I always thought that #JRRTolkien's #Smaug was a metaphor for the #IndustrialAge and #WealthHoarding. It seems I'm not alone! #Tolkien was actually an #environmentalist and possibly a #socialist (though he describes himself as an #anarchist). Does that mean #LOTR will be banned by #Fascistic #Capitalists? Hmmmm...

#Dragonomics: Smaug and #ClimateChange

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Richard Fahey

Excerpt: "Today, we talk about dragons. I refer specifically to the greedy, northern (often fire-breathing) variety as described in Beowulf and featured in Tolkien’s #Hobbit, and I will consider how these monsters present #EnvironmentalCatastrophe as a direct result of #hoarding and #greed.

"My discussion of dragons and climate change continues my recent series of blogs interested in placing medieval literature (and in this case also modern medievalism) in conversation with current crises. This blog develops an earlier argument made in a paper at a 'Tolkien in Vermont' conference (2014), titled 'Dragonomics: Smaug and #Pollution on Middle-Earth,' in which I argue that pollution in Tolkien’s Hobbit is linked to both the literal destruction by the dragon, and the rampant greed that motivates Smaug and ultimately initiates the plunder and violence at the Battle of Five Armies."

Read more:
https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/2019/02/22/dragonomics-smaug-and-climate-change/#:~:text=I%20would%20argue%20that%20for%20Tolkien%E2%80%94whose%20environmentalism,promised%20wealth%20but%20delivered%20also%20ecological%20catastrophe.

#MiddleEarth #Capitalism #ClimateCrisis #Oiligarchy #Oligarchy #CapitalismMustDie

The Iceberg of Wealth: Perception vs. Reality

Beyond the surface, wealth often hides exploitation, corruption, and systemic injustice.

#Wealth #Inequality #SystemicInjustice #Capitalism #Exploitation #Corruption #SocialJustice #EconomicJustice #RichVsPoor #HiddenTruth #PerceptionVsReality #PowerDynamics #DebtTrap #ManipulativeMarketing #WealthHoarding #SocialCommentary #Awareness #CriticalThinking #UnfairSystem #WakeUp

Light reading for a Friday night 😬

Wealth inequality risks triggering 'societal collapse' within next decade, report finds.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/wealth-inequality-risks-triggering-societal-collapse-within-next-decade-report-finds #inequality #WealthHoarding #WealthHoarders #wealthInequality

I love how for the last 30 years or so, economic reports have documented the collapse of any sort of middle class while trumpeting the improving economy. If there was ever a symbol for how the system is organized to enrich a few off the toil of many and to the peril of all, stringing this type of article together through the years is it.

#economics #collapse #debt #WealthHoarding #EatTheRich #ClimateCrisis

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-debt-stings-never-era-110029834.html

In the WTF Department: The top 1% captured nearly twice as much new wealth as the rest of the world over last two years

https://flip.it/hVZoAP

#inequity #inequities #WealthHoarding #WealthDispairity #economicjustice