The Preacher Speaketh on the Decline of Unanimity and the rise of Enmity

Violence is Rampant. Pain and suffering destroy all hope and lead to disenfranchisement and desolation. The rich get richer, the poor…fuck the poor, that’s how it goes. An entrenched system of inequality reigns over all, the wheels of the globe turn, where does it go? Heading down a path of destruction.
“We have no cause, no big issue.”
That’s what they say.
I say BULLSHIT. Temperature rising, hatred rising, churn and churn, what happens when it boils over?
We the people….we the people are being fucked by mindless violence and violent causes, pointless hatred and corporate greed.
Forget that shit.
The time has come for change, change in mindset. I offer no economic answers. The human condition is in a bad state, and making more money is not the answer. Acknowledge and respect our differences, that is what defines “special” is being different. The bottom line is hot the end, number one is not number one. We all matter, but we are all in it together, there always must be change…
AND IT WILL HURT.

Communication stops violence

Israel has shown in the last couple years that it is beyond a doubt a democracy. Benjamin Netenyahu was elected on a “screw Palestinians” platform, and he has delivered. It seems logical then, that he group of people with the power to end the violence and conflict is the Israeli people. Nobody else. The Palestinians are victims. Victims by definition have no power. The international community? It acts as a medium between the two groups. The Israeli government? It is answerable to its constituents. The solution to this mess exists, the only reason it has not been acted upon is the fear and paranoia of the Israeli public.

When activists decide to run a (legal) Israeli blockade, what is the message? Who is the message catered to?

What does this kind of action lead to? International condemnation, loud cries for the end of the blockade, a great deal of bad PR for Israel and a whole lot of protests. In short, it makes Israel look bad. There were not worldwide protests when Israel decided to build more settlements, and yet those are the single greatest hindrance to peace.

Let’s think for a second about the Israeli population. What is the message they get out of all of this? Why does it matter?

So, what message do Israeli people get from the so called peace activists running the blockade?

They see a PR stunt designed to make Israel look bad. A direct communication with the world that bypasses them, marginalizes them in a public sphere that already refuses to consider their point of view (American public discourse notwithstanding, it has its own set of rules that are even more ridiculous). It is designed to make Israel look illegitimate. How does delegitimizing Israel help the peace process? If your peace process involves giving the land back to the Palestinians, fine, but that is not going to happen. Would a massive war be considered a peace process? Delegitimizing might help the Palestinians bargaining position, only they don’t really have one, it sucks but they are a victim. Does a someone being mugged have a bargaining position?

There is a powerful narrative in Israel that says that there is a vast conspiracy around the world against Israel. At times like this that conspiracy is reinforced because it seems true. It is hard to believe that all the academics and intellectuals who are part of the movement against Israel are not aware of this narrative. And yet they continue to reinforce it. This narrative leads Israelis to believe that their very survival is at stake. Not “the peace process” or “stability” but the survival of Israel as a state.

And so they must ask themselves ask yourself, what was the activists goal in running the blockade?  The Israeli population is ignored for worldwide theatrics. And so instead of feeling like they are part of a process of making peace with their wronged neighbours, they feel like they are a nation under threat that must defend its existence, international law be damned (incidentally the UN report on the Gaza invasion said both sides committed war crimes, there is no right and wrong side, only those who want peace and those who seem to care only about protesting). Also, just for the angriest of you to consider, they don’t hold war crimes tribunals during wars. Only when peace has been established.

