Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Biologique
One doesn't always realize how backward our country is until an example like this article about French agricultural policy comes to our attention.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Silent Arab Spring
In his editorial from the Department of Double Standards, investigative reporter Russ Baker connects the dots on the reconciliation between Al Qaeda and America. Noting how Western media gets it all wrong (as usual) in Libya, Iran, Egypt and now Syria, Baker examines the boiler plate propaganda used by Western allies in their hypocritical condemnation of the Syrian regime.
That condemnation, observes Baker, is in dramatic contrast to their silence toward comparably repressive but pro-Western governments like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. With uprisings in both of the latter Arab states -- what might be referred to as Silent Arab Spring for the lack of mention in Western media -- one might be inclined to surmise this psychological warfare posing as news is all about oil.
Unfortunately, as the EU and US attempt to destabilize Iran, the politics of oil could leave us all stranded by the roadside, as we were nearly four decades ago during the Arab Oil Embargo. In a perverted sense, we have come full circle in our ignorance, but bliss doesn't come to mind as an accurate way to describe it.
That condemnation, observes Baker, is in dramatic contrast to their silence toward comparably repressive but pro-Western governments like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. With uprisings in both of the latter Arab states -- what might be referred to as Silent Arab Spring for the lack of mention in Western media -- one might be inclined to surmise this psychological warfare posing as news is all about oil.
Unfortunately, as the EU and US attempt to destabilize Iran, the politics of oil could leave us all stranded by the roadside, as we were nearly four decades ago during the Arab Oil Embargo. In a perverted sense, we have come full circle in our ignorance, but bliss doesn't come to mind as an accurate way to describe it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Say It Loud
As an associate member of PEN, I look forward to reading my issue of the PEN America journal, a collection of essays, poems and short stories by writers from around the world.
In the current issue, Rian Malan -- a South African author, journalist and songwriter of Afrikaner descent -- recounts his teen years as a devotee of rock and roll during the Apartheid era. As a fan of The Beatles, Malan was upset by the official ban of Beatles music (when John Lennon remarked his band was more popular than Jesus), and decided to do something about it. Under cover of darkness, he and his friends spray-painted graffiti on a block long concrete wall in the white suburbs with the caption, "Say it Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud." Later, as a fan of the local Otis Waygood Blues Band, Malan and other garage rockers horrified their Afrikaner parents with amplified Negro rhythm and blues.
Rian recently participated in the 2011 PEN World Voices Festival, as well as The Moth: True Stories Told Live, in New York City. Malan is now a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, and lives in Cape Town.
In the current issue, Rian Malan -- a South African author, journalist and songwriter of Afrikaner descent -- recounts his teen years as a devotee of rock and roll during the Apartheid era. As a fan of The Beatles, Malan was upset by the official ban of Beatles music (when John Lennon remarked his band was more popular than Jesus), and decided to do something about it. Under cover of darkness, he and his friends spray-painted graffiti on a block long concrete wall in the white suburbs with the caption, "Say it Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud." Later, as a fan of the local Otis Waygood Blues Band, Malan and other garage rockers horrified their Afrikaner parents with amplified Negro rhythm and blues.
Rian recently participated in the 2011 PEN World Voices Festival, as well as The Moth: True Stories Told Live, in New York City. Malan is now a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, and lives in Cape Town.
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Nobel for Manning
Nobel Peace Prize for Bradley Manning? Don't hold your breath--pass the word.
Monday, February 06, 2012
Estimate of the Situation
Recognizing patterns of fraud in the media is only one aspect of freeing our minds from government propaganda; understanding how to subvert fraudulent spectacles -- used to justify war on the environment and humanity -- requires an accurate estimate of the situation. In other words, exposing patterns of fraud is not enough; within a culture of imbeciles, we need other tools than mass persuasion.
Exposing patterns of fraud (i.e. Kuwait war, Iraq war, Libya war), through analysis of media deception, is useful in recruiting those previously neutralized by fake threats or inflated atrocities, but our expectations must be tempered by the hard facts of social reality. As suggested on Wrong Kind of Green and elsewhere, that requires we take into account the large numbers of self-deluded religious devotees and self-distracted consumers who will likely never become anything resembling a citizen, let alone revolutionary. In other words, the fully aware and fully committed will remain a minute proportion of the populace.
Given the asymmetry of this conflict, our comprehension of such things as psychological warfare and network dynamics is fundamental to our success. Using creative Internet formats in new ways is a vital part of that effort.
Exposing patterns of fraud (i.e. Kuwait war, Iraq war, Libya war), through analysis of media deception, is useful in recruiting those previously neutralized by fake threats or inflated atrocities, but our expectations must be tempered by the hard facts of social reality. As suggested on Wrong Kind of Green and elsewhere, that requires we take into account the large numbers of self-deluded religious devotees and self-distracted consumers who will likely never become anything resembling a citizen, let alone revolutionary. In other words, the fully aware and fully committed will remain a minute proportion of the populace.
Given the asymmetry of this conflict, our comprehension of such things as psychological warfare and network dynamics is fundamental to our success. Using creative Internet formats in new ways is a vital part of that effort.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Putin on the Ritz
"He has overlooked a culture of corruption and extortion, cracked down on free speech, and has persistently degraded social benefits."--Mother Jones
Obama? No, Putin, but one can be excused for the confusion.
Obama? No, Putin, but one can be excused for the confusion.
Friday, February 03, 2012
American Madrasa
Christian evangelism, like other forms of belligerence, aims to indoctrinate susceptible minds and undermine independent thought. As a form of psychological abuse, it often lends a benign appearance to a violent spirit. In reviewing The Good News Club, Chris Rodda alerts us to the lethal phenomenon of stealth efforts by Christian fundamentalists to conquer the minds of American children in public schools.
