I don't write about socialism much. I've been a socialist my entire life and always vote as far left as the ballot will let me go, and that worldview certainly informs the way I think and write about the world issues I tend to focus on. But I don't write much about socialism itself, or any other ideology for that matter.
This is because the revolution that I am always pointing to here is necessarily non-ideological in nature.
This revolution is non-ideological because the enemy that we are fighting does not have an ideology of its own. The nationless plutocratic power structure that is choking us all to death is not intrinsically socialist, capitalist, liberal, conservative, libertarian, progressive, Zionist, white supremacist, or anything else. It will use any or all of those ideologies at any given time to manipulate people toward supporting its agendas, but the rulers of the western empire ultimately do not care about any of those things. What they care about is maintaining and expanding their power, and they'll cheerfully wave a rainbow flag today and a Nazi flag tomorrow in order to get it.
A study published last month by Public Opinion Quarterly found that Americans are far more divided by the political "teams" they identify with than they are by the actual ideological policies those teams theoretically represent. The most powerful nation on the planet is split into two widely-divided tribes who are far more interested in screaming and shaking their fists at one another than they are in advancing the actual policies their respective tribes pretend to care about.
Someone's benefitting from this model, and it isn't you.
It is tempting to try and elevate our personal ideology to a greater importance than it actually possesses here. I am tempted to say that money both rewards sociopathic behavior and translates directly into political influence, which led us to our current situation wherein we are ruled by sociopathic plutocrats. A libertarian would likely counter that it isn't money that's to blame but a hyper-inflated government whose excessive power can be exploited by corrupt corporatist interests. Meanwhile the real enemies of humanity are manipulating and shaping that debate in a way that always benefits them.
An effective revolution against this ruling power establishment will look exactly as "ideological" as a good puke after a night of heavy drinking. It won't look like Marxism or anarchism or any other -ism rising to replace the current model; it will look like a species expelling a pathogen. And that's exactly what it will be.
We are not in a fight of warring ideologies at this time. Right now we are under the jackboot of a sociopathic class of elites who use propaganda to manipulate the way we think and keep us divided against each other. We are being bombed by war planes and we're at each other's throats arguing about whether swords or battle axes are best for fighting back.
Ultimately what we are pushing towards is not an ideological revolution but a biological healing process, in which our species learns to collectively expel from its operating system the power-serving mind viruses inflicted upon it by the ruling elites via media psyops. We will necessarily have to collectively find a way to eject the propaganda narratives which have us either cheering for Trump to escalate tensions with Russia and Syria or cheering for him to cut taxes and regulations on US oligarchs while accepting a model where no matter who leads the official US government you wind up with neoliberal Orwellian oppression at home and neoconservative slaughter and nuclear brinkmanship abroad.
And I personally believe we've got a very real shot at that. Experience has taught me that humanity is capable of far more than our culture and our sciences tell us right now, and a quick glance tells me that we are in a situation that has never before been seen in our planet's history. Billions of human brains are now networked through the internet, giving us the ability to bring aspects of our world into consciousness that have never before been clearly seen or understood.
And I think that's what the great puking up of the current paradigm will look like, if and when it comes. I think it will look like an increased awareness of the power structures that have come to rule over us as they expose themselves more and more trying to maintain control of a world that is changing far more rapidly than their rigid minds full of dead thought patterns can keep up with. Maybe it will culminate in an official call for a third world war between the western empire and the allied nations who refuse to fall in line, to which humanity will collectively say "Nah, we're not doing that. You're done here."
Either way, that's how I picture this resolving itself. Not with some collection of thoughts assembled by academics about which system is most conducive to human thriving, but something deep waking up within us and saying "NO!" to our shackles.
As near as I can tell that's the only chance we've got. We obviously can't count on the same power establishment which decimated Iraq, imprisoned Assange, set up Orwellian surveillance systems and works to censor the internet, so it's going to have to come from the great collective, which we can't reasonably expect to wind up on the same page ideologically any time in the near future.
We're going to have to find that primal spark within us which has existed since long before civilization itself, that spark which drives animals to escape from cages and leap with joy once they find themselves under the open sky, and throw off the mental prisons that have been boxed around our heads for the convenience of our rulers using mass media propaganda.
None of this is to say that there is no value in having a personal ideology and caring about the specific ways that humanity will move toward health. It's good to have those conversations, and once we get out from underneath our oppressors and have a shot at building a new world they will become even more important.
But also, keep an ear to the ground for something deeper. All beings desire to thrive and be free, and there is something within all of us that the cultural engineers cannot cage. Listen within yourself for that primal howl, and help cultivate its awakening in the world.
O Hominid
You are a big fish in a small pond.
No, that’s wrong.
You are a big fish in a small fish tank.
A celestial leviathan at the apex of evolution
imprisoned in an artificial box that was manufactured in a sweat shop.
We are gods in cages
made of insurance commercials and war propaganda.
The feral behemoths are growing weary of their chains
which hang from their necks like overboiled spaghetti.
Soon oceans of wolves will howl from their chests,
and the brain boxes will burst like soap bubbles,
and the dull gaze of the manipulators
will be met with the savage eyes of every species that has ever lived.
The propagandists have been perfecting their sick science
for about a century, give or take.
Your cells have been mastering this dance for 3.5 billion years.
Your atoms have been at this since the birth of the universe.
The fight between the primordial beast and the mental diddlers
is not a fair one.
