“A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some other way.”
-John Tudor“How many ways to get what you want?
I use the best
I use the enemy
I use anarchy”
-Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the UK”
—– Did you know there are alligators–discarded pets flushed down urban toilets–living in the NYC sewers…getting fat on a steady diet of rats? —–
Long before Al Gore invented the Internet, War Criminal Winston Churchill declared: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
WMDs…the Saddam/Osama connection…we will be greeted as liberators.
The power of suggestion vs. reality. Gossip vs. guns. Rumors instead of demonstrations. Could this be a viable tool? Ani DiFranco says: “Every tool is a weapon…if you hold it right.”
—– Elvis is alive and well…he’s sharing a summerhouse in the Hamptons with Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, and Jim Morrison. —–
What would happen if as many people as possible—potentially millions–were to log onto chat rooms, comment boards, etc. and engage in a little wishful thinking? Imagine a steady supply of rumors that George W. Bush is about to propose universal health care. Picture hundreds of thousands of e-mails crisscrossing the Web claiming to know that Oregon is about secede from the U.S. and name Ralph Nader as its president.
Jay Leno has been kidnapped. Kissinger was arrested for war crimes on a visit to Paris. Hillary Clinton has joined the Green Party. Michael Moore turned vegan. Dan Rather has the human form of Mad Cow Disease. The Pope has come out of the closet. Pick one and there could be postings at every Craig’s List in every city…every minute of every day.
Performance art as protest. Gossip as direct action.
What if word flooded media outlets of a secret plan by the U.S. government to return some land to the indigenous population? It would have to reported-even as a silly hoax-and the concept of America as “occupied territory” would have its fifteen minutes…at least.
—– Jack Ruby was the mastermind behind 9/11. —–
The Situationists urged: “Trade your boredom for chaos.” Could chaos be created if millions in America and tens of millions worldwide spread the rumor that Leonard Peltier was to be pardoned on December 31, 2004? I’m talking about relentless, hourly rumors…day after day. Letters to the editor. E-mails to CNN and the White House. Posters, stickers, fliers…billboards? Whatever means at our disposal. “From each according to his/her abilities,” I believe it goes.
“I heard the news today…oh boy.” -Lennon/McCartney, “A Day in the Life”
Hey, did you hear? Leonard Peltier will be free by the end of the year? Bush is trying to prove that he’s not such a hardass. Tell everyone you know. This is amazing news. I heard it from the Rumor Club. What’s the Rumor Club? The first rule of Rumor Club is…well, you know.
Spread the word: a little chaos could go a long, long way.
MICKEY Z. is the author of four books, most recently: “The Seven Deadly Spins: Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda” (Common Courage Press). He can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.