The American economy is turning into a narcissistic boyfriend. Yes, I know that sounds strange, but it perfectly portrays how people are dealing with the increasing hardships of American life.
Just like a narcissistic boyfriend weakening his partner and isolating her from society, the American economy has been alienating us from one another with its erratic behavior. We experience brief hopeful moments that our lives may improve, only to be snapped back to a hard reality.
We’ve also developed a win-at-all-costs mentality from this social disconnect. Cutting in front of people while driving, ignoring the elderly lady who needs help at the grocery store — small daily negative actions that pile up on us.
I see this mentality as a form of self-soothing for our inner dread. The economy is making us feel like our livelihood isn’t secure, and our helplessness is translating into social discord. Some clear signs of this are the recent attacks on the transgender community and the anti-Asian sentiments in our very own state.
To illustrate the rollercoaster of an economy America is experiencing, the price of consumer goods as of April 2023 increased by 4.9% from the same month the year prior, and 60% of Americans now live paycheck to paycheck. Add that to the unstable political landscape, nearly daily mass shootings, and climate disasters — every new headline is another anxiety.
However, it’s time we stop directing our frustration at one another and redirect it toward real change. Desmond Tutu, a South African Anglican bishop, anti-apartheid activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1984, once said, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling bodies out of the river and go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
Money-racking industries are making our lives harder and profiting from it. For example, the triad of misery — the healthcare, food, and pharmaceutical industries — keep spiking the prices of around 1,000 drugs while the number of Americans with chronic illnesses rises. Healthy people aren’t profitable; those chronically ill for decades are cash cows.
Turning our attention to corporations and banks, experts say the student loan forbearance period actually benefitted richer payers while those with lower incomes will struggle when payments resume.
But my message is about hope, and I’ve found it by doing my best to hold the responsible parties accountable. That’s corporations and ourselves.
To make the system fairer for ourselves (the workers), we must make corporations realize that a company’s heart and soul lie in its employees. It’s time for them to adopt stakeholder capitalism, which means executives care for their workers, as they understand their well-being translates into the company’s well-being.
Starting with changes like shift flexibility, better benefits, and fairer pay can go a long way for burned-out employees. These steps are easier said than done, but unionizing can fast-track them. Unions are known for improving working conditions, calling out greed on the executive level, and reducing inequalities at work.
Unfortunately, union membership has been dropping for decades. Back in 1983, the membership rate was 20.1%; in 2022, it was 10.1%. Workers must restart their efforts and unionize, for unions are a must for modern companies to stay afloat via satisfied employees.
As for ourselves, we need to start having uncomfortable conversations about race, gender, and politics that challenge our beliefs and make us more tolerant toward those who disagree with us. We must accept that people have views we don’t agree with and, more often than not, these opinions are harmless to our daily lives.
Ultimately, we can’t let the narcissistic boyfriend discourage us from spreading kindness to make our misery-driven economy seem less bleak.
I must quote Desmond Tutu once more to stress my point: “Do your little bit of good where we are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” The practice of helping others for self-soothing is highly effective and can become a happy addiction.
Right now, America desperately needs to be overwhelmed with good. Although we can’t control everything in this country, small but constant acts of good, whether unionizing or being nicer to a stranger, can help us regain hope for a better tomorrow in this misery-driven economy.
Kelly Riordan is a cardiac sonographer and CEO and founder of the WeWillDecide, a website that helps voters make informed decisions.
