I was watching CBC's Hockey Night In Canada this past Saturday night, for those of you not familiar with this show, it's aired every Saturday night of the NHL season across Canada to appease the masses of frothing hockey fans bored to their limits with the bitter realities of Canadian winters.
When i turned the television on and flipped to the desired channel there was some elaborate ceremony for a player who years ago was the captain of the team honoring him. The ceremony seemed to drag on and on and as it did so it seemed more and more ridiculous and unnecessary. It got me thinking that there is an inordinate amount of these types of things before professional hockey games across the country every season, many of them imbued with a message of patriotism and hometown pride, as if the hockey game itself wasn't enough to get all the fans gushing about how great hockey is and how great Canada is for having invented and harbored such a sport, and of course how much better the Canadian hockey players are than the Europeans
After thinking about this for some time and remembering how i had read something about the impact professional sport has on appeasing and distracting the masses it became extremely obvious that these distractions are indeed just that, even if not on purpose they do a really good job at getting people thinking about how many goals a top player has or in the case of the city of Toronto; why the Maple Leafs suck so bad this season, and have sucked consistently for 41 years now.
Not only are do pro sports serve as a sedative, they also act as a forum to express the greatness of a given country. I mentioned earlier giving a Canadian example. I'll never forget the scene of the NFL's Ladainian Tomlinson galloping onto the field fiercely wielding an American Flag, a scene which was used in the prelude to one channels NFL broadcasts this season. I haven't even mentioned the fighter jets that fly over the stadium at the beginning of the super bowl, the military personnel that are seemingly honored every game of the season, and the national anthems that are played at the beginning of every sporting event in the continent. Just wait until the NFL gets European players, then they'll have to hire some severely misled commentator like Don Cherry to rant and rave about how great all the American football players are in comparison to their wimpy European brethren. But they'll put him on a 10 second delay just to ensure they can edit anything overtly racist that spews from his mouth.
I actually like professional sports a lot, i watch the NFL and the NHL regularly and have a favorite team in each league. But the more i watch the more i realize how these sports have been exploited by advertising and political agendas and have in a lot of ways just acted as one of the extended arms of societies most powerful. I'll still watch sports but maybe i'll be a little more cautious then i was before, I'm definitely a little more jaded although that's not saying much. Maybe being a fan of the Leafs and watching most of their games each year I've been able to see how the mystique of a sports team can engulf a city even though they are possibly the worst run franchise in North American pro sports, them and the N.Y Knicks.
Anyway i propose removing the anthem from all sporting events, unless your willing to play the anthem of every players country, which would take hours in the NHL. Bottom line is think about what you see when your watching TV in general but pay close attention to sports broadcasts and you'll see what I'm talking about. Or you won't, maybe I'm just too delusional, too idealistic, and too caught up in the freshness of my youth that my mind is caught up in a near psychotic state. But somehow i doubt that.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Deceptive Reality
A few weeks ago i was writing a paper about the media maniplation of crime and how it creates a reality of crime that is far from realistic. In the process of writing this paper i started thinking about how the media not only control percpetions about crime, but they also control perception in regards to just about anything that we ourselves aren't directly involved or have had first hand experience with.
Specifically regarding global issues, what the media tell us about what's happening overseas creates a false reality. I guess the overall point i came to was that the media have the power to control the way we think about the world around us, it creates realities that are built on lies. This is actually a really scary thought. If the majority of people living in media saturated societies have a false perception of reality they're really powerless in terms of affecting any real change amongst their own governments let alone taking a stand against what their governments are doing in various parts of the world
I think this sort of media control creates almost a worldwide benevolence. I'm still working my way through Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" and in it she explains a number of ecenomic, social, and political catasrophes that have happened all over the world. Often times these disasters have come as a direct result of western involvement and manipulation. Of course back home we think nothing of these things. The media tells us that some corrupt dictator has lost his mind and started systematically eliminating those in opposition to him. What they don't tell us is that our own governments are backing this dictator because he has and will continue to implement ecenomic policies that are favourbale to our capitalist elites.
I'm sure many people would feel moved to do something about this if they had been told the truth, but we're almost always lied to and we're certainly never told the full truth. Through a plethora of reading that i've done over the past 5 years or so it's become increasingly obvious that there is some infinite inescapable evil that is living and thriving under our noses. I'm not saying that everything i've read is 100% credible, even if half of what i've read is true it's still deeply unsettling. We're letting people get away with murdering millions of innocent people, that kind of evil can't hide, we just don't like looking at it.
