doom letter #13

I have nothing against days off from work. I just want to get that out there for everyone. I do have an increasing problem with government-sanctioned holidays that are used to reinforce Americans’ faith in the ambiguous notion of the government of the United States.

I say ambiguous because I think that notion is the only facet of government that still works well and still easily commands the confidence of its citizens. I do not doubt the patriotism of Americans for a second. After all, even those who are on the short end of the socio-economic stick were still indoctrinated into American society through schools, family and other civil society structures. They were instilled with certain uniquely American ideas. Even if they spend this independence day attending a tea party, they are doing so not to question the validity of government, but to express their discontent within the government/media approved parameters of political debate. Never mind the fact that life in America under O is not so different from that under W.

So today, if I could recommend anything to you, I would ask you to think about the role of the government in the current economic mess. I would ask you to look to the Declaration of Independence not as a founding document of government but as a revolutionary act against government – in fact the words of the declaration could just as easily be applied to a revolution against the government that holds it so dear. I would also ask to keep in mind that the authors and signatories were sexist, racist some even slave owning bigots who were interested in bettering their own lots with little regard to the unalienable rights of all inhabitants of the North American continent.

No matter how much worship of their “genius” you encounter today, remember that the truths that they laid out were exclusive to white men, and most preferred that the qualifier “land-owning” should have been attached in front of white. Their liberty was relative then, as it is today. Just as was the case at the time of the revolution, you are only as free as the government allows you to be and as you can afford to be – unalienable rights be damned. And as soon as independence was realized the slow descent into the soft-tyranny of modern America was born.

Today we are supposed to set these thoughts aside and instead ingest the more palatable white-washed lore of our youth. And of course most of the independence related activities are geared toward dependence on consumption in one way or another. There is no room for fun and recreation in this society that is free, which I find ironic particularly on a day when we are supposed to be celebrating our tradition of freedom.

I may have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder because I had to stand through the pledge of allegiance (gritting my teeth all the way through) this morning and it got me thinking. I may be a little bitter because most of what I thought I knew about America has slowly eroded as I pour the water of knowledge on the myths and legends I was indoctrinated to accept growing up. I also may be dead right and ahead of the curve because I have suffered through an awakening to what America really is and has always been while most around me seem content to let the government encroach further into their personal life.

I will most likely override my gag reflex multiple times this weekend as I am out and about all in the name of politeness. One of these days I will stop trying to be polite to people that don’t seem to take my opinion into account before they open their mouth. I said earlier that I don’t doubt the patriotism of the average American, but I didn’t mention why. I don’t doubt it because they are asleep and they are being fed dreams by an authority that they don’t have the intellectual curiosity to question. As most times when I am writing, I see little to no reason for hope without some unknown quantity which forces people to change the way that they think.

If you read all of this and your only reaction is negative and from the gut (you are taking offense on a non-intellectual/non-factual level) then fuck you and stop reading my website. You are beyond help and you deserve whatever hand you are about to be dealt.

Happy 4th of July,

Mike