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“In the United States, there is no history, only media.”
— Carlos Fuentes
Damn you, “social media!” You have completely hijacked the main purpose of the internet; sharing information. I don’t mean information in the technical sense; 0’s and 1’s. I mean information in the literal sense; as in “literacy.” As in “What’s Goin’ On” (Marvin Gaye, 1971). As in; WTF?! Instead, most people have been “socialized.” They have joined the various “social networks” in order to feel as if they have meaningful relationships. In fact, most of these interactions are trivial, meaningless, and come with advertising. Social networking exists only because huge multi-national corporations can make money. They sell you a device, air-time, games, “apps,” and expose you to advertising from other multi-national corporations. And it’s all good, right?
Well no, it isn’t. Socialization, conditioning, brainwashing; whatever you call it, the results are the same. Accept what authorities put in front of you, and do not question it. Sit still, and be quiet. Want to exercise your freedom and independence? You are free to purchase as much as you can afford, and then some more on credit. I mean, when is the United States going to have a real “Twitter Revolution?”
Socialization begins at birth, is reinforced by “parenting,” and by the time the average child is five-years old, they’re done for. Any ideas of independent thought have been squelched in favor of succumbing to peer pressure; even if that pressure is contrary to the child’s own self-interest.Then there’s pre-school, where “sit-still-and-be-quiet” and obedience to authority is ingrained for good. Parents contribute, usually with the best of intentions; just like like most of your school teachers have. Then more lies by omission in textbooks and literature, much of it presented as fact (Land of Freedom, anyone?). Contradictorily (and perhaps the source of mental illness), the child is taught that they are “special,” with a capital “S.” Specifically, that they are entitled to anything they want by virtue of the fact they are “Americans.” However, the only way most people can express their uniqueness in this milieu is…to buy something.
James Corbett refers to cellphones as “fondle slabs.” Perfect devices for games and self-reinforcement, perfectly lousy devices for writing (Thumbs in portrait mode? Really?), and therefore for doing research, or watching movies (Portrait mode? Really?), viewing hi-resolution photographs, or listening to music. “Smartphones” are not computers, but many if not most people think that because they have one they are In Touch With The Modern World. In fact, they are only in touch with like-minded individuals.
I’ve given up on asking people how they know what they know; this is completely beyond the kin of people who cannot even spell Buddhism or know who Carl Jung was, let alone actually know anything about them. When I ask where they get their information, most people have a deer-in-the-headlight moment that immediately tells me that they have no idea. Some will name a specific social network like Twitter or Facebook. Others will name some “mainstream” media outlets like CNN or MSNBC (nobody admits to watching Fox). A teeny-tiny percentage will name an liberal source like Democracy Now! or HuffPost.
Everything you see or hear is carefully controlled by the Idealogical Apparatus that starts warping your mind as soon as you started watching cartoons. Far from harmless fun, watching impossible things occur over and over conditions the mind to accept total bullshit as reality. This apparatus includes all social conditioning from schools, to "news," to entertainment, to deliberate disinformation from intelligence agencies. The majority of cellphone addicts believe the first thing that they see on their devices, no matter what the original source. And most people never bother to find the origins of a story, or to even check if it is true. In fact, most people don’t even know how to perform a proper search.
The entertainment industry continues the charade through toys and games that generally reinforce mindless consumption patterns at the least, and aggressive stupidity at the worst. I was fine with the early video games where drones fought mechanized gun emplacements, but first-person “shooter” games? Really? Gee, I wonder why Johnny shot up the schoolhouse? Oh, no connection of course. Freedom of speech and free enterprise, right?
The “news” is almost entirely controlled by the “intelligence” agencies; “sources” say this and that. And it’s no accident that almost every militaristic plot in Hollywood movies has played out in real life; either before or after the film was released. Not to mention propagandistic drivel like 24, Quantico, and the almost necrophilic obsession with dead bodies in the various TV series like…well, almost all of them. Supposedly harmless entertainment like the Star Wars franchise seem to be prepping us for a nuclear war. I mean seriously, do you think humans will survive long enough to ever get to fight wars in space?
The reason there is no history in the United States of America is because the MSM/Hollywood has immersed us in electronic hallucinations. Everything you see is “virtual reality.” Reality television is only the most obvious example, but reality itself has become all but impossible to determine without a major effort. Most people are shocked and in denial when informed that most of what they “believe” is not true.
And that’s the root of the problem. Many people confuse “know” with “believe.” That’s all the Buddha asked; how do you know what you know?” and “Think about what you’re thinking about.” Social media encourages neither; in fact, SM is all about acting on impulse; responding to stimulus; like, dislike, take a selfie, buy something. No deep thinking required, and certainly no research. Not by typing with your thumbs on that tiny screen…..
©2018 J.Thomas/BlackHorseMedia
Via ThePlanetaryArchives/BlackHorseMedia - San Francisco
