It is (to be extremely diplomatic about it) the height of intellectual dishonesty to argue that when we attempt to look back objectively over the last five centuries of America's entire development, the core foundations of American society are not deeply rooted and intertwined in the notion of, “Will it be good for business?”, above all other considerations. Best exemplified by the the knowledge that the now immortalized founding phrase, “...life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness...”, was originally written as, “...life, liberty and the pursuit of property...”. Because the list of documented (large and small) historical moments testifying to that unending core motivation permeating all of American history (and current society as well) are virtually limitless.
From day one of Columbus's ruthless and sadistic pursuit of gold (in the name of Crusading against the Muslims), at the cost of virtual extinction for the native Taino peoples — in just a few short years. To the need to wholesale remove Native Americans from spaces that they'd occupied for millennia — “by any means necessary”. In order to make room for “superior” Eurocentric culture and unimpeded economic exploitation of the North American continent. Otherwise known to historians as Manifest Destiny. From a still profoundly wise Constitution, nonetheless with a 3/5ths (of a white human) Compromise written into it. Unquestionably written for the purpose of institutionally justifying systemic economic exploitation of Africans –- by, again, simply overlooking the basic inhumanity of it. To the endlessly romanticized and revered George Washington's obsessive and never-ending pursuit of greater and greater wealth throughout his life (at extreme expense to both Africans and Native Americans). Along with 11 other fellow Presidents who swore an oath that “...all men are created equal.” From five centuries (and counting) of brutally annihilating tens of millions of Native Americans and their cultures. To two and a half centuries of systematized Black economic exploitation and brutality called chattel slavery. Immediately followed by another century of institutional economic destruction and tangible embezzlement called Jim Crow. From the South fighting an entire Civil War over the core right to continue that vast system of exploitation called slavery. To the vast majority of the North resisting that move, not on the grounds that it was necessarily even wrong. But mainly in the name of preserving the Union. And thus averting the potential implications of other nations biting at the bit to ally themselves with that breakaway group later on. But the simple, ugly truth is both North and South profited enormously from that exploitation. It was, above all else, “good for business”.
Which somewhat brings us to one of our most lasting and yet almost completely unaddressed legacies on that long list of ever-present economic exploitations. Still extremely widespread racial segregation. Because even at this late date, segregation still mainly serves two very destructive twin purposes. Separating out and making potential victims easy to identify regarding who is to be targeted for racialized violence. And for continuing five unbroken centuries of economic exploitation and at times downright undisguised plunder. The methods have greatly evolved. But the commitment to race-based exploitation remains strong. And continued racial segregation remains, far and away, it's most inescapable calling card. To our great shame...on both the Left and the Right.
Lastly,we have a group of handy-dandy historical bumper-sticker-type slogans that we have long exalted as timeless snapshots of who we desire to become someday. “...With liberty and justice for all.” “...All men are created equal.” “Give me your tired, your poor...”. Etc. But after five centuries of relentlessly (and hideously violently) institutionally pursuing (white) wealth above all other considerations, it is becoming increasingly clear with every passing day that, “Will it be good for business (first and foremost)?”, is becoming less and less compatible with, “...liberty and justice for all.” And at some point in the very near future we are going to have to reckon with a seemingly new and profound question (But in reality, it is far from it!). Is what is good for (American) business necessarily compatible with “For The Good Of Humanity”. And it just so happens that there are currently around 100 million Americans still living racially segregated lives (for the crime of having been been deemed nonwhite). Who have been waiting for a very, very longtime, not only for that question to be answered, but for it to simply even be asked for the very first time in the first place. Because we can never genuinely approach the still far-off ideals of our most revered historical phrases until we first begin to mature enough as a society to stop centering everything in the whole world around ourselves (like an entire nation of spoiled and narcissistic children) and finally begin to question our place as a nation within the context of an entire tapestry of nations. Specifically in terms of questioning if our actions are working “For The Good Of Humanity.” And that too is not going to ever come close to really happening as long as,”Will it be good for business?”, continues to make economic exploitation (and five unbroken centuries of depraved racialized violence, as a direct result of it) one of our clearest, and longest lasting, defining characteristics as a nation.
Each day we awake now, we are seemingly facing some new facet of potential Biblical scale catastrophic disaster on a multitude fronts. Most of which were precipitated by the blind pursuit of stockpiling and hoarding the world’s limited resources for maximum profit, to a very limited amount of humanity. And yet somehow the phrase, “For The Good Of Humanity”, mostly remains a quaint and foreign concept to so, so many of us living in our “Shining City On A Hill”.
For five centuries now, we have inflicted nonstop, industrial scale inhumanity on hundreds of millions of innocent people (primarily by using the excuse of the color of their skin to justify that cruelty). And yet after all that carnage, we are seemingly still no closer to awakening to the realization that the presumptuousness and arrogance that made the supposed “God-given” right to own fellow humans completely psychologically and morally incompatible with, “...All men are create equal.”, continues to consume so, so much our decision making even today. As we continue to apparently drift closer and closer to an all-out Second Civil War. For so many of the same blind and arrogant reasons as the first. And as we — now 500 years later — blithely continue to simply ignore the vast incompatibilities between, “Is it good for business/America”, versus “For the good of humanity.” No matter how much things appear to be spiraling further and further downward for us.
But at what approaching cost to those still pretending not to see suffering, after all these centuries??? Because despite the insane chaos that the inhumanity of Native American genocide and chattel slavery are supposed to have taught us always accompany’s systemic inhumanity, “it’s still good for business”.