Are we stupid?
For me that’s very, very interesting and very, very significant; and here’s why. As I have said on public platforms coast-to-coast across the U.S., Americans are, generally speaking, the most uninformed, mis-informed and gullible people on earth. So if they have some understanding of how self-serving, how corrupt and how rotten their political system is, hope that the doors to new politics can be opened everywhere in the Western world is surely justified.
By definition the new politics we need will have to be rooted in truth-telling about real choices and options for the future if our children and grandchildren are to have a future worth having. But in my view truth tellers have to be aware that telling the truth about real choices and options for the future is not on its own enough to persuade citizens in very large numbers to become politically engaged to make democracy work. Why not?
The citizens of nations are not stupid. What most of them are, in addition to being under-informed and mis-informed about many critical issues, is overwhelmed by a terrifying sense of impotence. Put into words it is something like: “I do care about the state of our nation and our world, and I am very worried about the future for my children and grandchildren, but what the hell can I do about it?!”
They assume the answer to that question is “Nothing” because The System in all its manifestations – government, the intelligence and security services, banks, multi-national corporations and much of the mainstream media – is too powerful.
It follows, or so it seems to me, that truth-telling about critical issues, including real choices and options for the future, must be accompanied by an explanation of what has to be done if democracy is to be made to work.
It’s not really complicated. On one level becoming politically engaged means telling those who seek our votes what we really think, and, that we won’t vote for them unless they play their necessary part in causing critical issues to be addressed. On another level it means organizing and being prepared to participate in protest marches and demonstrations, peacefully of course. And yes, there is a case for well organized boycotts to press home protest points.
A few mornings ago I was shocked to hear on the radio that Tesco is going to put cameras into its petrol stations to collect information about us to feed back to the advertising agencies, this to enable Tesco to target customers with greater accuracy and speed. I think that’s outrageous and I would boycott Tesco petrol stations if I used them. I don’t…. About advertising in general, I sometimes think to myself how wonderful it would be if we could all be persuaded to stop watching television channels which bombard us with advertisements which are part of the de-humanizing conditioning process.
In summary: If I am right to have an optimistic view of human nature on the assumption that it could be re-conditioned by truth-telling, democracy can be made to work.
I’ll close by offering you my thoughts on Heaven and Hell; and I’ll preface them by saying that I do not believe in a creator, omniscient God (a magician in the sky) working out his purpose for us or through us. In my view God is the name we can give, if we wish, to the potential for good inside each and everyone one of us. God so defined is a prisoner in each and every one of us, and the name of the game for each and every one of us is, ought to be, liberating this prisoner.
In my view Heaven and Hell are earthly states of mind which kick in when we begin to think about the approach of the Grim Reaper, death. When we do so, and unless we are stupid, the question for each of us is – What have I done with my life?
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