Society & Culture

Last summer I participated in a rally against a mining company operating a mine in Guatemala. There were a fair number of us, from different indigneous/social justice activist groups, out voicing our opposition to the mine.

We were protesting right at the office building of the company.

It got me thinking, I wonder if there is a disconnect in our society that creates an impoverished politics. As we were demonstrating, numerous wealthy professionals such as lawyers and businessmen and women bristled past us wearing expensive suits, or talking on their cell phones. For them, their agenda is clearly making money and making sure their organisations make profits.

Contrast that with the protesters, who all wear casual clothes and make speeches that clearly indicate their pain and frustration at the system, whether it be the global economic system, or the city council.

There is a great divide between rich and poor, that I feel is threatening democracy. It is not just the growing disparities of wealth. It is the fact that we can't really talk to each other. Many of the rich who step over the poor, consider the homeless a bunch of lazy ingrates who won't work. Or, they consider poverty someone else's problem. The poor also lack means to genuinely voice their convictions to those in power. They can't afford to put on dazzling Power point presentations, or lobby politicians through expensive cocktail dinners. Because of this inability, those outside of power are driven often to more drastic demonstrations of protest.

Is there no way out of this dilemma? Or should we just wait until Capitalism blows over before we can achieve genuine justice and democracy?