Reminder: Billionaires Cannot Save Us.
by Liz Jansen, Executive Director
As I was walking home from daycare dropoff yesterday, I caught myself imagining, yet again, what I’d do if I had Jeff Bezos’ money. I saw a meme about the $42 MILLION dollar clock that he bought and went down this mental path, thinking about how much money he has and how many problems he could solve, but doesn’t. I then went down my holier-than-thou path, imagining how different I’d be, how benevolent I’d be, how I’d somehow be the one person in the world who isn’t corrupted by a level of wealth I can’t even conceptualize.
I eventually started to reflect on the chokehold these billionaires have on us, even our imagination. Their wealth has created such an imbalance and such inequity that it often seems like they’re the only ones who can solve the problems they created! But we know this isn’t true. Jeff Bezos isn’t investing in anything other than his own ego. He doesn’t care about us; he doesn’t care about our city. The only time he, and people like him, pretend to care about Chicago is when they want to exploit our labor. We know that the type of person who spends $42 MILLION dollars on a fucking clock is not a serious person, is not someone who can be relied on for anything beyond representing the absolute worst of an already shitty capitalist system.
I’m not trying to romanticize poverty or the harsh reality and unsustainable grind that so many people and community groups face–making something out of nothing over and over again. I’m reminding us, reminding myself, that we are the ones investing in our city. We are the ones helping it grow, helping it thrive, helping it be the very best version of itself. It has always been and will always be the educators, the organizers, the artists, the healers, the community that makes our world a more just, more compassionate place.
As we reflect on the past year, plan for the year ahead, and dream about a brighter future, may we let this knowledge guide our actions, our beliefs, and our imaginations.
