Holiday Greetings from Martin: A Message of Hope and Change
Holiday Greetings from Martin: A Message of Hope and Change
Dear Friends,
I reckon everyone’s gearing up for that holiday celebrating the fact that we clobbered some indians, stole their land then forced them to eat with us. Next comes Christmas. Ho, ho, ho.
By now it’s not news that we lost. Again. The aftermath is more interesting than the charade itself. Shall we, first, establish a few not-so noble facts?
What I’ve learned:
-the culture industry has engulfed politics
- money buys elections - the “moral” issue proves that perception is now, absolutely, more powerful than any factual analysis
- the conservative right wins because it has a specific message to a specific group of people
- the liberal left loses because it is embarrassed of itself and tries to be everything to everybody
- the majority of Americans, as has now been proven, are dangerously illiterate and get all of their information from television news
*Phew*. Now, that said, I find it incredibly interesting that I am getting email from groups like the DNC, Moveon.org, People for the American Way, and many, many others - the subject lines are telling:
“Tell Us What We Need To Do Now”
“Where Do We Go From Here?”
“What's next for MoveOn?”
Is this really happening? Are the leaders of every liberal action committee and cause so stung by this loss that they have no clue what to do next but offer surverys? Surveys: the last refuge of the pitifully hopeless.
Therefore, since our “leaders” have not a clue how to proceed, I hereby offer some ideas directly to you, people who actually have the capacity to make a difference - my holiday greeting and wish list for real social change:
1. Think before Christmas shopping. Look in your cabinets and under your carports. Notice the brands. Feel ashamed. Now promise to stop purchasing from certain companies. They fund Bush. Your money goes to Bush.
examples: Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Pepsico, Pilgrim's Pride, Ocean Spray, AT&T, Oracle Corp, Dell, Verizon, GE, Exxon,
Amoco, UPS, Fedex, United Airlines, Ford, Anheuser-Busch, Outback Steakhouse, Wal-Mart Stores
www.knowthecandidates.org/ktc/RepubContrib.htm
2. Don’t buy things from the states that voted for the anti-gay ammendments. It doesn’t matter what you think on the issue itself, this was not about the issue or a lifestyle. This was a test to see how easy it is for the right-wing to change our constitution to their liking.
3. Turn off the TV. The Airwaves of Evil are relying on you sitting there, droning and getting high off their endless commercials. They’re inside your head, and you don’t even know it.
4. Reject regurgitated music. Check that song you like: More than likely it’s a remake of an original. Buy the original. The artists went to the trouble to write it, perform it, and put some soul into it - no matter the genre. It’s better than the puppet pop-star versions.
5. Read. Read anything well written. Get some classic literature. Leave the pulp on the shelves. Try on some Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas, one of the most challenging and brilliant essays around. Or bring home some Beats: Kerouac, Ginsberg, etc. Pick up some Dostoevsky. Try a read at Henry James’ Aspern Papers. Or Plath. Or Jamaica Kincaid. Or Sedaris or Morrison. Or Poetry. Or a good biography of someone you admire. Graham Robb biography. Or find what you like by reading book reviews. Anything but pop culture. Not popstars. Popstars are not artists. Read something that matters.
6. Stop talking about ridiculous subjects. When a friend brings up Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, the Bush daughters, scandal-this or scandal-that...simply refuse to talk about it. By chattering on about this bilge, you are furthering their agenda, and hanging the air with poison molasses. Air that could be used for positive issues. Or simply breathed.
7. Revolt against the pop-baby-boomer mentality. In the sixties they said “Tune In, Drop Acid, Drop Out”. A lot of good that did. They had all the fun and now we are suffering from their hangover. I offer my fellow Gen-X’ers, Gen-Y’s and friends: “Check In, Get Cynical, Get Above It.”
8. Don’t be silent. Political correctness is a cancer. There are ways of disagreement without confrontation. The problem with ‘them’ is that ‘them’ think all of us agree with ‘them’. We don’t. Silence equals death, and a concise statement is the strongest argument - which won’t ruin the Christmas dinner, although you’ve effectively told Uncle Joe where to stuff the turkey.
Now pick 2 of these and do them. By your example, yes boys & girls we too can be leaders and activists at the same time.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Festival of Lights or whatever you do at this time of year, when we all act retarded.
