February 27, 2010
The Tea Party Has A Point
Not about politics. Those folks default to racism and conspiracy theories. They have a point about how they feel, which is how a lot of us feel. We are surrounded by a creeping dullness. A lack of traction with the outside world. How do we touch others? How do we have power?
Simple acts of living have lost the feeling of social power. We know that the corporations have kept us in a state of consumer passivity for a long time. For many millions - since Ronald Reagan. But like the climate change that Consumerism causes, it’s hard to measure the exact damage. We know what we feel. We know we can’t “breathe free.” We know we can’t “speak free.” We feel an exhausting interloper in even our most everyday experience. It is the market -- whispering, screaming, selling, then fading to Muzak and white noise.
Our community becomes very spacey. You can live somewhere all your life and find yourself surrounded by products – you might quickly become an utterly un-selfed consumer like a game-show contestant or a tourist. Products are not psychologically neutral. You can turn off the TV and head for the hills, but the hills are alive with fluorescent and bug-eyed tchochkes leaping from the walls of shopping centers that came out of nowhere.
The Tea Party blames Washington. Well, American politicians believe in Consumerism as our primary economy and culture. If the retail grosses are edging upward, then all’s right with the world. The electeds can say “I feel your pain” when the teleprompter tells them to, but our current existential crisis isn’t something they grok. The politicians aren’t nearly as bright as the marketers. They’ll be taken aback by the hunger riots coming soon. I’m referring to the hunger for meaning, for community intimacy, for the satisfaction of our social souls.
The big grand concepts of democracy, America and freedom – are not usually traced down to the lost minutes of ordinary people. THEY MUST START THERE. Amen? That is also where we suffer in this bizarro “built environment” of Consumerism, which comes into our down time as pavement, invisible toxins and billboards. Down in the details of our lives, ho-humming between one errand and the next, we feel an essential disconnect. We don’t have words to describe it. And, it doesn’t get described by anyone. Ordinary experience? That’s not the news, ordinary life. It’s not “Fit To Print.” For public commentators it’s like trying to squeeze the dark matter of the universe into a Twitter feed.
Accumulations of powerlessness in our ordinary living escape like hot gasses, like the acting out of the Tea Party and survivalists and liberals dying while imitating Indians in sweat spas – we have apocalyptic zealotry of many a weird stripe. There is a lot of this splintering off into colonies of the instantly righteous. The marketing officials in corporations are studying us carefully. They know it’s not just the weirdos. This is happening to all of us. We’re a sleeping monster.
Next week’s message: “The Monster Awakes”
Comments
shopping for war
I attended your event for lepoco on Saturday March 6 and found in troubeling and in many way ineffective.
Here you were in a room full of people preaching about war, greed etc and the only solution you have is to go down to the strip mines and bring the spoils of this operation back to NYC...why ?
If your goal in theater and presentaiton well than there is an effect but if it is to bring about real and substainable change that will help to move society away from the ills that you "preach " about the it is foolish for you to be the fool
It is easy to engerize the base what do you do to enlighten your adversaries, what do you do to offer alternatives, what do you do to educate and promote programs that will move us away from what you called the middle clases acceptance of war.
War is terrible, what we have done as a people in Iraq is a crime take some time and show people the crime maybe we will stop buying war
Downtowns are cool and Walmart sucks become as effective a marketer of your ideas and your side show as Sam Walton and we can be going to the local candy store until we are all old and grey
Radical behavior does not have to be loud, it does not have to be crowd gathering it just has to cause change, sustainable change.
You envoke the spirit of days gone by of radicalism and protest but those leaders were leaders with and agenda and an idea of what to do after the party.
We need to ask how and why did we get to this place and more importantly we need to encourage and educate our children and all of the children to constantly ask these questions.
If you want to help the people I believe you need to understand and listen to all the people not play to your base and preach to your choirs
Perhaps in the end is is best said that performers perform, leaders listen, educate speak and lead
the choir is the choir but it still needs songs to sing
Through these punk/rap/folk performers i was provoked to think about issues i hadn't considered before. Entry level stuff, sure, but from there i discovered Lenny Bruce, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Ruben ("Do It!"), Adbusters Magazine, and more.
