Wednesday, October 19, 2011

How Money will Kill You in the Future.

Been giving myself small nightmares again today in the breaks between lessons. I read too much.

Okay anyway, the resource curse. My favourite thing. Africa. Oil, diamonds etc. For a state to have too much of something is bad because it totally fucks the social contract. Why..?

Very simply (and I'm sure you'll forgive me if I'm missing something, or over-simplifying) the populace needs the machinery of the state and its various institutions for (a) defence, and a close second, (b) a stable, and above all predictable, social enviroment within which to prosper and multiply. In turn the state relies, all other things being equal, on its populace for revenue in the form of taxes or whatever, and soldiers.

However, money buys a lot of stuff. And if African Despot X has oil ie. money in abundance - he/she no longer has to depend on his/her populace for income, and since mercenaries abound within Africa, no need for homegrown soldiers either. The market for his/her oil is outsourced also, so he/she doesn't need his/her populace even as customers. The contract is broken, and to ADX, the populace becomes at best a hindrance and at worst a threat, to be subjugated/negated/controlled by fair means or (more usually) foul.



But who cares right..? We're only talking about a bunch of spear-chucker countries in the boonies, and whatever human collateral damage occurs only effects the headlines. Nuffin' to do with us.

Well, what if, now, in the developed West, a new form of resource curse is in operation..?

3 comments:

-Imp said...

Humans being greedy animals?

say it isn't so...

Heard about the earthquake, I hope all is well...

Tab said...

Cheer Imp, everything's peachy.

K said...

It's not good that you say that you think only about crap!!!! - K