From the Real World down to our Level

In David Harvey. A Brief History of Neoliberalism, he states that: "According to theory, the neoliberal state should favour strong individual private property rights, the rule of law, and the institutions of freely functioning markets and free trade." The rights of the people to obtain their share of the wealth in the economy are something they shouldn’t have to fight for. In the pyramid of capitalism, it’s supposed to have a large group of individuals who are owners and there is a small amount of labor. While it sounds nice in theory, the possibility of that happening in real life is nearly impossible.

There are too many ins and outs for companies to make money rather than bring it back to the masses. The jobs are sent to outside of the country and foreigners do the labor for a much lower cost. This allows companies to make a bigger profit but at the same time, there are fewer jobs for individuals in their country.

It doesn’t even need to be outside the country. When migrants enter the country, they are often willing to work for much less than what others will. Companies exploit their weakness and need to money. The “Trickle down theory” isn’t going to happen.

In our current culture, there is a great emphasis on owning your own property. “Be a man and own things!” Nevermind that being a “male” has nothing to do with anything. There is an assumption that you aren’t independent if you don’t have your own home. With America being the country of the “free”, the pressure to be “all that you can be is heavy upon people’s shoulders. This sort of thought process is engrained in the minds of the people. It’s even seen in games that their children play.

The popular game “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” is a Nintendo 3DS game where the player assumes position of being the mayor of a town. When he moves in, he or she is to find a location to build their home. Now this sounds cute but as you continue, you realize there are many very adult aspects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTGq-zA2l80 

The very first home you get is a tent. For the low price of 10,000 bells (the currency), you get this humble abode.  It’s literally just a room with a lamp (which you receive as a present). If you want to actually have a real house, you have to go to the mall center and Nook Homes building to pay off a down payment of 39,800 bells.

The play must balance the responsibilities of the upkeep of the town while slowly making money through selling items (which can be found randomly or in events) in order to expand their home. With each expansion, either the rooms become larger or there are added rooms to the house.

 The first expansion after having Nook build your home is 98,000 bells. The rooms are bigger and the exterior has changed.

The second expansion is 198,000 bells. The price is rising and the player is looking to make aesthetic changes as well. What follows is the second floor expansion of 298,000 bells. There isn't any exterior change to the house. However, once the player has reached this level, Nook offers the player the possibility of building side rooms for the floors and a basement. Each room can be expanded as well. Along with the expansions, players are allowed to decorate their houses with furniture, wallpapers, floorings, roofing, outside wall designs, and many other superficial designs.

The player is given an incentive of making their house look nice; the Happy Homes Academy investigates the home (in the wee morning hours) and gives it points and a rating. With better ratings, more designs are made available and they also give awards for reaching certain levels.

This whole situation can be related to real life. How people are expected to make money to obtain their own home. Then there's the aspect of maintaining their home and even expanding it.