Fabricated War
The U.S. government has always used certain blanket terms to discredit/vilify people, usually who have little to nothing in common, into the same category. Normally, the U.S. Government uses these terms to strike out any sort of defiance or use it to maintain total control of the masses. In the late 40s and into the 80s, the term was “Communist”. Many people, including Henry Wallace(former vice-president of the US) who in later years criticized the U.S. government for perpetuating eternal war. He was an ardent pacifist. Wallace, like many other pacifists, union organizers, activists,anarchists and just plain dissenters were given the token “Communist” to discredit them. This was ongoing throughout the “Cold War”. This type of “scapegoat labeling” as I call it, continued after the “Red Scare” was long gone. In the 80s-2000, The U.S. government singled people out calling them “Narcoguerillas” This was mainly used against dissenters of Latin American origin, but was used on a variety of others as well. Noriega is a prime example of this..not to mention all of the low level drug dealers and users throughout North and Latin America. The “War on Drugs” conveniently allowed the U.S. government to continue its “Perpetual war” while also giving them “official” control over the population. This also allowed the government to make a tidy profit by outlawing drugs and selling drugs themselves, and creating a monopoly. Of course, it didn’t stop there. From the year 2000-present day, people are labeled “Terrorist”. Now some of those labeled as such might deserve it, the majority of people who are labeled “Terrorist” are again, usually union organizers, activists, anarchists, and dissenters. A whole new level was achieved in the scapegoat labeling theorem when the Department of Homeland Security was created. The National Security Agency used this “War on Terror” to institute national/global surveillance on all citizens. More than that, President Obama has allowed the use of Drone strikes to kill people “who might be” our enemies in the future. This is, of course, highly unconstitutional as it revokes the right to a fair trial. The executive branch of the U.S. government has now become Judge, jury, and executioner. This “War on Terror” is just the U.S government’s way of justifying its global conquest/imperialism. As we have seen in the past, there have always been blanket terms for people who simply do not want to go along with the government’s program. By creating havoc in the Middle East with the Afghanistan/Iraq wars, the U.S. has created enemies of the families of the deceased. Truly, “ISIS” was birthed from the U.S. presence in the Middle East. Even President Obama himself was quoted saying that ISIS was an “Unintended consequence” of the U.S. intervention in the Middle East. The “Terrorist threat”, exacerbated by continued intervention, shows no signs of slowing down any time in the near future. The U.S. has again, successfully created an enemy to justify a a bloated defense budget, mass surveillance, and quasi-fascist control over the American people. What will be the next fabricated War? I honestly don’t know..but I am sure there will be one.
It’s also odd that some things are considered “Terrorism” while others are not. Take Animal rights activists or Eco-terrorists as they are called. These groups of people are often deemed terrorists while the people who committed African American church shooting and arsons…and more recently, the planned parenthood arsons are not. If you look into the actual definition of Terrorism, it says,”The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. The Planned Parenthood protests have been in the news for weeks now…so it’s just my guess, but, maybe it’s political. It’s my theory that “terrorism” is just a token word thrown around by people in power to discredit/vilify any opposition while at the same time justifying their “Terrorist”-like actions. It’s all media spin…played by the powerful to further their own agenda.
Hierarchy is the root of all problems…
I noticed the recent story about the vandalizing of the medical marijuana shop by police officers. This, of course, just reinforced my belief that hierarchy is the root of all problems in modern society, and in fact has been the cause of most, if not all problems in the history of civilization. When we hand over the power of the many to the few…the few abuse that power..it is, and has always been. The cops abusing their power is just another example. We need to look at the root problem, instead of being reactionary and addressing problems as they inevitably arise. Like most, if not all things in existence are interconnected, and operate on a cause and effect basis. We could mindlessly continue to blame individuals for the inadequacies of our system, organizational patterns, and philosophies.
Race, class, nationality, even the gender binary…these are all social constructs…and are strongly perpetuated by capitalism…and certainly don’t slip through the cracks of interconnectedness and cause and effect. To tread back on topic, when you step back and really look at society, now, and throughout history, you will find that it is just one giant struggle for resources…and government/law has been the rich lording over the poor…in many cases the rich being rich because they took most of the resources by force. Look at today’s society. The police, the military, security guards…all of these are enforcers. And their main purpose is to either acquire wealth( resources) or protect it. Take away these enforcers and you have revolution, because obviously people naturally want their fair share of the earth’s bounties, or at least enough to survive on. When it comes down to it…all of modern history has been class struggle and class warfare. Race, the gender binary, nationalities…these are all social constructs that were invented with the rise of hierarchy, which is now expressed through capitalism. And like government being the division of people, economics has been nothing more than the division of resources, as I said, most often being unfairly distributed. Law, the tool of government and economics, is nothing but a construct of the powerful, to further their agendas, which most of the time happens to be in fact, amassing more resources for themselves. Law is certainly not guided by justice…nor by any moral code.
