"The river gently beckons but the answer is no."
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping: "Kurt Vonnegut"
I read about these people, trying to make a change. Trying to keep the "human" in humanity. But there are so many obstacles to overcome, how does one effect these changes? Corporate power, political haggling, misinformation...
Big stores overpowering local "mom-and-pop" businesses. I live in Houlton, ME. It's never been a booming metropolis (hell, I doubt they even know what "metropolis" means up here), but its downtown ("Market Square") used to be full of vibrant and successful businesses.
Then Wal Mart came.
This is only one aspect in the entire drama that is unfolding in our lives. Only yesterday I learned that teachers can no longer use red pen in many states to grade papers because children found it "offensive" and demeaning. Holy shit, it's just a fucking color! Red has always meant "error" or "stop". I'm offended at the traffic light showing me RED when I'm late for work. Should we make all the lights green? Wow, that'll look interesting on a morning commute!
Every time I read about how The Powers That Be make life less human, I just feel like throwing up; because I know there is NOTHING that can be done about it. Not because change is impossible; but because there isn't enough of a grass-roots movement to change things for the better. I'm sorry if people find this or that offensive, but you cannot be happy all the time (read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley if you want a world where everthing is pleasurable).
Strife is good. I'm a bit Darwinistic when it comes to this; but you cannot grow if you are not under some form of stress that FORCES you to grow. Too much strife is NOT good--this is true. But it has been psychologically "proven" (if you can prove anything about the human mind) that NO stress is just as bad as too much stress. No stress leads to lethargy, which leads to stagnation, which leads to DEATH.
Let me say it again, so I can spook enough people out of their peaceful, wasted slumber.
DEATH. For fuck's sake, we're talking about human survival here. God forbid we go the way of society in "1984" or "Brave New World". Is that what everybody REALLY WANTS!?
So I put this link up to The Reverend Billy, hoping that SOMEBODY will at least look at it and begin to THINK. Even if they don't agree. At least they're fucking THINKING!
Okay, I'm done with the CAPS.
I read about these people, trying to make a change. Trying to keep the "human" in humanity. But there are so many obstacles to overcome, how does one effect these changes? Corporate power, political haggling, misinformation...
Big stores overpowering local "mom-and-pop" businesses. I live in Houlton, ME. It's never been a booming metropolis (hell, I doubt they even know what "metropolis" means up here), but its downtown ("Market Square") used to be full of vibrant and successful businesses.
Then Wal Mart came.
This is only one aspect in the entire drama that is unfolding in our lives. Only yesterday I learned that teachers can no longer use red pen in many states to grade papers because children found it "offensive" and demeaning. Holy shit, it's just a fucking color! Red has always meant "error" or "stop". I'm offended at the traffic light showing me RED when I'm late for work. Should we make all the lights green? Wow, that'll look interesting on a morning commute!
Every time I read about how The Powers That Be make life less human, I just feel like throwing up; because I know there is NOTHING that can be done about it. Not because change is impossible; but because there isn't enough of a grass-roots movement to change things for the better. I'm sorry if people find this or that offensive, but you cannot be happy all the time (read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley if you want a world where everthing is pleasurable).
Strife is good. I'm a bit Darwinistic when it comes to this; but you cannot grow if you are not under some form of stress that FORCES you to grow. Too much strife is NOT good--this is true. But it has been psychologically "proven" (if you can prove anything about the human mind) that NO stress is just as bad as too much stress. No stress leads to lethargy, which leads to stagnation, which leads to DEATH.
Let me say it again, so I can spook enough people out of their peaceful, wasted slumber.
DEATH. For fuck's sake, we're talking about human survival here. God forbid we go the way of society in "1984" or "Brave New World". Is that what everybody REALLY WANTS!?
So I put this link up to The Reverend Billy, hoping that SOMEBODY will at least look at it and begin to THINK. Even if they don't agree. At least they're fucking THINKING!
Okay, I'm done with the CAPS.
posted by xanadian at 1:37 PM
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