It's long been known that capitalism's weakness is a pandemic and war, in both scenarios it requires governments of nations to do the complete opposite to what capitalism states and takes the reigns in order to protect their people.
But what war and a pandemic does highlight is the significant inequality experienced by people more commonly in lower classes and people experiencing poverty and insecure work.
Similar to the US and UK Australia experienced significant case blow outs when people working on contractual basis or casual didn't have the required sick leave or job security to stay home and HAD to work in order to provide food and pay for living expenses.
The devastating impacts were felt as COVID cases continued to spike and transmission rates blew out. In Australia the Government had to step in where businesses were failing to provide for their workers and cover sick leave in order for people to remain home and not spread the virus. You can read the initiative Here
Furthermore, Australian governments were required to also step in and provide cash payments to businesses to ensure they didn't topple over with billions of dollars injected into the Business Support Fund
The banking sector was no where near prepared for the non payment and our federal government had to legislate a pausing of repayments. Which just means compounding interest is worn by the people.
The poorer you were the less support you received and the more at risk you are at contracting and dieing of COVID. The poor are always the ones that suffer the most.
The Subcontinent
None of what we experienced can even relate to the magnitude of the problem in the Subcontinent as many nations around the world rush to shut their boarders to the Subcontinent and it's neighbours.
Due to the Subcontinent's caste system people are born into poverty and have no way of escaping it. Capitalism is mixed with a form of privilege or what I'd say more of a dictator ship.
Dalits are the bottom of that caste system and the average life expectancy of a dalit woman is only 39 years old. Shocking in today's world where the Subcontinent is emerging as an economic power house.
It is in this class that the world finds its largest cohort of Slaves predominantly working in labouring industries void of freedom and no opportunity to excel in life. The Subcontinent enslaves its own people to build wealth for the higher caste members.
At current the Subcontinent has no plans to vaccinate or support people from the Dalit caste system which has caused significant global problems. Many world leaders and nations are commencing a total shut down of the Subcontinent of all flights and transport in and out of the nation.
Other nations are also now planning on vaccinating and providing basic health care to the Dalit class purely because their own government won't. Needless to say alot of nations aren't happy and won't be in the future.
It will be many years before people can fly in or our of the Subcontinent.
Currently Dalits are loading their family members effected by COVID into trollys and pushing them around from hospital to hospital seeking help. But only to be turned down due to their caste.
It is estimated that 140,000 Dalit caste members will die per day until the pandemic has a handle. The Subcontinents own caste system will destroy their nation and economy as Dalits spread new waves of COVID up the caste system and potentially reinfection the world with new strains of COVID. the fear is of creating a super strain.
Again we see where peoples prejudice against their own people have damaging impacts on the world economy and global health. The poor through no fault of their own purely based on where they were born are the ones the greatest to suffer.
Amid a potential crisis with China which may lead to war the world in 2021 is about to change and what we have come to know of it will be rapidly changing.
What are your thoughts?
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