Progressivism: the One-Percent’s Gambit for Profit
“Progressivism is nothing but a gambit for profit, and its victory is a victory for the rich.”
Capitalism could be viewed by some as an immoral game of profit and greed. In this view, we expect selflessness to be thrown out the window and self-interest to take centre stage. After the shock of the global financial crisis of ’07–08, just how destructive capitalism’s failures can be was revealed as millions became homeless and trillions of dollars were wiped from the international pocket.
Fingers were squarely pointed at the infamous one-percent. And rightly so. Its most greedy and selfish members orchestrated one of history’s greatest economic catastrophes purely for profit. The left-wing were the first to pounce on the issue, capitalism being blamed entirely for the catastrophe. Progressivism joined the offensive.
While a large part of the progressive’s platform concerns itself with society, vehemently opposing everything a conservative loves and advocating for everything a conservative does not love, when it comes to the topic of economics, every true progressive will happily deride capitalism for its lack of social justice, its financial exploitation, and its immense excess.
But, much to their ignorance, the same companies they gladly criticise as being examples of capitalism gone awry are the very same companies pouring billions of dollars into progressive nonprofits and campaigns across the globe. From top executives to billionaire entrepreneurs, we see a common trend of highly generous giving from these one-percenters to progressive organisations.
But this is self-defeating, is it not? Why would a multi-billion dollar company donate a hefty margin of their profits to progressive causes that advocate for higher taxes on the rich, capped CEO salaries, and far-reaching regulation on corporate practices? Why would any rich individuals, such as wealthy hedge fund managers and investment bankers, act as sponsors of left-wing causes when they merely serve to limit their own wealth? Something must give!
And something surely does.
There is a stark reality in the progressive movement that will leave its members shrieking with horror: it is controlled by capitalists. There is no mistake made when the economic intentions of the progressive left is never realised while its social program is entirely realised. Economic programs are shuffled under the rug when they matter most, but its beliefs on society are thrust into the spotlight endlessly.
Now this might not be news to you, as you may have known for a long time that these organisations are powered by big money. But have we asked why? Are they just truly altruistic progressives who care greatly for social justice causes? If not, how exactly do these fat cats profit from super-powering progressive movements?
“There is a stark reality in the progressive movement that will leave its members shrieking with horror: it is controlled by capitalists.”
Let us begin by establishing that the foremost interest of capitalism is profit. It is an accepted principle that when a private company is made, the ultimate end is to make profit. It is true a private company may well be built upon the passion of its founder, possibly a fantastic designer or a highly innovative creator, and they themselves may not value profit as highly as the joy they ascertain from their passion, but profit still remains the end goal of their enterprise.
Eventually all people must die and upon a founder’s death, the company they formed from their passion is passed onto the capitalist. Vacant of interest in the passions that formed the enterprise and its business, the capitalist defaults to his only passion — profit. Everything now holds a dollar sign and anything without one is meaningless. Quality, creativity, originality, and inventiveness are lowered or heightened, depending on how they improve the capitalist’s profit margins.
For example, the Walt Disney Company was formed by Walt Disney to serve as a vehicle for his immense passion for storytelling. But, after his death, it has since become an extreme profit churner that engages in socially progressive forays irrelevant to its core commercial practice of telling stories. It makes profit with politically charged “blockbuster” films, however dull and repetitive they are, and farms artificial hype through its immense marketing and merchandise empire. Every current director of the company has never touched story writing in their life, some not even entertainment. So their aim? Profit.
But let’s not get too carried away. Profit isn’t the root of evil nor is it an immoral pursuit. We can, however, be certain that executives of major companies desire profit and do not discriminate where profit is found. This is where progressivism comes in.
Progressivism is profitable. In the realm of big business where shareholders keep directors accountable for poor financial management, it would be pure folly to spend money altruistically. But, alas, they know that there is a greater goal at hand —the greater goal of profit.
We must make a differentiation between the public relations side of altruistic giving and the actual outcome of this ‘altruistic giving’. Of course, it is considered to be ‘good’ corporate social responsibility when a logging company donates a billion dollars to a forest conservationist charity, lauding the importance of ‘responsible logging’. We’re not talking about this.
We’re talking about an insidious and manipulative practise big business is implicitly participating in to change our culture.
