May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor The Reaping

Jim Quinn "Human history seems logical in afterthought but a mystery in forethought. In every prior Fourth Turning, the catalyst was foreseeable but the climax was not." The Fourth Turning - Strauss & Howe - 199 !e are five years into the "risis that will not resolve itself until sometime in the #$#$%s. &o one can pre'ict the specific events that will fun'amentally change history over the next 'eca'e, but the catalysts of 'ebt, civic 'ecay an' global 'isor'er were evi'ent sixteen years ago when (trauss an' Howe wrote their prophetic generational history. The volcanic eruption occurre' in #$$) when the worl'wi'e financial system blew an' the molten lava continues to spew forth an' flow along the Fe'eral *eserve create' channels, protecting the corrupt establishment while incinerating senior citi+ens, the wor,ing mi''le class an' -illennials. .eep within the volcano the pressure is buil'ing again as the moo' of the country 'ar,ens. It will blow again an' the economic, social, political an' military 'istress will cataly+e into a catastrophic emergency that will tear the fabric of the country asun'er. The existing social or'er will be swept away an' replace' by a new para'igm which coul' be better or far worse. "Imagine some national (and probably global) volcanic eruption, initially flowing along channels of distress that were created during the Unraveling era and further widened by the catalyst. Trying to foresee where the eruption will go once it bursts free of the channels is like trying to predict the e act fault line of an earth!uake. "ll you know in advance is something about the molten ingredients of the clima , which could include the following#
o

$conomic distress, with public debt in default, entitlement trust funds in bankruptcy, mounting poverty and unemployment, trade wars, collapsing financial markets, and hyperinflation (or deflation). %ocial distress, with violence fueled by class, race, nativism or religion and abetted by armed gangs, underground militias and mercenaries hired by walled communities. &olitical distress, with institutional collapse, open ta revolts, one'party hegemony, ma(or constitutional change, secessionism, authoritarianism and altered national borders. )ilitary distress, with war against terrorists or foreign regimes e!uipped with weapons of mass destruction."

The Fourth Turning - Strauss & Howe - 199

/inear thin,ers are incapable or unwilling to un'erstan' that history is cyclical, primarily 'riven by national moo' changes an' the interaction of generations entering 'ifferent stages in their )$ year life cycle. !e%ve seen this story before, but those who live' through the last Fourth Turning have mostly 'ie' out, an' our techno narcissistic populace has absolutely no interest in un'erstan'ing history beyon' last night%s episo'e of .uc, .ynasty. The moo' of the country 'uring a Turning is often capture' in literature an'0or film pro'uce' 'uring that perio'. The last Fourth Turning encompasse' the perio' from the 1reat "rash in 23#3 through the 1reat .epression an' !orl' !ar II, en'ing in 2345 with a new worl' or'er. Four novels written 'uring this "risis capture' the 'ystopian nature of the time, reflecting the fear, pain, anger, brutality, an' courageousness of the common man 'uring that perilous perio'. Hu!"ey#s $rave %ew &or"d 6237#8, Steinbe'(#s )rapes o* &rath623738, Orwe""#s 19+, 6written 'uring !!II8, an' To"(ien#s -ord o* the Rings Tri"ogy6written from 2379 through 23438 are masterpieces of literature which capture' the aura of the times in which they were penne'. :nly one of the novels was brought to film 'uring the "risis, with John For'%s brilliant )rapes o* &rath screen a'aptation capturing the suffering an' 'esperation of common fol, 'uring the 1reat .epression. -ost of what passes for literature an' film these 'ays is nothing more than glorifie' commercials or corporate create' twa''le 'esigne' for narcissistic, min'less, teenage girls. -any will 'ismiss (u+anne "ollins% Hunger )a.es trilogy an' the film a'aptations as nothing more than run of the mill teenager nonsense. They are ma,ing a huge mista,e. .eca'es from now, if we ma,e the right choices 'uring this Fourth Turning, The Hunger )a.es will be viewe' as the novels an' films that capture' the 'ar,ening, rebellious moo' of the "risis. It is not a coinci'ence the first novel was publishe' in (eptember #$$). The worl'wi'e financial melt'own initiate' by the !all (treet financial parasites an' their pai' for cronies in the nation%s capital, occurre' in (eptember #$$) an' mar,e' the commencement of this Fourth Turning. "ollins has brilliantly create' a 'ystopian nightmare that combines the shallowness an' superficiality of our reality T; culture with our never en'ing wars of choice an' rise of our surveillance state, while blen'ing the 'eca'ence an' 'ebauchery of the 'eclining *oman <mpire. (he also unwittingly places her characters in their proper generational roles 'uring a Fourth Turning "risis. "ollins was a military brat who was fortunate enough to have a father that taught her the truth about historical events, not the propagan'a taught in our public schools to'ay. "He was career =ir Force, a military specialist, a historian, an' a 'octor of political science. !hen I was a ,i', he was gone for a year in ;iet &am. It was very important to him that we un'erstoo' about certain aspects of life. (o, it wasn%t enough to visit a battlefiel', we nee'e' to ,now why the battle occurre', how it playe' out, an' the conse>uences. Fortunately, he ha' a gift for presenting history as a fascinating story. He also seeme' to have a goo' sense of exactly how much a chil' coul' han'le, which is >uite a bit."

