Pandora's Box

Today on Episode 10 of Cherry Picking, we address the 'bombshell' of the Pandora Papers dropped on October 3rd, along with Frances Haugen's blowing of the whistle, followed by an honourable mention to the outages of Facebook, Instagram, Facebook messenger, and Whatsapp which caused a loss of billions (though I see stocks are now making a swift recovery, hmmm).
I grew up with a dad who showed me Rocky Balboa clips. I now understand that this was preparation for this truly mean and nasty place that we live in. Articles online, such as those in The Guardian, will slather pictures on their stories covering the news of these leaked documents. Putin and other world leaders pasted on a backdrop of pink skies, paper bills, palm trees, and a great big yellow sun setting behind them.
The reality of these papers is this is not an accurate portrayal of what this money represents. This money represents the endless occupation and assault on Crimea, drug money, war money, stolen money, money withheld from the public, money withheld from our health care system, money that is starving families in 'developing countries, money that is killing our planet, money that is drilling into the core of the earth, sucking its soul out and suffocating our people. This is the money that owns us. And this represents but a fraction of it. I don't really talk about this much in the episode, but this is what is also real.
Mark Zuckerberg and all these people count on us not to care, not to see, not to understand, not to engage. They count on us being hopeless. Don't do that. I promise this episode is a lot less hopeless than this all seems, and I try to make this somewhat understandable. I am still learning too :) that's the point. We all are. But it is of the utmost importance that you at least try to understand.

Cheers,
Alexia
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