Slavery was legal because it was profitable. Many disagreed with it, but the powerful insisted, and so they got their way. Again, construct of the powerful. The same can be said today in a society that favors guilty, morally bankrupt rich people, over innocent poor people. Just look to modern legal cases for examples. What is my point? My point is that all of human history…war, government, legal systems, and today, corporations, have all been based off of humanity’s basest instinct….Greed.
I do have some positive news though, we can change. Anarchy is essentially unrestrained cooperation, the absence of hierarchy, the presence of equality and justice. If we can all look at ourselves in the mirror, and be honest with ourselves about what we really want, the reality of the system that we live in today, as well as the truth about human history…..we can change….we can evolve our minds and operate on higher instincts, which all humans possess. We see these qualities in people every day. Love, compassion, selflessness, sacrifice, empathy.
My question is, if we all possess these very human qualities…and we admire these qualities…why don’t our systems, social organization, and society reflect them? We can do better…….and you want to know anarchy is a threat to? The 1%….when society in a nutshell is just a collection of classes with the ruling class taking in over 99% of all new income, things need to change…Whenever a tragedy befalls us, people seem to attribute it to anarchy, this is a false attribution, simply because the conditions for anarchy do not exist. Anarchy in essence, is without government or governmental systems. We live in a deeply entrenched system, and that is to blame, not anarchy. To blame a political theory and ignoring centuries of deeply rooted institutionalized practice in the form of conditioning is an act of the highest form of ignorance, and perhaps arrogance. The real issue with the world is, that people pay attention more to the perceived threat of anarchy, than to the very real threat of governments.
Fall of Empires
My view of the future: Environmental collapse. Rising temperatures in the oceans, killing off thousands of species; People killing each other over resources due to the programming of violence by the media; Governments establishing fascism as law around the world. Very Orwellian… George Orwell, for those unfamiliar, But after that collapse I see…people returning to primitivism since humans have survived without modern amenities such as electricity for 90 something percent of our existence. Cooperation among people. Governments being overthrown. Local commune-like establishments being set up. Bartering and trade set up in place of currency trading. Very Zerzian…John Zerzan, for those that unfamiliar……..the thing about empires, is that they all fall. Our global empire based on the worship of obtaining as many resources for oneself as possible….will fall. It will most likely fall due to hubris and the neglect of our environment, and ignorance of how priceless it is to our very existence. That is how most of the previous empires have fallen. The industrial revolution started roughly 160 years ago, and in that small amount of time, over half of the Earth’s forests have been destroyed. Also, the United Nations Environment Programme’s study indicates that 150-200 species on earth go extinct every 24 hours. All it takes is the extinction of a few of our keystone species (Species that we rely upon for survival, e.g. honeybees), and we humans will become extinct. I see two outcomes for real change to a sustainable way of life. Either the majority of people living on this Earth band together to physically destroy the system, or just let the Earth run its course and destroy our system itself. Honestly, I don’t see the former happening, as people are hard to organize due to superficial differences…racism, xenophobia…ect..But I will tell you one thing, this system is unsustainable and trying to modify it to work with our sacred ecosystems by driving electric cars, and/or using reusable bags/cutting carbon emissions is futile. I will use an analogy for this. You can spray perfume on a piece of feces, but it will still be feces, and it will still be harmful to ingest.
“Part I: Disconnection: The ties between Toxic Masculinity and the internet”
All of our (Men’s) problems in western culture boil down to one thing: Disconnection. We are disconnected from nature, from our communities, from our families, and most of all, from ourselves. I would blame two things mainly for this disconnection. For one, I would blame toxic masculinity, as defined as socially constructed attitudes that are harmful to males. I believe that Toxic masculinity is a main contributor to misogyny as it puts emphasis on masculine qualities while demeaning and disowning feminine qualities. This results in disconnection by making real relationships with women very difficult. Toxic masculinity is also responsible for separating men from their emotions, as emotions are viewed as a weak feminine quality; this leads to separation from everything else. Two, I would blame the rise of technology and the rise of the internet and its insidious grasp on our lives. Toxic masculinity and the internet are catalysts for each other…as one becomes less human and less attached through with technology (mainly the internet) which is a breeding ground for misogynists. We delude ourselves further and further into the depths of artificial reality, we lose touch with ourselves to an even greater extent. The tech business, and mainly the internet, are largely male dominated…and I believe the reason for that ties in with toxic masculinity that is taught to us from an early age, and is enforced constantly by male (and females with internalized misogyny and/or beliefs in toxic masculinity) peers. “Don’t be a pussy” “Man up” “You’re gay.” We receive these messages, sometimes subliminally, sometimes directly from others…and as we look for an escape to find our true selves underneath the mask of cultural conditioning….we find technology….movies, computer games, online chat, etc… And here it is only enforced more…..these attitudes are the correlation and possibly the causation behind the internet’s all-encompassing misogynistic attitudes.; Women are constantly harassed online (and offline) Just look at Gamergate as one example. The internet has become a misogynist playground and breeding