The Israeli population must be targeted for communication. Theatricality for the benefit of bored westerners and angry arabs only propagates the conflict cycle. Perhaps reaching out to the Israeli people, showing them that they must make peace because it is right and because the Palestinian people do not deserve all this pain, is a better course that reinforcing the paranoia of the Israeli public sphere through publicity stunts and angry protests. But do you want peace?

the world is…shocked (really?)…at senseless violence in the middle east

if the entire israel lobby were to finally see the light and say to israel, “just make peace already, 2 state solution, 1967 borders,” israel would make peace in an very quickly. no matter what the pro-palestinian and anti-israel (close but not the same) lobbies say, israel will make peace. they will just do it, and it will throw a wrench in many political machinations in the middle east and remove a serious distraction in the pubic sphere, forcing politicians to actually be able to deal with problems of statecraft and not problems of communication and destroying the ability of others to use israel as an evil conspiracy theory to blame and hate.
israel is also losing a lot of friends in the international community because of two things. one is the huge amount of muslim immigration towards the west. the other is that israel keeps on being stupid and doing stupid things. all the middle eastern countries trade with china. as china becomes more influential, israel’s ability to participate in the international political economy will be weakened, unless they stop fighting and do the right thing.they can still defend themselves as any country can, but there will be nothing to talk about. and if there is nothing to talk about, people will talk about other things, and there is a fair chance that they will talk about things that matter more to them than the outcome of a land dispute in the middle east (this is not the first one, maybe it will be the last one).

Zombie Indians vs Vampire Cowboys

In the town of Lurch Gully, the children used to play in the streets, dogs used to run after squirrels all day long, and people would smile at one another.

That was before the arrival of the Count of East Pennsylvania, and his gang of roughnecks. They were a strange bunch, out for blood, drinking and fighting late into the night until just before the break of dawn. They established their stronghold on the outskirts of town, towards the east, always towards the east. There, it was rumored that they kept a large number of prisoners, whose purpose remained a mystery.

Lurch Gully is located on an Indian graveyard, full of warriors who died fighting the White Man, braves who brought fear to their enemies and hope to their people. The White Man fights sneakily, establishing towns in areas of strategic importance, doing everything to humiliate their enemies. They take land and lives, but they cannot kill the dead.

Little Jeremiah Walton, aged 7, was the first to see what was happening. You see, his house was located over the plot of a particularly violent warrior, and his sandbox happened to be located only 5 feet above the torso of the dead fighter. Excitedly making a sand structure of some kind, Jeremiah barely noticed the hand reaching out of the ground, grasping and clawing at the air, slowly rising as if by some trick of hydraulics. Finally, when the hand began to use little Jeremiah Walton as a brace, grabbing him with a crushing Kung Fu grip around his little stubby leg, he screamed and finally noticed the undead Indian warrior fighting it’s way out of the ground. Kicking and screaming, Jeremiah broke free and ran to his mommy, who told him to clean himself up before eating the meal she had spent the last 4 hours cooking. “That’s just the gardener, mister Winters,” she said.

The screams of the townspeople bothered the cowboys, but they did not come. Until the night. They descended on the town, a black cloud, bats, shrieking menacingly. They attacked the zombies, ripping and biting, but to no avail, these zombies did not have the living blood so craved by vampires. And so there was a vicious battle between the zombie Indians and vampire cowboys, in which neither side was a victor. After several long hours of fighting, there were still almost 20 beings brutalizing one another.

The only reason that Lurch Gully still exists is because in their hurry to attack the new flesh, the vampire cowboys did not check to see if the gate was locked. An old man, looked over by the vampires and disregarded because of his useless ancient blood, walked through the gate and freed the prisoners being kept as bottles of blood for the cowboys. Having downed an impressive amount of whisky, the 20 or so people armed themselves from the cowboys’ stash and went on the offensive.

The zombies didn’t stand a chance, and whatever cowboys remained didn’t make it through the sunrise.

