Genocide by Proxy - Weaponized Poverty

Could we be living in a period of sustained and legislated genocide? I was unexpectedly struck by such an idea a few weeks ago and have spent much time since then pondering the details of this idea. As disturbing as it might seem I will contend that the current socio-political/economic system is creating a worldwide situation which is knowingly causing widespread suffering and needless loss of human life. Although I suspect that many would claim that my use of the word "genocide" is misleading and alarmist, I will attempt to outline my reasoning below.

Systematic Slaughter

Genocide is the concentrated and deliberate murder of a group of people who share a common characteristic such as race, religion or - in this case- social class. Typically, people think of The Holocaust and other more recent genocidal events such as those which occurred in Rwanda and Bosnia, where the focus was religious or ethnic groups. But I maintain that the concept can also be applied to determining factors such as Social Class or Residential Status.

Some may argue that these factors are too broad to use the term genocide. Others will counter that there is no deliberate murder, in the sense that people are not being hunted and killed by death squads. These views, however, rely on the very blinkered perception that all wars and battles are fought with physical weapons. When in reality, physical weaponry is usually the last resort in conflict. Modern wars are waged with economics, politics and psychological operations long before the first bullets begin to fly and long after the last explosions have shook the ground.

Poverty as a Weapon

In a Capitalist world, money is life. Without money you cannot be sure to have the Essentials of Life and must rely on the charity of others. You cannot be sure of shelter, clothes on your back, warm food in your belly and in the majority of places in the world, even medical care. When people are deprived of money, they are also deprived of the vital things needed to sustain their lives, they become homeless, malnourished and eventually die due to exposure, starvation or disease.

It is easiest to see this in the developing countries of the world, where around 21,000 people die every day simply because they don't have enough money to feed themselves, or seek medical attention. However, it must be noted that these issues are creeping ever more into Western societies and those in the most dire need of support due to poverty are finding themselves without a safety net in hard times. People are now dying on the streets of supposedly civilized societies, the cull has reached our doorsteps and the continuing decline of wages and social support services only drives more of us closer to the danger zone.

Life is a Right

Since you started reading this post 30 people have perished worldwide as a result of the poverty caused by the consumer-capitalist economic system. The people who have helped to create and mold this system over the decades are fully aware of the loss of human life and the environmental damage caused by it, they just don't care. It is this fact that I would contend makes them guilty of pursuing a campaign of Genocide by Proxy.

It is time we stood together for the sake of our lives. How long would it take until you were reliant on the goodwill of others to survive? How many paychecks could you really afford to miss? Should ANYBODY have to justify their right to the Essentials of Life? How many more people need to suffer before we take action? The answer is in your hands.

Namaste,

Fanfare for The Conscious

Sources

Dictionary.com: Genocide 
Wikipedia: Genocide
Wikipedia: Political Warfare 
Wikipedia: Psychological Warfare 
Poverty.com