"I'm tired of losing myself to some childhood dream of what could have been.
Money calls the shots and I'm stuck between; Summer holidays and punk routine.
Rather be forgotten, than remembered for, giving in"
Refused: 'Summer holidays and Punk Routine'
INCOMING RANT: BEWARE PREACHY TONE
Calm down everyone, Peat hasn't lost the plot. I don't really get angry. Sometimes I get pissed off (as I'm sure you have read in the previous posts) but not truely angry.
Anyway, it's time to start my crusade I think. I went to see 'Les Miserables' on monday and it was AWESOME. Before you start rolling your eyes about musicals being crap and stuff you clearly haven't seen it. The songs are cool and it was very moving as well.
But my point is, part of the story is about some students reading their revolutionary books trying to start revolution (I am sure you are aware of an event called the 'French Revolution'). Anyway, there was such dignity there, such cameraderie and they are genuinely fighting for freedom. This was inspiring stuff and I longed for that kind of spirit. A Red flag waving in the sky, brothers in arms, etc. But I am not so naive to say I would like a battle to fight. But it is important to stand up for what you believe in.
Now, while revolutionary principles seemed to be frowned upon nowadays (at least in the circles I move in) that doesn't mean their points were any less valid. I personally beleive that the so called 'proof' that communism doesn't work isn't really proof at all, merely proof that power corrupts.
Besides, the rules have changed since Marx's days. Even Lenin's days. The enemy that is capitalism is much more subtle. 1984 given true and hidious flesh. It goes by the name of Consumerism and back when I was living in Fleet I thought is was something else. But this is a cunning and elusive enemy.
But even so, knowing this I could hardly lay down and give in. I could not look at myself if I didn't try to fight for what I believed in. But, being a confused twentysomething I wasn't sure what that was.
At least now I know more about what I fight against. There are, it would seem two ways to fight.
1. The Promised land- Our independent state over the rainbow where we can all be together and free. But as 'Refused' put it as I wrote above, this could be just a childhood dream. An idle hope construed through corporate propaganda, a disneyfied haven where we band together to pretend the world just isn't messed up.
2. Make a stand- Can you not hear it on the wind? Can you not see the masses standing up and proclaiming: 'We will no longer be slaves to a logo! We want to fight this corporate take-over of life itself! We are more than statistics designed to consume!'. But more and more, people want to know how.
I see it in music, film, books. I see it on the internet, more people wanting this to end. To not have our lives ruled by Corporations. It's not there yet, but it soon will be if we do nothing.
"The only thing evil needs to succeed if for good men to do nothing"
Edmund Burke
Of course, the opposite is everywhere, in music, films, televisions, books. It's almost all-pervasive. We have to fight it, fight it together.
The first step is information. Educate yourself on the evils of Corprations. Don't give me that crap that you don't care because I know deep down you do. It costs nothing to learn does it? It costs nothing to know the real story, both sides. To feel you understand rather than sit their confused about what is 'the truth' because so many corporations feed you so many lies. Yep, news networks as well.
Visit various websites to help with this:
www.thecorporation.com Helped me a lot. It's a good starting block for many other websites.
The second step is to start taking action. Start consuming against corporations, buy fair trade, organic, etc. I'm sure those hard working people of Peru need the money more than some CEO needs a porche.
The third step is to make sure we're all on the same page. That we work together so we can all buy fair trade, organic. What's good and what's not.
The fourth step, well I'm not sure. One step at a time fellas. Fight Club captured our spirit of oppression. We are free if only we realise it.
I did mean to get preachy and no I won't apologise for it. All I would ask is that you reflect upon it a little and visit the websites so you understand more.
Thank you.