Gandhi came later, and in time, Zinn and Chomsky as well.
Before i could appreciate the nuanced words of Martin Luther King, i needed the fiery rhetoric of Malcolm X to get my attention.
Reverend Billy, Savitri D, and the Church of Life After Shopping are keen provocateurs who have a definite place at the peace and justice table. A "stunt" like dumping West Virginian mush on the streets of NYC will not, in and of itself, stop mountaintop removal, but it may draw some attention from the media. And from there the public's curiousity may be provoked to learn more about the issue.
Most of the 200+ people in the audience for LEPOCO's Annual Dinner this past Saturday are part of the "choir" (some literally. LEPOCO Peace Singers: Represent!), but the choir needs to be re-energized at times. Part of the purpose of the event is exactly that. I don't know about you Brother/Sister Anonymous but i need to be reinvigorated at times. Sometimes i need to be reminded that there's a community of peacemakers out there all striving toward the same common goal. A gathering like LEPOCO's Annual Dinner event is a place where i can recharge my batteries for the long haul. Then, at a an "action" meeting (tonight: Monday March 8th, at 7pm. LEPOCO Peace Center, 313 West 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA. All are welcome to attend), or committee meeting i can get down to the real work of organizing said community to bring peace and justice to this planet.
Now i wrote most of the 200+ are part of the "choir". Most, but not all. Because of the choice to host such charismatic and dynamic speakers a lot of new faces appeared. The majority of new faces in the audience Saturday also happened to be young. These individuals are the ones who will carry a grassroots organization like LEPOCO on for another 45 years. They will continue this good work, but only if we draw them in and capture their imagination. I heard nothing but positive comments from this next generation of activists who, inspired, by Savitri's talk and the Rev's "sermon", seek to deepen their commitment to the struggle. I expect several may show up to tonight's meeting.
The only thing missing from the event on Saturday is that the Rev didn't lead the enthusiastic audience of fresh converts out the door ala Andy Kaufman, and march us down to the Starbucks at the Promenade Shoppes, or the Sands Casino. Perhaps next time. Amen?
...or, in short...
Through thought,
The most radical behavior would be change without revolution a change with cause and thought of the induvigual coming togehter to accomplish great things. The radical behavior that is motivated by the marketed fools folly of reverend Billy is short lived and short sighted.
We live in a world of cycles, economic cycles of boom and bust, spiritual cyles of apathy and devotion as well as cycles of engagement and laissez faire. What could be more motivational than finding a way to have the next generation take steps to grow beyond this heritage. Recharge your batteries by mentoring a group of young people pushing them to ask Why are we in this mess, how did this happen and what can we do to keep it from happening again. This generic thought process transcends a single event or a single cause but it can and will make a difference.
In short Reverend Billy's performance has itself become a Disnification of the liberal and progressivemovement grab hold of the media for a spectacular event but to what end.
The provocatuers energy burns of quickly and what is left, I do not believe it is the fertile ground for meaningful change.Long term change real solutions are best affected be looking at the world around you and staring at the most uncomfortable and unpleasant aspect of mankind a saying how can me make this better and what can we do to keep this from happening again
It may not be as flashey as carting a truck load of mine spoils to New york or as cool as getting arrested but in the end this radicalization through acctualization is far more efficient and ultimatley more effective
Puritannism I've seen before
Radical behavior does not have to be loud, but...
Throughout history, speakers of the truth are often viewed as offensive and/or dangerous. I hope that Savitri's and the Reverent Billy continue speaking the truth despite the negative reactions of many. I only wish I had a fraction of their skill and bravery.
Thanks!
The small town of Woodstock
But the Woodstock Forum is about more than peace and love. It's also about a massive nation-wide weapons industry that stands in the way of peace and how that industry could be converted into something green and sustainable. We know that Woodstock is a community that values peace. But can we claim to be for peace when our largest manufacturer is making parts used in weapons of war and we haven't said a peep about changing that?
Woodstock's largest manufacturer, Ametek/Rotron, makes parts used in F-16 fighter planes, Apache attack helicopters, tanks and missile delivery systems.
