Neoliberalism to the Detriment of the World

By Stephanie Webb. Stephanie, 36, is from Austin, United States

Privilege affords opportunities, which in turn creates opportunities for more privilege. Few are able to recognize this pattern, and those who have managed control have confused the rest of the world into alienating each other. There are countless clichés which worship one’s individual ability to overcome exponential barriers, but these clichés allow followers a sense of moral high ground. Consequently, greater distance and differences exist among those who might reject or even rebuild social definitions of success. One common saying is this: the biggest barrier to one’s success is standing in the mirror. Everyone has heard this cliché, but even the oppressed have begun to recognize such folly as gospel, discounting the position and authority from which the original statement was made. While Ford was not always a maker of sleek and attractive automobiles, he stood at the precipice of shaping society: reaching the pinnacle of success, and forgetting how far from the top one started.

Many people have countless visions because such are the fruits of imagination. In general, most ideas do not ignite large followings nor do they inspire life-changing events. Truly, most visions affect smaller decisions, i.e. buying a house, what school to attend, or what party to plan. The execution of such small ideas lies in how one is able to live one’s life. Being indecisive is to be paralyzed by infinite opportunities for things to “go wrong.” For most such ideas, all one needs is the self-confidence that each decision will allow another to go well or, conversely, that one will be able to handle if the decision goes poorly, in which case coping skills would be required. Little ideas shaped the earth and guide the ecosystem, and in that sense, all people are capable of executing countless visions and seeing the joy of fulfillment.

Henry Ford created a company that built cars. When he was developing his company, natural resources were neither scarce nor difficult to obtain. As far as industrialization went, the idea was new enough to capture the imagination of many, and people were able to be fascinated. Such is not the case today. Anyone who wants to be a writer has to contend with ever-growing competition from the perspectives of various media. If one wants to design new technology, the type of materials needed to make impressive technology supersede the capabilities of many basement engineers. True visions require amazement, and today’s world dwells in the depth of apathy, avoiding engagement for fear of rejection. Political or even social aspirations often fall short of the reality of people’s current expectations, and too many desperately cling to older ideas humanity has lost the will to cope when ideas have demonstrated failure.

In the US, there is an obsession with neoliberalism. Within this theory, everyone who works hard enough will have an opportunity to advance. All one needs is the will, and the universe will make a way. To believe this, the nation ignores reality to make such a statement and punishes those who struggle to survive. So many systems coordinate with each other to ensure that the limited number of people who attain their aspirations remains limited. No amount of positivity can overcome the dysfunction allowing that many “leaders” to be graced with society’s complacence with their ascendance. People can work themselves into the ground for others who willfully ignore inherent worth. Still, many true believers continue to espouse neoliberalism simply because many have refused to knowledge any other method of existence, regardless of circumstances, resources, or public persuasion. Instead of countless methods of expression, multitudes continue to scrape and claw for the chances to bow at the feet of those with the right to change their destinies, forgoing personal truths and accepting the fates handed down by the dismissal of others.Countries will never build thriving societies while refusing to accept problems. The understanding of triumph is so narrow and specific that countless cannot allow any other perspective of success to pervade the collective agreement. Constantly defensive, the world congratulates itself on such behavior as to discard those who are considered true outcasts. In fact, those who might erode people’s abilities to conform to the paths of naked ambition are isolated. When such people with realized dreams engage with crowds, folks hungrily seek their knowledge.

The true problem with the perception of success is how those without success are treated. Assumptions lie all over the spectrum from “you weren’t motivated enough” to “if you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.” Thus, unethical behavior is rampant among those who seek to fulfill their visions, desperate to appease society’s need to be impressed. If one is not able to gather enough credibility to complete a vision, one is placed among those who are discarded, i.e. the socioeconomically stagnant, the mentally ill, and those otherwise deemed unworthy.

Truly, humanity is composed of countless unrealized visions, and it is vital to respect that reality because it unifies those who feel hopeless when their dreams remain dreams. Few are able to take gathered resources and transform society, but the majority are fighting to make everyday living a chance to grow and express themselves in a way that more will understand. There is no shame in the failure to follow through on one’s desires because vacuums are irrational and nonexistent: there is always something in the way of the ordinary people walking around the planet, a tautology which could bring the common folks together if neoliberalism could be eschewed as the fantasy that it is. Life will never find a way for everyone to fulfill his or her potential to the fullest extent, but the global community can respect the incompleteness of themselves and strangers, and learn to pool ambition without rejecting those who have never been able to rise above their circumstances.

The poor have been wasting their efforts in imitating the wealthy, casting aside those who might be unable to fulfill their dreams. Instead, the multitudes should be gathering their resources to dismiss the patterns of the “achievers” as the lies that they are: methods for ensuring greater social control. The more “elite” one strives to be, the easier it is to denounce those who cannot aid him or her along the way, limiting the chances to gain experience and shore up resources for more than one person.

Narcissism for material understanding or increased external validation leads to the very type of behavior that demands protests. Such flagrant disregard for humanity brings out the worst and rips already fragile moral fabrics. Society cannot all strive and achieve perfection any more than it can keep building resentment among those who are chastened for defeat. Life is complicated, and it is always easy for a wealthy person with very little disadvantage to claim that “vision without execution is hallucination.”

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