Lion of Judah have a song that really relates to what i'm saying:
Specifically regarding global issues, what the media tell us about what's happening overseas creates a false reality. I guess the overall point i came to was that the media have the power to control the way we think about the world around us, it creates realities that are built on lies. This is actually a really scary thought. If the majority of people living in media saturated societies have a false perception of reality they're really powerless in terms of affecting any real change amongst their own governments let alone taking a stand against what their governments are doing in various parts of the world
I think this sort of media control creates almost a worldwide benevolence. I'm still working my way through Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" and in it she explains a number of ecenomic, social, and political catasrophes that have happened all over the world. Often times these disasters have come as a direct result of western involvement and manipulation. Of course back home we think nothing of these things. The media tells us that some corrupt dictator has lost his mind and started systematically eliminating those in opposition to him. What they don't tell us is that our own governments are backing this dictator because he has and will continue to implement ecenomic policies that are favourbale to our capitalist elites.
I'm sure many people would feel moved to do something about this if they had been told the truth, but we're almost always lied to and we're certainly never told the full truth. Through a plethora of reading that i've done over the past 5 years or so it's become increasingly obvious that there is some infinite inescapable evil that is living and thriving under our noses. I'm not saying that everything i've read is 100% credible, even if half of what i've read is true it's still deeply unsettling. We're letting people get away with murdering millions of innocent people, that kind of evil can't hide, we just don't like looking at it.
Lion of Judah have a song that really relates to what i'm saying:
Licking Evil
seen so many people swallowed by lies
so content to embrace what's wrong accepted lies,
just gone along afraid to look through another's eyes
in the heart of the right men
in the heart of the white men
lies a piece of the devil
hold the world in your hand
divide the 'filth' from the men
the good disappear into quicksand
threat to your machine marks the end
in the heart of the right men
in the heart of the white men
lies a piece of the devil
don't become me
DEVIL
DEVIL
DEVIL
DEVIL
don't become me
don't become me
don't become me
Friday, January 18, 2008
It's Their Religion, It's Their Trap
Being a university student, especially a sociology major i hear a lot about "The Enlightenment" era of thinking. Where science supposedly overtook religion as the dominant form of thinking about the world. Anyone who's been to a university and thought hard and long about what they're being taught knows that this "enlightened" way of thinking is front and center. And a lot of it is pretty bogus.
There seems to be a really strong undercurrent (at least at the university i attend and i imagine most others) of what i guess you could call "scientific religion". The overall point is that we didn't stop being religious, we just swapped our allegiances from God to Science and everything that a scientifically advanced society has to offer. Even if you have a belief in God, chances are that belief has been manipulated and twisted and packaged to fit nicely into the scientific framework that our society holds so dear.
This isn't about whether or not you believe in God. It's about the fact that historically, as well as presently religion is at the root of most of evil this world sees. I would argue that Capitalism is a development of enlightenment thinking and that capitalism is the most overriding religion in the entire world. If you look at the things that are done every second of everyday in the name of capitalism, how stupid and irrational they are, how blatantly they disregard the value of human life , how they're so ruthlessly motivated to create more and more capital for those who already have more than they need.
We're raised, from the time we can form reasonably cognitive thoughts to be a consumer, to be a cog in the machine, to be a contributing number to the progression of this system. I know that if i think about the things i do everyday just as part of my nature, they're deeply tied to values and principles of a capitalist system.
It's a daily struggle if you want to liberate your heart and mind from the stench that permeates and corrupts every ounce of potential every person has to offer. This all goes back to the Noam Chomsky quote i included in my last post about being "diluted and manipulated by the system." I definitely think that not only the potential of the world as a whole but the potential of each individual person is severely hindered by this capitalist religion.
Max Weber said in one of his writings that capitalism was like an "iron cage", you can't escape no matter how hard you try. Thats not true. It's up to you to take ownership of your thoughts, of the desires of your heart. They can be separate from this system, i don't think it's easy, nothing worth anything significant ever is. But it's possible, i guess that's how things will change, if enough people learn to train their hearts in opposition to the system, if enough people are willing to sacrifice their impending bliss and really live. That's where hope lies.
While i was writing this numerous songs came to mind, Embraces "Money" Battery's "Say It", 90% of Strike Anywheres discography. I'll post the lyrics from Say It off of Battery's "Until The End" LP. That record ruled, that band rules, and this song rules.
"Say It"
wake up, throw on your clothes,
another day of feeling old.
