How that when it is widely believed that Ahmadinejad stole the election, there is mass protest, chaos in the streets, and hardcore police suppression.
Yet, when it was widely believed that the Bu$hites stole the election in 2000 and 2004, Americans sat in front of their televisions and computer screens, and whined a bit (yes I include myself in this)?
Just sayin’. I find this fascinating.
I haven’t been writing in this space much as of late. Part of this is because this blog has become largely political; my other writings (such as they are) have gone elsewhere, although the trend of me not writing as much has continued.
While I work, I’m listening to Obama’s speech in Cairo. As always, I’m struck by his eloquence, and by how in his speeches, Obama really seems to get it, he seems enlightened. For instance, the assertion that we must speak our truth from our hearts in order to get anywhere, is an obvious truism for me.
However, he turns to America’s occupation of Afghanistan, resting squarely on the 9/11 attacks, and the myth of al-Qaeda, as the basis for said occupation. This is unfortunate, because the conspiracy theory that 19 boxcutter-wielding al-Qaeda operatives (most of whom are known to still be alive) is a lie, a myth. Therefore, it is no basis for a foreign policy.
Hope, as we know, is tenacious, and it is my hope and prayer that this myth will be widely seen for what it is: a lie designed to allow very wealthy, powerful people increase their power and wealth. Clearly, my hope in this matter is audacious.
He’ll achieve these goals the same way he always has: by bringing us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike we really are. You see, Barack doesn’t care where you’re from or what your background is or what party, if any, you belong to.
With her speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, Michelle Obama announced what the methodology of the Obama administration would be: compromise. Compromise is not inherently a bad thing, obviously. It is necessary for people to coexist with any semblance of peace.
However, the problems we face — and by this I mean economic problems, because all other problems are rooted in their economic roles — will not be solved by compromise, where those who have motivation to preserve the status quo are part of the compromise. This will simply keep things the way they are and have been for decades.
We need fundamental over-turning of how our society is fundamentally organized. Presently, the fundamental organizing factor in world society and culture is money. Money is completely abstract, 100% so. It doesn’t really exist, it has no value other than the value we all pretend it has.
For me, this is obvious, as long as I stop and think about it for a moment. But then that moment passes, and I revert back to my American reality, wageslaving, buying stuff, and paying off debt. It is more than the default mode of being; it has its own momentum. It is difficult to recognize, much less escape.
I was reading a friend’s blog and she is experiencing similar frustrations. This “bailout” package they are talking about is only an attempt to prolong the economic status-quo, and does not recognize the fundamental problem: Capitalism as a concept is flawed, is not indefinitely sustainable, and is near collapse under its own weight. Pretending otherwise is, at best, prolonging the inevitable and at worst, making the inevitable much more unpleasant than it needs to be.
Yet, capitalism is remarkably resilient, as my friend and old teacher has taught me. Injustice, oppression, and suffering are built-in to the very fabric of capitalism and are not escapable. But as capitalism grows and wealth consolidates itself, the amount of injustice and suffering systematically increases, in that more and more are affected. But enough people are left in enough comfort, that they have motivation to preserve the status quo. And sadly, most days I include myself in this group.
Here’s a thought experiment I’ve been bouncing around my head recently:
Every time you hear a politican or journalist utter the word “create jobs,” automatically substitute “create slavery” in your mind.
I’m convinced that the present capitalist employment structure of our society is a form of slavery. Many will be outraged by this concept, that slavery not only still exists but is the norm in America, but I am more convinced it is true. And, by “a form of slavery” I do not mean “the form of slavery that existed in the Americas until (theoretically) the end of the Civil War in 1865.”
By slavery, I mean something like “A condition of subjection or submission characterized by lack of freedom of action or of will [1913 Webster].” Note that wageslavery meets these conditions. Also note that it doesn’t say involuntary subjection or submission, which nulls the “if you don’t like your job, quit; you still have free will” argument. Even so, in the end it’s always a question of how much subjection or submission the person is willing to endure. The idea that survival without enduring some level of subjection or submission in our society is impossible is constantly reiterated everywhere you look. And, ironically, the self-made entrepreneur remains one of the fundamental archetypes of capitalist culture.