Are You in Favor of Freedom? Invade a small country!
United States governments and companies are the greatest promoters of freedom in the world today. They’re unanimously in favor of “freedom,” without ever explaining clearly to the rest of the world (nor to their own citizens) just which freedom it is they’re in favor of, seemingly without ever reflecting upon the the implications of the question themselves.
That is to say:
- Freedom for whom?
- Freedom from whom?
- Freedom for what?
- Freedom from what?
- Freedom to live?
- Freedom to trade one’s freedom for security?
- Freedom to grab?
- Freedom to hoard?
- Who benefits, who suffers?
- Who manipulates?
- Who kills in the name of “freedom?”
Most ironically, when representatives of the American government say “freedom” (or in the case of President George W. Bush, “fraydum”) they are usually referring to “freedom of markets” or “free enterprise,” that is to say, predatory capitalism, which is not what normal people usually think of when they hear the word “freedom.” This is why President Bush’s discourse is so confusing to the rest of the world. He is constantly promoting “fraydum,” without ever making clear that the freedom he’s selling refers American establishment’s freedom to dictate the ground rules which permit U.S. companies to rule the world.
So the next time an American asks me if I’m in favor of “freedom,” my answer is clear: “It depends.”
Filed under: gringos, politics | Tagged: fraydum, free-enterprise fraud, freedom, freedom fraud, predatory capitalism
