Indicators of Cultural Crisis
This documents presents evidence of the widespread insanity and sociopathological behavior in Western civilization. Please contact us with feedback or items you think we should add.
Government Corruption
There were 237 millionaires in the US Congress as of late 2009 – that is 44% of the body. Seven lawmakers each have over $100 million in assets. President Barack Obama has a net worth of roughly $4 million. Overall, 1% of Americans and 0.001% of people worldwide are millionaires.1
Last year, corporations, unions, and other organizations spent $3.5 billion lobbying member of Congress and federal agencies in the United States. There are over 10,000 lobbyists in Washington DC.2
Government officials often leave their posts and go to work for the corporations which they regulated or oversaw in their official duties. This is called a “revolving door,” and is one of the primary ways that power circulates between the government and corporations.3
The United States began as a colonial operation for resource extraction and profit making. The original 13 colonies were each “crown-chartered corporations.” Since the early 1800’s, corporations have gained rights and protections under the US constitution. These laws have allowed corporations to dominate political, economic, and social spheres, to a greater or lesser degree, for nearly 200 years. An example of corporate power: Regulatory law, meant to restrict corporate practices and protect people, non-humans, and the environment, is often written by the corporations that are being regulated.4
The US military maintains a network of over 1000 military bases and outposts worldwide.5
Violence Against Women
Every year in the United States, more than 200,000 sexual assaults are committed. At least one out of six American women have suffered rape or attempted rape. Native American women are the most likely targets of sexual violence in the US. 15% of sexual assaults and rapes target children under the age of 12. Almost ¾ of all sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non-stranger. Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes – 60% of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Only 6% of rapists ever spend a day in jail.6
Slavery
Conservative estimates show that 27 million people live in slavery in the modern world. That means there are more slaves today than ever before (even at the height of the Atlantic slave trade). Slaves are cheaper than ever before – the average slave in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 – today an average slave costs only $90. Slaves are most often forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution – three of the most demeaning and unhealthy jobs on the planet.7
Militarization
There are more than 30,000 nuclear weapons in the world today. The United States alone has spent more than $3.5 trillion on nuclear weapons programs since 1940. They are each, on average, many times more powerful than the warheads detonated above Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII. This arsenal is capable of completely destroying the biosphere many times over.8
Over the last 6500 years, more than 14,500 major wars have resulted in the death of almost 4 billion people. Since WWII, there have been about 30 armed conflicts per year on average, in which 90% of the casualties have been civilians.9
Income Inequality
17% of the human population consumes 80% of the materials and energy. 800 million people go hungry on a daily basis, and more than 30,000 of them die each day. 12% of the human population consumes 85% of the fresh water.10
The richest 1% of humans hold more wealth than the poorest 95%. The richest 0.5% alone hold more than a third of global wealth. Billionaires (just over 1000 of them) control more wealth than 1,500,000,000 of the poorest people in the world combined.11
Police Brutality
In 2010, there were almost 5,000 reported incidents of police misconduct in the United States. Excessive force was the most commonly reported incident, nearly 25% of all reported misconduct. Sexual misconduct accounted for nearly 10%, followed by fraud and theft at 7%, and false arrest at nearly 7%.12
Hate Crimes
There were more than 7,700 incidences of hate crimes in the United States in 2009. Note that the legal definition of hate crimes does not include sexual violence or sexual abuse of women. Nearly 50% of the crimes were based in race bias. Nearly 20% were motivated by bias against sexual orientation.13
Mental and Social Health
Nearly half of all 13-18 year olds in the United States suffer from mental illnesses – more than 20% of those illnesses are severe and debilitating. More than 26% of adults in the US suffer from mental illness, and more than 22% of those cases are severe and debilitating.14
Nearly half of all US adults use prescription drugs. The most commonly prescribed drugs are pain medications and anti-depressants.15
References
Government Corruption
There were 237 millionaires in the US Congress as of late 2009 – that is 44% of the body. Seven lawmakers each have over $100 million in assets. President Barack Obama has a net worth of roughly $4 million. Overall, 1% of Americans and 0.001% of people worldwide are millionaires.1
Last year, corporations, unions, and other organizations spent $3.5 billion lobbying member of Congress and federal agencies in the United States. There are over 10,000 lobbyists in Washington DC.2
Government officials often leave their posts and go to work for the corporations which they regulated or oversaw in their official duties. This is called a “revolving door,” and is one of the primary ways that power circulates between the government and corporations.3
