I have participated in two wars and know that war ends when it has rolled through cities and villages, everywhere sowing death and destruction. For such is the logic of war. ~Khruschev
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capitalism, like slave society and feudalism, also has critical failings - inner contradictions which will lead to its downfall. The working class, to which the capitalist class gave birth in order to produce commodities and profits, is the "grave digger" of capitalism. The worker is not paid the full value of what he or she produces. The rest is surplus value - the capitalist's profit, which Marx calls the "unpaid labour of the working class." The capitalists are forced by competition to attempt to drive down the wages of the working class to increase their profits, and this creates conflict between the classes, and gives rise to the development of class consciousness in the working class. The working class, through trade union and other struggles, becomes conscious of itself as an exploited class.
In the view of classical Marxism, the struggles of the working class against the attacks of the capitalist class lead the working class to establish its own collective control over production - the basis of socialist society. Marx believed that capitalism always leads to monopolies and leads the people to poverty; yet the fewer the restrictions on the free market, (e.g. from the state and trade unions) the sooner it finds itself in crisis. Marx is rather vague in his explanation of how the working class will come to consciousness.'
I pray in earnest that the way 'the working class would come to consciousness' was not the same as how the Bolshevics Peasants rose up as recently as the beginning of the last century; food riots, open violence against established authority. Civil war. I have always seen the sense of Marx view on this subject. It seems painfully obvious now that the stages of capitalism that Marx identified have been fulfilled. It may be that the victory of capitalism during earlier stages will be seen as a necessary stage of the rise of equality. Indeed because of the ideals of freedom and prosperity, western life has always been somewhat less severely violent against its citizens as compared to many other nations. This does not discount the severe number of prisoners, people who are again violently restrained by the state from their normative behaviour, in the western nations - many of whom are non violent and would not be criminal even by the measure of statutes if their circumstances, options or opportunities were different.
Irregardless of all this, what concerns me is not so much this blatent historical warnings against super violence (especially state sponsored) it is the modern manifestation of old behaviours. I grew up over the 80s and 90s as a young person. While there was always some distant tension in the middle east or something on the whole things seemed on the up and up. The berlin wall came down (woooooooooooooo) in 89 and the 90's was a period of trade development, Seinfeld comedy about the trivialities of modern living, and ultra psychadelic cartoons with quasi-too-adult-themes for children (thank you Don Blooth ;). I recall a basically positive vibe from the time, perhaps it is just some nostalgia for 'the good old days' now that I am supposed to be beyond enjoying hand-animated stories from the edge of the mind. I have always been rather aware and interested politically through my maturation. Never did I support the war on terror, even when it started. I truly appreciate the right of a nation to protect and defend itself, I appreciate the same right for an individual as well. If one is attacked, or the possiblility exists that one may be, there is certainly no reasonableness to a lack of properly measured defensive military spending and activity. But this should always be the absolute last resort in ANY situation, any sort of extra-national military force should be absolutely unnecessary. But there again we come to a serious issue in the modern mind, we are right now, this day committing open wars of aggression. We can use whatever pretext we want, of course in the modern age of 'defensive response' we could not just say "ohhh we're gonna invade here and here and take their shit and people and money" Not in hundreds of years has anyone been so blatent. The comunists were Liberators !! The Nazis were Superior !! And now Amerika is Liberators !! ... really ? Hopefully this isn't a pattern. I'd hate it if Islam really did try and get all superior on us right now.... or china : o
Military conflict has ALWAYS existed on this planet... within our species... our hearts as a people. Some of us have only known it, some of us have fought against it, and some of us have not seen it yet. But if we are not vigilant as protectors of the democratic ideal and we are not judicious in our prudence and our duty as free citizens we stand to loose it. The only thing required for the success of evil men is that good people do nothing. SO let us consider the occupy movement. They are now beginning to suffer the full force of paper law and police violence applied against them. The first one does not concern me so much, ultimately we all have a right or at least the freedom to disregard paper laws if we so choose or if reason demands. 'I was following the law' didn't work at nuremburg and it seldom works in life at all when the shit comes down.