(he learne' lessons about war, poverty, oppression, an' the brutality an' corruption of the ruling classes. Her ,nowle'ge of history, the visual images of reality shows an' the Ira> !ar 'isplaye' on T; create' the i'ea for her Hunger 1ames trilogy. "I was channel surfing between reality T; programming an' actual war coverage when ?atniss% story came to me. :ne night I%m sitting there flipping aroun' an' on one channel there%s a group of young people competing for, I 'on%t ,now, money maybe@ =n' on the next, there%s a group of young people fighting an actual war. =n' I was tire', an' the lines began to blur in this very unsettling way, an' I thought of this story." The central storyline of The Hunger )a.es is there are twelve 'istricts subservient to the "apitol in the totalitarian nation of Aanem. The country consists of the affluent "apitol, locate' in the *oc,y -ountains, an' twelve 'esperately poor 'istricts rule' by the "apitol. The "apitol is lavishly opulent an' technologically a'vance', but the twelve 'istricts are in varying states of poverty. =s punishment for a past rebellion against the "apitol wherein twelve of the 'istricts were 'efeate' an' the thirteenth purporte'ly 'estroye', one boy an' one girl from each of the twelve 'istricts, between the ages of twelve an' eighteen, are selecte' by lottery to compete in the BHunger 1amesC on an annual basis. The 1ames are a televise' spectacle, with the participants, calle' BtributesC, being force' to fight to the 'eath in a treacherous out'oor arena. It%s a combination of =merican I'ol, (urvivor, an' -i''le <astern warfare. The victorious tribute an' his or her home 'istrict are then remunerate' with extra foo' an' supplies. The obDective of the Hunger )a.es is to provi'e superficial reality T; entertainment for the vacuous small min'e' masses in the "apitol an' serve as a constant remin'er to the .istricts of the "apitolEs supremacy an' suppose' omnipotence. The "apitol ruling with an iron fist over its 27 .istricts is clearly foun'e' upon the Fritish <mpire running roughsho' over the 27 =merican colonies an' harvesting resources an' taxes to maintain their wealth, power an' control. "ollins utili+es her ,nowle'ge of ancient 1ree, an' *oman history an' merging it with our 'egra'e' shallow T; culture to mel' a 'ystopian nightmare of brutality, chil' mur'er, voyeuristic sa'ism, an' a fragile, rotting empire. "" significant influence would have to be the *reek myth of Theseus and the )inotaur. The myth tells how in punishment for past deeds, "thens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to +rete, where they were thrown in the ,abyrinth and devoured by the monstrous )inotaur. $ven as a kid, I could appreciate how ruthless this was. +rete was sending a very clear message# ")ess with us and we-ll do something worse than kill you. .e-ll kill your children." "nd the thing is, it was allowed/ the parents sat by powerless to stop it. Theseus, who was the son of the king, volunteered to go. I guess in her own way, 0atniss is a futuristic Theseus. In keeping with the classical roots, I send my tributes into an updated version of the 1oman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment. The world of &anem, particularly the +apitol, is

