Organized Religion and the āAmerican Dreamā
Karl Marx and Napoleon Bonaparte ? Nope. No obvious similarities that jump out and smack you in the face about those two. In fact theyāre as unlikely a pairing as something like āorganized religionā and āThe American Dreamā. But wait ..
Whatever their other differences I think Marx and Napoleon might have agreed on one thing at least. Religion. Marx called it the āopium of the peopleā while Napoleon is said to have observed that āReligion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet,ā adding that it is āwhat keeps the poor from murdering the rich.āĀ One could argue (and many have) that throughout history and across nations, organized religion has been used as a means of control by the ruling classes. The poor have been conned into passive acceptance of the status quo, meekly putting up with oppression and a diet of crumbs from the tables of the rich here on earth in return for a promise of cake in the hereafter.
Which, some might say, is pretty much the function of the āAmerican Dreamā promising millions that one day, in some misty future, they too can enter a gold-encrusted heaven on earth if they just work hard enough and have faith in capitalism. It is a cleverly-marketed fantasy that keeps 99% of the population vainly hoping for better and prevents the social and political upheaval demands for real fairness and equality would bring. George Carlin nailed the reality when he said āThe owners of this country know the truthā¦ itās called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it!ā
The odds that large numbers of the poor will ever actually achieve the glittering rewards of the capitalist heaven on earth dangled before them by the āAmerican Dreamā are probably not as good as winning the jackpot in a national lottery or being abducted by aliens. Not surprising because, like a lottery, every winner requires an awful lot of losers. Social mobility (fundamental to the āAmerican Dreamā) is worse than in many other western nations and the barriers of privilege are built high. There is no level playing field of opportunity. For most the āAmerican Dreamā is the promise of a better tomorrow that never seems to come.
Still, for the smart and unscrupulous thereās always been one commodity you can peddle to people, however poor they may be, and thatās the illusion of hope.
(cartoon by Monte Wolverton)
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