil.
We work until our bodies give out,
until our immune systems quit.
We skip meals to make what we have
last.
And it is never enough.
My life doesn’t matter
and neither does yours.
So long as we continue to work,
the machine runs.
We keep its gears grinding,
never halting, never stopping for anyone.
Except for Jesus Christ, of course.
We never recognize holidays
of other religions,
just the ones that serve
The Lord.
But we don’t recognize other gods,
other ways of life,
other sexualities.
We only observe
the green, greedy goblin
known as
Capitalism.
And he’s a demanding bitch.
Take a day off from work?
To rest?
In this economy?
Not if you want to pay
all of your bills.
Not if you want your boss’s respect.
Because resting is for the lazy,
the homeless,
the addicts.
You’re not one of them, are you?
Because if so, you shouldn’t have a job.
Not here, where only upstanding citizens can have jobs.
We’re all human
but we don’t treat each other
like we are.
Like we’re all equal,
We’re not.
We treat each other
like we’re all the same,
we’re not all the same.
we’ve come from different backgrounds,
different upbringings.
We have different morals,
different beliefs.
But no one ever remembers that.
The one thing that doesn’t change?
Capitalism wants us all to be
able
cis
Christian
hetero
strong
infallible
unrelenting machines.
But we are not machines.
We are human
we make mistakes
we need rest
we need breaks
and not 30 minute lunch breaks.
Real
rest.
Three-day weekends.
A week’s vacation during each quarter
because not all of us are
able
cis
Christian
hetero
strong
infallible
unrelenting machines.
This society,
this government,
this economy is dictated by
religion,
sexuality,
gender,
socioeconomic status,
race,
and probably 13 other things I haven’t mentioned.
Because this is our life,
working,
sleeping,
working,
sleeping.
We quite literally
do not have
the time
to solve these disparities
the way the rich could.
And we are but slaves to the rich.
