Translation of a June 2012 article by Jorge Majfud (http://www.majfud.org) which ran on Alai-AmLatina (https://www.alainet.org/es/active/55384). Given that a multinational like McDonald's has its workers use "food stamps" (strictly speaking, Supplemental Nutritional Asssistance Program) as reported in such.... radical outlets like The Atlantic & Business Insider (https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/10/instead-living-wage-mcdonalds-tells-workers-sign-food-stamps/309625/ & https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-mcresources-hotline-tells-nancy-salgado-to-get-on-food-stamps-2013-10), I'd say Majfud's piece is close to the mark. If not right on target. This translation is somewhat more "liberal"/"flexible" although I tried to stay as close as possible to the source text. Some phrases that I used such as "Big Business" and "pretty penny" may be more appropriate for American English audiences, which is just as well given the McDonald's-food stamp incident. I originally translated the title as "Unemployment's double game" but I decided to give this upload another title: "The unemployment shell game". "The unemployment scam" works just as well. The broader point still stands. All errors are mine.

1. 1
Unemployment’sdoublegame
By Jorge Majfud(ALAIAMLATINA,June 5, 2012, http://www.majfud.org)
Original text:https://www.alainet.org/es/active/55384
The unemployedandunproductive poorwholiveonstate aidare not,infact, a bad deal forBig
Business.Theynotonlyhelpkeepwagesdown,ashasbeenknownsince the eighteenth(18th
) century
but also,furthermore,are the perfectconsumersinourthings-orientedcivilization.The state aidthat
the unemployedpoorreceive goesdirectlytothe consumptionof basicgoodsor entertainmentand
distraction,whichmeansthatBigBusinesscontinues,evenso,tomake a prettypennyfromtaxpayers.
Of course,everythinghasitsstyle anditsbreakingpoint.
However,thisrealityservesasthe foundationforacritical discussionof aprinciple thathasbecome
acceptable andembeddedwithinthe popularawarenessof the wealthyworld,the productof media
bombardment:While BigBusiness firmsproduce,invariousmeaningsof the word,andgenerate jobs,
the “lazy people”benefitsfromthemviathe state.BigBusinessisthe sacredcow of capitalistprogress
and the state with its“lazy people”are the blightthat’simpedingthe nationaleconomy’sacceleration.
Upon firstglance,it’strue.Thismechanismnotonlymaintainsaculture of idlenessamongthe lowest
classesthatare waitingforthat state aid(whena social securitysystemexistslike the one inthe United
States) butalso,what’smore,feedsthe hatredof the workingclasseswhich mustresignthemselvesto
payingtheirtaxestomarginallymaintainthe unemployed,whoessentiallyamounttoaburdenand also
a permanentthreatof increasedcriminalityandmore prisonexpenses.That’salsomore certainsince it
ismore probable forsomebodywhois“professionallyunemployed”asopposedtoan active workerto
be dedicatedtosome kindof criminal activity.
Thisclass hatredmaintainsthe statusquoand,as a result,moneykeepsflowingfromthe workingclass
to the executive class,amongothermeans,throughthe “unemployedlazypeople”.If these unemployed
were tobe inthe labor circuit,theywouldprobablyconsume lessandwoulddemandbettersalariesand
education. Theywouldbe betterorganizedandtheywouldnotharborsuchresentmentforthose who
getup earlyto go to theirjobs,wouldbe lesssothe victimsof politicallypopulistdemagogy,and
businesssectsthatare definitelythe ownersof capital and,above all,social “know how”—those who
“knowwhy”and “knowwhat” are irrelevant.
To speakof itin a certainway,for somebodywhohastosell anannual minimal amountof tonsof sugar
to the foodindustry,aworkerwouldneverbe a betterchoice thana state-maintainedunemployed
person.Likewise,forbusiness-orientedhealthcare providers.Some recentstudiesindicate thatsugar
consumptioninsoftdrinksisasharmful forthe liverasalcohol consumption. The livermust,insome
way,metabolize the sugar.Ultimately,withoutconsideringchangesinbehavior,it’sthe same as
drinkingwhisky(Nature,Dr.RobertLustig,Universityof California).A Coca-Coladoesnotevenhave the
healthadvantage(s) thatwine has.Nevertheless,inpastyearsthe proportionof sugarand the quantity
each individual consumeshasbeenincreasingthroughoutthe world.This,eventhoughourbodiesonly
had time todeveloptoleranceforfructose,seasonally.Specialistssurmise thatthe increased
consumptionisdue topolitical pressurefromcompaniesinvolvedinthe commercializationof sugar.As
a result,inthe U.S. and manyothercountrieswe have populationsthatare evermore obese andill,
leadingtogreaterprofitsforthe healthindustryandpharmaceutical laboratories.

