A large segment of the population is stressed as a direct result of creeping economic insecurity caused by policies specifically designed to extract the maximum level of productivity from the labor force for the benefit of the plutocracy. As productivity has skyrocketed during the last few decades, and wages have remain stagnant (or declined), an increasing number of people become susceptible to falling into poverty.
But even as the level of widespread apprehension increases, powerful stimuli all around us contributes to a generalized sense of confusion, which leads to alienation and cognitive dissonance.
I argue that this is the reason the population has not figured out an effective way of taking on the plutocracy.
How does this happens? Let's try a realistic scenario. Let's say that here at Daily Kos we read something about the latest dastardly act by a politician or about influence-peddling corruption resulting from corporatist cartels' influence on our political system.
And then, let's say you step off the computer and go to the living room and turn the TV on. Depending on what you watch and how long you are exposed to it, you will immediately be bombarded by audiovisual stimuli which has the effect of creating confusion in your mind about the real world. The TV commercial show fit-looking people wearing gym clothing, including running shoes, but who are afflicted by this or that disease or chronic condition, necessitating whatever drug the commercial is peddling.
The news reports that the economy is on the mend, that there is job growth, that the DOW has hit record highs. The TV news mainly focuses on pablum or on sensationalism or fear-mongering about crime, with biased and negative depiction of minorities and the poor.
Then let's say you get in the car to run an errand in town. You drive by and see drivers around you that appear to be just fine. Nice cars, some nice looking people talking and enjoying themselves. You drive by the Starbucks and you see people inside having coffee and talking. You drive by Walmart or Target and notice their parking lots completely full.
None of this seems congruent with the reality of what is basically an increasingly exploitative and oppressive plutocratic police state, and with a fast-expanding pool of people susceptible to falling into poverty.
Even if you yourself have a pretty accurate perception of the situation as it is, there is a very high level of external stimuli bombarding your mind with conflicting narratives.
So in essence what's happening is that an understanding of a reality which is based on absurdities, lies, and false narratives is being constantly reinforced by outside stimuli, while the real reality, based on truth and the actual status quo is being deliberately suppressed.
What ends up happening is that even when people who share an accurate perception of what's going on (i.e., liberals and progressives) connect with each other online, that level of interaction is not enough to counteract the sense of alienation (and cognitive dissonance) many people feel.
This may lead to a sense of powerlessness in the face of the pillaging and criminality being perpetrated by the plutocracy.
Some people may remember that at the height of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and before the Department of Homeland Security orchestrated a coordinated nationwide brutal crackdown, one of the most appealing aspects of it was people joining together, physically, not only sharing an accurate understanding of the war on the 99 percent by the 1 percent, but being able to reinforce that understanding in multiple ways.
People within the movement immediately proceeded to set up their own media outlets broadcasting live video streams that reached audiences around the world; they shared books, wrote and sang songs, held in general assemblies on a daily basis on different topics, invited noted writers, philosophers, clergy, professors, politicians and activists. And all of it served to reinforce an accurate perception of reality, shinning a light on the actual sources of corruption in the country.
And most importantly, all these activities were reaching a larger segment of the population at large, as the Occupy Movement spread to hundreds of cities around the country (and the world).
And that's why it needed to be brutally stopped by the corrupt oligarchy. There is nothing more they fear than a large-enough segment of an alert and united population having an accurate understanding of what's going on, and most importantly, having the ability to reach others and recruit them to the cause.
The system works best for the plutocracy when people are segmented, divided into groups that can be easily manipulated, and are alienated from each other. When the middle class is indifferent to the suffering of the poor and those in the inner cities, it benefits the plutocracy. When members of the middle class have an inaccurate perception of reality and believe in false narratives about the economy, it benefits the plutocracy. When ultra-nationalist right wing groups that harbor racial animosity are manipulated into turning their hate towards liberals, or the poor or people of color, it benefits the plutocracy. When those who have been harmed by the system take their own lives under the pressure of economic insecurity, it benefits the plutocracy. When vulnerable neighborhoods succumb to crime and insecurity, it benefits the plutocracy. And when former middle class people fall into poverty and despair, and nobody notices, it benefits the plutocracy.
Proposed Solution to Alienation
Individually, we need to make a concerted effort to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of the U.S. mainstream media. The least TV you watch, the better it is for you. Be suspect of all media owned by corporate conglomerates.
We need to make a concerted effort to meet in the physical space, in addition to interacting online.
For example, a worthwhile exercise would be for Daily Kos members across the country to make an effort to find out if there are other members in their cities or towns and set up regular meetings to talk and share ideas.
What would be the purpose? It would help reinforce our accurate understanding of the nascent plutocracy. It would motivate people to engage in social justice activism.
I'm currently reaching out to people interested in this concept. So far 230 people from all over the country have joined a social justice and anti-corruption activist network we are forming.
The main reason behind this effort is to encourage people within the network to come up with ideas about how to identify the best strategies to oppose and defeat the plutocracy--peacefully.
I've identified three areas of focus: (1) The harmful effects of the American mainstream media on the population; (2) Removing the influence-peddling corruption that results from the mixing of big money and politics; (3) Reaching out to the general public in order to educate them about the actual state of affairs in the country, and to recruit them into becoming activists against government corruption.
Each blue dot on the map below represents a member of a growing nation-wide network of social justice and anti-corruption activists committed to finding the best way forward. Join us in the effort!
What I envision (and propose) is for the formation of a tightly organized network of activists at a national level. People would meet on a regular basis locally, and then they would share their findings, information, ideas with the rest of the national network with the objective of identifying patterns related to influence-peddling corruption.
That information could then be used to help the network come up with strategies to take on the corruption acting in concert.
If you are interested in participating, join my email list. To share your ideas, you can visit a forum I set up to serve as a think tank for different topics, including media conglomeration, money and political corruption, and food and housing.
Finally, in order to build confidence in the concept (ability to organize a cohesive and strategic-minded nationwide network of social justice activists), I will be proposing ideas consisting of very easy (but useful) tasks we can do in coordination.
My vision is that eventually these small steps will lead to develop the capability for the network to become a powerful nationwide anti-corruption movement capable of operating in a cohesive and strategic manner.
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Ray Pensador | Email List | Twitter | Facebook | Social Justice National Ad Campaign
Here are some great quotes by Mahatma Gandhi, for inspiration:
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.”
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
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