Lurch Gully lives on, a sober reminder that you should never, under any circumstances, build houses in a graveyard.

solutions in the air

right now, humanity is facing a crisis. climate change has been at the forefront of international public discourse for almost a decade. One of the important side effects of the international movement to stop global warming that many people talk about is it’s potential as a pacifier in international politics. If all states must work for the same goal, then detrimental competition is counterintuitive.
the current economic crisis might be developing towards a similar, if complementary state.
the most significant force of political tension that exists are feelings of inequality. both perceived and actual, inequality is what leads an individual to act decisively to improve their situation in life. it leads to states acting to the same end.
right now, according to time magazine, the “elephant in the room” at the G20 conference is a”global trade imbalance.” this imbalance has an economic definition, but that is not what this argument is about. the phrase “global trade imbalance” suggests that the system of international trade is a major source of inequality around the world. at the moment, much of the discussion is centered around a “broken” financial system that needs to be “reworked,” which seems to mean more regulation and less ridiculous lending.
the G20 conference is an interesting thing.
politics are inherently competitive, and for most of history, politics was direct competition. to use an epic example, we were in a large arena fighting against each other with weapons of various sizes. however, over time, as politics came to grow in scale and international relations came to the forefront, economics became an important piece in the puzzle. now, the economic system used by humanity is broken. to go back to the example, our swords have become worn down or broken or dull and we are no longer able to fight. we realize there are two options at this point: rebuild our swords and keep fighting or melt them down in order to build something new that doesn’t involve fighting, for example, a huge digging machine to go and explore the world outside the arena.
it is time to fix the system. if those who are in a position to act responsibly do, this “global trade imbalance” will be addressed and hopefully remedied. at this point we get away from inequality and think more of balance. human society is advancing rapidly, innovating and communicating and mixing faster than ever. we are beyond the idea of “global domination” and getting past hegemony towards a system that is balanced, in which all the parts exist in harmony. they are not all the same, they have simply learned to live with each other. competition in this situation would be friendly.
one important piece of this puzzle is drugs. many people right now are working to fix the economic system. however, there are many who benefit from it being imbalanced. it was the legitimate economy that crashed, and so the most powerful legitimate institutions and states have suffered. but the illegitimate economy is not suffering nearly as much. drugs are probably being sold more than ever before, it being a bad time and all. according to misha glenny, the illegitimate economy is worth 20% of the global economy. and according to glenny, the drug trade is worth 70% of the criminal economy. doing some basic math, drugs are almost 14% of the global economy. and nobody pays taxes for them, because they’re illegal. the profits are swallowed by completely private interests, more private than the most secretive multinational corporation. imagine is one of the most important tools to dealing with this economic problem is regulation. if drugs were legalized, it would legitimate all social programs to help deal with the effects of drug use that must deal with the fact that their central cause is based on an illegal act. it would also bring a huge amount of money to governments, because if we treat drugs like any other commodity, then they will be taxed. and since they’re drugs, we can tax them even higher than usual.
humanity is currently in a unique and possibly lucky situation. all of our problems are converging, and if we are responsible and intelligent (in reality, let’s hope that we are responsible enough to elect good leaders) enough, we can leverage all of these problems against each other and come out on top.
let the enivronmental movement unite us.
use the green economy (among other things) to combat the economic situation
let dealing with global trade imbalance removing or at least diminishing economic inequalities
let us get high to get by.
make getting by easier.

So far so…

I think I’m depressed. All I can think are depressing thoughts about meaninglessness and other pointless self-destructive bullshit. I can’t be self-critical because I need to show how smart I am and how great I am and you know what? All it does is dig the (ass)hole deeper. I can’t be sarcastic, this seriousness is not me, it’s a problem that is ruining whatever personality I might have had before. 

I am losing grip, feeling disconnected and uncreative, frustrated by the similarity of every single day and every single day of my own little existence. I can’t even think about things outside of myself, politics and philosophy and human relations in general because all I can think about is me, me, me and how much I suck.

Fuck. This is not a cry for help, it is me venting at myself, LOOK HOW FAR GONE YOU ARE. Priorities lost, responsibilities shunned, adrift in a sea with nothing to see. It’s the same day in and day out, I don’t know how to relieve the monotony, getting lost in this cloud of nothing. 

