Oct 06, 2007 01:38
I feel like I should have something meaningful or, not inspiring, but significant to put here but I don't. Do you think Ann Frank realized how significant her diary would become? I doubt she even thought anyone would even read it, let alone care about the thoughts of a young girl trapped in a room with a bunch of people. Parts of us wants to think the world revolves around us and another part says you are just an insignificant blip in a long line of other insignificant blips. I guess the truth lies in the middle. That whole ripple in the pond philosophy. I haven't thought about Ann Frank in a long time. I read the diary in school of course, but I don't think I ever fully grasped that these were real people. It's such a surreal situation to even think of in today's world.
Wars are not fought the same today, though I do think we still have the same fear mongering. I was just reading an article comparing world war II to the war we are in now and how differently the government acts. We don't have the propaganda commercials (well the join the army stuff) but we don't have the do your duty, buy war bonds etc. Instead we get numbers. X amount of soldiers died today. This month X amount of soldiers have died in battle. So far we have spent X amount of money. Instead of actually focusing on the war the media touts on about ads and how this party should reprimand this co. for that article or radio personalities spouting on about "phony soldiers" and people trying to "defend" said personality by having congress declare how patriotic he is. It's all bullshit that pulls away from the actual issues. This same article was discussing how after 9/11 our government, not just our President, but congress and even the poor neglected judicial system could have rallied this country and united us in a way that only a true tragedy can and we were told to go shopping. Now I do not fully understand Economics and I know the stock market crashing is bad and we no longer use the word depression, but use the word recession instead, but there had to be something better than go shopping. Buy this list of things and everything will be alright. There is just something so dirty living in such a commercial materialistic capitalistic society. I keep hearing things like the rift between the rich and the poor is increasing and outsourcing jobs is bad but what can anyone do about these things. So much of our problems seem to be related to the fact that we believe in capitalism. I hate capitalism, I hate money, maybe that's why I'm so bad at managing it. I mean I like having money, but the actual concept of money seems ridiculous. Here's some green paper, or wait even better, a plastic card that represent all my money, and in exchange I can have food, shelter, clothing medicine. Shouldn't everyone be entitled to these things? It's capitalism that causes countries to export all their food, leaving their citizens starving; it's capitalism that causes all these environmental problems, hell it's capitalism and the need for oil why we're even in this war. You don't see us invading Burma to let those poor souls live in a democracy. Instead the world stands by as it's own military shoots guns into crowds of peaceful protesters. Buddhist Monks who lead a country into it's largest protest in twenty years and does the world join them? No, instead the UN shakes a finger while we don't even know how many people died, how many villages were burned, how many people are being held prisoner. We estimate hundred dead, though the junta only says 10 died, and we know thousands are being imprisoned, many of the Buddhist Monasteries empty now. How many will return? While our government sits backs and watch. We don't dare invade them and let them know democratic freedom. Democratic freedom they voted for and won in 1990 but was still denied to them by their own military. People are so afraid in this country. You don't know who is a spy and will tattle on you in Burma. It all just seems so hypocritical.
capatalism,
burma,
politics,
ann frank