Who’s the Enemy?

That’s the question. Is it your bosses? Their bosses above them? How big is your industry? How many people are we talking about?

Because odds are you work for nobody’s who are subservient to nobody’s under more nobody’s who in the end are all as trapped in the system as you are.

This is what you have to understand. You are all pieces in the intricate machine of capitalism that can be replaced on so many levels from top to bottom to meet the expectations of shareholders.

And if you have any sort of retirement savings, well, guess what, in one way or another, odds are, you are one of those shareholders.

See, the system wants targets. It feeds on them like a leech drains its victim of its blood.

CEO’s, Directors, Boards, all of them only have the job as long as they can do what they are asked to do, increase shareholder value.

Fail at that, you are out.

And the managers below those CEO’s, same thing.

Below that, and below that, maybe several layers upon layers down there is you. And you are just another replaceable being if not meeting expectations.

So I ask you again, who’s the enemy?

Attack the company, your boss, their boss, the boss above them. Attack the CEO, the board, whoever you want in the entire chain of economic interdependence but it makes a sweet fuck of difference if they just change whoever is in the chair.

The economy, the capitalist growth driven economy, will happily chew every single board member, executive and employee up and spit them out to meet their growth targets.

Housing, health care, education, the cost of living. All being driven up in the pursuit of profits with very little restrictions while you fight against your employer to raise your wages to try and keep up with rising costs so that you can tread water while the greater economy makes everyone’s life worse without taking a single breath.

So, I congratulate you on wanting to join the class struggle, it just would be nice if you actually opened you eyes and saw what was truly going on and fought the fight that needs to be fought for everyone.

If you want to walk onto the battlefield with your eyes closed I can’t stop you, but defeating the enemy you are thinking of won’t stop that landmine from blowing your financial leg off.

Leilani Cowern - Speech at Social Equality Symposium