ThirstyFish

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend about the TPP. At the end of the conversation, he abruptly stopped me and said, "99% of people do not have a clue; Not 95%, 99%!"

Granted, most Americans are clueless. But it's not exactly their fault. Just to see past the bullshit that is mainstream news and to inform oneself is a full-time job. The average American works 47 hours a week. Add to that, time spent commuting to work and back, grooming, shopping, looking after the kids, there's hardly any time to actively to do anything, let alone read and think. Life's pleasures become, ice cream, frappuccino and then hitting the couch, watching the tube, semi passed out. No one has the energy to find out how fucked up the world has become.

Here's the catch 22. When deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) pass, we're going to work even more hours, earn less and have even less time to be informed. For over a century, we are being repeatedly told that technology and innovation is going to make us more productive and leave us with more time to pursue our interests. It's all a big lie. Technology hasn't given us more useful leisure time. And by shaping and defining our interests, it's actually enslaving us. We have developed a need for constant amusement, we are perpetually distracted, and more recently, we are glued to our smart-phones. We hardly have person-to-person contact with each other anymore. We couldn't care less what's going on in the world. Ice cream and frappuccino makes us happy.