Enlightened people seldom or never possess a sense of responsibility.– George Orwell
Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.
– Albert Camus
It’s important to know thy keepers … because they certainly know you. Yes, they are watching, planning and plotting as you go about picking up the pieces of your daily dander. They are watching to make sure you remain occupied and don’t venture too close to the unmarked boundaries they have drawn. Go on and scoff all you want. Go ahead and laugh, too. It’s ok because that’s exactly what you’ve been programmed to do; when in doubt, keep on doubting.
You see, our lives are marked by rules to follow and lines not to cross. A friendly tip might suggest for you to be mindful of where you step. Step on the wrong toes or tread on the wrong flag and you will be crushed, most certainly. ‘Step on a crack, break your mother’s back’, remember? Yes, that’s how the life goes; ‘them’ is the rules. And, there are quite a few angles, as well.
The Rules
It concerns me that, for the most part, we are told that life is what we make of it. (Cue: the buzzer sound) WRONG! Life is certainly not what we make of it, but rather it is what stems from how we adapt to it … that is assuming we desire to play by ‘the rules’. Oh, you do remember the rules, don’t you? I hope so because ignorance is no excuse. That’s another rule.
We’re often led to believe that we have various freedoms to enjoy, liberties to uphold and rights to exercise. We don’t. Let’s be honest; we don’t.What we do have are cleverly worded illusions designed to pacify us. Such notions we are obliged to follow. And, to ensure that we do, there plenty of are boundaries for us to press against and bounce off of; some legal, some social, and some cultural. Most, of course, not of our own making or choosing. Nevertheless, we are required by (fill-in your preference of totalitarian authority here) to recognize and respect them. Um, did I mention the word ‘obey’?
Yes, obey the rules because if you break them, ‘they’ will get you … or at least their duly appointed officials will. And, they will remind you of your rights, rules, civic duties, etc. Of course, they don’t mention the real unspoken rules of the game: They win – you lose. They lose – they really win. You win – you really lose.
The Lines
We are often told not to cross ‘the line’. Question: do you know where the line is? Does anyone really know, or are many just too scared to even bother looking?
Today, at the global level, there are many brave souls who are trying to think and boldly go beyond those lines. The Occupy Movement, for example, has been on the front line, testing its limits. They are trying to do more for those who do little. For their efforts they are met with police brutality whose mission apparently is to protect and serve: protect the interests of the elite and serve their own special form of justice.
Still, it’s so often stressed by the establishment that it’s not enough that we simply acknowledge the limits of our freedoms, some might say existence, but that we must learn to live within them, never crossing the so-called lines. However, as I mentioned above, have you (this means you) ever wondered where that line really is? Ever wonder who drew all those lines in the first place and who keeps redrawing them? If you are like many, you probably haven’t, because you have more important things to think about in life … until all else fails and you find yourself being pressed up against those lines, hemmed in and slowly suffocated to death.
Of course, the ‘powers that be’, the gate keepers, the paymasters, the government behind the government, the elite and any other kind of moniker you like don’t want you to worry about that inevitability. They want you distracted. And so, they created the main stream media (MSM) to both inform and entertain you. Some might call it brainwashing, others conditioning. Yet, one of their weapons is ‘trust’ … as in your ‘trusted’ news source. However, the MSM extends to more than just the 6 o’clock news these days.In many ways, news gathering agencies, broadcasters have become synonymous with entertainment industries, at least at the business level. If they can’t scare you into submission, then at least they’ll fill your head with fluff, and throw in the occasional fright … and not just for the lulz. It’s called programming, and of course I don’t mean what’s on the boob tube tonight. It’s a jaded ‘luxury’ you can barely live without.
In fact, today ‘they’ even make you pay for it. Cable TV, satellite TV, internet TV and even some of the web-based versions of newspapers (WSJ, Sun Sentinel: FAIL) are already offering their poison via subscription services. Sure, they figure you are so addicted to you daily fix of mindless fodder, that you’d rather pay up than suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Heaven forbid you might actually look somewhere else, or even for something better (and yes there are many independent news alternatives). They know you won’t and they’ve planned accordingly.
Remember the old ad slogan the cancer merchants behind Tareyton cigarettes drummed up long ago, ‘I’d rather fight than switch’? Yeah, they’re counting on that sentiment now and that their message has sunk in after all these years.
The Angle Of The Dangle
So, have you gotten the message? Have learned what to think and how to act? Do you know how to tell the bad guys from the good? Have you gotten that NewSpeak down yet? Any ‘thoughtcrime’ to speak of? No? Well perhaps you check your gullet for that hook, line and sinker. They have been angling for you in your little pond after all, and they’re very good at it.
In 1949, George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, 1984, was published. In it, ‘Big Brother’ isn’t just watching, he’s aiming to control you speech and thought. Now tell me honestly, is it really so different today? The MSM shapes opinion while ‘powers that be’ look on knowingly … as ‘Big Business’ nods, funds (read: bribes), and cultivates ‘doublethink’ – defined by Merriam-Webster as “The acceptance of or mental capacity to accept contrary opinions or beliefs at the same time, esp. as a result of political indoctrination.” Yes, it really doesn’t matter what you know or think … or think you know, because it’s already been spoon-fed to you in Sensesurround-bites and Technicolor visuals.For example, let’s take crime and violence. It’s not limited to the news these days, is it? Is there a limit to how many CSI cum Criminal Minds cum Law & Order cum COPS permutations there are? Do we really needed to be reminded ad nauseam that the bad guys are out there? Do we need to have the old stereotypes drilled into our heads? Must we have all the gory details? Why are we being made to feel afraid? Do we really need to be driven to distraction?
The answer of course is a hearty YES. They want us so scare that we don’t question; we don’t speak up; we don’t actually test drive all those so-called freedoms and liberties. When we see a host of ‘Officer Friendlies’ loitering around en masse at peaceful gatherings we should know instinctively to disperse or be dispersed … before a sing billy club is even raised.
The Floaters
We are conditioned to accept reality as it is dictated to us, in the prefabricated form it was shaped in … and without question. Yet, it wasn’t that long ago when when indignation with society lead people to lament ‘why’, stirring some to action. Today, it seems the most often question is ‘what the fuck’ (WTF?). We may gasp and confess bewilderment, but very few of us really seem shocked anymore by what life unfurls. Eventually, we lose interest and get back to our daily drivel. Indeed, WTF!Floating through life on a cloud of indifference is a noxious existence for all involved. Yet, it’s exactly what we are expected to do; go about our business and move along. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Take a trip to the grocery market. Consume. Check the local TV listings. Zone out. Is it time for dinner already? Consume some more. Say, how many times have you pressed the feed bar today?
Post Notes: This represents the 19th effort to write this post. If you are reading this, then it’s safe to assume this was the keeper. If you are mad as hell and want to fight back, check out the Occupy Wall Street ‘Pledge To fight’ at this link: http://occupywallst.org/fightback/
Also, the photo source for the police related image above is: http://soldiersforthecause.org/2012/04/10/10k-man-march-against-injustice-chicago/
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Suggested Reading:
Loitering Words 