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Aztec economics

DCblogger's picture
Submitted by DCblogger on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:40pm
Departments: 
Department of Bust Out Profit Models and Vampiric Capitalism
Thread: 
Class Warfare
Tags: 
culture of corruption

Aztec Economics

Don't call them austerians. That implies some sort of virtuous discipline. We are talking about a corrupt elite that wants 16 trillion for banksters and cuts in services for the peasants. They are ok with indiscriminate surveillance at $400 per month per line, they are ok with freedom bombs for Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and whoever. They only want cuts for WIC, Social Security, and Medicaid.

They want to sacrifice ordinary people for the further enrichment of the uber rich. This has nothing to do with austerity and everything to do with Aztec economics.

Words matter. Ideas matter. Every time someone uses the word austerian, we need to put Aztec economics in the comments.

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letsgetitdone's picture
Submitted by letsgetitdone on

where's this indispensable grahic? Aztec Economics

DCblogger's picture
Submitted by DCblogger on

to put it up, maybe lambert could do so for me. Also, Aztec economics needs to be added to the glossary.

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

... the key point to get across is "human sacrifice." I don't think just "Aztec" communicates that directly enough. But there is something here that needs a name, and Austerians is too small, because that's a faction of economist, and we're taking aim at official Washington, where all believe this stuff.

Actually, this is closer than I thought. Quoting Wikipedia:

What the Aztec priests were referring to was a central Mesoamerican belief: that a great, on-going sacrifice sustains the Universe. Everything is tonacayotl: the "spiritual flesh-hood" on earth. Everything —earth, crops, moon, stars and people— springs from the severed or buried bodies, fingers, blood or the heads of the sacrificed gods. Humanity itself is macehualli, "those deserved and brought back to life through penance".[10] A strong sense of indebtedness was connected with this worldview. Indeed, nextlahualli (debt-payment) was a commonly used metaphor for human sacrifice, and, as Bernardino de Sahagún reported, it was said that the victim was someone who "gave his service".

nihil obstet's picture
Submitted by nihil obstet on

is graphic and accurate. The "Pain caucus" is snappier and has been in use for a while.

Submitted by JuliaWilliams on

iconic marketing of "The One") would be dynamite. Entitle it "Human Sacrifice", put a short piece of info at the bottom (eg, the share of US wealth held by whatever top percent, or the percentage the US pays greater than the rest of the world for health"care", or the amount we spend on our military vs the next ten largest countries combined, etc) But always at the top "HUMAN SACRIFICE".

a little night musing's picture
Submitted by a little night ... on

Just want to add my own metaphor for truth, which keeps hitting me these days. They don't care if we die: in fact, it's an added benefit. Why are we not all in the streets?

I don't blame folks: they have been bombarded with well-crafted messages that convince them that their interest is not their interest. I just keep trying to find a way to counter all that. BECAUSE IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.

nomad2's picture
Submitted by nomad2 on

That's the chilling thought. Because if they are capable of seeing our deaths as a benefit. Then they are capable of engineering situations that make that outcome more likely. What's the purpose of "austerity" anyway? To make the lives of those who have the least even harder. It certainly won't make a dent in the deficit. It's a pretext for a malicious and immoral policy. Sacrifice to appease the god of greed. So far, Aztec economics is the best metaphor I've heard.

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

Is the movie popular enough for that to click?

I presume that movie is bad!

beowulf's picture
Submitted by beowulf on

Mel Gibson is a gifted director, and he's also crazy. Mix them together.. and you get this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_LIzqF0J2M

As Steve Sailer noted...
Since no Hollywood studio would work with Gibson on The Passion, he pocketed the huge profits, allowing him to make Apocalypto, with an all-Amerindian cast speaking Mayan. It wasn’t the huge hit The Passion was, but it made over $50 million at the U.S. box office. That was rather good for (allow me to say it again) a mainstream movie with an all-Amerindian cast speaking Mayan.
Read more: http://takimag.com/article/hollywood_chi...

Submitted by jm on

I'm deeply skeptical of anything made by Gibson, but Apocalypto is worth seeing. For a story with little dialog, I was surprised that it held my attention for the entire 139 minutes.

nomad2's picture
Submitted by nomad2 on

Very good movie. You should see it.

a little night musing's picture
Submitted by a little night ... on

Mel is a racist sexist slob, but he is is also a tremendously gifted actor and director. It causes me no end of cognitive dissonanace

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