We used to produce. Now we borrow. And by signing away our rights, those who create value no longer call the shots."
Working for years in commerce and design, I saw the same pattern everywhere: those who make, produce, and work... are always at the bottom. In every sector. At every level.
But how is it possible that those who create real goods can no longer support themselves, while those who merely move numbers on the stock market amass fortunes?
The answer is brutal but simple: finance has seized power. And it did so gradually, without us even noticing.
🏛️ 1. From the real economy to the fake (but powerful) economy
Economy used to be based on barter, then on production. Artisans, merchants, builders, and farmers played a central role: they traded real, necessary goods.
Then came money as a tool, and that was fine. But at some point, money stopped being a means... and became the end.
And finally: debt.
Today, the economy runs on loans.
Every home, business, university, family—even the state—exists only if it can repay a debt.
Power no longer belongs to those who build a road. It belongs to those who finance the mortgage on that road.
🏦 2. When the bank defeated the business
The first modern banks were founded to help commerce.
Then they realized one thing: those who lend call the shots.
So they went from being support tools to masters of the game.
With the help of regulations, lobbying, derivatives, and speculation, they turned credit into a systemic weapon of power.
Producing value was no longer necessary: it was enough to move money.
The result?
Real business can no longer survive because:
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it pays interest
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it has to repay debts
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it cannot compete with the returns of finance
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it is crushed by costs, taxes, and artificial competition
📉 3. The real economy is no longer sustainable
On the surface, the world keeps working. But look closer:
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farmers are closing down
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shopkeepers are going bankrupt
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designers are becoming content creators
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professionals cannot afford their social security contributions
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young people are doing “hybrid” jobs that no one recognizes
Real production costs too much and yields too little.
By comparison, a single click on the stock market can yield millions.
Those who create are crushed.
Those who move numbers call the shots.
🧠 4. None of this is an accident: it is by design
Finance has replaced the nobility, the bourgeoisie, and industry.
It is the new elite. Invisible, but everywhere.
There is no longer any social mobility because:
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credit does not reward those who are talented, but those who already own
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debt slows every ascent
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money is created out of nothing, but only for a few
So, the people work, and the elite multiply numbers.
Two separate worlds. And the first must always chase the second.
🧯 5. So, what now?
We need to open our eyes:
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You are not poor because you do not work hard enough.
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You are poor because work is no longer paid as well as finance.
The first step is not to fall into self-blame, but to understand the mechanism.
The second is to build networks: economic, cultural, local.
Where value comes not only from what you sell, but from what you truly build.
🪞 But why are we talking about this here
SRDN Backstage Society was founded for this very reason:
to restore dignity to real work, design, and material culture.
Because today—in a world where power is bought with debt—speaking plainly is already a revolutionary act.