I'm joining the media group for the solidarity organisation. Off to training in a fortnight or so. Excited. It'll give me some more direction and help to get the message out there. I may even post some links.
Of course, "SG is in no way associated with the content of external sites and in no way condones or suppiorts the opinions of members who post links to said sites."
I'll keep that to use as a disclaimer if I get round to posting my stuff here.
Of course, "SG is in no way associated with the content of external sites and in no way condones or suppiorts the opinions of members who post links to said sites."
I'll keep that to use as a disclaimer if I get round to posting my stuff here.
Frontline:
Tomorrow, some kids need to be walked to school so that no-one will shoot them.
Tomorrow, some kids need to be walked to school so that no-one will shoot them.
A fiction:
The Matrix has us.
We are all part of the system until we wake up. As part of the system, we will fight to preserve that which enslaves us. The media around us teaches us how to live. It shows us what is important. It portrays the struggles and interests and lives of the world. We see and hear and read the events of the world - disaster, famine, flood, terrorism, love, celebrity, innovation.
Media defines success and happiness. Holidays and fun are packaged. All lifestyles are categorised. Rebellion and beauty are dictated by the Matrix. Freedom is choice, and we have choice: TV channels, films, newspapers, food, clothes, cars. Unusual points of view are catered for by the Matrix - fashion, pop, arts - all are individual and subjective and free to select.
Our freedom to choose is the shackle that keeps us enslaved. It's the candy that masks the medicine. With our hundreds of TV channels, we still see only what we are shown. With our free opinions given to us, we are our own thought police. We have never seen the things that the Matrix doesn't want us to see. The Matrix selects the truth we know.
All of us are ready to denounce the crazy minority who rant on the other side - the few who go against the free truths we've been given, that we feel we've found out for ourselves. The style magazines, the intelligent current affairs shows and political forums are all ready to help us back on track when someone presents an idea that goes against the Matrix. It's okay, we're all free, go back to sleep. The most open-minded and enlightened of us will doubt those who appear to support the forces we've been taught to dislike. In the Cold War, no-one in the west would believe that the USSR was misrepresented by our news stories. My grandmother firmly believed that there were no flowers in Russia. The most liberal of us would nod our heads and remind ourselves that communism doesn't work and Russia is corrupt. Similarly, when we see injustice reported by fringe media, or censorship against those who speak out against the ubiquitous and multiplex west, or supression of those who want to see images the Matrix calls pornographic, we deny the truth of it because of our freedom. They couldn't do that, we have freedom of speech! we say. But our apparent freedom is used by the Matrix to control us.
Yes, we have freedom of speech, but a single voice in a public place is heard only by the few passing by within several yards. They hear snatches of what is said, which they will internally denounce as the rantings of mad conspiracy theorists.
There is no conspiracy in the Hollywood way, no black helicopters or X-Files. The Matrix is more subtle. Mass opinion is a powerful force - democracy is built on it, as is the jury system, and also common gossip. The Matrix is a constant barrage of information - selected facts, points of view, choices of opinion which we can follow. We disagree between ourselves on the facts and the views we are shown and we debate them.
Real knowledge comes from within ourselves and from first hand experience. What we see on TV is not necessarily real. Reality TV itself is edited to make a drama. Big Brother doesn't need to watch us, we watch each other. Most of us are not ready to leave the system - the Matrix is our god, our parent, our government. We will fight to preserve that which makes us slaves.
The Matrix has us.
We are all part of the system until we wake up. As part of the system, we will fight to preserve that which enslaves us. The media around us teaches us how to live. It shows us what is important. It portrays the struggles and interests and lives of the world. We see and hear and read the events of the world - disaster, famine, flood, terrorism, love, celebrity, innovation.
Media defines success and happiness. Holidays and fun are packaged. All lifestyles are categorised. Rebellion and beauty are dictated by the Matrix. Freedom is choice, and we have choice: TV channels, films, newspapers, food, clothes, cars. Unusual points of view are catered for by the Matrix - fashion, pop, arts - all are individual and subjective and free to select.
Our freedom to choose is the shackle that keeps us enslaved. It's the candy that masks the medicine. With our hundreds of TV channels, we still see only what we are shown. With our free opinions given to us, we are our own thought police. We have never seen the things that the Matrix doesn't want us to see. The Matrix selects the truth we know.
All of us are ready to denounce the crazy minority who rant on the other side - the few who go against the free truths we've been given, that we feel we've found out for ourselves. The style magazines, the intelligent current affairs shows and political forums are all ready to help us back on track when someone presents an idea that goes against the Matrix. It's okay, we're all free, go back to sleep. The most open-minded and enlightened of us will doubt those who appear to support the forces we've been taught to dislike. In the Cold War, no-one in the west would believe that the USSR was misrepresented by our news stories. My grandmother firmly believed that there were no flowers in Russia. The most liberal of us would nod our heads and remind ourselves that communism doesn't work and Russia is corrupt. Similarly, when we see injustice reported by fringe media, or censorship against those who speak out against the ubiquitous and multiplex west, or supression of those who want to see images the Matrix calls pornographic, we deny the truth of it because of our freedom. They couldn't do that, we have freedom of speech! we say. But our apparent freedom is used by the Matrix to control us.
Yes, we have freedom of speech, but a single voice in a public place is heard only by the few passing by within several yards. They hear snatches of what is said, which they will internally denounce as the rantings of mad conspiracy theorists.
There is no conspiracy in the Hollywood way, no black helicopters or X-Files. The Matrix is more subtle. Mass opinion is a powerful force - democracy is built on it, as is the jury system, and also common gossip. The Matrix is a constant barrage of information - selected facts, points of view, choices of opinion which we can follow. We disagree between ourselves on the facts and the views we are shown and we debate them.
Real knowledge comes from within ourselves and from first hand experience. What we see on TV is not necessarily real. Reality TV itself is edited to make a drama. Big Brother doesn't need to watch us, we watch each other. Most of us are not ready to leave the system - the Matrix is our god, our parent, our government. We will fight to preserve that which makes us slaves.
Frontline:
Waiting at the checkpoint takes up most of the day. As an international, I could just wave my passport and go through, but it helps morale to stay with the people we've pledged our solidarity with.
Waiting at the checkpoint takes up most of the day. As an international, I could just wave my passport and go through, but it helps morale to stay with the people we've pledged our solidarity with.