A well reasoned viewpoint, even in opposition is always more welcome than blind biggotry. Indeed, perhaps it is the very essence of a gentleman, but it has always been the DUTY of people of higher station in economy or service to make sure they kept the interests and well being of those not as gentle or knowledgable in a good condition. This was done as much out of self interest as any high christian ideal, but it was greatly employed to the benefit of cities across our present society. Andrew Carnegie, for example built nearly EVERY library in Ontario that is more than 50 years old. Bill Gates personally donated most computers in libraries that Carnegie built. These two gifts have resulted in population both literate and technologically enabled at their leisure. The benefits are obvious for both, for carnegie it raised the overall popular intellect, thus people would want more steel, more growth, more economy, more to learn and see and read ! For Gates, it has helped make the society nearly completely dependant on his products and financial clout both at the same time. But even though these visionary exploiteers have given back, they have surely taken. All of the fortune 500 companies are in the worst possible positions. The compaines are flooded with money, very few people have it, or many have it in small quantities... but no one can really access it, no one is leveraging for public projects like the hoover damm or the apollo program. We are at a period of our history where we have TRULY EXPLOSIVE wealth in infinite amounts.... the power this gives our species is awesome, it has NEVER EXISTED before where we could just up and print 100 trillion dollars... that wouldn't even make sense in previous epochs of our economic development, but now it does and we have lost vision. It seems we do not handle success well. If the 1% of wallstreet financed out 25% of their money and spread it around to people , we'd all be rich off the dividends. But that isn't gonna happen mostly because of a super fractal financial system. No one is really IN CHARGE of companies now. There are not many super mega business leaders now that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are pretty much out of the game. I would say Elon Musk, but that's exactly my point, how many people really even know who that is in popular culture. No one is leading innovating, young, sexy... you know like Kennedy, VISION. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of excellent leaders in their fields, but no Einstein of our time, if you follow.
Why this all comes up is because now in America and here in Canada too, we are witnessing the worst sort of domestic tyranny unfolding. When the liberals had majorities here the conservatives didn't bitch about them destroying the nation, they we're just like "ohhh you back room fat cats we can do even MORE for canadians !!!" But now that they have merged, paid cash and shattered the nation into allowing them unfettered access to the future of this land, all the minority parites and the majority of the people cry out for an end to the destruction of the institutions and traditions they loved and that made us #1 in the world for that decade of the 90s... even better than America, we were a better place. Now I see us as one in the same with one VITAL difference, we still have socialism for medicare... a little (thank you Mr Douglas). Other than that, especially here in Ontario, we're like a state, not a part of Canada as we should be, and I suggest this radiates from the pen rooms of Ottawa.
In both Canada and America, we see the police beginning to bear down on the occupy groups. The 'rights' we admired about america are now enshrined in beaurocracy. And worse still the corporate influence on governmental affairs has become nearly complete through both corruption and open means. Canada used to pride itself on every point of devision of ideology from its southern neighbour. We were kind of like a wise old broad (the queen) living upstairs and we kind of could cock a snot from time to time and say *tsk tsk you big stupid baby. Now our laws and courts cite far more american cases than english, though the english is also more and more modelled on american and international framework all the time as well. My point is this, violence is now being openly employed against a dissatisfied group of protesters. I mean seriously, no one has even addressed these people, like in public... you know, like obama sends out a memo and says, all you wallstreet motherfukkers all over the nation, come to the whitehouse and we'll get some petetions going and committees formed and delegate leadership and you know, get a large "pisseed off citizens" committee going using the latest in technology and shit and all that.... LEADERSHIP....
No instead we see tyranny. Is this the fault of the president himself ? Partly, but it is also ours. There is no clear leadership to this protest, none that is commonly known anyway, but still, what is it they want ? More jobs, more money, higher taxes on the rich, a voice in democracy, and end to war ? Are any of their ideas that bad ? Is anyone making sure they all understand the options of participatory democracy available to them ? Though I believe no effort has been made to formally listen to/ address/ appease the protesters, that is secondary to the fact that violence is now being employed against them. These are people who have beliefs, what they believe to be unaccountable legitimate grievances and human emotions. If people of principal and social responsability continue to exercise our right to make the wrong choice about violence in our domestic applications of law - how long will it really be until the citizens seek to apply equal force in defence of their ideals and their security of the person ?
Our present system of economy, politics and segregation of resources may be coming to an end. If our species is to unify and grow instead of having its divisions ripenand cause usto set limits on our potential (population) then we need to seriously consider getting a strong vision going. Instead of trying to save the desert from getting spanked by its pimp every day, why doesn't America start a WAR ON DEATH ? I'm straight up serious. I consider death to be more deadly than drugs, muslims, protesters and car emissions COMBINED. If we spent the amount of straight up money we do on military on medicine and space exploration we'd all be flying ironman suits powered off farts to Neptune this weekend and we'd be 300 years old... and look sexy... and cheeseburgers would make your dick/tits bigger.
Obviously this blog wont stop human violence or the gathering storm (to evoke Churchill), but at least I hope I have stated some of the problems we are facing with brute violence on the rise, its historical precedent and problems and that there are other options available. The real problem is violence in our society. Wall street only has the ability to do what it has been doing to people because it has bought the law. Law under such durress will surely not be obeyed by well read citizens... it is a crisis indeed. Without strong popular leadership all may be lost... but without a strong and singleminded to non-violence like Ghandi or MLK we will digress back in to a society of superiority by force... we will spread death instead of conquering it .... and people wonder if good and evil exist ;p
Now with Vitamin Co+cK^2x