loaded with 1oman references. &anem itself comes from the e pression "&anem et +ircenses" which translates into -2read and +ircuses-." Su/anne 0o""ins =ny similarities between propagan'a posters in Aanem an' propagan'a in =merica are purely coinci'ental, I%m sure. ""t least once every human should have to run for his life, to teach him that milk does not come from supermarkets that safety does not come from policemen that -news- is not something that happens to other people. 3e might learn how his ancestors lived and that he himself is no different'in the crunch his life depends on his agility, alertness and personal resourcefulness." - Robert Hein"ein

The Reaping o* &ea"th

"!ar, terrible war. !i'ows, orphans, a motherless chil'. This was the uprising that roc,e' our lan'. Thirteen 'istricts rebelle' against the country that fe' them, love' them, protecte' them. Frother turne' on brother until nothing remaine'. =n' then came the peace, har' fought, sorely won. = people rose up from the ashes an' a new era was born. Fut free'om has a cost. !hen the traitors were 'efeate', we swore as a nation we woul' never ,now this treason again. =n' so it was 'ecree', that each year, the various 'istricts of Aanem woul' offer up in tribute, one young man an' woman, to fight to the 'eath in a pageant of honor, courage an' sacrifice. The lone victor, bathe' in riches, woul' serve as a remin'er of our generosity an' our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguar' our future." 1resident Snow Hunger Games = maDor theme in the novels is the tremen'ous wealth ine>uality between the "apitol an' most of the 'istricts. .istrict 2#, the home of ?atniss <ver'een the protagonist, is the most 'esperately poor. .istrict 2# is locate' in the =ppalachian region of the former G(=. They are tas,e' with provi'ing the "apitol resources obtaine' from 'angerous mines. The population lives a blea, existence in poverty an' s>ualor, with starvation always looming li,e an apparition of 'eath. The 'istricts are essentially slave plantations to be pillage' for whatever the 'ictatorial "apitol 'eman's. The 'istricts exist to harvest resources, such as fish, coal, lumber, crops an' gems, all sent to fulfill their >uotas. -any 'istricts, such as 2# an' 22, 'onEt have enough coal to power their own 'istrict or enough foo' to fee' their citi+ens. .istricts 2, # an' 4 are closer an' more allie' with the "apitol, resulting in them receiving more support, better foo', consumer goo's an' military protection. The wealth ine>uality between the ruling class an' the wor,ing class in the 'istricts is the primary cause of 'iscontent an' increasing rebelliousness. The parallels with our corporate fascist surveillance state are unmista,able. The wealth an' power in our country is concentrate' in the han's of ruling parasites who primarily resi'e in the nation%s capital of !ashington ..". an' the financial capital of &ew Hor, "ity. The top 2I control 4#I of the nation%s financial wealth, while the bottom )$I control less than JI of the financial wealth.

