The knight in the big world of American TV series

Chapter 2312

Although, in fact, the destruction and disasters of those planets were not directly related to Gel; he was not the murderer.

But the truth is, he disrupted the original balanced order!
The world under the Pantheon's rule, while somewhat harsh, wasn't so devastating that mortals couldn't survive. To put it bluntly, the Pantheon was like a colonizer; though cruel, it had practical needs. Colonizers, besides resources, also needed manpower and markets!

Therefore, colonists rarely wiped out the local population entirely, because this would deprive them of the human resources and markets they needed to generate profits... This is what is known as the colonial economic system.

Colonial economy refers to an economic form formed during colonial rule when a mother country, for its own benefit, engages in economic plunder and control of its colonies. It is the concrete manifestation of colonialism in the economic sphere, profoundly impacting the economic development and social structure of both colonies and the mother country. A single-sector economic structure is one of the key characteristics of a colonial economy. Colonies were often forced to focus on the production and export of a single or a few primary products, such as agricultural products (rubber, coffee, cotton, etc.) or mineral products (gold, diamonds, copper, etc.). This was because the mother country, in order to meet its own industrial production needs, forced colonies to develop specific industries, neglecting the development of other economic sectors. This single-sector economic structure made the colonial economy heavily dependent on the price fluctuations of these primary products on the international market; once prices fell, the colonial economy would suffer a severe blow. For example, in some African colonies, large amounts of land were used to grow cash crops such as rubber, severely impacting food production and leading to food shortages, forcing reliance on imports.

Trade inequality was also a prominent feature of colonial economies. Under the colonial economic system, trade between colonies and the mother country was unequal. Colonies primarily exported primary products while importing manufactured goods from the mother country. Due to the low added value of primary products and the high added value of manufactured goods, colonies were at a disadvantage in trade and suffered from a persistent trade deficit. Simultaneously, the mother country restricted industrial development in colonies through trade policies and tariff barriers, ensuring that colonies remained markets for its industrial products and sources of raw materials. For example, during British colonial rule in India, the traditional textile industry suffered a severe blow; large quantities of Indian textiles were subject to high tariffs, while British textiles could freely enter the Indian market.

The predatory nature of capital cannot be ignored. Mother countries plundered capital from their colonies through various means, including direct investment, loans, and taxation. Enterprises invested and built by the mother country in the colonies often controlled key economic sectors, reaping huge profits which were then transferred back to the mother country. Furthermore, the mother country provided high-interest loans to the colonies, further exacerbating their economic burden. For example, in some Latin American countries during the colonial period, vast amounts of land and resources were controlled by foreign capital, severely hindering their economic development.

Of course, the Pantheon is a little different.

After all, they don't really need to sell their products to ordinary people... which is much more cruel than the colonists.

They simply package up the wealth created by mortals along with the last remaining value of those mortals and sell it to others... They are a huge middleman organization.

Even so, they still need mortals. No matter how much the Pantheon despises the lowliness of mortals, the fact remains that they cannot live without them. They will guarantee the basic survival rights of mortals, and although they will harvest regularly, like livestock farmers, they will not cut off the roots.

But those cosmic hyenas had no such awareness whatsoever.

Of course, if they were to develop into colonists, they might consider this.

But the problem is, they aren't!
They were pirates.

Therefore, they want to maximize their profits.

The Pantheon has lost too many gods, making it impossible for them to allocate manpower to defend those worlds that have lost their guardians... or more likely, they are unwilling.

After all, as long as they defend their own territory, their own interests will not be harmed.

Why fight to the death for someone else's territory?
Although they were just pirates, the gods' selfishness had reached a certain point. They were all fat and complacent, and naturally they were unwilling to do their part to protect so-called mortals.

Therefore, these sins were inexplicably attributed to Ger.

Of course, many people don't think that Gorgon was wrong, since if he hadn't gone mad, the current catastrophe wouldn't have happened.

Sif used to think that way too, but now that she's not on Sif's side, she naturally doesn't agree.

"Ha! Aren't those people's deaths the Pantheon's fault? They can't even protect their own believers and people, yet they blame others? Besides, weren't those things done by those pirates? Why doesn't anyone blame those pirates?"

Sif coldly questioned her brother.

Actually, this is a very common phenomenon: our inherent expectations of each person are different.

Just as a model student who consistently gets perfect scores is criticized when they suddenly score in the 80s, while a student who usually scores in the single digits is praised by the whole family when they suddenly pass, the phenomenon of "a good person being completely negated after doing one bad thing" illustrates that our expectation of a "good person" is to consistently maintain kindness and integrity. When this person suddenly does something bad that is inconsistent with their usual image, this contrast shocks and disappoints people, easily leading to a biased evaluation of the person and the perception that they are no longer a "good person." Furthermore, people tend to remember and amplify a person's negative behavior more easily because negative information is more attractive and impactful. Conversely, the situation where "a bad person repents after doing one good deed" arises because our expectations of "bad people" are often negative. When this person suddenly does something good, this positive change breaks our preconceived notions, making us more likely to accept and amplify this change.

We are also more likely to be tolerant and have higher expectations of those who are willing to change and improve.

To put it bluntly, it's just damn arrogance and prejudice!

To be honest, Sif now understands that arrogance and prejudice very well.

Because she herself is one of them!
No one will consider Geer to be an equal member!
That's right.

Sif used to think the same way.

What was the initial news she received?

Gel was a mortal who resented the gods because of what happened to his family, so he began to kill the gods to vent his anger!

Is this true?

Is the truth!
But not all?

of course not!