Martin Belk
Dear Friends,
I reckon everyone’s gearing up for that holiday celebrating the fact that we clobbered some indians, stole their land then forced them to eat with us. Next comes Christmas. Ho, ho, ho.
By now it’s not news that we lost. Again. The aftermath is more interesting than the charade itself. Shall we, first, establish a few not-so noble facts?
What I’ve learned:
-the culture industry has engulfed politics
- money buys elections - the “moral” issue proves that perception is now, absolutely, more powerful than any factual analysis
- the conservative right wins because it has a specific message to a specific group of people
- the liberal left loses because it is embarrassed of itself and tries to be everything to everybody
- the majority of Americans, as has now been proven, are dangerously illiterate and get all of their information from television news
*Phew*. Now, that said, I find it incredibly interesting that I am getting email from groups like the DNC, Moveon.org, People for the American Way, and many, many others - the subject lines are telling:
“Tell Us What We Need To Do Now”
“Where Do We Go From Here?”
“What's next for MoveOn?”
Is this really happening? Are the leaders of every liberal action committee and cause so stung by this loss that they have no clue what to do next but offer surverys? Surveys: the last refuge of the pitifully hopeless.
Therefore, since our “leaders” have not a clue how to proceed, I hereby offer some ideas directly to you, people who actually have the capacity to make a difference - my holiday greeting and wish list for real social change:
1. Think before Christmas shopping. Look in your cabinets and under your carports. Notice the brands. Feel ashamed. Now promise to stop purchasing from certain companies. They fund Bush. Your money goes to Bush.
examples: Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Pepsico, Pilgrim's Pride, Ocean Spray, AT&T, Oracle Corp, Dell, Verizon, GE, Exxon,
Amoco, UPS, Fedex, United Airlines, Ford, Anheuser-Busch, Outback Steakhouse, Wal-Mart Stores
www.knowthecandidates.org/ktc/RepubContrib.htm
2. Don’t buy things from the states that voted for the anti-gay ammendments. It doesn’t matter what you think on the issue itself, this was not about the issue or a lifestyle. This was a test to see how easy it is for the right-wing to change our constitution to their liking.
3. Turn off the TV. The Airwaves of Evil are relying on you sitting there, droning and getting high off their endless commercials. They’re inside your head, and you don’t even know it.
4. Reject regurgitated music. Check that song you like: More than likely it’s a remake of an original. Buy the original. The artists went to the trouble to write it, perform it, and put some soul into it - no matter the genre. It’s better than the puppet pop-star versions.
5. Read. Read anything well written. Get some classic literature. Leave the pulp on the shelves. Try on some Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas, one of the most challenging and brilliant essays around. Or bring home some Beats: Kerouac, Ginsberg, etc. Pick up some Dostoevsky. Try a read at Henry James’ Aspern Papers. Or Plath. Or Jamaica Kincaid. Or Sedaris or Morrison. Or Poetry. Or a good biography of someone you admire. Graham Robb biography. Or find what you like by reading book reviews. Anything but pop culture. Not popstars. Popstars are not artists. Read something that matters.
6. Stop talking about ridiculous subjects. When a friend brings up Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, the Bush daughters, scandal-this or scandal-that...simply refuse to talk about it. By chattering on about this bilge, you are furthering their agenda, and hanging the air with poison molasses. Air that could be used for positive issues. Or simply breathed.
7. Revolt against the pop-baby-boomer mentality. In the sixties they said “Tune In, Drop Acid, Drop Out”. A lot of good that did. They had all the fun and now we are suffering from their hangover. I offer my fellow Gen-X’ers, Gen-Y’s and friends: “Check In, Get Cynical, Get Above It.”
8. Don’t be silent. Political correctness is a cancer. There are ways of disagreement without confrontation. The problem with ‘them’ is that ‘them’ think all of us agree with ‘them’. We don’t. Silence equals death, and a concise statement is the strongest argument - which won’t ruin the Christmas dinner, although you’ve effectively told Uncle Joe where to stuff the turkey.
Now pick 2 of these and do them. By your example, yes boys & girls we too can be leaders and activists at the same time.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Festival of Lights or whatever you do at this time of year, when we all act retarded.
Martin Belk
posted by Martin B at 9:20 AM
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