Tab"e 12 3n'o.e4 net worth4 and *inan'ia" worth in the 56S6 by per'enti"e4 in 7818 FR%s &ea"th or in'o.e Mean househo"d Mean househo"d Mean househo"d *inan'ia" '"ass in'o.e net worth 9non-ho.e: wea"th Top 2 percent K2,72),#$$ K25,473,4$$ K2J,292,5$$ Top #$ percent K##5,#$$ K#,$52,5$$ K2,923,)$$ 5$th )$th percentile K9#,$$$ K#25,3$$ K2$$,9$$ 4$th 5$th percentile K42,9$$ K52,$$$ K2#,#$$ Fottom 4$ percent K29,7$$ K2$,5$$ K24,)$$ From !olff 6#$2#8L only mean figures are available, not me'ians. &ote that income an' wealth are separate measuresL so, for example, the top 2I of income earners is not exactly the same group of people as the top 2I of wealth hol'ers, although there is consi'erable overlap. The concentration of wealth in the han's of the few if achieve' through superior wor, ethic an'0or intellectual a'vantage woul' not cause 'iscontent among the masses. Henry For' an' (teve Jobs were a'mire' for creating businesses an' employing people. They earne' their wealth. To'ay, it has become clear to all critical thin,ing people that a small cabal of super rich parasites constituting an invisible ruling class have capture' our financial an' political system. They are the .2I who run the !all (treet ban,s, control the Fe'eral *eserve, buy off the politicians of both parties, an' pay lobbyists to write the laws an' tax regulations. They use their ill gotten wealth to maintain the status >uo an' further pillage the wealth of the wor,ing class through financial mar,et manipulation, man ma'e inflation an' outright theft. =s J7 million =mericans 'epen' upon foo' stamps an' other welfare programs to get by an' real unemployment excee's #4I, the wealth ine>uality in the nation has reache' levels only seen in 23#3, prior to the 1reat "rash outset of the last Fourth Turning. The mounting anger an' 'iscontent among the former wor,ing mi''le class is palatable. Those at the top of the foo' chain have rigge' the system an' get richer by the 'ay. They bribe the lower classes with welfare benefits, ta,en from the wor,ing mi''le class, in an effort to stave off riots in the streets.

*entier capitalism, the economic practice of parasitic monopoli+ation of access to physical, financial an' intellectual property, has replace' free mar,et capitalism, with the rentier class generating billions of illicit financiali+ation profits while contributing nothing to society. !e%ve become a mo'ern 'ay Aanem, an imperialistic state thriving

on the slave labor of other countries an' inflicting our bastar'i+e' form of B'emocracyC at the point of Tomahaw, missiles. In or'er to survive, ?atniss 'efiantly an' illegally hunts outsi'e the .istrict 2# fence perimeter an' the famishe' citi+ens openly 'efy the law with their blac, mar,et tra'ing at the Hob. .esperate times lea' to 'esperate measures. !hen people 'espair, laws 'esigne' to maintain the status >uo are 'eeme' inconse>uential by the peasants. Hou can see this happening in our society to'ay. !elfare frau' among the lower classes is rampant. Fartering an' wor,ing un'er the table for cash to avoi' the crushing tax bur'en is growing. The rise of Fitcoin as an alternative currency an' the growing popularity of having possession of physical gol' an' silver is a reaction to the ban,ster0politician fiat currency 'ebt scheme to impoverish the masses. !hen the people see the ban,sters 6Jamie .imon8 an' former politicians 6Jon "or+ine8 brea,ing laws with impunity, they feel no obligation to obey laws 'esigne' to ,eep them un'er the thumb of the ruling parasites. The fallacy of all men being create' e>ual, with the =merican 'ream achievable for everyone, is still propagate' by the government me'ia propagan'a mouthpieces. Hou%' have to be asleep to believe it. In reality the ultra rich have capture' the system an' have stac,e' the 'ec, in their favor. This theme is capture' in the Hunger )a.es 'uring the reaping process, which is suppose' to be ran'om, with rich an' poor e>ually li,ely to get chosen. In reality, the poor are much more li,ely than the rich to be reape' as tributes. In exchange for extra rations of foo' an' oil necessary to ,eep from starving or free+ing to 'eath, calle' tesserae, those chil'ren eligible for the Hunger 1ames can enter their names into the reaping a''itional times. -ost chil'ren of poor families have to ta,e tesserae to survive, so the chil'ren of poor families have more entries in the reaping than chil'ren of wealthy families who nee' no tesserae. The o''s are never in their favor. The current version of the Hunger 1ames for our youth is loa'ing them up with government pe''le' stu'ent loan 'ebt, with no Dobs available when they gra'uate, leaving them enslave' in unpayable 'ebt. The rich who 'o become tributes from the more prosperous 'istricts have an a''itional a'vantage, because they are often traine' to ta,e part in the 1ames an' volunteer to 'o so. They are bigger, stronger, well fe' an' groome' to win. The poor tributes face certain 'eath. The fact is you can only push people so far before they fight bac,. The arrogance an' hubris of the rich governing class lea's them to 'isregar' the misery of the lowly peasants, while they intensify their pillaging an' burning of the countrysi'e. <ventually a spar, ignites a revolutionary spirit an' unleashes a torrent of violence an' retribution. History is ripe with instances of the 'owntro''en masses rising up an' throwing off the yo,e of authoritarian 'espots. Fourth Turnings are when the existing social or'er is swept away in an avalanche of violence an' bloo'she'.

