daylight savings global warming; guilt in the modern world
another pictoral commentary on american society:
once again i have no words. incoherent sputtering perhaps, but words? no.
i did, however, find the right words last night during a debate over whether or not you can hold the general population at fault for the current state of everything. this is actually something i've been wrestling with on my own, as i've come to the conclusion that you can in fact hold people at fault for the state of the world. this is not a popular idea amongst many people, needless to say. even i'm not really happy with it.
but i digress. we were discussing the fact that power (in a democracy, in communism, in whatever) controls the general population through their popular culture. it was suggested that the general population doesn't really know any better and can't be held at fault for upholding the ideals promoted by the society that they were born and raised in. we stumbled onto this topic while attempting to define "shared morals", which i do not believe exist. not in any concrete fashion anyway. the question was asked "is it right to take things that belong to someone else when they haven't done anything or oppressed you somehow?"
no, it's not. but what if you're starving and you steal food from someone. let's think about the dynamics of this situation. why is this person starving? why is there someone else who has excess food while this person is starving? what has history taught us about starvation? could it possibly be that the system that has brought excess to one person has kept others from having even enough?
now, is the person who has excess to blame? they argued they were not at fault. i can understand where they're coming from, i really can. perhaps i should say "do" not "can". but i think can is a better word for what i'm trying to express here. anyway. it may be that the person with excess has no idea that their lifestyle is creating hardship for others. it may be that they even desire to help them, to fix their plight. or maybe they don't give a damn, but still don't understand their contribution. perhaps they think that such a distribution of wealth is not only natural but necessary. there are a million different attitudes they could have towards the situation, and in my eyes, not one of them makes them less guilty.
at least, not in today's world. let's face it: it's the information age. information is everywhere. pick up a book, type in word on a search engine... information. even ideas that don't toe the socially prescribed culture line worm our way into our consciousnesses. perhaps we hear them discussed in tones of derision or mockery, but we're still aware that they exist. it is not a choice to be born into a certain culture and surrounded by certain ideas, but it is a choice to not inform yourself fully about other beliefs or possibilities. you choose to take what is said to you about anything at face value. it is this apathy, this laziness, that creates guilt.
the worst guilt, however, is when people who have learned what is wrong with the world and their own contribution to it continue to buy into the system. i have many friends who fall into this category. and sometimes you can understand why - sometimes it's necessary to survive. but there are different degrees of survival. i think i might have to quote rise against for this:
We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
ask yourself how necessary it is to have a big house, the newest car (or a car at all), the smallest phone, name brand clothes. having money to meet your needs is one thing. exceeding your needs becomes unnecessary at a certain point - particularly if you put yourself into debt doing so. so many people have convined themselves that there is no way to survive in the system without full integration. this has got to be the farthest thing from the truth. while earning a wage is (sadly) key to maintaining your life, it doesn't need to become your life - not if it's only becoming your life in an attempt to desperately raise your station. class mobility is a myth. the rags to riches stories may be true, but they're not the norm. capitalism and consumerism are not the answers to poverty, merely tools to keep the rich rich and the poor in their place.
is there an answer to any of this? to poverty? to apathy? i'd like to think so. to hope so. but after so many centuries of economics dictating everything from foreign to domestic policy, i'm not so sure that it will be an easy transition. no, i'm positive it won't be an easy transition. people need something to measure their life's worth with. religion used to provide that, but money provides instant gratification and a visible measure of your worth compared to others.
i am not guilt-free. i am still a consumer, although i attempt to control my consumption. i can't deny the powerful pull of buying new things, and when i have some extra money laying around it can be hard to say no. i bought new cds today, for example. granted, it's been about a year since i did that, and i don't really recall the last time i bought something for myself that wasn't food, but still. i went to best buy. i could have gone to a local record shop on main street, but i didn't. i typically try to be an informed consumer - fair trade, organic, recyled, local - but i'm not always consistant. i was never a shopper - not as a teenager, not now - but i'm still infected with the habit of consumption. it's not something that can change overnight, it requires dedication and a willingness to sacrifice some comfort and ease. sounds easy in print.
but i digress. i've shared my intended point. the best part about this conversation is that i had partaken in some fungal fun and herbal goodness a few hours before. articulating these ideas took a little effort, but i ultimately won the debate. half the battle was talking over the drunk boys. little girls with little voices often get pushed to the side, although they claim that half the time they don't listen to me because they can't understand what i'm talking about.
