Maude Barlow: 'The World Has Divided into Rich and Poor as at No Time in History'

We should all weep for the future of all things..the video on the site makes the text even more powerful.

Oh good lord. The only difference today is that for thousands of years 99.9999% of all humans were as poor as the poorest in Africa. Today billions of people live a lifestyle and have access to things that were undreamed of by most humans for the vast majority of our history.

Give this lie a rest.

Agreed Space guy. Other than the misrepresentation of some facts this article does says practically nothing. Most of the potential problems mentioned could be fixed by reducing the world's population.

Sorry MBach30, but the article is full of lies. Even the title is false. Please point me to a time in history that HASN'T been divided by the rich and the poor. Do you think during the Dark Ages when kings and the nobility owned ALL land, crops, livestock, ie. EVERYTHING was a time of equal distribution of wealth? The serfs, or 'poor' were little more than slaves that worked the fields, mines, and quarries and were taxed nearly 100% of anything that they made that could be considered 'income'.

At any point in distant history, the 'poor' were actually POOR. The 'poor' in todays modern western world have to contend with only having one tv in their house, or having to still use dialup to access the internet. Hardly a comparison the poor of the past.

Just because millions have suffered throughout the milleniums, does that make it right now?

You don't get it do you. In most countries the poorest of the poor live like kings compared to the vast stretch of humanity over time.

I prefer the ancient hunter-gatherer community. A nice, non-hierarchical, self-sufficient small community. But, I realize that's fantasy land.

There in lies part of what you are missing. The words, "I prefer". Not everyone wants what you want. If you gathered up enough people who all shared your particular viewpoint, then there would be no reason you couldn't develop such a community somewhere all on your own. You will find, however, that most people don't want to return to such a state of existence.

The problem with governments is not all people agree on how to live, and spend the preponderance of their time trying to force everyone else that doesn't agree with them to live the way they want them to live. If you had your little hunter-gatherer community would you still care if somewhere in the world there was someone making a whole lot of money? If not, then go find those that would agree with your idea and go make that community somewhere. If you would still care, then you are trying to force others to live the way you want to live and is exactly what oppressive governments try to do.

I don't see anarchy as being a desirable state, but a government should exist only to PROTECT its citizens rights and freedoms. To stop individuals from impeding another individuals right to exist as they wish to do so. The moment a government starts treating one group of people differently from another, it has crossed the line and no longer performs the basic function that it should.

You will ALWAYS have 'classes' within society. People are diverse with different goals, work ethic, lifestyles, etc. Some of these characteristics will lead people to different outcomes in life.

No matter what you do to try to 'equalize' humanity, it will backfire and create a new or different class structure. For example, schools now are starting to have a dozen or so valedictorians because they don't want to hurt anyones feelings by just having one. Well what happens when you have a group of people that is recognized as being different from the rest of the students who are graduating? Yep, you've just created an 'intellectual' class and given time they will begin to separate into groups in society. You can't stop groups from forming. It is a very fundamental aspect to human behavior.

I prefer the ancient hunter-gatherer community. A nice, non-hierarchical, self-sufficient small community. But, I realize that's fantasy land.

Yes it is. That form never existed though clueless anthropologists like to argue it sometimes.

Really ?

Where's your information to back this claim up?

Where's your information to back this claim up?

Any second grade playground.

Any high school class

Then you and I go to different schools. My school says you are full of it.

I prefer the ancient hunter-gatherer community.

This statement is laughable... particularly when you consider it was typed on a computer and posted to a server over this thing we call the Internet, none of which would be possible in a "hunter-gatherer" society. If that is what you "prefer", get a bow and arrow and build yourself a hut in the hills of Montana and hunt and gather away. Who is stopping you? But please stop pretending you "prefer" that which you do not choose.