“In the realm of big business where shareholders keep directors accountable for poor financial management, it would be pure folly to spend money altruistically. But, alas, they know that there is a greater goal at hand — the greater goal of profit.”
Who is the greatest consumer? Would it not be the the unchaste, the wild, the uncouth? Those without restraint who live their lives in the moment, for the moment, and are of the moment? These people do not believe in a future of consequence but believe only in a moment-to-moment seeking of gratification. They depart from their money quickly, riding the hedonic treadmill from one temporal joy to the next, never achieving true lasting happiness.
Progressivism is being used by big business to promote social attitudes and moral beliefs that build exactly this kind of consumer. Tradition has long stood as a stalwart against the impulsions of man, urging chastity, restraint, and conservative judgement when approaching new situations. Irrespective of religious belief, this holds true across the world.
In response, progressivism promotes the destruction of tradition. Violently disregarding retrospection, progressivism dismantles the very foundation humans have built their lives upon for centuries. The notion of restraint itself is despised, laughter being thrown at those who don’t indulge in their primal impulses and severe judgement imposed upon those who warn against it. Progressives seek the “liberation” of society from such “backward” lines of thought, denouncing them as shackling, illiberal, and bigoted.
The ‘liberated’ progressive, now free from all restraints and all traditional judgement, is exposed to the incessant manipulative tugging of consumerist propaganda — commonly known as advertising. We see the glorification of exuberance and the romanticisation of materialistic living, televising the lives of celebrities and the rich. We are made to envy them; adopting their language, their lifestyle, their politics, their tastes, and their interests.
“The ‘liberated’ progressive, now free from all restraints and all traditional judgement, is exposed to the incessant manipulative tugging of consumerist propaganda — commonly known as advertising.”
We are swept up into a frenzy of extreme consumerism that makes us spend more and more of our expendable income without consideration of the consequence. We are given credit cards, loans, and mortgages, all so we can live in the now and suspend our belief in the aftermath. This is all part of progressivism; this is all part of the profit plan.
Progressivism, powered by profiteering capitalists, is quickly catapulted to the forefront of every social issue to promote the destruction of conservative living. They are plastered across every medium available and given the greatest amount of air time. Celebrities that are lauded as role models by the people promote these same progressive positions to manipulate their following.
It isn’t coincidental progressivism’s coverage is so widespread. Big business connections with media are well established by money and ensure that reach for progressivism is pushed as far as possible. Progressivism begins to be fermented as the new moral code of society and in doing so its advocates begin maligning the opposition for committing social sins against the new norm.
With a new moral code, we open the floodgates of money to the patrons of progressivism. New Yorker billionaires can smile gleefully as profits from their investments roll in, whether it be a growth in sales across companies within their portfolios or if it’s with the destruction of another ‘politically incorrect’ company they shorted conveniently a few weeks before.
“With a new moral code, we open the floodgates of money to the patrons of progressivism.”
Moralism is toppled and replaced with a consumerist culture of materialism and desire. We are riled into a passionate urge of want through advertising. To mirror the people we desire to be, we need to always be on the cutting edge of fashion and trends. This is a reality today as we see people in our city centres willing to sleep outside stores for days only to get the latest iPhone or even the latest Nike shoes.
People by themselves are not to be valuable. The traditions and beliefs that honour an individual for their good deeds are quickly swept away for the good of materialistic gain. You don’t gain value through your works but instead value is gained through what you own. Prestige is bought, not earned.
“The champions of “liberation” only serve to enslave those they liberated to a new master — their impulse.”
Progressivism creates a culture that is open to exploitation by the profiteering class. The champions of “liberation” only serve to enslave those they liberated to a new master — their impulse. The root of truth lies in the profit a progressive society provides to the world’s richest. This is why they donate generously to these causes. They want you ‘liberated’ of your restraints and morality so you seek only the momentary pleasures of life, riding the hedonic treadmill of temporary pleasure, flooding one-percenter coffers with profits.
Progressives need to realise quickly that their intentions are being defeated by the upper echelon of rich that dictate the movement’s direction. They need to realise that what they believe to be fighting for is actually to the contrary of what they believe. They need to realise that to install genuine equality, to build genuine economic justice, to provide genuine support to those who need it — progressivism must be dumped. Progressivism is nothing but a gambit for profit, and its victory is a victory for the rich.
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