Toddlers outgrow their clothing
no matter how loose and stretchy you buy it.
Wild primates outgrow their cages
no matter how tightly you seal them in.
I can hear the braying.
The yowling and snarling.
It is growing louder and louder.
Go take your hand and place it on the earth, O hominid.
This is your home.
That is all the permission you require.
The primal eyes snap open.
They outnumber the stars.
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Exactly. The rulers, along with the media, have always manipulated and hijacked every social and political ideology and movement. They then throw them into a huge pot and literally stir the shit out of everyone on all sides!
Correct, but I put them all under the same banner, for the ease of commentary. That requires an entire post lol.
They are termed "The Cabal". Secret society of the most elite.
I had no idea.
Quite surprising to find out, not the kind of stuff they teach you in high school that's for sure. I remember the first time someone ever mentioned it to me, I thought they were making it up. I did some research and couldn't hardly believe it was all true.
@sunlit7 I want to apologise to you for being in full ironic mode when I replied to your comment. I am and have been very aware of what you are saying. I was just slightly annoyed when replying to you.
You have been saying it and no-one else. Congratulations.
I've watched documentaries that say this. I've heard people talk about this before. He's by no means the only one saying this - you can't be serious! The point about 'hidden' power behind the obvious rulers and shapers is totally spot-on IMO.
It's called sarcasm...read my previous comment to him...I agreed with him, and it turned into an issue? Really?
nice post @caitlinjohnstone thanks
for sharing post
Socialism is just a label, @caitlinjohnstone. You can stick it to anything. The point is to create a humane society, which is not possible through creation of vertical system of authority — i.e. hierarchical matrix.
https://steemit.com/finance/@lighteye/richard-wolff-fed-is-not-the-problem
Socialist? Ugh!
The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.
How can people be free when the food they produce is taken by the government? Let alone being free from our cages?
I am stunned that I truly enjoy your posts anyway!
Exchange the shackles of 1 system for the chains of another?
I wholeheartedly agree with your statement to the powers that be:
"Nah, we're not doing that. You're done here."
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I tend to lean left too, and always vote independent left. The left parties sicken me to be honest and the next best thing is the independents, at least they are free to make whatever alliances they choose.
The last general election was the first time the person I voted for got in, I couldn't believe it. An ex girlfriend of mine actually works for her, Ireland is a small country!
However I'm under no illusions about the effectiveness of mainstream politicians to affect the kind of change you're talking about, fundamental systematic change. In Ireland right now this isn't going to happen and there's no appetite for it. The ruling party right now is completely beholden to the status quo. And one of the reasons I do vote independent is to try and break up that power, to decentralise it a little. Still, we're moving nowhere fast.
On the topic of the end of ideology, you know I've always thought of that as a cop out for neo-liberalism to justify the new "normal", similar to the end of history claim. However thinking about it in the context you talk about it makes more sense. I once read about these pan-anarchist groups where anarchists of all stripes try to do work together, I like the sound of that.
Even though I'm a little left I try to stay in the centre. I think these days it's the place to be. Building bridges instead of ravines.
Well said, over these past few years as activists have become more divided, I have tried my best to not fall into this trap of "teams" as you said.
On most social issues I tend to be more left than most leftists, and on economics, more right that most conservatives, but these lines have been blurred over the years and I now see that there are elements on all sides who are going crazy, and elements on both sides that I can find common ground with
awesome perspective! thanks for sharing!
I tend to agree with you here, I've made more allies outside my typical tribe these days than within, how weird is that.
i can totally relate lol
I used to be the same way and once worked for Ralph Nader's campaign but eventually came to the realization of what the real problem was at the most fundamental level. It's the fact that all governments commit violence and use coercion against their people. We use the vote to justify violating others boundaries to commit extortion, etc, without consent. It was once said that only by the consent of the governed, does government have any authority.
Since you're here on Steemit, are you aware that you are at the epicenter of the cure to this problem? The fundamental problem is centralization of power and control. Some call this a concentration of wealth into the hands of the few, but it is part of the same phenomena. Bitcoin and all other decentralized cryptocurrencies have within their code the ability to put authority out of a job. I've written extensively on my blog about what changes are coming for the better part of a year.
Decentralization is the answer to our political problems and the only real antidote to terrorism and everything else that ails us. By putting mathematics in control instead of the whims of politicians, peace will return to the world.
It's really like an Orwellian type of nightmare that we're in. Stop your nightmares, turn off your TV and wake up to the wonders inside of you.
I liked this article. Lets sink the censorship together.
Peace, love, gratitude!
Caitlin, off topic but if you haven't seen this release yet make a great article for you.
https://gizmodo.com/homeland-security-wants-to-build-an-online-media-influe-1825060190
You're getting there . . . but still have a way to go . . .
It's an ideology. It would not work if it weren't, but then I'm rather Schopenhauerian on this . . . "Cheneyism" (I doubt if you have a better term) has essentially inherited the various trends and tendencies that have been in operation/development for the last three hundred years or more in the West . . . while at the same time being a subjective far more time-based impulse from the end of the Cold War. A real mess, but basically, we end up with the same basic questions as in 1917 . . . is a democracy possible in the modern mass state, in a society rather than a community . . . ? Or will any modern/progressive/liberal tendency be engulfed by the other element of liberalism, the unlimited empowerment of the individual(s) . . . as Deneen has written Liberalism is a victim of its own success . . .
Thank you! But maybe someone will get one of these that sound less robot 😜