Don't be stupid
: . : Ignorance : . :
Do something
: . : I'm sitting here wondering where it is that I should take this whole thing next. To be completely honest, I really don't remember what I have and have not written down here in the past, so it's difficult to be absolutely certain that I'm not treading on old ground. I would hate to spend more time whining about the fact that our democratic system in no way resembles a democracy, but is instead a poorly inspected representative system, which is wholly different, even though no one wants you to think that. I could tell you that french fries contain almost as lethal a dose of carcinogens as cigarrettes do. I could just tell you to smarten up, and open your eyes to the big picture, to the complete depravity that has been wrought in our world because of greed and general stupidity. The problem is, you will either believe me, or not believe me. The big problem is that even before you started reading this page, you either believed me or didn't believe me.
: . : That's the problem, right there. People are stuck. They believe what they want to believe, nothing more, nothing less. Where people start out, making their own belief systems, the ones that they will stick to for good, doesn't really matter in the end. What matters is how they stick to them. Ignoring new input, or reshaping it as it enters the mind. We all do it, there's just no denying it, but the problem is when people both do not realize that they're doing it, and operate under a set of assumptions that have guided them, unquestioned, for years. This is foolishness. This is the human race. Get used to it.
: . : Now that my mind has become fully active and aware of what this article is going to be about, I realize that it will most likely lead into being the most disturbing piece of work I've ever put together. It may seem quite harmless sofar, but I thought that I would give you fair warning. Back to the issue at hand, you see, we learn to do things. It's quite true, we learn, and learning is the acquisition of information for the sake of putting it into practice. Now, here comes the trick, we also learn to learn. This is obviously a necessary thing to do, but the problem is, much of the time we have to learn to learn, before we even know how to learn. At such an early stage, we hardly have the capability to truly understand the massive importance of the concepts we are forming in our minds. Epistemology: a theory of knowlege, how can we know, how we know, can we know?, how can we learn what we know, etc. We develop an epistemology without even knowing it, and especially without even knowing that there was a word for it. This theory, formed by the mind of a child, puts into order all information that we subsequently receive. Unfortunately, 99% of the world out there is still operating with the epistemology of a three year old. Perhaps that's an insult, perhaps it's not, but it's a fact.
: . : Question. People see themselves as being inherently curious, but unfortunately that curiousity doesn't get them far enough where it counts, but too far where it doesn't at all. They question things, I admit, there was the enlightenment and such and so forth. Yes, I do realize enlightenment should be spelled with a capital E, but I don't have enough love for the revolutionary social runamockery that it spawned to really care. You see, in the time of the big or little E/e, they learned to question things. Religion, faith, freedom, captivity, love, nature, metaphysics, etc., but they were highly unsuccessful at solving the one problem of knowledge that continues to plague society: Ignorance. It is safe to assume that once you've learned a lesson, that you stick to what you've learned. The problem is, once those lessons pile up, they conflict, and are reinterpreted by a flawed memory. The lessons themselves are often flawed, adding to the confusion. Even so, people remain feeling safe in their previous assumptions, the ones that they did not even realize were assumptions, and did not even know existed inasmuch to even take them for granted. Where am I going with this? you might be wondering. You'll soon find out. For now, what I am saying is this: if you have faith, question it; if you have science, question it; if you have things you cannot do without in your life, question them. By question I mean re-evaluate right down to the very core of how it is that you learned these things, when you learned them, why you learned them and why exactly it is that you think they are true or important, from the most basic level to the most complex. This takes a lot of hard thinking. I am by no means saying that you must neccessarily abandon any of these things, merely understand why it is that you hold to them, truly know it. If you can't come to any knowledge of why, then you must abandon them. If you are confused, sort it out until you aren't anymore.
: . : Alright, I'm gonna let that train of thought die right there in it's tracks, and most likely get hit by the next train that passes by, but that's not of my concern at this point. Getting back to the original point of this article, I have changed my mind. I am going to spell things out for you, and make things quite plain. You see, at the time that this is being written, America is being ruled by two people who were not democratically elected. That's right, they were installed by procedures of the government, and had little to do with the 'majority' or the popular opinion. They were simply given power. Is this right? No, it definitely is not. Now, we can scoff and say that that's rediculous, and shouldn't be allowed, and such and so forth, but isn't this a democracy? Aren't we supposed to have a say in this? Then have your say! Friggin well have your say! Our countries get away with doing things that their populations would never condone, acts of genocide, regicide, assassination, and terrorism, yet we do nothing about it. For that, we must take partial responsibility for these actions, as we act under the assumption that we live in countries that we have a say in.
: . : Now, you might be saying you want proof. Okay, sure. I'll cite specific instances for once. When George W Bush was elected, he was not elected by the majority of his country. In fact, the majority of the country voted against him. The problem is, the electoral committee of the United States, basically a bunch of senators and rich folk, have power to choose president will be elected, if they see fit. They saw fit. In Canada, just recently, the Prime Minister, Jean Cretien retired. Of course, he has to be replaced, and that replacement, is Paul Martin. Sure, you may say, but our voting system is different, we vote for the party more than the person. While this may be true, we had voted for a party which was represented by Jean Cretien, not Paul Martin. Even so, Paul Martin, without any fuss at all, becomes the Prime Minister of Canada.
