(no subject)
Please excuse the extemporaneousness and complete lack of a thesis in this entry. It’s kind of a thought process being written down as I think it. That being said, read on if you like.
For years now, I’ve been feeling as though I don’t quite understand myself. I have gut reactions to certain oppressive situations when they are brought to my attention, and I’m not really sure where these reactions stem from. But for the first time in my life, I think I am making progress on figuring me out.
I have been picking up sporadic ideals and a foundation for my place in society recently, many of which made no connection to each other previously.
- The concepts of freedom in society being crushed by the hegemony of conservative ideals and religion-based ideologies have always struck a nerve with me as long as I can remember.
- The refreshing feelings of revolution and change that have always been viewed as a positive progression in society to me.
- Civil rights, and the ever-present fight for an invisible equality in a world of unequal (in society) people.
- My newfound passion for animal rights, which I realize seemed to come from left field, but now seems to make more sense.
- My musical tastes and how they relate to me as a person.
- My disregard for authority in general, without proven qualifications for respect.
- My complete disgust with the world of alcohol, drugs, and other mind-sucking items in the world.
- My utter distaste for sports, extravagant greed, corporate systems, and the way 80% society is coerced into working for it.
These thoughts have been lodging in my mind for quite a while now. But things are starting to make sense. After reading and watching excerpts from Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” in rhetorical criticism class, I have started distinctly noticing the underlying schemes of big business and their associates to persuade the majority of society to accept their ideas. In the documentary, he makes the distinct connection between sports and society by setting up sports as a distraction. An expansive and overwhelming system of distracting people, and sucking them into a void that has no relevance to society whatsoever. Whether the Boston Red Sox win the world series or not has no effect on international policies and the role of African-Americans in society. All it does is distract 80% of the population, while 20% run the country (and other countries too as of late). This is the general conclusion of Chomsky’s 80/20 theory.
I found the studies and conclusions that Prof. Chomsky pulled together to be entirely intriguing. I started searching the internet for people that have been influenced by Prof. Chomsky and his associates, and who comes up? None other than Thom Yorke, lead singer for Radiohead. This is particularly intriguing to me since I have been utterly obsessed with Radiohead since about this time last year. I found a profile on Thom at www.greenplastic.com, which gave a brief summary of his interests. Not only is Thom an avid Chomsky reader, but he is also a vegetarian, and strong advocate for PETA (which I was unaware of). After being thoroughly intrigued by this mental connection, I went back to the Chomsky searching, and found another noticeable entry in the Chomsky fanclub. None other than a Mr. Rivers Cuomo (lead singer of Weezer, obviously). As it turns out, Mr. Cuomo is also a vegetarian, doesn’t drink or smoke, despises sports, and also has a profound interest in the semiotics of society.
Now I really started to feel as though I was onto something. All these concepts that I had in my mind were starting to intertwine and relate, and to tell you the truth, it was invigorating. What does it all mean? I’m not really sure. Perhaps it’s simply a subconscious process of mine to emulate those I admire. But I happen to think it’s more than that. I suppose I am just very pleased to see that all these concepts and ideals are interlocking elsewhere in the world. These are no longer an abstract collection of thoughts I contain in my over packed cranium. These are a formation of my personal ideology, which in turn affects how I perceive the world.
I’ve never been one to believe the theory that everything happens for a reason, because I am displeased with my lack of an active role in that. But really, if I hadn’t taken my trip, I wouldn’t have seen the slaughterhouses, which wouldn’t have brought me to PETA, which makes me absolutely fascinated with rhetorical criticism, which brings me to Noam Chomsky, which brings me to my college internship next semester. Why are all this things working together so well? Something, possibly subconsciously, is occurring here. Everything’s working so well together, it’s making me reconsider everything I know. And that’s a hell of a task.
Rejection of mind-altering substances
Relating to-
Distaste for sports and other “masculine” trades
Relating to-
Strong feelings of disgust with prejudices in America
Relating to-
My musical tastes
Relating to-
My new interest in Noam Chomsky
Relating to-
Animal rights.
