[ The 18th Project ]

(2 minutes read)

The tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in 2004 left over 200,000 people dead. The destruction was unprecedented in recent history, and the shock was on a level the human mind cannot comprehend. While the world scrambled in despair to try and help the devastated nations of Sumatra and Indonesia, capitalist fundamentalists (Of the Milton Friedman/Chicago School of Economics) sought to seize “the opportunity” to implement an extremist capitalistic free market economy. The tsunami has created a shock that broke down that region of the world into pieces. The way to rebuild it, according to free market thinkers, was to implement an extreme free market economy. And they did. Privatization soon became synonymous with solutions to worldwide chaos. But capitalism turned out, in fact, to be their catalyst. (Refer to “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Kline for more information on Shock Theory in Economics)

It is a classical business view to find opportunity in disasters. In the most simplistic (and pessimistic) way, it could be done through setting up fake charities that would collect money solely for profit. Free profits, as a businessperson would call it.

In more traditional cases, one would create a problem and be paid for its solution.

Fredrick Douglas, a famous slave essayist, mentions in one of his essays how white people would encourage slaves to run away from their masters. Later on, they would recapture them and return them for the reward.

If we review the facts in history, we would find that many of the heroes we perceive are indeed the villains.

On a side note (an essential one), I encourage you to help in the relief effort for Haiti. My favorite foundation is the stillerstrong Charity for the children of Haiti. (Don’t be put off by the comedic picture there, its Ben Stiller’s after all)

http://www.stillerstrong.org/