A small group of us met with the leadership of Rotron some months ago. They referred to themselves as part of the defense industry. But "defense industry" is just another name for the same huge military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about in 1961 when leaving office.
Frida Berrigan, senior program associate with the New America Foundation's Arms and Security Initiative, in an article called 'Weapons: Our # 1 Export?' says the United States leads the world in exporting weaponry. "Increased weapons sales will certainly help defense contractors...but they won't help the overall U.S. economy or the security of the international community."
Defense contractors may provide jobs (green, sustainable economy would provide more) but the production and sale of military hardware has little to do with actual "defense". The very profitable production (for a few) of weapons used to rain death and destruction (on the many) keeps the business of war going on and on.
Two-time Congressional Medal of Honor winner, retired Marine Major General Smedley Butler said it this way, "War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives."
On the other hand, for more peaceful tomorrows, the Woodstock Forum is bringing together activists and scholars from around the U.S. for two days of "building a peaceful, just and sustainable economy."
Speakers and performers will include environmental and anti-war activist and author of "An Unreasonable Woman" - Diane Wilson, top investigative reporter, Jeremy Scahill, Jeff Cohen, Mikhail Horowitz, Joel Kovel, Janine Vega and others.
According to esteemed Tibetan scholar and Woodstock resident, Robert Thurman, "Our town should be in the lead in turning America away from a self-defeating war economy to a green sustainable economy, and so the conversion of the Woodstock plant of Rotron from war component making to purely peace-product manufacturing is of vital concern to all Woodstock taxpaying citizens, including myself."
Historian and author Howard Zinn wrote, "I'm gratified that citizens of Woodstock and its environs are organizing to transform the production of components now used for frightful weapons to peaceful and sustainable purposes...perhaps other places in the country where war materials are produced will take up the struggle for a weapons-free, peaceful world.
Remember the dates: August 15 at the Woodstock Town Hall and August 16 at the Colony Cafe. On the flyer it says, "What if Woodstock made Windmills?"
What if? Be there and find out.
ecomonic solutions for peace -
But the Woodstock Forum is about more than peace and love. It's also about a massive nation-wide weapons industry that stands in the way of peace and how that industry could be converted into something green and sustainable. We know that Woodstock is a community that values peace. But can we claim to be for peace when our largest manufacturer is making parts used in weapons of war and we haven't said a peep about changing that?
Woodstock's largest manufacturer, Ametek/Rotron, makes parts used in F-16 fighter planes, Apache attack helicopters, tanks and missile delivery systems.
A small group of us met with the leadership of Rotron some months ago. They referred to themselves as part of the defense industry. But "defense industry" is just another name for the same huge military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about in 1961 when leaving office.
Frida Berrigan, senior program associate with the New America Foundation's Arms and Security Initiative, in an article called 'Weapons: Our # 1 Export?' says the United States leads the world in exporting weaponry. "Increased weapons sales will certainly help defense contractors...but they won't help the overall U.S. economy or the security of the international community."
Defense contractors may provide jobs (green, sustainable economy would provide more) but the production and sale of military hardware has little to do with actual "defense". The very profitable production (for a few) of weapons used to rain death and destruction (on the many) keeps the business of war going on and on.
Two-time Congressional Medal of Honor winner, retired Marine Major General Smedley Butler said it this way, "War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives."
On the other hand, for more peaceful tomorrows, the Woodstock Forum is bringing together activists and scholars from around the U.S. for two days of "building a peaceful, just and sustainable economy."
Speakers and performers will include environmental and anti-war activist and author of "An Unreasonable Woman" - Diane Wilson, top investigative reporter, Jeremy Scahill, Jeff Cohen, Mikhail Horowitz, Joel Kovel, Janine Vega and others.
According to esteemed Tibetan scholar and Woodstock resident, Robert Thurman, "Our town should be in the lead in turning America away from a self-defeating war economy to a green sustainable economy, and so the conversion of the Woodstock plant of Rotron from war component making to purely peace-product manufacturing is of vital concern to all Woodstock taxpaying citizens, including myself."
Historian and author Howard Zinn wrote, "I'm gratified that citizens of Woodstock and its environs are organizing to transform the production of components now used for frightful weapons to peaceful and sustainable purposes...perhaps other places in the country where war materials are produced will take up the struggle for a weapons-free, peaceful world.
