Monday, June 22, 2009

The Chains of Fools

¡Hola! Everybody...
I need to stop working weekends! Having only one day off sucks dead dawg farts. It seems I have no rest. This is a busy time of the year, what with the end of the fiscal year upon us and the unending parsing og budgets.. anyway, all this stops me from writing for myself...

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-=[ Entertaining Ourselves to Death ]=-

Reality doesn't bite, it's our perception of reality that bites.
-- Anthony J. D'Angelo

I have lived long enough to witness the fabrication of the greatest lie ever told: “Reality TV.”

What’s his name, Orwell, is doing a triple Salchow as I write.

Of all the shackles we willingly wear, two of the most powerful are those of spectacle and illusion. the chains we wear today are expensive, they have names like Coach, Hilfiger, and Chanel. That our ancestors fought to rid themselves of the brands we so readily accept (and pay huge sums for), has to be one of the greatest and tragic ironies in history. What difference does it make whether your chains are made of iron or gold?

Chains are expensive, as are surveillance tools and armed guards. A less expensive, more efficient strategy is to keep the slave entertained. Sublimation is the best cure for rebellion. Give them something inconsequential to think about or a dream that leads to a dead end.

I love sports, but I also know that sports as spectacle are perfect for these ends. More people will watch the Superbowl than an election. Shit, Ferdinand Marcos distracted a whole revolutionary movement in the Philippines by hosting the Thrilla in Manila, the epic battle between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.

And while even the Romans knew sports are good distractions, we all know sex is better. Movies, celebrations, mud-slinging elections, or even a grisly string of murders are excellent distractions that work to pacify the masses.

All the while, you’re paying for gaudy trinkets embedded with the names of your masters, and for the most part they are nothing but the modern equivalent of shackles.

There is a way out, but it will take your turning away from the glow of the television screen and actually looking at reality.

Love,

Eddie

10 comments:

  1. Eddie, you're getting a link to this on my own blog. Hope you don't mind.

    I don't say this often - but I wouldn't change a word of this. It is THAT good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll have to try to read this later. My browser is messing up and I can't see most of the words.

    Cal-el

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah, after I posted the comment, my screen came back. I have to agree with this 100%. Do you mind if I re-post this (giving you full credit, of course)?

    Cal-el

    ReplyDelete
  4. At will. thanks for the props man. Like I said, time constraints and work forced me toward concision and maybe that's a good thing. LOL

    @Cal-el: Thanks! I don't mind as long as you provide a link back to me. thanks for taking the time and effort to read it and responding

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  5. Orwell on ice, now that would be a spectacle!

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  6. I never wear clothing with writing on. The ridiculous thing is people actually pay more to wear this branded clothing when they actually providing free advertising for the seller.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @Bruja: Actually, I must admit to wearing designer clothes. LOL

    I just don't let it be the boss of me. LOL

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  8. I can honestly say that I have never worn anything with a logo......no clothing, no jewelry and no handbags....for me utilitarian has always been the only consideration I do buy clothing from LLBean only because they are made of all cotton fibres, but none that have their name except inside the item. This need of adults to emulate the junior high set by displaying their foolish excesses to the public eye has me wondering if we will ever again come together and really care about an election. Good post....thanks to Astra for the link.

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  9. I don't give a flying rat's ass about designers or labels! Honestly I am not at all impressed by women who pay several hundred dollars for a handbag or pair of shoes that are IMO ugly.
    At least half of the clothing in my closet came from second hand/thrift stores-I probably have less money invested in my wardrobe than many women spend on their accesories alone!

    ReplyDelete
  10. OK, now, I love the comments, but let me just say this post REALLY wasn't about designer labels or whether people wear them.

    Perhaps NOT wearing labels (or clothing ONLY with labels inside) are a form of labeling?

    LOL

    ReplyDelete

What say you?

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