March 16, 2022

On Soaring Gas Prices & Neo-Authoritarianism

Vancouver Russian Community Centre vandalized with blue and yellow paint. It shouldn’t have to be said that millions of Russians are against this war. It shouldn’t have to be said that you can stand with the people of Russia and the people of Ukraine at the same time. Alas, this is the problem with liberalism: it distills all global systems of power relations down to the individual. In this, it promotes the rise of neo-authoritarianism and all its hyper-individualism. It has no desire to see beyond nationalistic jingoism and the fog of war.

It’s like 9/11 when all historical antecedents were immediately erased. We can’t call this war unprovoked. Taking a stand against Putin and NATO intervention shouldn’t be controversial, but it is. Saying that sanctions as a weapon hurts the Russian people and can have unintended economic blowback in the West shouldn’t be controversial. Pointing to the hypocrisy of the West in its refusal to sanction Saudi Arabia for its invasion of Yemen isn’t “whataboutism”, it’s realism.

It’s why you feel guilty for taking a second shower while about 100 corporations are responsible for 70% of GHG emissions. It’s why we blame poor people for being poor. It’s why the trucker convoy is so inherently selfish and completely disregards the neoliberal foundations of their own disenfranchisement. It’s why we invoke the Emergencies Act to counter extremism in this country, but are happy to send mercenaries to fight alongside Neo-Nazis. It’s why our deputy PM condemns the far right, but proudly holds up one of their banners.

It’s why we performatively dump out vodka but complain about gas prices. Or worse yet, actually put a price on a Ukrainian life (Jody Vance pegs it around $10/litre). While it might be fun to mock dudes who just bought a 2022 Dodge Ram complaining about gas prices, it will only hurt workers and lead to rising food prices: B.C. taxi industry calls for relief amid record-breaking gas prices.

But with all the talk about gas prices and with Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney freezing gas taxes, how is barely anyone talking about soaring profits. And what about the part where high gas prices are good? Gas taxes pay for transit and get people out of their cars. I’m sure nobody wants to hear that either.

Meanwhile:

Fun fact: The very next day after Jason Kenney declared that he was going to temporarily eliminate the province’s thirteen cents per liter gasoline tax, gas stations in Lethbridge Alberta raised their prices by fifteen cents per litre.

Good thing we’re welcoming cruise ships back with open arms [sigh]: Cruise ships will return to B.C. in April, following new federal COVID-19 guidelines. I guess this is good for tourism, seeing as how that’s basically our only industry other than exporting huge amounts of dirty coal and tearing down old-growth forests.

You know what’s bad for tourism though? Vancouver is predicted to be one of the first cities underwater. I can’t wait for the Gastown Venetian Gondola Company.

This is probably also bad for housing. And no, Ben Shapiro, we can’t just sell our underwater condos and move. Hey, you know what’s also bad for housing? (Oh god, he’s going to say “the war”, isn’t he?) The war! BMO Economics says Russia-Ukraine war has Canadian housing “caught in crossfire”. Oh, and when I say “bad”, I only mean the people who are invested in the idea that house prices must never fall, which I guess includes all of us since the Bank of Canada is so heavily invested in subprime debt that our economy will crumble. Hooray!

So what do we do? Seize the wealth of oligarchs! And by oligarchs, I’m talking about Jimmy Pattison and Chip Wilson. And these guys: TED conference returning to Vancouver; speakers include Gore, Gates, Musk. Who wants to have a “tax the rich” party outside the convention centre?

 

This article is part of a longer text by the author as part of Sean Orr’s regular column for Vancouver’s Scout Magazine online and has been republished here with his permission.

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