Americans Have No Control of Their World, and Don’t Seem to Want to
This is strange; the people at the top are obsessed with control; but no one else is the least bit interested in it. Being controlled seems to be what they want. They are flattered that powerful people want to control them; and are willing to entertain them for free – or at least for very little. They watch on as powerful forces combat each other, like spectators at a gladiator fight.
That they are the losers, no matter what happens, does not occur to them.
I can even see this happening in the Orosi Valley, an area area of little economic importance. Costa Rica was lately part of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, that was negotiated with the United States. Like all these so-called free trade agreements, it was not about free trade at all. It was negotiated, in secret, between the rich and powerful in Central America and their American counterparts.
The legislatures of Costa Rica and America were under extreme pressure to ratify it – which they did in record time. One of the effects of this treaty was to open up the telecommunications market, which had been a govenment monopoly, to foreign companies. This, in itself, was a fine thing - the government agency was completely incompetent.
What happened was that foreign companies eyed the market, and decided to go for the most profitable part of it – the cell phone market. The infatuation of people in undeveloped countries for cell phones is hard to imagine. They will sell their bodies to get one – if their bodies have any value. As they see it, it makes them all-powerful for a modest monthly payment.
Just down the road, in a tiny town, there already was a communications tower built by the government monopoly. A Spanish conglomerate immediately built a new one, and another one will soon be built – for cell phones only. This may sound like a fine thing to you – competition for the consumer’s business. But it can also be seen as a scramble for control – with the consumer’s role being nothing more than the resource being scrambled for. Before, they were small, independent coffee farmers. Now they are only pawns in the marketplace.
They have no control at all. They may get improved cell phone rates for awhile, but in the long run – which is what these companies are looking at – the Big Money will be in control, and they will have none. Foreign companies will be sucking money out of Costa Rica as fast as they can. The gap between the rich and the poor will become greater then ever. And the rich and powerful will become more powerful than before.
I have been speaking of Costa Rica, when I started out talking about America. But Costa Rica is only an economic satellite of America. It is trying to realign itself with China – but even if that succeeds, it will not be any better off.
They should be concentrating on keeping control of their own country – but like people everywhere, they are finding this impossible. They are selling themselves to the highest bidder – but since so many other countries are already doing this, they are not getting much in return.
Control has gone elsewhere and they don’t even want to know where it has gone.
You are right Hal, I’m seeing it here in Guanacaste too. I’m going to hold on to the national telephone service as long as I can.
It’s the story of the pendulum, it will swing back. The maintenance in these tropical countries is a real pain, in time they will be bored purposefully fudge on their contracts and go away.
If so, Costa Rica will be littered with unused communication towers. They should be an interesting addition to the scenery.
if only people can face the truth…
Hal you keep saying latins, have you heard about people being killed for thir Iphones in the US? Its a world phenomena.