9 to 5 a suit and tie,
can you feel the wind of life passing you by?
what about the times you've wanted to die?
please don't tell me you're standing in line to say goodbye.
you're hurting, you're dying
BELIEVE ME
there's nothing worse than feeling like that
there's nothing you can do
no friends at the office
no one who understands
that you gave up dreams and settled for things
that were not in your heart
it's fucking hard...you have gone so far
but the work-force dragged you down
now you're screaming for someone to help
but your voice, it makes no sound.
you're hurting, you're dying
BELIEVE ME
I've been there too
BELIEVE ME
there's nothing worse than feeling like that
there's nothing you can do
say it, say it
say it, say it
i can find a place in this world
i believe, i believe
i can find a place in this world
i believe i believe.
it's not what you do from 9 to 5
it's what you do from 5 to 9
so pick up your head and give me your hand.
so believe someone believes in you
there was a time when i felt bad too
school just sucked, my parents were rough
another day... it always comes, that you can trust,
another day... it always comes, but never stays.
There seems to be a really strong undercurrent (at least at the university i attend and i imagine most others) of what i guess you could call "scientific religion". The overall point is that we didn't stop being religious, we just swapped our allegiances from God to Science and everything that a scientifically advanced society has to offer. Even if you have a belief in God, chances are that belief has been manipulated and twisted and packaged to fit nicely into the scientific framework that our society holds so dear.
This isn't about whether or not you believe in God. It's about the fact that historically, as well as presently religion is at the root of most of evil this world sees. I would argue that Capitalism is a development of enlightenment thinking and that capitalism is the most overriding religion in the entire world. If you look at the things that are done every second of everyday in the name of capitalism, how stupid and irrational they are, how blatantly they disregard the value of human life , how they're so ruthlessly motivated to create more and more capital for those who already have more than they need.
We're raised, from the time we can form reasonably cognitive thoughts to be a consumer, to be a cog in the machine, to be a contributing number to the progression of this system. I know that if i think about the things i do everyday just as part of my nature, they're deeply tied to values and principles of a capitalist system.
It's a daily struggle if you want to liberate your heart and mind from the stench that permeates and corrupts every ounce of potential every person has to offer. This all goes back to the Noam Chomsky quote i included in my last post about being "diluted and manipulated by the system." I definitely think that not only the potential of the world as a whole but the potential of each individual person is severely hindered by this capitalist religion.
Max Weber said in one of his writings that capitalism was like an "iron cage", you can't escape no matter how hard you try. Thats not true. It's up to you to take ownership of your thoughts, of the desires of your heart. They can be separate from this system, i don't think it's easy, nothing worth anything significant ever is. But it's possible, i guess that's how things will change, if enough people learn to train their hearts in opposition to the system, if enough people are willing to sacrifice their impending bliss and really live. That's where hope lies.
While i was writing this numerous songs came to mind, Embraces "Money" Battery's "Say It", 90% of Strike Anywheres discography. I'll post the lyrics from Say It off of Battery's "Until The End" LP. That record ruled, that band rules, and this song rules.
"Say It"
wake up, throw on your clothes,
another day of feeling old.
9 to 5 a suit and tie,
can you feel the wind of life passing you by?
what about the times you've wanted to die?
please don't tell me you're standing in line to say goodbye.
you're hurting, you're dying
BELIEVE ME
there's nothing worse than feeling like that
there's nothing you can do
no friends at the office
no one who understands
that you gave up dreams and settled for things
that were not in your heart
it's fucking hard...you have gone so far
but the work-force dragged you down
now you're screaming for someone to help
but your voice, it makes no sound.
you're hurting, you're dying
BELIEVE ME
I've been there too
BELIEVE ME
there's nothing worse than feeling like that
there's nothing you can do
say it, say it
say it, say it
i can find a place in this world
i believe, i believe
i can find a place in this world
i believe i believe.
it's not what you do from 9 to 5
it's what you do from 5 to 9
so pick up your head and give me your hand.
so believe someone believes in you
there was a time when i felt bad too
school just sucked, my parents were rough
another day... it always comes, that you can trust,
another day... it always comes, but never stays.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Shock and Awe
I've been working my way through Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" the last couple weeks. I've been reading about 20 pages every few days, She's saying a lot of weighty stuff so taking time to let it digest is always good.
To this point she's just been documenting Western involvement (Primarily the CIA and other U.S. backed corporations) in developing nations around the world. Nations that at one point were nationalizing their resources and socializing their profits. This isn't good for multi-national corporations that make a killing off of foreign resources. So the rich and powerful had to do something. I won't go into detail, other than to say many of the things that were done were beyond atrocious.
