Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley): One of the great challenges faced by westerners who oppose the political status quo today is the way the narrative managers of both mainstream factions continuously divert all political energy away from issues which threaten the interests of the powerful like economic injustice, war, militarism, authoritarianism, corruption, capitalism and ecocide and toward issues which don’t threaten the powerful at all like abortion, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.
Culture wars and wedge issues are perfect to distract humans from the issues that the Empire actually cares about, keeping the plutocrats happy and keeping the wars well stoked.
There are those humans who are content with this, if humanity goes up in a mushroom cloud, or if they all disappear into a global totalitarian dystopia resembling 1984, or just an oligarchy resembling Brazil under the Colonels but without the more pleasant aspects, at least we have pronouns.
"Draw attention to how disgusting what they’re doing is. Draw attention to how deeply evil this behavior is."
This is what everyone needs to do 24/7, 365 days a year. I do it, and I get comments like, "You're so negative," or "Aren't you being judgmental?" But it's amazing that pointing out the evil does start to sink in little by little. The next time you meet that person you pointed out how inhumane and evil endless wars for oil are, don't be surprised if they casually mention something like, "They're just raising prices because these greedy bastards can't stop their endless wars." You do get through to their subconscious with your repetitiveness of pointing out reality. They won't know it, but they'll have begun seeing the evil, disgusting things going on in the world all on their own. And maybe they'll come to a point where they'll want to change things, too, and join in your protest, direct action or open act of rebellion. One more fighting against the corrupt system. And then they'll make another one...and another one... and so on and so on.
From the United States Bankers’ Magazine of 1892: “We must proceed with caution, and guard well every move made, for the lower orders of people are already showing signs of restless commotions. Prudence will, therefore, dictate a policy of apparently yielding to the popular will until all of our plans are so far consummated that we can declare our designs without fear of organised resistance. The Farmers’ Alliance and the Knights of Labour organisations in the United States should be carefully watched by our trusted men, and we must take immediate steps to control these organisations in our interests or disrupt them. The coming Omaha Convention, to be held July 4th, our men must attend and direct its movements, or else there will be set on foot such antagonism to our designs as may require force to overcome. This, at the present time, would be premature. We are not yet ready for such a crisis. Capital must protect itself in every possible manner through combination and legislation. The courts must be called to our aid. Debts must be collected, bonds and mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible. Where, through a process of law, the common people have lost their homes, they will be more tractable and easily governed through the influence of the strong arm of government, applied by central power of imperial wealth, under the control of leading financiers. The truth is well known among our principal men now engaged in forming an imperialism of capital to govern the world. While they are doing this the people must be kept in a condition of political antagonism. The question of tariff reform must be urged through the organisation known as the Democratic Party, and the question of protection and reciprocity must be forced to view through the Republican Party. By thus dividing the voters we can get them to expend their energies in fighting over questions of no importance to us, except as teachers to lead the common herd. Thus by discreet actions we can secure all that has so generously planned and successfully accomplished.”
It's not just "left and right", or however many political ones, that work to divide. The government itself is busy in keeping the population under control. Yesterday's Kim Iversen interview with David Bell was quite informative. Starting at around 47:28 here
David says "most English-speaking countries now, call themselves democracies, they have attached to the higher levels of government or cabinets these powerful psychology groups ... these groups are there to manipulate people and to ... install fear even when it's irrational ... "
“….One of the great challenges faced by westerners who oppose the political status quo today is the way the narrative managers of both mainstream factions continuously divert all political energy away from issues….”
However you cannot fight the framework while operating within the framework, and even validating it.
“Westerners”? Well you know the very concept that there is a west” - and by implication surrounded by a “jungle” - is THE original culture war promoted by the empire. Why? To provide cover for capitalist imperialism and exploitation.
You will never break the shackles of the empire while validating it and promoting its original mirage as real.
The instant I see any headline with either “Republicans” or “Democrats,” I keep scrolling. It becomes so blatantly obvious once see what’s really going on. you realize we’ve been so successfully pitted against the other party that we spend our whole lives never questioning why we only have 2 teams playing to begin with
I think you are right that there are more important issues, but we should spend some time caring about people who don't matter to the system, like the homeless, like women having their rights taken away by the new gender ideology, like children who are being taught that they can change their bodies through drugs and surgery to become happier people. These are issues liberals ought to care about as well.
I ignore the people who say ignorant things like voting for the green party is a spoiler vote. I'm voting green! Cornel may not win but I believe he will spread the truth even further and succeed in bringing consciousness to many people.
Thought provoking piece. Thanks! I’ve been wondering lately if we are paying attention to what is going on in the US and working on the things that are important? As a nation. Where is the dialogue and debate about something other than culture. How engaged am I as a citizen? Is AP psychology really something I should care about right now? As a boomer I’m really thinking about my generation hanging around in Congress and what we are leaving people who are 20, 30 and 40 years my junior? I’m going to work on waking up a little bit.
