Durational, Site-Specific Performance, 9:12

A seventy-two hour solo performance, dealing with economic inequality, by St. John McKay (Smith).

(This is in the ‘We’re all in the Same Bucket’ series, each dealing with a particular human concern.)

'MAIN' ST. VS 'WALL' ST.

"There's enough for everybody's need in the world, but not enough for their greed."
- Gandhi

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.
- Benjamin Franklin (the man on the US $100 bill)

8 men own more wealth than the poorest half of the world owns collectively.

It would take a counter worker at Starbucks or McDonald's six months work, full time, to make what the CEO of either of these companies makes in a single hour.

The yearly bonuses given out on Wall St are equal to double what all the minimum wage earners make in the rest of the country over the year, combined. Just the bonuses.

Millions round the world go to bed hungry every night while societies throw away almost half of their food.

Fuck that.

Yes, by some ways of measuring we humans of today may arguably be in a better place than ever in our short history on this planet, but, man oh man, does it still suck for most. And inequality is a big part of it. The thing is, there's enough for EVERYONE, every single human, to have plenty, PLENTY, much more than needed to be happy and fulfilled, AND STILL there'd be enough so the rich and powerful can be really, really, really rich, and really, really, really powerful. The rest of us don't want much, not much at all. We are not consumed with materialism and lust for power. But, as one chap from Pakistan said to me the other day, 'The wealthy just want to be gods.'

But, aren't gods meant to be merciful? They want their disciples to be content, they understand their happiness depends on the happiness of those below, as they are in an ecosystem. Surely they know that making the common people so utterly desperate only leads to the Visigoths and the pitchforks and the guillotine?

But, as history shows, greed turns all gods into bastards.

A COUPLE OF LINKS TO THINGS TO WATCH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPmg0R1M04&t=11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnrBQEAM3rE&t=10s

CREDITS

performer/editor/camera day 0-1
ST. JOHN MCKAY (SMITH)
camera day 3
SHEILA LOBO
camera day 2
JESSICA KINGDON
additional footage day 2
KRISTIN ARNESAN
featuring
ERIC THE PAINTER
DAVE THE LIMO DRIVER
thanks
LORRAINE GLOVER
VICTORIA MONTE
KIMBERLY 'KC' CAMACHO
RYAN HOWE
JAKE COSDEN
THE PEANUT LADY
NIINA VUOLAJARVI

dedicated to
KAYLA THOMAS