I've been thinking a lot about our society lately and how it is structured, in terms of power. I've been thinking of just how we are controlled and what it is we as a nation actually believe. I expect that a lot of what I post here will be somewhat controversial, but I hope it will at least spark some thought.
What I have determined is that America is a nation of addicts and sacrificial offerings. I have come to the conclusion that although our country was founded on the principal of Democracy it is actually governed by money, not the rule of law.
Addiction: -
Compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.
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America is a nation of addicts. From a very young age we are taught to be Pavlov's dogs. If we perform a task we will be rewarded with money. We learn to become addicted to money. It's our most favorite high. Just consider how you feel when you get that big bonus check or hell, just find a $20 in the street. Have you ever met anyone who really had enough?
Everyone wants more. Just like any junkie, all most people can think about, especially those living on the edge of poverty is, "I can't wait to score my next hit." Most people structure their lives around their habit.
But those pushers, what pricks. As long as you continue to do what your pusher tells you to do, you'll continue to score hits. But if you mess up or piss off your pusher, you'll find yourself looking for a new source. But there are plenty of pushers in America, provided you have the right skills and aren't too demanding.
Also, just like any addict cut off from the supply, you'll experience withdrawl symptoms. Anger, fear, intense stress.
Of course, I realize some of you may laugh at this, but if you aren't an addict show me you can quit this habit. Yeah I hear ya', you could quit any time, you just don't want to. Right, our survival in this country is structured around this addiction. It's the real bond that keeps the tribe together. If you piss off the tribe or just refuse to submit to the dominant meme you won't be allowed to participate with the tribe. You'll be ostracized. How are you going to survive once the tribe turns its back on you?
Now, consider how the war on some drugs play's into this. You see, there really isn't a problem with drug use, the problem is with the drugs you choose to use and when. I'm not saying some drugs aren't dangerous, but when I consider how many pot smokers are sitting in prison I know right away it isn't about the drugs. After all, anyone who has ever known a pot smoker knows the greatest danger they present is to the bag of Doritos in the pantry.
The war on some drugs is just a way to scare the people, through the threat of being sent to our sadistic prison system, to maintain the dominant habits in society. So don't piss off the tribe.
Of course, the funny thing is, our monetary system, which the majority of Americans are addicted too, is largely just a belief system now.
Religion - A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.
What's the most powerful religion in America? Money. It doesn't matter if you're a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim, etc. If I pull out a special piece of paper with some fancy printing on it and ask them what its worth, they'll look at the numbers on it and tell me it's worth that many numbers in something called dollars. In reality, it's just a piece of paper with ink on it that isn't worth very much. But as long as everyone believes it is worth something, then it has value.
Now, if our money was tied to actual assets, like the gold standard as it used to be, or if our money was actually made from something that actually had value, the way coins used to be, then I would say it has value. But these days, it doesn't. It's just an illusion. They don't have value, they're just icons of value. I guess you could say capitalism in America is a based on idolatry at the moment. It isn't about real value it's about perceived value.
This is what makes money so powerful. Everyone believes in it and everyone is addicted to it. Few have enough of it to be truly free. Those who do are the Ownership Society. They control the distribution of our favorite drug as they control most of it. This is what controls our society. Laws usually only have meaning between parties of equal economic value. Not always, but many times, money trumps law. Part of the role of a democratic government was to enact laws that kept the moneyed power in check. However, today, money is winning that battle.
Of course, this powerful belief system wouldn't be worth much without the high priests to guide us. Each season our high priest of the monetary system, aka the Fed Chairman, appears before us and prognosticates about the coming season. He tells us if he thinks we will have enough crops, who we may have to sacrifice to the gods of the marketplace for a strong economy and where to plant for the coming season.
Many of us like to think we are incredibly advanced over those ancient Barbarian hordes and long extinct cultures whose archeology inhabits our past. But that really isn't true. Only the trappings have really changed, the technology that represents each age. We haven't.
The wealthy, those who control the resources, are just as in control as they ever were. They've just learned to be more subtle and secretive about it, at least in western culture.
However, the people must still answer to the tribe and many are still offered up to the gods as offerings for a good harvest in the coming season. In this sense, the ritual continues.