As I'm reading this book it's hard not let anger and frustration build. The same things, the killing, war, and torture, backed by supposedly democratic foundations are still happening. Only now with more precision and devastation than before. We haven't learned from our history at all. I don't mean the people backing and carrying out these evil things, those people, those companies and institutions don't care, they see money and rational thought disappears. It's like this radical form of capitalism is driving people to insanity.
What's most disturbing is that people in the countries who are benefiting from this exploitation the most are letting it happen. It's not as though we don't know what's happening, all you have to do is dig a little and the most gruesome truth is there. It's not pretty to look at but it is willing to be seen. It's up to the people living in Western democracies to stop their governments interaction in terror. The people living in the countries under attack, whether it be military, ideological, social, or economic attack are usually too shocked or fearful to resist what's happening to them. And many times if they do, they disappear.
I know it's easy not to care when you have everything you need, but the time will come when many of today's middle class won't have what they need anymore, then they'll be forced to do something. Unfortunately they won't react until it's too late. I think we really have a responsibility to denounce our apathy and be more active and hold government's and corporations accountable. We're the only people who even have a shot at doing that.
My perpetual listening to Good Riddance's "Operation Phoenix" probably has something to do with me reading this book. There's a song on that record called "Winning the Hearts and Minds." At the beginning of the song there's a quote by Noam Chomsky that sum's up what I'm talking about pretty well.
"We're dealing with real human beings who are suffering and dying and being tortured and starving because of policies that we are involved in. And what the media are doing is ensuring that we do not act on our responsibilities and that the interests of power are served not the needs of the American people, who would be horrified if they realized the blood that's dripping from their hands because of the way they're allowing themselves to be diluted and manipulated by the system"
To this point she's just been documenting Western involvement (Primarily the CIA and other U.S. backed corporations) in developing nations around the world. Nations that at one point were nationalizing their resources and socializing their profits. This isn't good for multi-national corporations that make a killing off of foreign resources. So the rich and powerful had to do something. I won't go into detail, other than to say many of the things that were done were beyond atrocious.
As I'm reading this book it's hard not let anger and frustration build. The same things, the killing, war, and torture, backed by supposedly democratic foundations are still happening. Only now with more precision and devastation than before. We haven't learned from our history at all. I don't mean the people backing and carrying out these evil things, those people, those companies and institutions don't care, they see money and rational thought disappears. It's like this radical form of capitalism is driving people to insanity.
What's most disturbing is that people in the countries who are benefiting from this exploitation the most are letting it happen. It's not as though we don't know what's happening, all you have to do is dig a little and the most gruesome truth is there. It's not pretty to look at but it is willing to be seen. It's up to the people living in Western democracies to stop their governments interaction in terror. The people living in the countries under attack, whether it be military, ideological, social, or economic attack are usually too shocked or fearful to resist what's happening to them. And many times if they do, they disappear.
I know it's easy not to care when you have everything you need, but the time will come when many of today's middle class won't have what they need anymore, then they'll be forced to do something. Unfortunately they won't react until it's too late. I think we really have a responsibility to denounce our apathy and be more active and hold government's and corporations accountable. We're the only people who even have a shot at doing that.
My perpetual listening to Good Riddance's "Operation Phoenix" probably has something to do with me reading this book. There's a song on that record called "Winning the Hearts and Minds." At the beginning of the song there's a quote by Noam Chomsky that sum's up what I'm talking about pretty well.
"We're dealing with real human beings who are suffering and dying and being tortured and starving because of policies that we are involved in. And what the media are doing is ensuring that we do not act on our responsibilities and that the interests of power are served not the needs of the American people, who would be horrified if they realized the blood that's dripping from their hands because of the way they're allowing themselves to be diluted and manipulated by the system"
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Writer's Block?
I decided to start a second blog, this could be a debacle considering i don't update my other blog with as much regularity as i would like. It seems I've been gravitating towards discussing things music, specifically punk and hardcore, related in The Road Less Traveled so i hope to use this blog as sort of a database for all my semi-coherent ramblings.
I find myself thinking of some pretty weird things sometimes and i never feel the need to write them down even though i know they might come in useful someday. That's where this blog comes in, hopefully by putting in 15 minutes to create this thing I've given myself enough motivation to start writing about more than just music on a more regular basis.
What good is thinking outside the box if all it does is fester inside and drive you into a state of mental paralysis.
I find myself thinking of some pretty weird things sometimes and i never feel the need to write them down even though i know they might come in useful someday. That's where this blog comes in, hopefully by putting in 15 minutes to create this thing I've given myself enough motivation to start writing about more than just music on a more regular basis.
What good is thinking outside the box if all it does is fester inside and drive you into a state of mental paralysis.
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