"Here Come the Chaos Monkeys"
The latest from Charles Hugh Smith. Mostly regarding the transition from Owning something you bought, to having to subscribe to something to retain access to it!
Ownership of things in America is Fundamental.
Its been decades in the making the move to transition from owning Copies of Software or a vehicle or a home to Subscriptions to access software kept in the cloud, leases of vehicles to get you to upgrade every couple years to more surveillance heavy vehicles that Track and trend the lessor for the corporations Advantage to the massive building out of Apartment complexs all over the DFW area along with corporations owning homes to rent them to Americans instead of those Americans buying the home and paying their own mortgages until completely paid off.
Heres the article.
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The Chaos Monkeys are so masterful at distracting and confusing us with sensory-digital overload, we're not even aware of the game until the extortion begins.
Chaos Monkeys excel at distraction and extortion. They appear suddenly, leaping about in disorienting mayhem, selecting their targets among those dizzied by sensory overload and confusion.
They may appear harmless, until they grab something of ours that is valuable or even essential, and then extort something they value in exchange for what they stole from us.
Monkey steals tourist's phone, negotiates for food in exchange
Here's how the extortion works in the larger world: you buy an accounting software program, and over the years you dutifully upgrade it from time to time, storing all your financial data in the program.
Enter the Chaos Monkeys: you can no longer buy the software, now you must rent it via a monthly subscription.
Wait--did you just grab my data, and are extorting me to pay you to get it back?
Yes.
Chaos Monkeys don't offer you higher quality goods or services; they take something away from you and extort a payment if you want it back.. This is--along with addiction--the business model of this era: take something away from you and then extort a payment to restore it.
Distracted and disoriented by the chaos around us, we cave in to the extortion. What's being taken from us comes in many forms. The durability of basic appliances has been taken from us, and the extortion payment is "extended warranties." Wait a minute--didn't this product once have a multi-year warranty? Not any more. Now you have to pay extra for a warranty.
The problem with the Chaos Monkeys Business Model is deeper than its crassness. The problem is the Chaos Monkeys Business Model erodes trust in the system, as everything is either designed to addict us or become essential enough that we can be extorted to pay more for what was once standard.
The extortion is so blatant that it reveals the true nature of our economy and society. As with purposefully addictive products and services, we're nothing more than profit centers to the addiction dealers and the Chaos Monkey extortionists.
One trust is eroded, the system starts collapsing under its immense weight of chaos, addiction and extortion. When everything is a con of one kind or another, then what's left? In terms of a functional social order, nothing.
What isn't fake, a fraud, addictive, misrepresented or designed to extort future payments from us? The Chaos Monkeys are so masterful at distracting and confusing us with sensory-digital overload, we're not even aware of the game until the extortion begins: do you want what you once had back? Then pay up.
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Original URL here.
If you’ve been Paying Attention, it was Always better to OWN whatever it is you are paying for than to RENT it.
That the new “capitalist” model is setting up monthly recurring streams of income for things people could just pay to own shows that those people who go for the subscription route don’t understand what they give up by Renting something instead of Owning it.
Vote with your money because Actual Voting is Meaningless today since the inbred people in both STATE AND FEDERAL Government are only out to have THEIR way at Every TAX PAYERS expense!
Accountability IS THE REVOLUTION!