Righteous Anger & Despair In The Time Of Obama

[Ed Jewett]

Peter, I have been aware of and have helped inform others about that "longterm project of the ruling elite", and we do need to counter-act it in our personal lives, our families, our friendships, our communities; then, maybe, it gets to our national level. It sounds like you are a reader of Derrick Jensen, and I hear echoes from my blog......

Yes, I know Derrick and think very highly of him. I posted a thread about him previously here.

I don't know him, but I've read six of his books, and I feel like I know him. He is a great writer and researcher; his 'stuff' is meticulously foot-noted, a fascinating read, and incredibly disquieting. Now if we can just get the BBC and PBS to cover him ....

...don't hold your breath. He is even anathema to many progressives, as he is calling for nothing less than the dismantling of civilization, as we know and [don't] love it. How much more radical than that can you get?! By the way, if you've not, do take a look at the videos on google videos of his speech, in two parts, entitled endgame. Endgame is certainly where we are today.....although I think few realize it..... One thing is sure to me. If we don't fight like hell, we will very shortly all loose - everything.

I couldn't find the 'tongue-in-cheek' smilie fast enough, though I think media coverage and broader discussion would be a very good thing. Many of us share the same situation in running into a large wall of denial within our relationships and families, let alone neighborhoods or discussion boards, as we attempt to raise even introductory themes. People have a tough time giving up hope and all the trappings and power of civilization, but Jensen's well-known article on killing hope is right on target. Perhaps as more loose their jobs and their McMansions, people will start to ask more questions.

Yes, I've seen the videos, posted them over at EPU, along with the premises of "Endgame" (which drew some fire and ire), and I've read both volumes, as well as "Welcome to the Machine", "A Language Older than Words", and "A Culture of Make Believe". All of those books ought to be required reading for anyone in politics, business and education, and there ought to be community-level discussions. That will happen about as rapidly as mainstream media coverage, debates, reviews, etc. I absolutely agree with him that the problem is rooted in a massive and under-recognized tendency toward sociopathic psychopathologies (especially here in the US) (it seems to be a requirement or learning ground for power); anyone here at DPF could expound on at least two examples.

What many overlook in the discussion - they freeze and shut down their mind when they get to the first suggestion of what he discusses - is that he offers up clear alternatives for those who can't or won't adopt what he proposes. I do think that there is a need to accelerate awareness and acceptance of 'Buddhist psychology' -- of learning to take control of your own mind -- but I fear it is too late as the psychopathologies are more infectious than the 100 monkey plan. War-mongering, greed, self-interest et al produce great short term gains, and huge long-term disease and destruction; 'I GOT MINE!' versus the commons; class warfare.

We'd all better start pointing to the sources and demonstrating the techniques for taking control of our minds more fervently before someone lights the final fuse.

('Barkeep, another Rusty Nail please... ').