Right now, 1:12 am on March 17th, is a low point for me. Nothing bad happened, and that’s just it, nothing happened. Nothing. I came home, watched tv, wrote a little, read a little, listened to some music, talked online for no reason, and sat here, alone and bored. I am so far gone that instead of taking advantage of this free time I have, to make music or read or do homework or do something productive, all I do is sit and mope. Recognizing it is only the first step. I am slowly losing my desire, my need to achieve, to strive, to struggle, to do anything other than mope. Sure, I have no girl, haven’t had sex in months, my guitarist quit on me and I’m not getting as good grades as I’m capable of, but none of these is the end of the world, I am letting them affect me, letting them destroy my otherwise positive mindset. I can’t even understand having a conversation with someone anymore, connecting with a person, I ask myself “what’s the point,” don’t talk, don’t think, don’t do, I’m going nowhere fast, and no matter what I end up doing a few months down the line, no matter how great the movie is or how awesome the song, if I don’t fix this problem and learn from it, it will ruin me.

A Smile is the Best Mask

I learned a while back that people express concern for others not because they care but because they need a reaffirmation that all is right in the world. A smile is what everyone hopes to see at the end of an interaction because it means whatever problems might exist are in fact surmountable and can be dealt with. Problems, solutions, ideas and issues are compartmentalized so that they cannot become more important than the individual who deals with them.

We live in an individual-based culture, basically each person views achieving their own personal goals and dreams as paramount importance. This idea leads to such things as human rights and social justice and equality. However, now that we have those things and others that are the theoretical results of an individualist society, what is left? People are now more free than ever to do as they please, reach for the sky and do what they want. This is true of the West, but I cannot speak for the eastern half of the globe, since I’ve been told that  these cultures are in general based on collective ideals. We live in a society based on differences, Canada is built on immigration, and anyone will agree that western countries, because of their financial prosperity, are more likely to see immigrants and different cultures.

In our individual culture, we are now more free than ever to do as we want. There is a tipping point to this. The fact that we have raised the individual to a level of importance usually reserved for royalty has led to a certain amount of disconnection between us. We seek affirmation that our own existence is on the right track, and thus the sense of community that leads to what we call society is being lost. Our concerns and dealings with other people are more selfish than in the past. The internet, the greatest communications tool humanity has, is contributing to this more and more. Social networking is a new phenomenon that has implications that extend far beyond the infinite reaches of cyberspace. We are changing what it is to know someone. For most people, knowing someone means that you have a certain insight into their nature, that you have spoken with them, that you have of sense of who they are. However, the change that is happening revolves around the same problem of individualist society as a whole. We are increasingly beginning to have the perception that meeting someone and knowing what they look like or reading their online profile is enough to know a person. We do this to feel connected to people without having to sacrifice our individuality and power over ourselves.

Disconnection is become a daily reality in our world, spurred by the internet and an individualist society with no collective sense of purpose. We have no definition to our existence, life is a dynamic, constantly shifting series of realities and decisions. Large movements and issues such as the movement to fight climate change and the whole host of economic problems we face are a possible source of collectivity, but we are so far gone in our own little lives that even when we see the big picture, it is only a picture, a representation of reality that can compartmentalized like anything else. We have gained too much self control, we even control when we lose control, think of all the drug use that permeates our intensely bored society. It is becoming more and more difficult to engage in anything that transcends our own life, not that utilitarianism is the best way, but we are losing sight of the major insight it had, that acting for the whole is at the basis of society.

Now, our concerns for others are expressed for ourselves, and we hope to see a smile.

HOCKEY!!!