But Sif always thought that was everything.

In her view, how could mortals and gods be equal?

This is a classic example of a subordinate overthrowing a superior!
Even though Sif and the other Asgardians disliked the Pantheon, on this point they instinctively sided with Gol.

Gel is a madman.

This is their consensus.

Because he brought unparalleled disaster.

But actually?
Gol only killed some gods, those pantheon gods whom even Asgard despised.

What else did he do?
No!

He did not slaughter any planet, nor did he harm the suffering mortals.

Who is truly responsible for the suffering of ordinary people?
It's the Pantheon, it's pirates.

But why wasn't the Pantheon condemned, and why didn't anyone stop the pirates?
Ironically, Ger, who had not committed any crime, bore the greatest blame.

Sif hadn't thought there was anything wrong with this before.

Now Sif just felt... this was incredibly stupid!

Of course, Sif didn't quite understand what this was.

If she were on Earth and had some exposure to the knowledge of Das Kapital, she could have come to a conclusion.

That is, 'there are only individuals who betray their class, not classes that betray their class.'

I won't say more about these things, because if I say too much, I'm afraid this chapter will be banned again.

So let's take a less sensitive example.

Donglin Party!
This thing wasn't initially so disastrous for the country and its people.

But what they did was far more deadly than those so-called eunuchs and treacherous officials.

Faced with the thriving gentry and bureaucratic class after the major reforms, Emperor Wanli chose passive avoidance, believing that he could still get by if the country remained peaceful. However, during Wanli's reign, the Earth was experiencing a mini ice age, leading to a significant reduction in grain production in North China. Furthermore, the "Three Great Campaigns of Wanli" were protracted and costly wars, straining the central government's finances. Wanli could only maintain the country's operation by targeting the gentry's coffers. The Jiangnan region, wealthy and industrially developed, was the gentry's stronghold. Wanli's attempt to levy taxes on industry and commerce met with strong resistance from the bureaucracy, preventing the policy from passing. He then resorted to using eunuchs to collect mining and commercial taxes under the pretext of expanding the imperial treasury. This forceful implementation harmed a group of vested interests. As the economic foundation of the gentry, they naturally spoke out for their interests, leading to the formation of the early Donglin Party. Under the guise of satirizing the government and criticizing officials, they actually protected landlords and gentry, and advocated for the profits of wealthy merchants.

We do not deny that there were those in the Donglin Party who were compassionate and farsighted, but in the surging tide of history, individual choices are often uncertain. One person may feel that their actions represent only personal desires, but countless individuals with similar aspirations have, in fact, shaped unpredictable historical developments. The factional struggles at the end of the Ming Dynasty are similar; we see a series of figures, each representing loyalty, treachery, good, and evil, but behind them all lie the pursuit of class interests. After all, there are only individuals who betray their class, not classes that betray their interests.

By the Tianqi reign, social contradictions had intensified. The Donglin Party members, acting as representatives of the powerful landowners and merchants of Jiangnan, were driven by blind capitalism and turned a blind eye to the tragic plight of famine victims at the end of the Ming Dynasty, vehemently obstructing tax collection and relief efforts. Furthermore, the gentry class of Shanxi (with its developed mining industry) became a major force in tax resistance, sharing the same hatred as the Donglin Party and becoming their political allies. This political alliance outside the autocratic imperial system was absolutely intolerable to the imperial power, and Tianqi had to crush it.

Outside of Shanxi and the Donglin Party, a new political alliance led by Wei Zhongxian was established to counterbalance the Donglin Party. In other regions, the gentry class mainly consisted of the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions, all agriculturally developed areas at the time. Key figures like Wei Zhongxian and Xu Xianchun came from agricultural families in North China. Representing the power of the central government and the interests of local peasants, they ruthlessly suppressed the Donglin Party and confiscated their property. This is what we call "eunuch power grabs," but it was merely a tactic employed by Emperor Tianqi. Tianqi was a wise emperor; he wouldn't personally confront the ruling class. Wang Mang and Yang Guang served as cautionary tales. Once an emperor showed a willingness to break with the ruling class, the ruling class would fight to the death, igniting widespread chaos. Tianqi, seemingly unaware of this, retreated into the palace, while utilizing eunuchs and officials with differing interests from the Donglin Party to gradually eliminate them while consolidating the unified empire. Thus, a pattern emerged in the late Ming Dynasty: the weaker the Donglin Party, the more victories the Ming army won against foreign powers, and the fuller the national treasury became. In the later years of the Tianqi Emperor's reign, the situation of the Later Jin Dynasty was extremely precarious, and the central government of the Ming Dynasty regained its cohesion. However, after the Tianqi Emperor's death, his successor, the Chongzhen Emperor, was inexperienced in worldly affairs and was never groomed as a successor, ultimately leading the Ming Dynasty to its demise.

Even though Sif was a member of the Donglin Party before, she had no idea about the specifics.

Even though she loathed the Pantheon as a "foreign barbarian," she inexplicably sided with the Pantheon in her attitude towards Gel, the "peasant rebels."

Even Heimdall was not free from this constraint.

It is actually very difficult for a person to completely get rid of their class identity!
That's why those revolutionary leaders were so great—because they abandoned their preconceived notions, viewed the world from a broader perspective, and were willing to give everything for it!
"He killed the people of Asgard! He's the enemy! Is this how you treat Asgard?"

Heimdall was even angrier than Sif.

No matter how miserable Ger was, there is one thing that cannot be denied.

That means Gol is a murderer who killed many Asgardians!

What Sif is doing now is undoubtedly betrayal!