Dear Boss Man:
Stickem Up!
By Chuck Richardson
06 September, 2005
Countercurrents.org
Dear Boss Man:
This is a stick
up. Its time you recognize my innate dignity. Why should you have
any privileges when you constantly trample on my rights?
Hurricane Katrina
was the last straw. It all started with your god, Ronald Reagan, and
his religion of trickle down economics. Now its all going to end
with a new systemblow up finances.
I know, I know
you
say violence is wrong, that I should turn the other cheek. But I only
have two of them (four if you count my overworked ass). Ive been
bitch slapped and spanked for so long I hardly notice it anymore. Ive
labored my whole life, but you wont even let me see a doctor,
get healthy food, or have a subsistence retirement plan. Ive sent
my sons and daughters to maim and kill other poor folks all over the
world, seen my kin and offspring blown to pieces for your enrichment,
watched my parents and grandparents moved from one nursing home to another
as they closed down to save you money, been arrested and put on trial
for getting what I needed, and ridiculed and laughed at for my bad manners.
But enough is enough.
I care as much about you as you care about me. I wasnt socialized
to hide my ruthlessness as effectively as you have. Ive been brainwashed
to believe if I worked hard, played by the rules, took my vitamins,
went to church and was nice to you Id be materially rewarded.
Id been convinced I could pull myself up by my bootstraps, but
when I tried to do that this morning I realized theyd been washed
away in the flood, the waters you so swiftly ran away from. I may be
the one whos all wet now, but Im ready to make a big splash.
Im gunning for what you've stolen from me with all I have.
Whats that?
You say thats not much? Well then, let me tell you what Ive
got. I have you in my crosshairs. Im your bodyguard, your cook,
your barber. Im the guy who cleans your pool, the woman who washes
your clothes and takes care of your kids, the doorman who lets
you in your high rise tower while keeping out your undesirables. Im
the guy from across town that mows your lawn, the masses that allow
you to feel superior, gifted and worthy. Im the guy who fixes
your car and drives you around, who calls you sir and treats you with
respect. In short, Im the one who knows where you sleep, what
you eat, when you go to work and come home, whom it is you love and
hang out with, and what youre doing to the planet. In other words,
Ive got you more than you got me. I go places and do things youre
afraid of. Your money has made you a counterfeit man. Youre nothing
without me, but without you, Im free.
You cant buy
me off any longer. Your horded wealth cant protect you. Your Lexus
and mansion expose you for what you are: A nasty brute with a me first
attitude. Your groupthink puts private wealth above social obligation
and has destroyed any concept of community and shared interests and
values. When disaster strikes, were screwed first, but youre
next. If you cant share your wealth, well spread our poverty.
Its now obvious
that success, or at least your brand of it, is immoral and unethical.
Youve replaced fairness with greed for too long, now youre
going to pay for it. When you got nothing, youve got nothing to
lose, and now youre going to discover how that feels. Your paying
lip service to equal rights (your belief that we all get what we deserve)
is about to bite you in the ass. Its now your turn to expose your
other cheeksbend over and take it like a man. Lets see how
exceptional you really are. You fought a revolution and forged what
you call a great nation because you didnt like paying taxes to
a distant king. We fought a civil war to end slavery without pay, you
financed it to further line your pockets, realizing if you gave a lot
of people a little bit for services rendered, then we could buy from
you what we made.
We now realize that
the system you created to protect and enhance your wealth does not serve
us well, that no matter what we do youll never let us join your
club. You despise the nouveau riche almost as much as you despise us.
Their hypocrisy hasnt been refined enough for you yet.
Well, I tell you
what: Those days are over. Your wage slaves are about to get in your
face. Were going to take what youve been hording and give
it to those who need and deserve it. May your goddess, Ayn Rand, spin
in her grave, as the real Atlas is about to shrug. You can run, but
you cant hide. The gates of your communities are about to burst
like the levies.
May your god help
you, we wont. We don't want to be a Hilton as that causes too
much suffering. This isnt the beginning of some revolution. It's
a crusade.
Honestly,
Chuck Richardson,
American Dissident
The author lives
in Western New York, where the business community has overtly taken
over the government and plans to close public hospitals, community health
centers, and privatize public education and services, among other things,
to save itself money while increasing poor folks production and
forcing them to exist more efficiently. He can be reached at [email protected].