In times of pandemic, the fortunes of the ten richest men in the world have increased at a breakneck pace of $900,000 per minute. The club of the 1%, that of the richest people in the world, welcomed a few new lords, including the leaders of Moderna and BioNTech. In one year, this club of billionaires has garnered an additional 3.6 trillion dollars. The equivalent of 30 times the annual budget of Quebec. A sum which represents neither more nor less, according to an Oxfam report, the total annual expenditure devoted to health for all the countries of the world.
On the other hand, in these times of pandemic, isn’t it surprising to see states so deprived? I was thinking about that on Sunday, under a big icy blue sky. The cold wind snored in the tops of the trees. The snow crunched underfoot. No matter how cold it is, we have to find some fresh air in this world that is suffocating us.
In 2017-2018, the wealth of the richest on the planet had increased by 900 billion, or at the rate of 2.5 billion per day. At the same time, that of the poorest half of the world’s population had fallen by 11%. In 2019-20, it got even worse. This acceleration continued. Everything continued to slide towards the abyss. So much so that no one seems to be really surprised by these facts anymore, as if it were about the ordinary of humanity, while this level of monopolization proves to be unprecedented. Elon Musk, one of these voracious barons, was nevertheless named personality of the year, after he had been decked out in a humanist mask, which he proudly wears in the middle of the theater where this uninhibited wealth performs in representation. This friend of mankind cherishes the dream of colonizing the planet Mars, marvels at the idea of putting automobiles into orbit, while he sells lethal flamethrower-type weapons to amuse fools. Apparently that’s enough to get elected pope, if the mood takes him.
The majority of states find themselves unable to fund decent health care for their people. The criteria, even in healthy countries like Quebec, are willingly revised downwards, for lack of money and means to finance care. Above all, there is never any question of displeasing the powerful, whose States have become the obedient minions. So much so that, for years, states have been getting poorer while the very rich are basking their rinds in the sun of their money. The luxury industry, a shining reflection of this disparity in global incomes, has never done so well. It has made a prodigious leap forward in times of pandemic. A meager part of humanity gargles with champagne while the bulk of the planet drowns in tears. More than 3.7 billion people now find themselves at the mercy of some fifty big finance barons, reported the bank Credit Suisse. Fewer than 200 families finance the essentials of American political life, which every day offers the image of a democratic shipwreck. Democracy, which is based on the principle of equality before the law, cannot survive in the midst of such economic disparities.
When I returned home in the evening, it was to find that the pipes not used during the day had frozen. Everything was in danger of bursting. At -30°C, in these surroundings, you have to be a little wary of the insulation of old houses. I have not loosened the grip of my lips to prevent too many swear words from coming out. What do we do when everything is blocked? How to act in front of frozen pipes? It must be a bit like in society, when the time comes to reform it: open a wall, make a breach, quickly destroy the illusions of the smooth finish of surfaces to attack what is hidden underneath, in the foundations of structures. Knife. Saw. Tear off the plaster. Tear up the wood. All that.
Today there are 2 billion human beings who, according to the World Bank, fall into the category of “extremely poor”. To claim repeatedly, the better to excuse it, that the capitalist organization of the world has allowed these people to enjoy at least better conditions is an aberration. It comes to gloss over that the power of the five hundred wealthiest supranational corporations now controls the lives of more individuals than any king or despot ever did in all of history. And then they would like us to believe that the miseries of humanity are due to poorly controlled immigration, to obsessions with identity, to a few good feelings…
In an era where billionaires compete each year for the top spots on the charts of the longest and most luxurious private yachts, 60% of the planet’s inhabitants survive on the equivalent of less than ten dollars a day. Since the pandemic, according to Oxfam, this is the largest increase in poverty indicators since these types of data have been recorded.
Millions of people live in appalling conditions. Yet humanity has never been so well equipped to help them, while hunger, epidemics, thirst and environmental destruction continue to destroy lives at high speed. Misery thrives in the midst of desolate opulence.
In downtown Montreal, a woman froze to death. She was homeless in the middle of winter. A few days earlier, another homeless person died in the same way. Aren’t these people dying a little every day? Aid agencies are overwhelmed with even this most visible portion of misery. Who cares, when an infinite number of new buildings are growing skyward and the relief is no longer enough? Life goes on, as in the past. Jelly.