What’s going on?
For years now, I’ve been feeling as though I don’t quite understand myself. I have gut reactions to certain oppressive situations when they are brought to my attention, and I’m not really sure where these reactions stem from. But for the first time in my life, I think I am making progress on figuring me out.
I have been picking up sporadic ideals and a foundation for my place in society recently, many of which made no connection to each other previously.
- The concepts of freedom in society being crushed by the hegemony of conservative ideals and religion-based ideologies have always struck a nerve with me as long as I can remember.
- The refreshing feelings of revolution and change that have always been viewed as a positive progression in society to me.
- Civil rights, and the ever-present fight for an invisible equality in a world of unequal (in society) people.
- My newfound passion for animal rights, which I realize seemed to come from left field, but now seems to make more sense.
- My musical tastes and how they relate to me as a person.
- My disregard for authority in general, without proven qualifications for respect.
- My complete disgust with the world of alcohol, drugs, and other mind-sucking items in the world.
- My utter distaste for sports, extravagant greed, corporate systems, and the way 80% society is coerced into working for it.
These thoughts have been lodging in my mind for quite a while now. But things are starting to make sense. After reading and watching excerpts from Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” in rhetorical criticism class, I have started distinctly noticing the underlying schemes of big business and their associates to persuade the majority of society to accept their ideas. In the documentary, he makes the distinct connection between sports and society by setting up sports as a distraction. An expansive and overwhelming system of distracting people, and sucking them into a void that has no relevance to society whatsoever. Whether the Boston Red Sox win the world series or not has no effect on international policies and the role of African-Americans in society. All it does is distract 80% of the population, while 20% run the country (and other countries too as of late). This is the general conclusion of Chomsky’s 80/20 theory.
I found the studies and conclusions that Prof. Chomsky pulled together to be entirely intriguing. I started searching the internet for people that have been influenced by Prof. Chomsky and his associates, and who comes up? None other than Thom Yorke, lead singer for Radiohead. This is particularly intriguing to me since I have been utterly obsessed with Radiohead since about this time last year. I found a profile on Thom at www.greenplastic.com, which gave a brief summary of his interests. Not only is Thom an avid Chomsky reader, but he is also a vegetarian, and strong advocate for PETA (which I was unaware of). After being thoroughly intrigued by this mental connection, I went back to the Chomsky searching, and found another noticeable entry in the Chomsky fanclub. None other than a Mr. Rivers Cuomo (lead singer of Weezer, obviously). As it turns out, Mr. Cuomo is also a vegetarian, doesn’t drink or smoke, despises sports, and also has a profound interest in the semiotics of society.
Now I really started to feel as though I was onto something. All these concepts that I had in my mind were starting to intertwine and relate, and to tell you the truth, it was invigorating. What does it all mean? I’m not really sure. Perhaps it’s simply a subconscious process of mine to emulate those I admire. But I happen to think it’s more than that. I suppose I am just very pleased to see that all these concepts and ideals are interlocking elsewhere in the world. These are no longer an abstract collection of thoughts I contain in my over packed cranium. These are a formation of my personal ideology, which in turn affects how I perceive the world.
I’ve never been one to believe the theory that everything happens for a reason, because I am displeased with my lack of an active role in that. But really, if I hadn’t taken my trip, I wouldn’t have seen the slaughterhouses, which wouldn’t have brought me to PETA, which makes me absolutely fascinated with rhetorical criticism, which brings me to Noam Chomsky, which brings me to my college internship next semester. Why are all this things working together so well? Something, possibly subconsciously, is occurring here. Everything’s working so well together, it’s making me reconsider everything I know. And that’s a hell of a task.
Rejection of mind-altering substances
Relating to-
Distaste for sports and other “masculine” trades
Relating to-
Strong feelings of disgust with prejudices in America
Relating to-
My musical tastes
Relating to-
My new interest in Noam Chomsky
Relating to-
Animal rights.
What’s going on?