Speaking of the Right/Left Divide ..... Why did Fox keep the movie "Sound of Freedom" on the shelf for 3 years? It was finally sold and then seen, made millions, with no MSM media advertising. Well the Leftists on MSNBC attacked it as Q Anon, but the movie was made years before QAnon and is based on actual events, hmmmm
Then even the FIB, a darling of the New Leftists, was able to find Child Sex Trafficing......
but I want to be Fair & Balanced since the Bushie Cartel and Clintoon Cartel shared soo much Imported Cocaine $$$ back in Medina, AR when Billy & Hilarity were co-Gubernors in partnership with HW's CiA.
Bush the Younger later gave the USSA 20years of NWO $$$ Wars with 9/11. Then The "O"Bamy with his Shadow Deep Statist Comrades at the FIb/Doj/Dod pulled another Coup on Jan 6 .... Pelousy & Judas Pence agreed.
So Comrades, no need to get in a twist about things, It will all unfold, for all to See. Please keep the screaming and knashing of teeth to a minimum, others are sleeping.
Hahahahaha. Talk about disrupting the culture wars—the Lakota just had a two-spirit powwow in Racist, I mean Rapid City, Sodak. It was amazing. All gender binaries were dropped so that anyone could do the dances, boys doing girl dances and girls doing boys. People of good will came from miles around and the Black Hills Monument police kept them safe. They made enough money to contribute to the Feed The Buffalo Fund, and people still greet them in the grocery stores asking when the next one would be. So again I say, get off your butts and take action, disrupt the dominate paradigm and maybe do it by having a good time.
Your analysis is spot on... yet it is hampered by the invocation of 'left - right' ... as if this faux spectrum were not itself part of the culture war dynamic.... The powers that be are not called neo-liberalism for no reason.... The corporate state system is left and right....
It's like a lab experiment: You take the Militarism cell, hypodermically extract the Racist culture within it, squirt it into a Petri dish, then forget all about the Host cell while babbling on about all of the Racism going in that Petri dish, like that's the only thing happening in the lab. Culture Wars are also driven by an appeal to Narcissism, which of course is a core Western value...
Napolitano says: no outrage because we have no love of liberty, we don't care what happens to others, as long as it doesn't happen to us. Bobby Kennedy just sued YouTube and Google. Good on him!
Culture wars and wedge issues are perfect to distract humans from the issues that the Empire actually cares about, keeping the plutocrats happy and keeping the wars well stoked.
There are those humans who are content with this, if humanity goes up in a mushroom cloud, or if they all disappear into a global totalitarian dystopia resembling 1984, or just an oligarchy resembling Brazil under the Colonels but without the more pleasant aspects, at least we have pronouns.
PRONOUNS, humans! PRONOUNS!
"Draw attention to how disgusting what they’re doing is. Draw attention to how deeply evil this behavior is."
This is what everyone needs to do 24/7, 365 days a year. I do it, and I get comments like, "You're so negative," or "Aren't you being judgmental?" But it's amazing that pointing out the evil does start to sink in little by little. The next time you meet that person you pointed out how inhumane and evil endless wars for oil are, don't be surprised if they casually mention something like, "They're just raising prices because these greedy bastards can't stop their endless wars." You do get through to their subconscious with your repetitiveness of pointing out reality. They won't know it, but they'll have begun seeing the evil, disgusting things going on in the world all on their own. And maybe they'll come to a point where they'll want to change things, too, and join in your protest, direct action or open act of rebellion. One more fighting against the corrupt system. And then they'll make another one...and another one... and so on and so on.
From the United States Bankers’ Magazine of 1892: “We must proceed with caution, and guard well every move made, for the lower orders of people are already showing signs of restless commotions. Prudence will, therefore, dictate a policy of apparently yielding to the popular will until all of our plans are so far consummated that we can declare our designs without fear of organised resistance. The Farmers’ Alliance and the Knights of Labour organisations in the United States should be carefully watched by our trusted men, and we must take immediate steps to control these organisations in our interests or disrupt them. The coming Omaha Convention, to be held July 4th, our men must attend and direct its movements, or else there will be set on foot such antagonism to our designs as may require force to overcome. This, at the present time, would be premature. We are not yet ready for such a crisis. Capital must protect itself in every possible manner through combination and legislation. The courts must be called to our aid. Debts must be collected, bonds and mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible. Where, through a process of law, the common people have lost their homes, they will be more tractable and easily governed through the influence of the strong arm of government, applied by central power of imperial wealth, under the control of leading financiers. The truth is well known among our principal men now engaged in forming an imperialism of capital to govern the world. While they are doing this the people must be kept in a condition of political antagonism. The question of tariff reform must be urged through the organisation known as the Democratic Party, and the question of protection and reciprocity must be forced to view through the Republican Party. By thus dividing the voters we can get them to expend their energies in fighting over questions of no importance to us, except as teachers to lead the common herd. Thus by discreet actions we can secure all that has so generously planned and successfully accomplished.”