ground. Of course, all of this happens offline as well….but the internet has given men a chance to do this anonymously without fear of reprimand. This catalyzes offline misogyny by making men feel more comfortable expressing their misogyny in the real world. What does misogyny have to do with toxic masculinity? This brings me back to my point about disconnection. Misogyny literally translates out to be Hatred of women…though the dictionary definition includes the objectification of women as well (As we can see in the endless waves of male pleasure centered pornography on the internet, it applies as well) My point is, this disconnects us men from half of our species…and often times even from the females in our own families. I don’t think I have to go too far into why technology/internet separates us from nature. Just try to remember the time you were last without your cell phone, tablet, or laptop…you probably can’t remember. If our brains are receiving constant stimuli in the form of technology…we lose out on the healing qualities of nature. Even if you are using your phone to take pictures of trees or certain fauna, you are removing that personal experience of looking at the plant, and putting the emphasis on getting the perfect picture. You are looking at the world through a screen. This same concept can be applied to the disconnection from our families, friends, and communities. For example, I’ve heard of kids texting their parents from their bedrooms when their parents are only 30 yards away downstairs. Just the other day, I saw a couple eating at a restaurant together; they were both on their phones. What has happened to face to face communication and what are we losing? And why do we continue to hold young boys and men to these impossible standards that only hurt them (and everyone they know) in the long run? Disconnection allows for the creation of an emotionless, robotic-like human, easily manipulatable, and perfect prey for marketers, military, and mass media….but that is for …
Part II: Disconnection and the Consumer/War Culture
In part 1, we covered some basics of toxic masculinity, misogyny and its relationship with the internet. In this second part, we will be going over the “Why” and How” of the indoctrination process that occurs in the United States It is my theory that this process of social engineering boys into “Men” is perpetuated to produce easily manipulatable, emotionally crippled, beings that are either the perfect consumer, the perfect soldier, or both. This process can start from an early age when parents enforce gender roles on their children. Let’s focus on male children. The father(or mother)may not approve of crying and tell them to suck it up; the father( or mother) may teach them the old fable that males are aggressive, and work to make their child that way. “Boys will be boys” is one example of how boys are conditioned. If not by parenting, boys can and most of the time, wil encounter this in public school. The rituals involved include borderline hazing to make the boys “toughen up” and be a “man.” From calling each other degrading names, to physical violence, these values are instilled into young men and boys; I speak from personal experience, personal observation, and study of the subject. Boys are also afforded special privileges over girls, which I attribute reported rape statistics to, but that’s for another article. Throughout a male’s life, he is conditioned to the hyper-masculine ideals of our American culture, ideals that emphasize a disconnect between a male and his emotions. I’m not saying that all males are unemotional, or that this is the guiding principle in every boys life, but it is pervasive. I recommend the documentary, Tough Guise to watch to be briefed on the subject.
A way that young men are subjugated into the role of a soldier is through video games. Think of games like Call of Duty, where you play a hero soldier battling various people from different countries. This video game puts them into a fantasy world of killing mercilessly for their country. The children who play this game, are taught about real life weapon types, ammunitions, strategies to kill, and not to mention utter hatred and dehumanization of the “Enemy.”
I tie the consumer part into this by theorizing that when people are absent from their emotions, they’re much more likely to spend money to obtain some emotional gratification. The Mass Media plays their part by sending messages through radio, television, and the internet. These subliminal messages, AKA “Advertisements” are centered around common human insecurities and desires, e.g. Fitting in, attracting the opposite sex, using sexualized imagery, etc. I theorize that people who are not in touch with their emotions are more likely to have problems fitting in, finding a partner and obtaining sexual gratification, etc.
Could the military industrial complex(Coined by President Eisenhower) be working with the entertainment industry to boost recruitment? I Think of how many action films are out there glorifying the military or glorifying violence in general. It always seems to be the same theme; A lone gunman, a man who has lost everything and is having problems, his first and only resort is to blow the brains out of any and everyone who opposes him. Is this kind of mentality being spread by the entertainment industry instilling a sense that it is okay to use violence to solve problems? Young males seem to be taught that this type of person is “Cool” and should be imitated. I theorize that it desensitizes children (especially young males) to violence (Especially gun violence) This, I theorize, is one thing that leads them to the military when they turn the appropriate age….though I do believe there are many other, more concrete reasons that young people join the military; including limited financial opportunities and fervent nationalism…but I do think that “Toxic Masculinity” or this social conditioning that happens to a lot of males throughout their lives, does play a role. Unrelated, but I also theorize that this is one contributing factor to school shootings.
Are our cultural values and forms of entertainment contributing to the rise in military recruits, and to mass consumerism? And if they are, is it pure coincidence? Or is it done purposefully as a form of social engineering to create perfect consumers and/or soldiers?
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