Remember the dates: August 15 at the Woodstock Town Hall and August 16 at the Colony Cafe. On the flyer it says, "What if Woodstock made Windmills?"
What if? Be there and find out.
A true American success story
At the Walmart Visitors’ Center, you’ll see thousands of photographs and lots of memorabilia dating back to the start of the company. You’ll see annual financial reports, profit and loss sheets, and store advertisements. There’s a special section dedicated to the Walton family, with Mr. Sam’s old red pickup truck and his office just as he left it.
Where we began saving people money so they could live better
The Visitors’ Center is at Sam Walton’s original variety store – Walton’s 5-10 – on the square in downtown Bentonville. So, when you're visiting Northwest Arkansas, come on by. Admission is free.
Walmart Visitors' Center
105 North Main Street
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: 479-273-1329
Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday
(Closed Holidays)
store wars -
http://walmartstores.com/Abou
http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/complete_history.html
http://disneymusic.disney.go.com/index.html
Disney, Wal - Mart are only as evil as we make them
Free will is still a powerful force
Consider that the men and women who built these companies in may cases came from humble beginings and were building a dream
Were they wrong to dream
You Dreamed the Wrong Dream
Wal-Mart is the killer of neighborhoods, of the intimate contact between citizens in a non-commercial place. Wal-Mart is the corruption of our government, the top donor to right-wing Republicans and key supporter of the colonial wars of the Bush era. Many towns and cities have resisted the invasion by this corporation, heroic demonstrations that show the world how to resist the mono-culture.
Disney's, the first modern media giant -- Disney's approach is different. This corporation studies children - the young wonder about the nature of the world that is the beginning of creating an identity. By visual dazzle and the sound of schmaltz, modern American children are raised by this company as much as by their parents. The results are the conformity of consumerism, so much at the heart of the problems of the United States now, a population of passivity, supporting endless shopping and war. It is the death of wonder that makes this possible.
And so boycott these two companies, but more than that - support local economies and let's raise commercial-free kids. ---Rev
The non commercial nightmare -
How can one company control our intimate interaction with our neighborhoods our families or anything
What about free will ?
What about democracy, we all can vote, with our pocketbooks and with our feet and with our vote during the elections
What are commercial free kids, kids free from the effects of commerce.
Perhaps a better way to put is children free from the effects of marketing but your organization counts on and utilizes similar techniques .
I have commercial free kids and they have gone to Wal - Mart and even God forbid enjoy a good Disney movie. What our children do, what they watch who they become is more a matter of parenting than The Little Mermaid. ( I am sure you have it in for Shrek and Power Rangers as well ...Sad ) Wal - Mart and Disney exist and prosper because we want them to, we support them by shopping at their stores and buying their products. If you want to get rid of Wal - Mart and other box non neighborhood friendly stores spend your dollars somewhere else.
The world changes, small town become cities, cities expand in suburbs, suburbs expand into farm land some people win and some people loose. If society becomes dissatisfied with this evolution than it will change and morph into something that reflects the will of the people. The world around us is created by us so stop going to Wal - Mart and no more Mickey Mouse.
Now What ?
Its arts and craft time and a lot of Twister ( Twister in manufactured by Milton Bradley I do not know if they piss you off too ) Well walks in the woods but no shoes and no clothes, no bottled water and no cars because all of these things are provided in mass by some kind of commercial monster
It is not Wal - Mart, Disney, Sear, K Mart, Macy's or even McDonalds' it is us we can choice where we shop, what we buy, what we watch and more than anything how are children interact and are affected by these influences.
Wal - Mart and Disney did not put you in jail, your action put you in jail and if your beliefs are so strong that you are willing to sacrifice your freedom to promote them than you deserve praise. However you should be strong enough to take responsibility for the fact that your free will caused you to give up some freedom. I don't look at you as a defender of economic aggression rather more of a grass roots neophyte marketer of an alternative way of interacting with the world
Beating down the doors of successfully marketed ideas and salting the earth where they are and have been is not the solution, you have to understand the systemic cause and in most cases begin with you and I
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