So the hockey season is starting tonight for all us Canadiens fans.
This is great, I’m so excited.
We have a good team this year, they’ve been building it for the last 6 or 7 years, we just keep adding pieces to the puzzle. I’m very impressed with Bob Gainey, good man. And hiring Carbonneau….wow, didn’t see that one coming.
We have the team, now all they have to do is be as good on the ice as they are on paper….
I’d like to, if I may, and I can because this is a blog and nobody reads it so I can say whatever I want CUNT I’d like to talk about being a fan.
It means that when my team is playing, when the season is happening, I have an arbitrary outlet for my emotions. I consciously choose to let my emotional framework be controlled by something outside of myself. I no longer have to blame myself for being in a bad mood, no longer do I control my feelings, it’s great, I allow the fortunes of the Habs to guide me.
This explains to me a lot about control, you know, like the Romans. Such an arbitrary choice, allowing a sports team to guide you, and yet there’s something nice about it. It’s a pack mentality driven by passion, which means that the pack is more ridiculous than other kinds of hiveminds.
I don’t really want to continue this post, there is plenty of possible material but you know, right now, I’m just not in the mood to be thinking.
GO HABS GO!

Vote

You know, democracy is awesome. Us normal folks get the chance to help decide what direction our country will go. And yet, I am constantly reminded by those close to me that the whole thing is a sham, we have no real choice, our vote is meaningless, that they don’t count the votes, basically that we do not have democracy.
And these people of course will not vote.
Not participating in the electoral process is the most destructive thing to democracy. Not corporations or crappy politicians or anything else, not participating is the worst thing.
Why is that? Because if you don’t participate, then you allow our system to degrade to what you describe, when people do not express themselves the incompetent, the evil-minded and the just plain greedy step up to the plate and take what they want, because there is nobody to stop them.
So vote. Even if you do not support any of the parties, even if you think we have no choice, you have to take part, if you don’t make your voice heard, the chances of actually losing that voice will increase.
A lot of people disregard my favorite voting option: spoiling your ballot.
This is a valid way of participating in democracy. If, as you say, our system is broken, compromised by interest groups and incompetence, you have to LET THEM KNOW. Not voting shows you just don’t care, and lets these idiots keep doing what they do, the rationale is “they (you) didn’t complain, so they must not care, which means we can proceed.”
If you spoil your vote, it will get counted, they have a tally of spoiled ballots. A high number of spoiled ballots sends a powerful message to politicians that they had better shape up or soon they will have no support. No matter how much influence a specific group has, or how skewed the ridings are, in a democracy, you still have to get votes in order to advance your agenda. The power ultimately does rest with the people, we just don’t get to exercise this power all that much.
Why forego the opportunity, what have you got to lose?

Show!!!!

I’m playing a show in like 3 hours. I only found out about it yesterday. It’s awesome, I’m so excited. Up until right now I have not thought about it all day, I had class, did my thing, played some chess listened to rock n roll and had a normal day. But now I have this show. We’re playing at a crappy bar in a quiet part of the city and I don’t expect a very large crowd, but you know what? I DON’T CARE. I need to perform, to be watched, because there’s a strange rush you get when people are watching and you want them to. I usually convince myself I’m not nervous but I find myself, my entire body, shaking a little and I always get worried I’m going to play like crap. I’m still coming to terms with the idea that even if I don’t play as well as I know I can, usually people won’t notice because it’s so fucking loud who’s going to notice a missed note? I wouldn’t, but then again, my hearing is a bit fucked.

By the way, if anybody ever reads this and thinks I’m a self-centered pompous asshole, please just read this next sentence and take it to heart even if you never ever read this blog again, ever.
WEAR EARPLUGS AT CONCERTS.

It’s ridiculous, I go to a show and there’s maybe 10 people out of 500 wearing ear plugs. Does nobody care about their hearing? If you can’t hear it you can’t enjoy it.

Anyways, woohoo rock n roll, what a strange mood I am in, this is not like the other times I’m just not even thinking about playing, it’s as if it’s someone else about to play and I’m just watching it happen.

I’m rambling a lot though so maybe today I’m a bit off. It’s ok though all I need is to put on the mask and I don’t have to be my nervous self anymore.

Sweet.