$read4 0ir'uses & Rea"ity T;

"!hat must it be li,e, I won'er, to live in a worl' where foo' appears at the press of a button@ How woul' I spen' the hours I now commit to combing the woo's for sustenance if it were so easy to come by@ !hat 'o they 'o all 'ay, these people in the "apitol, besi'es 'ecorating their bo'ies an' waiting aroun' for a new shipment of tributes to roll in an' 'ie for their entertainment@" <atniss Everdeen - Hunger 1ames

The name of the nation Aanem, 'erives from the /atin phrase panem et circenses, which translates into Mbrea' an' circusesE. The i'iom is meant to 'escribe entertainment use' to 'istract public attention from the corruption an' vices of the governing class. Fy the government provi'ing basic foo' an' ample entertainment, the citi+ens voluntarily sacrifice liberties an' rights for safety, security, an' sustenance. The 'ebauche' occupants of the "apitol are the wealthiest an' most 'eca'ent of all Aanem, an' the cityEs affluence is fuele' by the compulsory labor of the 'istricts. The 'egenerates of the "apitol are ,nown for their BcreativeC outfits, outrageous hair an' ri'iculous sense of fashion, even to the extent of 'ying the color of their own s,in, or having whis,ers implante'. Foo' an' amusement are maDor 'rivers of the Hunger 1ames plot. The impoverishe' citi+ens, particularly in .istricts 2# an' 22 are on the verge of starvation, while the "apitol has foo' in abun'ance an' throws lavish parties with extravagant an' copious >uantities of cuisine. The superficial 'eca'ent upper class in the "apitol embrace' overin'ulgence to such an extreme they purposely 'ran, a concoction which woul' force them to throw up, so they coul' consume more. The analogy to the *oman vomitoriums 'uring the 'eprave' final 'ays of their 'eclining empire is 'istinct. To'ay in =merica, J7 million lower class =mericans are reliant upon foo' stamps to be fe', while the maDority are left to ingest