The United States began as a colonial operation for resource extraction and profit making. The original 13 colonies were each “crown-chartered corporations.” Since the early 1800’s, corporations have gained rights and protections under the US constitution. These laws have allowed corporations to dominate political, economic, and social spheres, to a greater or lesser degree, for nearly 200 years. An example of corporate power: Regulatory law, meant to restrict corporate practices and protect people, non-humans, and the environment, is often written by the corporations that are being regulated.4
The US military maintains a network of over 1000 military bases and outposts worldwide.5
Violence Against Women
Every year in the United States, more than 200,000 sexual assaults are committed. At least one out of six American women have suffered rape or attempted rape. Native American women are the most likely targets of sexual violence in the US. 15% of sexual assaults and rapes target children under the age of 12. Almost ¾ of all sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non-stranger. Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes – 60% of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Only 6% of rapists ever spend a day in jail.6
Slavery
Conservative estimates show that 27 million people live in slavery in the modern world. That means there are more slaves today than ever before (even at the height of the Atlantic slave trade). Slaves are cheaper than ever before – the average slave in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 – today an average slave costs only $90. Slaves are most often forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution – three of the most demeaning and unhealthy jobs on the planet.7
Militarization
There are more than 30,000 nuclear weapons in the world today. The United States alone has spent more than $3.5 trillion on nuclear weapons programs since 1940. They are each, on average, many times more powerful than the warheads detonated above Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII. This arsenal is capable of completely destroying the biosphere many times over.8
Over the last 6500 years, more than 14,500 major wars have resulted in the death of almost 4 billion people. Since WWII, there have been about 30 armed conflicts per year on average, in which 90% of the casualties have been civilians.9
Income Inequality
17% of the human population consumes 80% of the materials and energy. 800 million people go hungry on a daily basis, and more than 30,000 of them die each day. 12% of the human population consumes 85% of the fresh water.10
The richest 1% of humans hold more wealth than the poorest 95%. The richest 0.5% alone hold more than a third of global wealth. Billionaires (just over 1000 of them) control more wealth than 1,500,000,000 of the poorest people in the world combined.11
Police Brutality
In 2010, there were almost 5,000 reported incidents of police misconduct in the United States. Excessive force was the most commonly reported incident, nearly 25% of all reported misconduct. Sexual misconduct accounted for nearly 10%, followed by fraud and theft at 7%, and false arrest at nearly 7%.12
Hate Crimes
There were more than 7,700 incidences of hate crimes in the United States in 2009. Note that the legal definition of hate crimes does not include sexual violence or sexual abuse of women. Nearly 50% of the crimes were based in race bias. Nearly 20% were motivated by bias against sexual orientation.13
Mental and Social Health
Nearly half of all 13-18 year olds in the United States suffer from mental illnesses – more than 20% of those illnesses are severe and debilitating. More than 26% of adults in the US suffer from mental illness, and more than 22% of those cases are severe and debilitating.14
Nearly half of all US adults use prescription drugs. The most commonly prescribed drugs are pain medications and anti-depressants.15
References
- Lovley, Erika. “Report: 237 millionaires in Congress.” Politico, 11/6/09.http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29235.html
- Lobbying Database. Accessed 5/5/2011. Center for Responsive Politics.http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/index.php
- Revolving Door. Accessed 5/5/2011. Center for Responsive Politics.http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/index.php
- Corporate Rights. Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Accessed 5/5/2011.http://www.celdf.org/section.php?id=41
- Adbusters Magazine. North American Edition, #95 (May/June Issue). Vol. 19, No. 3.
- Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Accessed 6/1/2011. http://www.rainn.org/
- Free The Slaves. “Slavery Today.” Accessed 6/1/2011. http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=301
- Center for Defense Information. Nuclear Issues, Facts at a Glance. Accessed 6/1/2011.http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/facts-at-a-glance.cfm
- Human Security Report Project, 2009/2010. Simon Fraser University. Accessed 6/1/2011.http://www.hsrgroup.org/human-security-reports/human-security-report.aspx
- World Centric. Social and Economic Injustice. Accessed 6/1/2011.http://www.worldcentric.org/conscious-living/social-and-economic-injustice
- Program on Inequality and the Common Good. World / Global Inequality. Accessed 6/1/2011.http://inequality.org/global-inequality/
- 2010 National Police Misconduct Statistical Report. Injustice Everywhere. Accessed 6/7/2011.http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=4053#_Summary
- National Hate Crimes Statistics: Incidents and Offences 2009. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Accessed 6/7/2011. http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2009/incidents.html
- National Institute of Mental Health Statistics. Accessed 6/7/11.http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FastStats Home, Therapeutic Drug Use. Accessed 6/7/11.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drugs.htm