Thursday, November 1, 2007

Offend me, please.

There's an old book, written a long time ago by a man named George Orwell. It's called 1984.

I realize that many of my younger contemporaries may not have even heard of this novel. In fact, it shames me to say that a few people my own age, when asked have they heard of this title, have responded, "That was a really weird movie, dude."

I am now going to expound upon my political views, and on the OMG War On THEM. I will not apologize for offending you. I will not avoid offending you, though it is not my deliberate intent to do so.

It is in fact my belief that people need to be offended, every so often. World views must be challenged, or we become complacent, and complacent people are more prone to slide down the path to becoming apathetic. Easier to guide. Easier to intimidate. Easier to confuse.

Easier to control.

Take for example, OMG War On THEM, as I have taken to mentally labeling it. Do I agree that these are very bad men that should not have flown a plane into some of our very tall buildings? Yes, I concur with that statement. Do I think that we should have retailiated against the people and organizations that we found responsible for such a reprehensible act? Yes, I do. Do I feel that all people of the Muslim religion are ticking time bombs waiting to go off? No, I do not. Do I think taking Saddam out was good? Yes, but we should've done it the first time, and not have to be dicking around over there right now.

Then let me make this statement of my opinion: While I do not believe that all Muslims are evil, neither do I believe for one instant that the current leaders of that religion have the best interests of their flock at heart, or anyone else for that matter. They are accustomed to their power, and it is my opinion that they will not hesitate to sacrifice as many human lives as necessary, "infidel" or otherwise, to see to it that said power remains secured, either because That's How The Game Is Played Over There, or more frighteningly, because They Actually Believe Their Own Rhetoric. Honestly, there are days I think that whole region needs to be stuck under a concrete dome for a decade or two until they all sort it out amongst themselves.

If I were to state that opinion on television, radio, or in widely-published print, I would immediately be slammed with lawsuits from known and suspected terrorism-supporting organizations in the United States for defamation, libel, and slander, not to mention religious oppression. And you know what?

The very same government that professes to want to protect us from the howling madmen at the gates would let them do just that, whether it is actually true or not.

We live in a society where it is quickly becoming a cardinal sin to offend someone. The very villains that we are supposed to revile are simultaneously gaming our system against us. Our government, our whole society is waffling, confused, and in a state where we can't catch the Bad Guys because it might offend them... and you know what? They're loving it.

They love it. It makes their job endlessly easier. Rather than taking real action to make things more secure without sacrificing our liberties, we wind up with a bunch of feel-good legislation that simultaneously prunes away at our rights, one by one, until we live in a state of confusion and fear, where we don't know whether up is down, or whether it's day or night.

As Orwell wrote:
War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.


I wouldn't buy that line if you gold-plated it, offered it at a 1000% discount, and gave me an un-expiring coupon for unlimited sexual favors with the porn starlet of my choice. I don't rightly see why anyone else should either, except that it be their choice to do so. The sad thing is, more and more people are either actively choosing to do so, or are inactively choosing by not choosing.

This is the sinister thing: Not all of the Bad Guys, I think, are bomb-strapping maniacs. Some of them are right here at home, on both sides of the party lines. There are so many fingers in so many pies in so many countries that it's impossible to tell who's really playing for whom, and it's enough to make a professional paranoiac get the quivering heebie-jeebies.

It all comes down to the same thing: Control, either through fear, or through making people dependent.

On the fear side, you have OMG Teh War On THEM, whoever "THEM" happens to be at the time. Stay in line, or The THEM will get you. You're not one of THEM, are you? If you don't do as you're told, you're helping THEM. If you're one of THEM, then you're not one of US, and WE will GET YOU. Remember, We Know What's Best For You, And We Have Your Safety In Mind.

On the dependency side, you have a different tack: Have some free health care. Free housing. Free food. Free cars. Free bus rides. Free this. Free that. You don't have to do anything, you don't have to produce, you deserve all this wondrous bounty, because nobody is better than anyone else, and it's only fair that those who do all the work and produce all the goods and make all the money should share with the less-advantaged such as yourself, right? But all the same, we have to make sure you're safe, yes. You must be safe, but you should already be safe, so you don't need the ability to defend yourself. You should still do as you're told... you only get your Free Stuff if you stay in the lines, if you do as you're told. Remember, We Know What's Best For You, And We Have Your Safety In Mind.

...Do I really need to spell out which side is which, here? Either way, it comes down to control over you and I, Joe and Jane Citizen. To anyone who can look at it objectively, it's apparent, and it's scary, and it's almost farcical, but again, Mr. Orwell gives us another good line:

Until they become conscious they can never rebel, and until after they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious.

Or, to put it in more contemporary terms, from The Matrix:

Morpheus: The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. When you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of people we're trying to save, but until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand that most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it. Were you listening to me, Neo? Or were you looking at the woman in the red dress?

I can only hope that enough of my fellow citizens decide to unplug.

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