Is it too far-fetched to say that there is an unacknowledged underclass in America? I refer to Savers. The entire political and economic system is set up to punish them, steal from them. Even in normal times the Federal Reserve manipulates interest rates to be less than the real inflation rate. The Federal government lies about the inflation rate of course. All the goodies go to the majority, the Debtors.

And yet, this underclass won't riot tomorrow. Idealistic students won't hold candlelight vigils to dramatize the injustices carried out against them. "Bernanke versus the American Saver" isn't on the docket of the Supreme Court, in its next session.

I am making an absurd comparison between Savers, the unterMensch of modern America, with the Nazi's Jews. Think for a moment about Star Trek: the Next Generation: how would the comparison look to one of the Federation's (hidden) observers, who used to land on strange planets and hide in a high-tech duck blind to observe the natives.

Before the Great War, they would have seen Germany as one of the most civilized nations of the world, from the viewpoint of literacy, philosophy, science, their university system, music, and technology. There were Jews who excelled and became prominent in those fields. The Federation's observer might have concluded that Germany's Jews were model citizens. Germany should have been proud of its Jews.

Of course their religion was different. But how long had it been since Jews seriously worshiped JWVH or EL? Didn't they really worship Being-Jewish more than anything else? Later, when Nazism took over, Germans became obsessed with nationalism, tribalism, ethnocentrism. In a weird sort of way, the Germans had learned to become good Jews. And yet the Enormity happened.

In contrast, Savers in America hold values that are deeply repulsive to the majority. There is one god, Easy Credit, and Keynes is his prophet. The religion of Debt is defended by an established church, the Federal Reserve system. It has a high priest, Ben Bernanke. Savers are heretics, infidels, un-American.

But instead of inflicting overt cruelty on this subversive minority, the Debt Culture merely confiscates the wealth of this despicable underclass, and slowly but surely, reduces them to poverty. They are told to walk in the gutter, and they meekly obey.
OK maybe these last two posts were silly mind-wanderings. But it was constructive for me, at least, in helping me to enjoy another of Polanski's masterpieces.