Opinion: Slaves by training: The Unacknowledged Shackles of the Modern Economy & Crypto Market
Shannon Higgins (Humanode Media Lead)
If you are interested in making “big money”, slavery is one of the oldest tricks in the game. Enslave your “future workers” by removing them from their homes and putting them under your direct control. Entrap them so that they can’t run, use fear of punishment as a way to control, work them long hours for no or little pay, feed them just enough to keep them alive and working. Show them a glimmer of hope of freedom if they “pay their dues”, even if the “glimmer of hope” is an urban myth. And finally, strip them of their identity, making sure that they know that they are of a lower class, and not worth the “rights” the higher class claims. The less you pay your workers, the more money you make.
The transatlantic slave trade, which forcibly transported over 12.5 million Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas (with only about 10.7 million surviving the journey) as enslaved labor for plantations and other industries between the 16th and 19th centuries, created massive wealth in Europe and America. While on the other hand, establishing deep-rooted and fabricated racial hierarchies, causing insurmountable pain and suffering that continues to harm generations and has become the root cause of many of the social and economic troubles of modern society. No matter where you live.
Although “people say” slavery was abolished, in reality, it is believed that over 50 million people are enslaved around the world at this very moment. Most of these slaves “support” the “modern global economy” by picking or producing the very items (clothing, electronics, coffee, chocolate) that are aggressively marketed to global consumers, or by constructing the buildings, roads, and skyscrapers that are used to attract business and tourists from around the world.
Unlike the transatlantic slave trade, in most cases, shackles and chains are not the medium used to enslave people. The entrapment is more financial and psychological. Targeting those who are struggling in life or born into poverty. Giving them hope through a promise of a better life. All they need to do is take the one step needed to travel to their destination. Money to get there? No problem, you can borrow from the employer and pay back through your pay.
By the time you get to your destination, your documentation is confiscated, you are bound by a contract that requires you to “pay back” various fees for years, you are not paid what you are promised, you are abused, fed the minimum, overworked, you are stripped of your human rights, and treated as if you were a lower class of human being.
While it is true that the modern slave industry is being uncovered by human rights activists, and laws are being put into place to try to curb the trend of corporations believing that their corporate life depends on slaves in order to sell the “cheapest products” available online, albeit step by baby step, the deeper truth is that there is another layer to this issue.
The unacknowledged modern slavery
Modern slavery does not end with just those who are physically enslaved in order to manufacture the products we buy. The marketing that promotes products in general is also designed to enslave the consumers, training us on what we “need” to consume, when we “need” to buy them, how much we need to buy, why we need to buy these products, and where we need to buy them.
Advertisements, which may look inconspicuous, as if they are simply sharing information, are often layered with sophisticated psychological controls. Many of the tactics used are frighteningly similar to how slaves are “trained”.
It all starts with projecting an individual's worth and social status through what they “don’t have”, and by creating an "artificial desire", or aspiration index, for products that they didn’t even know they needed.
In countries where people’s skin is darker, they sell products to make you look whiter. For markets where people are whiter, they sell products that will give you a tan so you can look darker. If you are skinny, you need to put on more weight in order to look good. If you are large in size, you need to get skinny in order to fit into the fashionable items that let you look like an acceptable member of society. If you want to remain healthy, you need to stop eating X and eat more of Y. But no, a new study that just came out claims that the truth is that you need to eat Z instead, eat X in moderation, and totally dump Y. You need 15 of the same outfit in different colors to be original. No, you only need one, but it needs to be from the new collection of the expensive brand for this season. Don’t let anyone catch you dead wearing last year's collection, and no, you need the iPhone98, not iPhone97, which is sooooo earlier this year, but you can get away with iPhone67, since it is a “classic” and only so many are left in the market.
People may feel like they are making free choices, but these choices may very well be shaped by invisible psychological ploys that cultivate dependence on the narrowly tailored marketing messages that are everywhere in your life.
The underlying message is that if you are not in the “in”, you are not worth being around, so you'd better open your wallet and “buy” your way into the norm.
And somehow, before even realizing it, we believe our value is determined by how close we are to the currently projected image by the “society (the corporations and their friends that want you to buy their products)”. Oh, and don’t forget that you are expected to keep consuming at a faster and faster pace in order to “keep up with the trends”. Don’t bother thinking if you look good in the new skimpy outfit, or if you need that new and improved super gadget that looks super cool, or if the new diet is actually helping or harming you; if you blink, you are out of date. If you are out of date or not in sync with me, well, it was nice knowing you... “Well, it might have been, but who are you again?”
Even your datafeed is tailored “to your liking”, or what you are made to believe is your liking. The news, the recommendations, entertainment, and even the “friends you may want to connect to” are tailored “just for you” through algorithms. God forbid the piece of news that flashes by has an ounce of “truth” that would go against the view of others you admire or of the products you “need”.