: . : What are these horrible things I continue to bring up, that our countries do behind our backs? Well, it's definitely easier to come up with the acts of the United States, because they are larger and numerous. Canada condones, and even assists in many of them, so we are not completely guiltless. Here is an abbreviated list of a few of the more dispicable acts (and consequences) of the land of the free:
1953 Overthrows elected prime minister of of Iran, installs dictator
1954 Overthrows democratically elected pres of Guatemala, killing 200,000
1963 Backs assassination of South Vietnamese president, Diem
1963-1975, Kills 4 million in southeast Asia
1973 Coup in chile, democratically elected president assassinated, dictator installed, 5,000 murdered
1977 Backs military rulers of El Salvador, 70,000 killed
1980's trains Osama BinLaden and terrorists to kill Soviets, CIA gives them approx. $3,000,000,000.00
1981 Trains and funds "Contras", killing 30,000 Nicaraguans
1982 Provides billions of dollars to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians
1987 Secretly gives Iran weapons to kill Iraqis
1989 President of Panama, working for the CIA, disobeys American orders, 3000 civilians die when American invades
1990 Iraq invades Kuwait with US weapons
1991 Attacks Iraq, and reinstating dictator of Kuwait
1998 Bombs a weapons factory in Sudan which turns out to be an asprin factory
1991-Present Well over 500,000 Iraqi children have died from U.S. bombings and sanctions
2000-2001 Gives Taliban ruled Afghanistan $245 million in 'aid'
2001 Osama bin Laden uses CIA training and money to kill over 3000 Americans
(List taken from "Bowling for Columbine" by Michael Moore, which I recommend)
: . : One would think that with the millions of needless and innocent deaths that the United States have been involved in, and have instigated, and the destruction of global democracy when it doesn't financially benefit them, that questions would be raised, and that the U.N. would have to step in. The problem is, the largest portion of U.N. funding comes from the United States, as well as the largest part of it's military power. In other words, the U.N. is a puppet of the United States, and has no power over it. There was once a bill proposed in the United Nations commons, allowing the absolution of the debt of third world countries, freeing them from their economic slavery to the first world. The only country that voted against it was the United States, and that bill was dissolved. This is because the American, and probably even the North American economies would collapse if they no longer could prey on the weaker countries. Some say that slavery was abolished over a century ago, when in fact it is just as prominent today as it ever was. Entire countries are taken as slaves, given debt in exchange for nearly free services. They become bound by their debt to their slavemaster countries, and must work off the debt, which the cannot do, because the debt is engineered, and exists only to keep them enslaved. Even if the debt was absolved, there would be no release for those who live in the third world. Their countries are rules by those who work for the United States and other countries, a few people, very few people, who grow rich and fat on the small earnings of their dying countries, and live short lives. Much like the former president of Panama, if they deviate from the plans of their masters, their time is up rather quickly, and they are easily replaced by someone equally greedy.
: . : Consider yourself lucky that you're on the receiving end of all this, receiving the spoils of these conspiracies and slavery. Consider yourself lucky that you don't live somewhere where you are born into a debt that must be paid off, but is impossible to pay off, no matter what you do. Whether you sell your land, your house (if you have either), your body or your children, there is no hope of ever repaying the debt incurred for simply living. When you buy something that is made in indonesia, china, afghanistan, etc., you are helping to perpetuate the problem, and you are as guilty as those who created it in the first place. Your garment, or trinket was assembled by someone who will be paid so little that they will most likely die of either disease or hunger before they are 40 years old. Ignorance will get you nowhere; we all must take responsibility for our actions, whether we like it or not. You may want to say that there is nothing you can do about it anyway, and that is a lie full of ignorance. There are so many things that anyone can do about all this. Don't know where to start? Allow me to provide a list of the essentials:
1. Stop buying retail. This might be difficult, but it's not impossible by any means. But used clothing, such as Value Village and Frenchy's. If you do buy retail, make sure it is made within your own country, or at least within North America. Shop at local markets, and buy from local vendors. Don't wear clothes with visible brands or labels. Not only are you Paying that company to advertize for them, you are also, even unconsciously, using the brand as a social status symbol (saying to others, "my clothes are expensive / cheap / 'in'"). If you have visible and removable labels, just cut them off; they're your clothes, not someone else's.
2. Stop buying the beef. Rainforests are being destroyed not for the wood in them, but for the space they occupy. Most of them are being burned and replaced with cow farms, because of the massive demand for beef worldwide, primarily in fast food hamburgers. This is stupid. I could continue into the mess of animal rights, and the disgusting things that are injested by the animals (cows, chickens, etc.) and injected into the meat, but this is a human rights article. If you buy meat at all (which I suggest you don't), buy it locally.
3. Spread the word. Tell your friends, but most of all, tell those you don't even know. Raise awareness of the joke our countries have made of democracy and of human rights. Don't let people continue to be ignorant, even if they 'look happy'. They are greatly outnumbered by the people who spend their lives without much happiness because of the ignorance of others.
4. Take action. Protest, petition, call, write, e-mail, rally together for the cause. Have a march, join a march. Keep an ear to the ground for events that are taking place which you may want to support. Democracy requires that you share your opinion, and get others to as well (but we won't get into what I really think about democracy, either). Don't lay down and assume no one cares. Everyone cares, they just have to be woken up.
5. Don't watch TV. This might be the hardest one of all, but it is just as necessary as the rest of them. Television is the method by which the ignorant, selfish and currupt ideals of the rich are transmitted into your brain. You are conditioned to want for certain things that are decided by other people to be economically beneficial to their company, and to the ruling class of the country as a whole. Don't let them do this to you. It's not just the commercials. The shows themselves portray a twisted reality, which you then will attempt to emulate, whether you like it or not. Sound like mind control? Well, it is. It's voluntary mind control. And yes, the internet is included here, too.
5. Remember these things, and feel free to add to them when you think of something good (within reason). Don't let people suffer and die because of apathy and the search for a bargain. Stand up to 'the man', and show him/her that they are nothing without the majority.