processe' poison pac,age' as foo' by mega corporations an' relentlessly mar,ete' on television to a 'umbe' 'own populace. The ultra rich 'ine on caviar an' champagne in their penthouse suites, mansions in the Hamptons or ma,e reservations at restaurants not available to the 33.3I. =ppearances are extremely important in the post apocalyptic pretentious worl' of the Hunger 1ames. (tyle an' ostentatious fashion are everything to the affluent citi+ens of the plutocratic "apitol. It is natural to tattoo an' 'ye their bo'ies% in bright colors, as well as un'ergo plastic surgery to improve their loo,s. (ome people of the "apitol have gems implante' in their s,in, as well as talons. "apitol resi'ents regularly wear wigs in a multitu'e of shoc,ing colors. The 'egra'ation of our society can be seen in the worship of Hollywoo' create' stars an' pop singer frea,s li,e /a'y 1aga. The filthy rich 'eform their bo'ies with plastic surgery to change their natural appearance. Fy mutilating their bo'ies with surgery an' tattoos, the me'ia glorifie' fashionistas set the tone for a cultural 'ecay. The lower classes can%t affor' expensive plastic surgery, so they cover themselves in hi'eous tattoos in a pathetic attempt at in'ivi'uality, when they are Dust conforming li,e lemmings to what they are tol' is tren'y. The vain an' narcissistic are too ignorant to reali+e their worship of celebrity an' purchase of the latest fashions in clothes an' Dewelry are the sheep li,e behavior of conformists. The voyeuristic exploitation of chil'ren is ta,en to an extreme in The Hunger )a.es with their terror, suffering an' slaughter televise' for the enDoyment of a bloo' thirsty public. -ur'er as mass entertainment in a reality T; game show format illustrates a truly 'eprave' culture. The =merican T; culture turns news, trage'y, chil'hoo' an' war into morbi' reality T; entertainment. The news, as reporte' by the corporate legacy me'ia, is nothing more than propagan'a generate' by the establishment to support their continue' control over the financial an' governmental levers. It is 'esigne' to 'istract, misinform an' obscure the truth. !hat the news cameras show is not reality an' faca'es are more conse>uential than the truth a &ag the =og worl'. ;irtually half of prime time T; is a stage' voyeuristic 'isplay of moronic triviality, re>uiring no thought an' provi'ing a form of passive se'ation for low IQ imbeciles. The sexual exploitation of chil'ren in shows such as To''lers N Tiaras an' Honey Foo Foo is consi'ere' normal in a thoroughly abnormal society. Television is nothing but show business an' we are amusing ourselves to 'eath, as reveale' by &eil Aostman. ".hen a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby'talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk/ culture'death is a clear possibility." %ei" 1ost.an - >.using Ourse"ves to =eath The Hunger 1ames are televise' an' 'iscusse' incessantly in Aanem%s me'ia, Dust as the pointless Ira> !ar an' faux !ar on Terror are ceaselessly analy+e', evaluate' an' hype' by tal,ing hea's with bleache' teeth, li,e the smarmy "aesar Flic,erman in the Hunger 1ames movie. The *oman gla'iatorial games an' the televise' "(hoc, N =we" of obliterating the city of Fagh'a' with thousan's of cruise missiles are both forms of

barbaric entertainment, with the poor sacrifice' on the altar of entertainment. The ruling parasites have successfully 'ehumani+e' our culture an' turne' real people into commo'ities to be manipulate', use' an' even ,ille' for profit. Their value becomes 'etermine' by how much entertainment they provi'e, an' as such they lose their i'entities as people. *eality television is a form of obDectification. The worl' has become a stage for our "ontrollers, their stage managers on -a'ison =venue an' the mainstream me'ia. "Television is our culture4s principal mode of knowing about itself. Therefore 5 and this is the critical point 5 how television stages the world becomes the model for how the world is properly to be staged. It is not merely that on the television screen entertainment is the metaphor for all discourse. It is that off the screen the same metaphor prevails." %ei" 1ost.an - >.using Ourse"ves to =eath !e%ve spent the last five 'eca'es learning to love our oppression, a'oring our technology, glorying in our 'istaste for rea'ing boo,s, an' wilfully embracing our ignorance. Huxley%s vision of a population, passively sleep wal,ing through lives of self absorption, triviality, 'rug in'uce' gratification, materialism an' irrelevance has come to pass. :nly in the last two 'eca'es has :rwell%s 'ar,er vision of oppression, fear, surveillance, hate an' intimi'ation begun to be implemente' by the ruling parasites. !e%ve become a people controlle' by pleasure an' pain, utili+e' in varying 'egrees by those in power. (tay tune' for our mo'ern 'ay Hunger 1ames after this commercial for your very own .uc, .ynasty "hia Aet. In Aart # of this article May the Odds Ever Be in Your Favor - Hope & Defiance , I%ll a''ress how <'war' (now'en is our moc,ingDay who has ignite' a fire that will lea' to revolution an' the next phase of this Fourth Turning.