It's not just "left and right", or however many political ones, that work to divide. The government itself is busy in keeping the population under control. Yesterday's Kim Iversen interview with David Bell was quite informative. Starting at around 47:28 here
https://rumble.com/v34ioet-rfk-jr-declines-debate-over-israel-the-who-is-leading-us-towards-internatio.html
David says "most English-speaking countries now, call themselves democracies, they have attached to the higher levels of government or cabinets these powerful psychology groups ... these groups are there to manipulate people and to ... install fear even when it's irrational ... "
“….One of the great challenges faced by westerners who oppose the political status quo today is the way the narrative managers of both mainstream factions continuously divert all political energy away from issues….”
However you cannot fight the framework while operating within the framework, and even validating it.
“Westerners”? Well you know the very concept that there is a west” - and by implication surrounded by a “jungle” - is THE original culture war promoted by the empire. Why? To provide cover for capitalist imperialism and exploitation.
You will never break the shackles of the empire while validating it and promoting its original mirage as real.
The instant I see any headline with either “Republicans” or “Democrats,” I keep scrolling. It becomes so blatantly obvious once see what’s really going on. you realize we’ve been so successfully pitted against the other party that we spend our whole lives never questioning why we only have 2 teams playing to begin with
I think you are right that there are more important issues, but we should spend some time caring about people who don't matter to the system, like the homeless, like women having their rights taken away by the new gender ideology, like children who are being taught that they can change their bodies through drugs and surgery to become happier people. These are issues liberals ought to care about as well.
I ignore the people who say ignorant things like voting for the green party is a spoiler vote. I'm voting green! Cornel may not win but I believe he will spread the truth even further and succeed in bringing consciousness to many people.
cornelwest24.org
Thought provoking piece. Thanks! I’ve been wondering lately if we are paying attention to what is going on in the US and working on the things that are important? As a nation. Where is the dialogue and debate about something other than culture. How engaged am I as a citizen? Is AP psychology really something I should care about right now? As a boomer I’m really thinking about my generation hanging around in Congress and what we are leaving people who are 20, 30 and 40 years my junior? I’m going to work on waking up a little bit.
Speaking of the Right/Left Divide ..... Why did Fox keep the movie "Sound of Freedom" on the shelf for 3 years? It was finally sold and then seen, made millions, with no MSM media advertising. Well the Leftists on MSNBC attacked it as Q Anon, but the movie was made years before QAnon and is based on actual events, hmmmm
Then even the FIB, a darling of the New Leftists, was able to find Child Sex Trafficing......
https://rumble.com/v34sanq-sound-of-freedom.html
but I want to be Fair & Balanced since the Bushie Cartel and Clintoon Cartel shared soo much Imported Cocaine $$$ back in Medina, AR when Billy & Hilarity were co-Gubernors in partnership with HW's CiA.
Bush the Younger later gave the USSA 20years of NWO $$$ Wars with 9/11. Then The "O"Bamy with his Shadow Deep Statist Comrades at the FIb/Doj/Dod pulled another Coup on Jan 6 .... Pelousy & Judas Pence agreed.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/qkk9TzE0lH5b/
So Comrades, no need to get in a twist about things, It will all unfold, for all to See. Please keep the screaming and knashing of teeth to a minimum, others are sleeping.
Hahahahaha. Talk about disrupting the culture wars—the Lakota just had a two-spirit powwow in Racist, I mean Rapid City, Sodak. It was amazing. All gender binaries were dropped so that anyone could do the dances, boys doing girl dances and girls doing boys. People of good will came from miles around and the Black Hills Monument police kept them safe. They made enough money to contribute to the Feed The Buffalo Fund, and people still greet them in the grocery stores asking when the next one would be. So again I say, get off your butts and take action, disrupt the dominate paradigm and maybe do it by having a good time.
Your analysis is spot on... yet it is hampered by the invocation of 'left - right' ... as if this faux spectrum were not itself part of the culture war dynamic.... The powers that be are not called neo-liberalism for no reason.... The corporate state system is left and right....
Well said - a critique AND a strategy- do more of this Caitlin
It's like a lab experiment: You take the Militarism cell, hypodermically extract the Racist culture within it, squirt it into a Petri dish, then forget all about the Host cell while babbling on about all of the Racism going in that Petri dish, like that's the only thing happening in the lab. Culture Wars are also driven by an appeal to Narcissism, which of course is a core Western value...
Great article, share widely!
Napolitano says: no outrage because we have no love of liberty, we don't care what happens to others, as long as it doesn't happen to us. Bobby Kennedy just sued YouTube and Google. Good on him!
https://youtu.be/qrVT8HA0uBQ