What Can YOU Do?

This will be very brief. Let me be clear -- we do not live in a democracy. The power should be in the hands of the people. It should be crystal-clear by now that the power lies in the hands of the wealthy elites, who intermarry to keep that power within their own families. Even supposed self-made men like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs come from families of wealthy businessmen, merchants, politicians, and estatesmen.

So what can be done about it? Well, there's always trying to start revolutions, bombing campaigns, assassinations. After all, no matter how much money you have, you're still human. Walking around made of flesh and blood, you still need to eat, you still need to cross the street. A bullet or poison would do the trick, surely. Ted Kaczynski tried it, and it proved that no matter how hard you believe, violence turns the public against your cause. Look at Martin Luther King Jr.. Do you think he would have been successful if he tried using violence? Do you think all his followers would be willing to lay down their lives, or would most scatter? Simply put, violence doesn't enact change. It just shifts around the power dynamics without actual effect. Just look at the French or Russian revolutions. The power structures don't change, only the men inhabiting them.

There are two forms of conquest: martial and economic. Of course, you can try to overthrow a country and try to enforce your rule. But why do that when you can simply own that country? You can indebt the government to you, threaten to collect, sign outrageous leases and legally ratified documents. You can rule them, while tricking them into believing they're free. Not all military conquests are sustainable. Look at Austro-Hungary's occupation of Northern Italy. Look at the overextension of the Roman Empire. But economic conquest? Extremely sustainable. Just look at how well Russia works Kazakhstan, how well China works Russia and much of Africa and South Asia. Look at how well America works Canada or Puerto-Rico. This is also why things like economic sanctions don't work. Tighter integration and more investment leads to more control over that country's internal affairs.

Obviously, we are not countries. But something similar can be done with us. Let's say a corporation's CEO gets shot, a warehouse gets burned down, whatever. They elect a new CEO, they build a new warehouse, they collect insurance. They can only sustain this until their funds dry up. But let's say a boycott is enacted, such as the one on Target. The corporation quickly backpedals, because funds are affected. A company does not have blood, it has capital. Remove the capital, and the company will collapse. A company can only be sustained by investors for so long before the investors see the writing on the wall and pull out. Then? That company gets shorted and becomes the sacrifical lamb for Wall Street, allowing institutions to rake in profits. But what happens when all of their lambs die?

What am I proposing? It is simple. Don't buy from publicly traded companies, or companies of which the board of directors are wealthy individuals. For example, Fidelity is private but still interlinked with other Wall Street firms. But chains like Aldi? Ferrero? Mars? Beretta? Private, family operated. You're still enriching a rich family, yes, but it's more contained in scope.

How do you avoid enriching the rich? Buy local. Local artisans, local brands, local chains, local grocers, local farmers. Local, local, local. You are no longer supporting global corporate chains when you shop local, you are supporting the guy next door. You are supporting local communities that reinvest in other local communities. Why do to McDonald's to spend $10 for a burger, when you can go to a local burger joint and spend $12, and keep that money in the community? Audit brands, and remember which ones are safe.

Of course, there will always be exceptions, things you cannot buy from local brands. Look for other small dealers, maybe online, ones that aren't corporate shells. Assess if you really need the item you want. If you do need it and there's no alternative, go ahead and buy from a chain. Do not do this lightly, but do not feel guilt. If the system you are placed in has truly given you no opportunity, do not hesitate. But do not do this carelessly, or this entire piece has been for naught. Try to buy something made in America, to at least support domestic production rather than overseas exploitation and slave-labor. If you need a speciality item you cannot find otherwise, buy it from a corporate store, but keep your purchase quick and deliberate, do not wander or browse. Remember that the corporation is not your friend, no matter how many people they pay to tell you that. They would kill you if it meant saving a dime. It's just usually more profitable to keep us alive.

Thank you for listening to this piece. Hopefully it's been worth your time and opened your eyes to some odd happenings. Even if you do not believe any of the three angles that I have presented, the reasoning behind them is not something that is able to be doubted, it is not something up for consideration.

Finally, a large thanks to WelcomeToTheMachine, FleshSimulator, WhyFiles, CompanyMan, and Wendigoon for much of the inspiration and research for this piece, all are highly recommended to look into. This work is mostly a synthesis of their work, but some work has been done in both research and connecting links on the chain by myself. Just do not take this all as my own individual research and uncoverings. I could not do this myself.

Suggestions for some non-institutional businesses to shop at. Obviously, any non-chain, family owned business is good. Here are some examples of other more major businesses that are also family-owned and private. Also, buying secondhand from local thrift stores allows you to still get goods that are new to you, often antiques or old ones that can't be found in stores anymore, at a low price, and without supporting corporations.

Grocery

• Aldi
• Most Latin or Ethnic food stores and markets

Home Improvement

• Menard's

Guns

• Springfield Armory
• Beretta
• Mossberg

Gasoline

• Kwik Trip
• Wawa
• Buc-ee's