now is that any reason not to listen? you see the uphill struggle we face?
once again i have no words. incoherent sputtering perhaps, but words? no.
i did, however, find the right words last night during a debate over whether or not you can hold the general population at fault for the current state of everything. this is actually something i've been wrestling with on my own, as i've come to the conclusion that you can in fact hold people at fault for the state of the world. this is not a popular idea amongst many people, needless to say. even i'm not really happy with it.
but i digress. we were discussing the fact that power (in a democracy, in communism, in whatever) controls the general population through their popular culture. it was suggested that the general population doesn't really know any better and can't be held at fault for upholding the ideals promoted by the society that they were born and raised in. we stumbled onto this topic while attempting to define "shared morals", which i do not believe exist. not in any concrete fashion anyway. the question was asked "is it right to take things that belong to someone else when they haven't done anything or oppressed you somehow?"
no, it's not. but what if you're starving and you steal food from someone. let's think about the dynamics of this situation. why is this person starving? why is there someone else who has excess food while this person is starving? what has history taught us about starvation? could it possibly be that the system that has brought excess to one person has kept others from having even enough?
now, is the person who has excess to blame? they argued they were not at fault. i can understand where they're coming from, i really can. perhaps i should say "do" not "can". but i think can is a better word for what i'm trying to express here. anyway. it may be that the person with excess has no idea that their lifestyle is creating hardship for others. it may be that they even desire to help them, to fix their plight. or maybe they don't give a damn, but still don't understand their contribution. perhaps they think that such a distribution of wealth is not only natural but necessary. there are a million different attitudes they could have towards the situation, and in my eyes, not one of them makes them less guilty.
at least, not in today's world. let's face it: it's the information age. information is everywhere. pick up a book, type in word on a search engine... information. even ideas that don't toe the socially prescribed culture line worm our way into our consciousnesses. perhaps we hear them discussed in tones of derision or mockery, but we're still aware that they exist. it is not a choice to be born into a certain culture and surrounded by certain ideas, but it is a choice to not inform yourself fully about other beliefs or possibilities. you choose to take what is said to you about anything at face value. it is this apathy, this laziness, that creates guilt.
the worst guilt, however, is when people who have learned what is wrong with the world and their own contribution to it continue to buy into the system. i have many friends who fall into this category. and sometimes you can understand why - sometimes it's necessary to survive. but there are different degrees of survival. i think i might have to quote rise against for this:
We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
ask yourself how necessary it is to have a big house, the newest car (or a car at all), the smallest phone, name brand clothes. having money to meet your needs is one thing. exceeding your needs becomes unnecessary at a certain point - particularly if you put yourself into debt doing so. so many people have convined themselves that there is no way to survive in the system without full integration. this has got to be the farthest thing from the truth. while earning a wage is (sadly) key to maintaining your life, it doesn't need to become your life - not if it's only becoming your life in an attempt to desperately raise your station. class mobility is a myth. the rags to riches stories may be true, but they're not the norm. capitalism and consumerism are not the answers to poverty, merely tools to keep the rich rich and the poor in their place.
is there an answer to any of this? to poverty? to apathy? i'd like to think so. to hope so. but after so many centuries of economics dictating everything from foreign to domestic policy, i'm not so sure that it will be an easy transition. no, i'm positive it won't be an easy transition. people need something to measure their life's worth with. religion used to provide that, but money provides instant gratification and a visible measure of your worth compared to others.
i am not guilt-free. i am still a consumer, although i attempt to control my consumption. i can't deny the powerful pull of buying new things, and when i have some extra money laying around it can be hard to say no. i bought new cds today, for example. granted, it's been about a year since i did that, and i don't really recall the last time i bought something for myself that wasn't food, but still. i went to best buy. i could have gone to a local record shop on main street, but i didn't. i typically try to be an informed consumer - fair trade, organic, recyled, local - but i'm not always consistant. i was never a shopper - not as a teenager, not now - but i'm still infected with the habit of consumption. it's not something that can change overnight, it requires dedication and a willingness to sacrifice some comfort and ease. sounds easy in print.
but i digress. i've shared my intended point. the best part about this conversation is that i had partaken in some fungal fun and herbal goodness a few hours before. articulating these ideas took a little effort, but i ultimately won the debate. half the battle was talking over the drunk boys. little girls with little voices often get pushed to the side, although they claim that half the time they don't listen to me because they can't understand what i'm talking about.
now is that any reason not to listen? you see the uphill struggle we face?