Are we holding fingers in the dike, waiting for the pressure to soon build, blowing out the entire dam and washing us and our families away? Putting a brake on the voracious housing grab will possibly slow the accumulation of wealth via the means of new targeted legislation that is too little too late for many, but the schemers and mover…
Are we holding fingers in the dike, waiting for the pressure to soon build, blowing out the entire dam and washing us and our families away? Putting a brake on the voracious housing grab will possibly slow the accumulation of wealth via the means of new targeted legislation that is too little too late for many, but the schemers and movers and shakers are already on to other big scandals designed to rape and pillage.
There is a mentality behind all of this which keeps us in a desperate battle for survival, in a war against ordinary citizens in which we are continually under-protected and under-resourced. There are programs running continually which disarm and distract the “public”. The ideas precede capitalism, neoliberalism, free marker fundamentalism, and the other isms. The public consciousness is framed, molded, and perpetuated via “the doctrinal system”, in the words of David Gabbard, Professor at Boise State in a brilliant analysis entitled, “Militarizing Class Warfare: the historical foundations of the neoliberal/neoconservative nexus”. Look it up. I cannot begin to summarize here.
Professor Gabbard identifies the doctrinal system as the media and the schools.
False moral imperatives are at the root of our dilemma. We start with “the strict father metaphor” which is the basis of paternalism and authoritarianism, and the “theory of original sin” which probably flows from the strict father metaphor. What we have gotten from these, among various other things, mostly destructive, are the image of people as inherently bad or antisocial, as indolent and unproductive unless forced to learn and adopt certain social rules and economic values, and as needing direction, firm leadership, and sometimes punishment.
Why do so many people equate great wealth with superiority? One might just as easily equate great wealth with exploitation, cheating, greed, indifference, and brutality. Why is poverty and need so closely associated with weakness and inferiority? Why do women so often identify as dependent, children as ignorant, and those belonging to out groups as helpless victims, frequently with self-loathing and self-blaming?
In this worldview, helping others and community are encouragement to be wicked and idle, with only limited exceptions (determined by authority). The messages are in the air, the water, and the ether. Why didn’t you do your homework? In the glorious past, things were better, people were better, and hard work around the clock kept people from depravity.
Laws to reverse atrocities and to undo as much damage as possible are absolutely essential and should have our support. However, to reverse the inexorable movement toward gross inequality in income and wealth, authoritarianism and fascism, and corruption and personal irresponsibility, fundamental beliefs and attitudes must change. If there is even any way to get there from here, we must understand how the “doctrinal system” is conditioning and compromising the people and make some emergency changes based on the best science available. That means giving up myths, traditions, and bad thinking, as well as refusing to be entertained to sleep.
Are we holding fingers in the dike, waiting for the pressure to soon build, blowing out the entire dam and washing us and our families away? Putting a brake on the voracious housing grab will possibly slow the accumulation of wealth via the means of new targeted legislation that is too little too late for many, but the schemers and movers and shakers are already on to other big scandals designed to rape and pillage.
There is a mentality behind all of this which keeps us in a desperate battle for survival, in a war against ordinary citizens in which we are continually under-protected and under-resourced. There are programs running continually which disarm and distract the “public”. The ideas precede capitalism, neoliberalism, free marker fundamentalism, and the other isms. The public consciousness is framed, molded, and perpetuated via “the doctrinal system”, in the words of David Gabbard, Professor at Boise State in a brilliant analysis entitled, “Militarizing Class Warfare: the historical foundations of the neoliberal/neoconservative nexus”. Look it up. I cannot begin to summarize here.
Professor Gabbard identifies the doctrinal system as the media and the schools.
False moral imperatives are at the root of our dilemma. We start with “the strict father metaphor” which is the basis of paternalism and authoritarianism, and the “theory of original sin” which probably flows from the strict father metaphor. What we have gotten from these, among various other things, mostly destructive, are the image of people as inherently bad or antisocial, as indolent and unproductive unless forced to learn and adopt certain social rules and economic values, and as needing direction, firm leadership, and sometimes punishment.
Why do so many people equate great wealth with superiority? One might just as easily equate great wealth with exploitation, cheating, greed, indifference, and brutality. Why is poverty and need so closely associated with weakness and inferiority? Why do women so often identify as dependent, children as ignorant, and those belonging to out groups as helpless victims, frequently with self-loathing and self-blaming?
In this worldview, helping others and community are encouragement to be wicked and idle, with only limited exceptions (determined by authority). The messages are in the air, the water, and the ether. Why didn’t you do your homework? In the glorious past, things were better, people were better, and hard work around the clock kept people from depravity.
Laws to reverse atrocities and to undo as much damage as possible are absolutely essential and should have our support. However, to reverse the inexorable movement toward gross inequality in income and wealth, authoritarianism and fascism, and corruption and personal irresponsibility, fundamental beliefs and attitudes must change. If there is even any way to get there from here, we must understand how the “doctrinal system” is conditioning and compromising the people and make some emergency changes based on the best science available. That means giving up myths, traditions, and bad thinking, as well as refusing to be entertained to sleep.