2. 2
But the logicof late capitalism,whichistoday’sgloballogic,workssimilarly:If there isnoconsumption,
thenthere isno production,withoutwhichthere are noprofits. It’dbe muchhealthierforconsumersif
sellersof fleetinglydelicioussalt-and-sugardrinkswere toattackeachcustomerbefore enteringa
supermarket.Butthis,aswithtax increases,ispoliticallyincorrectandtooeasyto see by consumers.
The general factthat drug addictsrob and murderhonestpeople tobuydrugshasalwayscaught my
attention.Theyneitherrobnorattack the drugsellersthemselves,whichwouldbe amore directand
immediate pathforsomebodydesperate.Butthe answerisobvious:It’salwayseasiertoassaultan
honestworkerthana criminal whoknowsthe rulesof the game (or the layof the land).Generally,the
lastoptionisnearlyimpossible,atleastforanaverage consumer.
The main goal of anybusinessisprofit-makingandall the restare bromidesthatseektolegitimize
somethingthatcan’tbe changedwithina purelycapitalistlogic.Whenthislogicworksflawlessly,it’s
calledprogress.Companiesprogressand,asa result,individualsprogress—towardstheirown
destructionandalienation.
NewYork Cityrecentlyprohibitedthe sale of huge bottlesof soda,allegingthattheystimulated
excessivesugarconsumption.Thistype of measure couldn’tbe taken,notevenproposed,byaprivate
businesswhose aimistosell.Unlessitsellsmineral water.Butin thiscase the explicitprohibitionof one
businessoveranotherwould goagainstthe market’slaws,the reasonforwhichthisstruggle isnormally
producedper[Charles] Darwin’slaws,where the strongerdevourthe weaker.
Onlygovernmentscansetlimits onthe “invisiblehandof the market”.The same happenedwiththe
fightagainsttobacco addiction.Governmentstendtobe infested,inoculatedbybigcorporate lobbies
and beholdentocorporate interests.Butgovernmentsare notmonolithicandtheyrecall theirreasons-
for -beingaccordingtomodernprecepts.Thentheyagree thattheyexistforthe populationandnotthe
otherway around—theyconsequentlyactbyplacingcollective healthoverprofits.
Freedomdidn’tprogressbecauseof businessandfinancial corporationsbutinspite of them.It
progressed throughouthistoryviathose oppressedbythe hegemonicordominantpowersatthe
moment.Centuriesbefore,those powerswere the churchesortotalitarianstates,like the ancientkings
and theiraristocracies,asinthe SovietUnionanditssatellites.Fromvariouscenturiesagountil today,
each time more so,those powersare rootedincorporationswhichpossesspowerinthe formof capital.
Anytruth that comesfrommajor mediasourceswill be directly orsubtlycontrolled—forinstance,
throughself-censorship—bythese bigfirmsthatmaintainthe mediathroughadvertising.The media
alreadycannotsurvive,asinthe nineteenth(19th
) centuryanda majorpart of the twentieth(20th
)
century,onsalesof issues.It’stosay that, eachtime, the majormediaoutlets dependlessandtherefore
are lessbeholdentothe middle andworkingclasses.The digitaleracan one dayreverse thisprocess
but,for now,isolatedindividualsare limitedtoreproducingnewsandsocial narrativesprefabricatedby
bigmediaoutletsthatbasicallyliveonadvertisingfromlarge businessesandcorporations.Inother
words,social superegos.Control isindirect,subtle,andrelentless.Anythingthatgoesagainst
advertisers’interestswillmeanthe withdrawal of capital and,finally,the stagnationandendof those
mediaoutlets,whichwill leave avacuumforothersto fill in—toplay the role of marionettes.
Withsome exceptions,neitherthe poornorworkerscan establishlobbiesinparliaments.During
elections,corporationsare the onesthatcan put inthe billionstoelectone candidate orthe other.
None of the candidateswill questionthe fundamental realitythatsupportsthe existenceof thislogicbut
any one of themwill be electedsoonerorlaterand will be boundtotheirpromiseswhentheyassume

3. 3
powerandthey’ll have torespondinkind:nobusiness,nolobby,putsinmillionsof dollarssomeplace
withoutconsideringitasan investment. Itwouldbe amoral investmentif theydonatedtofindhunger
inAfrica—“whatisleftover”asJesus[Christ] wouldsayinreference tothe charityof the wealthy.If
theydonate to a presidential candidate,itwouldobviouslybe aninvestmentof anothersort.
The disproportionate powerof these corporations,muchsecretordiscrete,isthe worstattack against
democracyinthe world.Butfewcan say thatwithoutbeingtaggedas“idiots”.Orestablishment
spokespersonswill appearinsome majormediabecause anymediathatpridesitself on democracywill
have to pay a tax forits hegemony,permittingthe leakageof some trulycritical opinions.Theyare,of
course,exceptionsandtheywill enterintoconflictwithapublicaccustomedtothe dailysermon(s) that
supportthe opposite viewpoint.It’stosaythat theywill be understoodasthe childishproductsof those
whodon’tknow“how the worldworks”and defendthe “lazyunemployed”wholiveoff the state while
livingoff of andcastigatingthe mostsuccessful bigbusinesses.Aboveall in timesof crisis,the state
“punishes”[BigBusiness] withtax reductions,unendingcredit,andlimitlessbailouts.
Since the lastgreat crisisof 2008 in the U.S.,for instance,bigbusinessesandcorporationshave not
stoppedincreasingtheirprofits while job(s)reductionhasbeenweakanda warhorse forpolitical
opposition.The economistswhoare mostconsultedbythe majormediarefertothisas“increased
productivity”,whichistosaythat fewerworkersobtaingreaterbenefits.The workerswhoare “left
over”endup inthe sphere of the accursedstate that mustensure that—althoughdemoralized or
[precisely] becauseof that—theykeepconsumingwithmoneyfromthe middleclasstoincrease ever
more so the profitsof the merchants[whoserve] the dominantelites.These merchants,whogetoutof
payingsalariesbutcan’trefrainfromselling tothese “superfluous”workersthe same trinkets,the same
sugarysodas,and the same saltedchips.These merchants,who’llwitnessthe ever-increasing
augmentationof the effectiveness,productivity,andprofitsof theiradmirablysuccessful businesses.
We maycall thisentire perversemechanism“unemployment’sdoublegame”or“the miraclesof
financial crises”.