- CounterPunch.org - https://www.counterpunch.org -

Rotten Foundations, Violent Structures

We’ve heard ad nauseam about fake news this last year or so (which roughly translates into news I don’t care to believe–this in all political corners–not necessarily properly vetted and sourced information that betters humankind’s understanding of the world). I’m guilty of it, too. I much prefer stories about Trump paying for-hire urinators over a Bernie supporter flipping out and shooting at bureaucratic baseball players over a bad call on healthcare. Sadly that last one was certainly not fake, and caused me to have a little wiring in the brain sizzle. The problem is thinking in too narrow of a fashion, that those aligned with you politically can’t have a broader problem.

A foundation that seems to be present in almost all of the mass shootings, the vehicle attacks, etc. is that of domestic abuse. These guys may support ISIS, Bernie (admittedly a bit of an aberration in terms of political inclination) or Loki, but what they support unanimously is that of subjugating others who do not perform and believe as they deem fit. They take away the free agency of others through beatings and eventually take it away in terms of life itself. Fake news, weird news, sad news—it keeps coming at us at what seems like a surreal rapidity. Some common denominators remain, however, and that is believing that you have the right to force others to agree, change or be beaten down and killed for the transgression of not mirroring your mind or satisfying petty control needs.

I saw a tweet that said something to the effect “Kathy Griffin fired by CNN for holding severed replica of President Donald Trump’s head.” The person pondered what that statement would be like if you just woke from a 15 year coma and that was the first thing you saw. It’s hilariously weird, yes—but we have slowly warmed the pot to a boil; it is all insane news these days.

Not to mention the orange shadow over all of our lives. We have a semi-literate goon that seems more fit to be an extra on “The Sopranos” than in charge of anything of substance. It’s like this guy clawed his way out of the Pine Barrens episode and landed in the oval office. He fits the profile, too….domestic abuse, rape but not rape per Ivana stuff, and he has moved on to killing many. Oh, that Saudi contract for weapons….what wonderful news (except for Yemen). What is the true difference between being shot at a ball game, shot by a drone from the air, or knifed in a restaurant? A rubber stamp of approval by a government? It’s all symptoms of the disease, that humans still believe violence is a method to solve a problem, international or internal. Our technology has broadened in amazing ways, but there’s no such exponential increase in human empathy. Hell, the average hunter-gatherer probably spent more time trying to solve problems without violence because it would be awkward to get into a fight with Ger-ag-mog every freaking day and have to face him at the campfire every night. Trump has no such issues, no maimed drone strike survivors will ever be at his dinner table (oh, the most beautiful chocolate cake you’ve ever seen) to give him the side-eye (with his or her remaining eye).

I talk and preach, but I’m obviously a product of this culture as well. The demon in me thinks (upon reading about GOP baseball shitshow)….well, now they see what flooding the damn place with guns causes. How do they like that now? Dumbasses. But the problem is so much larger than these particular dumbasses. Even those firmly espousing gun control really don’t step out of their accepted paradigm to consider all the forms of violence that our Empire extends outward. How much Lockheed Martin technology goes to simply making other nations weapons not work correctly? No, those types of companies just escalate the killing power to the nth degree. We flood areas of the world like Syria with munitions and then purse our lips and wave fingers when they are used. It’s all theater. They are meant to be used, and the stocks soar for those companies when tensions escalate.

We are nearing a world that could see almost all work done in an easier fashion by technology. In fact, we are already there in numerous, tangible ways, but we work more hours than ever in the US. Most of us consumed by a lot of busy work that simply marks a clock counting down our time. Our barbarity/acceptance of modern day feudalism is evident when guaranteed minimum income is discussed or at least attempted to be discussed. At least in the US, it is a non-starter, despite the very real fact that in the future there might not be enough “work” for all. We seem okay with having a permanent and growing sub-class that has to live under bridges. But we almost never hear the same mockery and disapproval of CEO bastards taking in more than the average income of a typical worker in less than a day. This is brainwashing and acceptance of a velvety feudalism. We all need a giant white van to pick us up and get us away from this cult mentality. Well, maybe not that,–that sounds creepy, but something to jar us away from accepting abuse and nonsensical rationales,…….rationales for some having obscene wealth while others die for lack of food, shelter, affordable medicine (or simply personal space without bullets and bombs). This is all related to the acceptance of violence as a means of getting your way. Occupy Wall Street was beaten on without mercy, but jackass cattle raising parasites could have a weapons stand-off with the government–that was treated with kid gloves. One threatens the illusion that this is the only way to live, and is mind expanding. One is just a bunch of old white crotchety dudes wanting their way, so not such a big deal. Like that’s something new. Certainly not in need of extermination. We tend to coddle those guys.

Look at the nations that the US chooses to “intervene” in…ones going to sell their oil in units other than US dollars, ones stepping away from World Bank domination…….. It isn’t conspiracy theory. It is simple cause and effect.

Lots of disparate issues here, seemingly not connected…..mass shootings, fake humanitarian interventions, urinating prostitutes (oops, okay maybe not that one–I just had to add that for Loki)……the core problem is domination over others, and a sense that violence is acceptable—that non-violent solutions are somehow, weak…… when in fact it is the harder path to take, and requires more creativity. A generation or two of kids raised without that background noise of violence and subjugation…can you imagine the possibilities? I can, and it’s beautiful.