Just as the chains and shackles of the past, we are entrapped by the fear that we may not be accepted by others, or by the “current social norm”, unable to move, afraid to break free. It feels much safer to look around and be validated by all of the other people who are stuck there with you. And with the speed and dependency on communication through SNS, it is just as easy to be validated, especially by those in your “tailored” social circles. Instant gratification is king after all.
No way out?
When the internet was created, it was created as a way to share knowledge amongst scholars and researchers across large physical boundaries in a timely manner. It then evolved so that people could stay close together beyond the physical limitations. Hearing right back from a loved one is indeed gratifying. And then came the extra convenience, the porn, and the entertainment… and then the tailored marketing, and finally, an iron grip on the lives of people.
Yes, you can break free of the control and use the internet as it was intended, but it requires a conscious effort.
The same thing can be said about crypto. When it was created, it was created as a way to break free of the traditional financial market and those who control the market through money and influence. Decentralization was the goal, everyone could be part of it, as a validator, and as a valued participant, not just as a cog in the wheel.
What has happened to it now? The “masters” of the traditional financial market control most chains, use their money and influence to shape the market in a way that suits them, bind the common crypto investor by rules and regulations of their making, and tailor it to make more money for those in control. They take the power away from the people, and although they make sure that the average person earns the scraps and leftovers, only after the whales have had their share.
The market is seasoned so that the majority believes that “this is the way it is” and that there is no other choice. In general, lemmings are welcomed, but those who try to envision a future that
does not comply with the views projected by those in control, are either ignored or crushed.
When I first came across the vision and ideas that shaped Humanode, even before we had the name Humanode, what struck me was the emphasis on the need to decentralize, create a new infrastructure by giving each person who participates equal voting power, an equal share of rewards, and giving the world an option.
An option that says that we do not need to be ruled by those few who have held on to power for generations, or by those who have the most money (many of whom earned that money through the exploitation of other people).
An option that puts the trust in humankind, in our diversity, and our uniqueness. As a firm believer in the words “The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions” which was once spoken by a great teacher born in 19th-century Persia, I could not find a more ideal platform to participate in.
We live in an age where the world is only separated by outdated financial systems and governance, and the people who hold on to that power. Why not break free of those last constraints and have the differing opinions clash in the common interest to find a spark of truth that would help develop the foundation of a global financial and governance infrastructure?
The more we take this path of building the most decentralized network in existence, the more I realize that this is an uphill battle. The “market norm” that is expected of us by many, is often from the playbook of those who exploit their users. When there is a hiccup in the market, some are quick to criticize the fact that we are “ignoring” the proven methods of marketing, and that we are not “playing the game as we are supposed to”. Few seem interested in building or participating in the groundbreaking breakthroughs that our dev team is achieving. Instant gratification is demanded, and it needs to be handed out on a silver platter airdrop, like yesterday.
To be honest, it was only after a few rather blunt encounters and messages that I started to see the common pattern of how the crypto market had really been shaped over the past 8 to 9 years.
The current truth is that not only is crypto more centralized than ever, but it seems as if a majority of the market has been “trained” to jump through the pre-prepared hoops, in the way they are expected to, on cue. There is no time to stop and think. The market will run away if you blink. Chop, chop. Dream of big money, and expect instant gratification. Let the “big boys” set the rules and provide the stability that you hope for. Oh, and sorry ‘bout the market crash that wiped away all of your assets, we had to sell off all of your tokens we held at rock bottom price… Our boss wanted to make sure our balance sheet looked ok, so his boss would be able to buy his new private jet in time… it was the newest on the market, you understand, right?
It may not be too far-fetched to say that the majority of those who live in today's “modern society” and participate in the “crypto market” are, or at least show signs of being, “slaves in training”, even if they are not physically enslaved.
Unfortunately, history teaches us that it requires a conscious effort to break free of those shackles of slavery, and that often, people only realize that they can break free, that they have a choice that they can make, and that they hold equal value as a human being, only after an overwhelming amount of pain and suffering.
The “golden opportunity” to break free and build a better future will not just fall from the sky one day. No, it will not be “airdropped”. It needs to be built, even if it doesn’t look as flashy or rewarding at first. My question is, why wait? All of us, including myself, may not feel that we are “slaves” of society and know what we are doing. But perhaps it may be time to take a step back, look around a bit, ask some questions, and converse with those who may be different from you. Perhaps a spark of truth may even emerge.
And perhaps, that may be the first step needed to break free of our shackles. It has been said that one person alone cannot create big change, but without that one person, big change cannot happen. In other words, it takes people who share the same vision working together, step by sometimes painful step, to make that vision a reality.