Why the Oldest Economic Trick Still Hurts the Very People it Claims to Protect
By Roshan Jayasinghe
Tariffs – They sound official. Strategic. Patriotic and even. For decades, maybe centuries, we’ve been told they’re necessary to “protect” us.
But what if that’s the biggest lie of all?
Because behind the headlines and political speeches, tariffs aren’t really about protection. They’re about power. control and manipulation.
And the people paying the price? Yes, It’s us.
Tariffs Sound Like a Shield. But They Act Like a Cage
Here’s the official story: tariffs are taxes on imported goods, meant to protect local industries and raise revenue for the country. Seems simple enough, right?
But scratch the surface, and it gets murkier.
What tariffs really do is wall off the market. They reduce competition, inflate prices and hand power to the few who already hold it. They don’t make our industries stronger, they make them lazy, protected and entitled.
Meanwhile, you, the everyday citizen end up paying more for less.
Who Really Pays? – We Do.
Let’s get real: tariffs don’t hit foreign companies.They hit your grocery bill. Your fuel tank. Your cost of living.
When imports become more expensive, local producers no longer feel pressure to innovate or improve. Why bother, when the competition is blocked? And just like that, the consumer becomes the one funding this false sense of “protection.”
And it doesn’t hit everyone equally? – Not really.
The wealthy maneuver around it whilst the poor and middle class, they feel every cent.
It’s not just bad policy. It’s regressive economics dressed up in patriotic clothing.
Tariffs Are the Oldest Political Trick in the Book
Here’s something history keeps repeating: When a leader’s approval drops or the economy stumbles, they reach for a scapegoat.
Tariffs are a perfect tool for this illusion. Blame an outside country. Impose a new tariff. Stir the crowd with slogans. Make it look like something is being done, when really, nothing changes except the price you pay.
It’s a classic diversion to distract the people and defend the system. All while tightening the grip on power.
Modern-Day Economic Colonialism, Hidden in Plain Sight
Look deeper, and you’ll see how tariffs often become weapons of global suppression.
When countries in the global South try to rise by producing and exporting finished goods, they’re punished. Their products are taxed. Their growth stifled.
It’s a quieter kind of colonialism. Not enforced with armies, but with economics. Not shouted from podiums, but whispered through policy. And when they push back? They suffer harder, because the game was never fair to begin with.
So What Do We Actually Need?
We don’t need more fear-based walls. We need systems that are alive, just, and humane.
Let’s replace outdated, extractive policies with a new framework for prosperity.
One that includes:
• Local innovation, not isolation
• Collaboration across borders, not economic bullying
• Trade rooted in fairness, transparency, and mutual upliftment
• Regenerative economies that nourish people and planet alike
Because real strength isn’t built by punishing others. It’s built by uplifting ourselves and those we trade with.
Let’s Stop Calling Tariffs Necessary. They’re Not.
They’re not “just how things work.” They’re relics of an old system built on fear, power and control. And we, the people, have a say in what comes next.
Because the leaders we vote in don’t just make policies. They reflect our collective awareness or our lack of it.
When we vote without understanding, without curiosity, without vision… we empower leaders who mirror that same blindness.
But leadership should never be about preserving systems that harm. It should be about evolving them. About making life better for all.
So let’s stop settling for economic chains that squeeze the many to reward the few. Let’s stop handing power to those who weaponize confusion. And let’s start demanding something higher. Perhaps for a government rooted in wisdom, trade grounded in mutual repsect and policies that are made for people and not profits.
Because trade, at its best, is one of the most beautiful expressions of human cooperation. When it’s done consciously and fairly together, we don’t need mere illusions.
What we need is leadership that reflects upon who we truly are, and who we’re ready to become.
About the Author
Roshan Jayasinghe is a humanist thinker and emerging writer based in California. With a background in administration and a deep passion for social equity, he explores the intersections of politics, identity, and compassion through a lens grounded in nature’s own self-correcting wisdom.
Roshan Jayasinghe
Rooted in the belief that humanity can realign with the natural order where balance, regeneration, and interdependence are inherent. Roshan’s reflections invite readers to pause, question, and reimagine the systems we live within. His writing seeks not to impose answers, but to spark thought and awaken a deeper awareness of our shared human journey. Roshan will be sharing weekly articles that gently challenge, inspire, and reconnect us to what matters most.
