The Game

In the 1970's, the "Big Boys" created a game. They called this game Affluence. They asked us to play their game, and we, wanting the best for our children, eagerly said, "YES!"  There was only one problem. They neglected to tell us the rules. The rules of the Game were:
1. Winner takes all.
2. Only the Big Boys get to win.

We obediently went around the board, steadily amassing the trappings of wealth: bigger homes, more cars, fancy electronics, designer clothing. Women joined the workforce with the promise of financial freedom.

We never realized the Game was rigged.

The Big Boys deregulated industry, then banking. Now unshackled, the Big Boys took manufacturing and Information Technology overseas. Women found bondage, not freedom, as increased debt load, new "must-haves" (cable, computers, internet, cell phones, etc.) and skyrocketing mortgage payments (up from 25% to over 50% of the family budget) sealed their servitude.

Then, the Big Boys got their turn to roll the dice. The stock market crashed, banks failed, and jobs disappeared. The Big Boys garnered even more by collecting late fees, penalties, and higher interest from those falling behind in the Game.

Some people chose to leave the Game by declaring bankruptcy. The Big Boys didn't like that. So they changed the rules to make it harder for anyone to fold their cards.

Some of the older folks, the ones who were around before the Game, could still think for themselves. This was a threat to the Big Boys. So the Big Boys eliminated these players from the Game by giving employers implicit permission to lay off the thinker, then change the rules of employment. "Got this job on a high school education? Too bad, now you need a masters degree to do the same job, and at less pay. You want to get back in the Game? Ante up tens of thousands of dollars and four or more years of your life so that we can turn you into a compliant sheep, and then maybe someone will take pity on you and hire you at your age."

Many folks are trying to change the rules of the Game. Organic farmers, holistic healers, local artists, and cottage industries are all attempting to offer us an alternative to the Game.  But the Big Boys are fighting back with a new rule: continue to deregulate the Big Boys; regulate, litigate, or legislate the little guys out of existence. Every congressional session the Big Boys and their high-paid lobbyists push bills that threaten to take away our choices in food, health care, and other essentials of life. They have virtually unlimited funds to keep up the fight, knowing that we will eventually tire, get distracted, or run out of money.

So what happens if we refuse to play the Game any longer? First, they'll tell us we're un-American. If we make choices that are outside of their new laws, they'll throw us in jail. If we try to speak up, they'll find a way to silence us: first, by attempting to discredit us, then by more onerous means.

In the past, the "Church" functioned to reign in unjust regimes. Well, the Big Boys have managed to chip away at even that. They've infiltrated the conservative Christian churches and are pushing their propaganda from the pulpit.

What can we do?
First: We must own that we are responsible for the Game. We were complicit in its creation. We allowed the media to aggrandize the greedy, then stood by perplexed as our youth took them on as role models. We were like dogs who, when given unlimited access to food, will eat until they throw up. We stuffed our homes with things until we had to vomit the excess into storage units. We must acknowledge that we are reaping what we, ourselves, have sown.
Second: We need a united front, one that incorporates the uncontaminated churches of all faiths as well as organizations that support social and economic justice. We need a coalition for change that is unstoppable in its resistance to the Game and the Game Masters.
Third: We must begin to define ourselves by our influence instead of our affluence, by who we are rather than what we have. Only then will we be able to extricate ourselves from the Game. 

Welcome to Rat Pants

I've been composing rants: ranting about this, that and the other. My husband suggested I create a blog. He brought up the site, and started entering information. All was good until we got to the point where I had to name my blog. He typed in "Pat Rants". I didn't like it. I said it could be a spoonerism for Rat Pants. We both actually thought Rat Pants was a cute name for the blog. And so, Rat Pants, the blog, is born