Writing from the UK but I believe this applies worldwide in some aspect.
Living in this cost of living crisis is horrific, there's no question that rising prices and stagnating wages is a problem of which we're not prepared to face as a society. But the most terrifying aspect of ALL of this is our leaders' unwavering commitment to doing absolutely the bare minimum to help us out.
Here in the UK, our government has given out tiny grants to the poorest in society (of which the COLC is hitting hard – I am not saying this help is a bad thing), but it is not enough. A £150 rebate on council tax is not enough, when the average council tax bill has risen way above that, at least in my area.
A credit against out energy bills – my bill went from £140 a month to over £330, that credit covers one month, what do I do for the rest of the year? I work 65 hours a week, I claim state benefits just so we can stay afloat. Our rent is below market average and is due to rise considerably next year.
This is hitting EVERYONE, and it finally dawned on my the other day that it's all just a test, it's a test to see how far we are willing to push ourselves before we break, how far we can be punished before the polls dip. 40 hour work week? Not for long, soon it'll be recommended you work 65 hours, you've all proven you're willing to do it to make ends meet, so as long as the scarcity is the way it is, it's within corporate (and therefor – our government's) interests to boost productivity.
It's a perfect way around having to pay minimum wage, you force your workers to HAVE to work more to gain the same value from their labor. It's genius, really. It's also a fantastic way to kill off small business, force everyone into a select number of ultra-rich companies that can afford to take the hit. Lesser amounts of small business = room for expansion for the larger companies.
We'll be forced to work more and more for less and less until our leaders feel their power is at risk, THEN they will put a freeze on it all, keep prices frozen, prevent inflation from spiralling out of control, they'll look like heroes, preventing a catastrophic financial collapse in the brink of time. The repayment for this? We have to work 70 hour weeks for a pittance, we have to spend every penny we earn on rent, groceries, utilities. Pray you don't miss an hour of work, otherwise your own numbers won't balance and you'll be a slave to debt.
Those who can afford the current crisis are the ones who will prevail in it. The working person, your neighbours, family and coworkers are going to be milked for every ounce of productivity they have, we're not people in the eyes of corporate, or our governments, we're tools to be used to serve the few.
I'm quite young, with a family to provide for, I will never feel prosperity, I will never own a home of my own, I could never afford to start my own business, or rent out a place to start my own business, I will never have a penny to give to my kids in inheritance, I can never afford to save anything away, I will never be able to afford to go on holiday, so any time I get off work is just a time I spend sat around whilst my own work load increases so I have a mountain of tasks when I return.
I'm already somewhat dead inside and disenfranchised by all of it, every time I see a right wing rag saying how amazing it all is I just feel utter sorrow for the poor old man who buys it, everyone is misinformed and votes against their own interests at the behest of the 0.1% who controls it all. We're all slaves to Murdoch, and those who aren't are made the enemy by Murdoch (look at Corbyn).
Division is profitable, worker exploitation is profitable, forcing consumers to pay the absolute most they can for the smallest of commodities is profitable. So long as you have headroom in your finances, they will try to siphon as much of that away as they can.
I sound so conspiratorial in this post and I'm concerned that's how I come across, I'm not mentally ill, I'm not stupid, I'm just disenfranchised and this is the only real way I can logically rationalise the current situation.