The economy – are you willing to die for it?

Dear Editor,
We’ve heard a lot about how important it is to re-open the economy - get people back to work. This, from people who are safely sequestered far from the world of actual work. Those who own huge meat packing plants, those who ‘own’ thousands of minimum-wage workers; workers who will be at risk if distancing sanctions are lifted too quickly. That’s who owns the economy, the actual religion of western civilization. 
Our society has done very well in the 3rd-dimensional realm, having conquered all the continents except one, obliterating small-time cultures and populations, in favour of a world-wide system of wage slavery, for the convenience of the lucky few.
The slogan of ‘bring back the manufacturing jobs’ is phoney and empty. Look around your house, and find a consumer item that was made in North America. OK, get back to me in a couple of weeks, if you find such a thing.
We, the consumer society, have traded part of our souls for a wide-screen tv in every room, plus two or three that quit working as soon as the warranty expired. As Stompin’ Tom so presciently sang; “The consumer, they call us, we’ll get an even break, grabbing up the bargains in the good old marketplace…and we’ll save a lot of money, spending money we don’t got.” 
So Jeff Bezos, the head of Amazon.com, in line to become the first trillionaire,  packs his workers in tightly, and makes them work tirelessly, filling orders in huge  warehouses. The workers or their families may get sick while he gets richer. Don’t worry - those jobs are soon going to robots and the workers can take unpaid sick leave for the rest of their lives. But it’s really convenient for the consumers, and I admit, I have been one of those beneficiaries. 
So what can we do, in the face of this gloomy scenario? Spend your time having quality interactions with your real-life people, and spend your money on things that you really want to have and keep.
Don’t bother holding grudges against a world of people who are in the same boat as you are. There are billionaires in China, too, and they bribe their minions to produce the trinkets that Amazon sells you. The same system that forces Wuhan peasants to eat bats and pangolins, forces poor folks here to eat dog food. So, that’s The Economy; is it that great, that people all over the world should suffer for it? Is that the great system to which you owe fealty, and perhaps your life? Now would be a good time for us all to ponder those questions, before we jump back into ‘business as usual’. 

Robert Wills
Shawville and Thorne