New York 2140

In my last post, I mentioned the organization Reading is Fundamental.  That paragraph and reference may have seemed a bit out of place within the post.  I mentioned it as a sideways attempt to impart the idea that there are organizations in the world which are considered by the IRS as 501(c) charities, meaning that your donations are tax-deductible, whereas the source of that survey I discussed is not such a charity.  This is not necessarily a value judgment, in that those registered as 501(c) are better than those that are not, but it is interesting that some that are not reveal this information in small print. 

Also, this is just as important, all registered 501(c) charities are not as good as others.  I find that Charity Navigator does a good job of rating the 501(c) charities, particularly when it comes to administrative and fundraising expenses, and sources of income.  For instance, Reading is Fundamental has only an average rating, (copy and past the link below in your browser to see) presumably because nearly 1/3 of its money goes to expenses which are outside of the program's mission.  If you happen to check out Charity Navigator's rating of Reading is Fundamental, also check for similar groups that do similar work but have higher ratings, if you are motivated to donate to the worthy cause of improving children's literacy.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4390

So, New York 2140.  I knew pretty quickly that I would like the novel when I encountered the following quote about 80 pages in, from Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary

Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.

Without revealing too much of the plot, let's just say that this novel, set in New York City, details what the world is like, through the eyes of about a dozen citizens of the city, after catastrophic sea level rise caused by climate change has changed virtually everything in the world.  Well, not quite everything, as the author, Kim Stanley Robinson, paints a picture wherein the rich have indeed survived the disaster of climate change, something we believe they believe today, which is why those in power work tirelessly to combat the scientific evidence which indicates changes are needed, changes which will challenge the wealth of this class of people, but something which we all hope will not be true (that they suffer right along with us) so we can give them the universal finger and a hearty ho "I told you so". 

But Robinson dashes those hopes, as we soon realize that this futuristic New York is still run by the 1%, that they have in fact, consolidated their power to now own even more of the world's assets, that the poor continue to live wretchedly, the global refugee crisis is beyond fixing, and the everyday working person is stuck in an even bigger noose of working for little and receiving even less from trickle down.  And worse, since investments to increase wealth still seek opportunity and return, they make use of the same old insidious devices to get their way; bribery, sabotage, shell companies, etc. 

The interesting thing about the work, although perhaps predictable, is that Robinson refers to the 2008 financial crisis, which was a real thing, then also his fictional financial crises which resulted from the two big "pulses" which featured massively quick sea level rise beyond our ability to cope with, belittles the efforts during both the real and fictional financial disasters as evidence that big money in the form of banks and investment firms have always run the governments of the world through overt donations and bribes (are they the same?), and covert actions that skirt the law, or are just not illegal.  Further, that they have gotten away with these actions, becoming rich through market and business manipulation, then successfully running to the government (the taxpayers) for bailouts when their bubbles burst, because, inevitably, those we elect serve their interests, not the interests of the people.

Yep, a novel right up my alley.  Condemnation of the wealthy for their double standard of encouraging, even deifying the idea of the power of the individual, and those various rags to riches fairy tales which happen just enough to make us all believe we might be the next example, while using their inherited, lawfully but immorally gained, or outright stolen wealth to game the markets and abuse the spirit of capitalism, all the while knowing the next bust will come but,  no worries, their wealth is secured with the workings of too-big-to-fail socialism which will save the day, pass their debts onto the state, and allow the next cycle to start again. 

While there is not necessarily a happy ending, in fact, there is the direct statement that we should not expect a happy ending, that perhaps it is not in our DNA to yet erase our tendency towards greed, there is a hopeful ending in that a new path is taken, albeit temporarily, and not without its detractors, and the novel ends with pessimistic optimism.  Again, my cup of tea.

What is even more hopeful, is that the new path is developed by everyday people who believe that doing the right thing means helping their fellow men, not just themselves.  These people are not necessarily all lovable and certainly not perfect, but they are not complete assholes either, as so many of the rich and powerful, in business and in Washington, are depicted.  And, perhaps that is the true message to those of us living in the pre-catastrophic world, where we know what we need to do but where the assholes are still in charge.  That we, the non-perfect, the everyday citizens, the up until now victims of the machinations of the wealthy and powerful, can make a difference.  Can be part of a change.  Can take that maxim, you can't fight city hall, and throw it right back up their you know what's. 

That fiscal non-compliance, as it is termed in the novel, is our greatest power, followed, very quickly by the power of the voting booth.  Or, as they say in the movies, hit 'em where it hurts.