-Caveat Lector-
I wrote:
>(something about a slightly mixed economy)
In a message dated 12/26/98 3:49:36 AM, MJ wrote:
>Name one business one may participate (legally) which is devoid
>of government.
This has been an interesting discussion. I doubt we're going to find ourselves
all simultaneously agreeing to one single perfect economic solution anytime
soon, but I think it's very important to discuss this type of thing along with
the various other abuses and manipulations of power discussed on CTRL.
Disagreements aside, how can we expect to actually have a positive impact on
the status quo unless we mentally hack the system, as well as our own
preconceptions?
When I said "slightly mixed," I wasn't trying to deny that we live in Babylon,
and that we cannot escape Babylon's grip (Babylon as a metaphorical
representation of the United States). You cannot operate a "business" of any
substantial sort without entangling yourself with the government, and you
cannot gain employment legally without paying taxes, which go to support all
sorts of nasty stuff that people generally wouldn't approve of if they
realized what was actually going on.
The question is, are you one of the few who the system is built to serve, or
are you one of the rabble which the system feeds upon? I guess that's what I
meant by "slightly mixed," in the sense (quoth Noam Chomsky) that we have in
effect a form of state socialism for the rich, with free markets reserved for
the poor. Those who are able to claw their way out of the free market and gain
entry to the "top of the pyramid club" will, on the way, learn all the
bloodthirsty tricks necessary to maintain their prosperous new positions. The
social rot begins to smell like roses; decay becomes new growth; crisis
becomes opportunity. Corporate execs draw $250,000 paychecks with $100,000
bonuses on a bad year (and blow every dime of it, saving surprisingly little),
while the kids in the public housing project down the road have to put plywood
over their windows because all the glass has been broken out.
But the system (any mass system) is perpetuated by building a conceptual "box"
(laws, regulations, social controls, etc.), then tricking and/or forcing as
many people as possible to stay within the box. Automatically the perpetuation
of this system becomes its primary occupation; that's a given. There is no
system that can be built which will be able to withstand the probing of those
who seek to use it to their own advantage.
Maybe the revolution will come one day, but even if it did, would anything new
really come along? The real revolution is within each of us -- the systematic
individual process of eliminating one's own contradictions, false values and
preconceptions. We have been conditioned since birth in a rancid sea of lies,
contradictory messages, dead ends, and greed-inspired motivations. We must
deprogram ourselves, dig deep into our own souls, and determine what exactly
it is we want to do in these 70-some-odd years that most of us are given on
this earth. Only when we have cleansed ourselves of the weaknesses instilled
by years of unconcious programming can we come together as a people and really
build a better society.
And it IS a matter of building alternative systems (while we continue to
resist and expose the evils of the old system). Look at that overpriced
machine sitting on your desk -- yeah, the one that's allowing you to read this
blathering email message, and reply to it if you so choose. It won't be long
until one of these gizmos is a necessary tool for pretty much any type of
economic activity. Go ahead, get rid of the government, extricate yourself all
you want. How the hell are you going to extricate yourself from Apple and
Microsoft (or CrappleSoft, if they ever get around to merging)? How are you
going to send email or check USENET without BellBeast's phone lines?
But technology, of course, is a two-edged sword. There are many, many
potential technological solutions that could help us set ourselves free, but
they must be solutions that are developed and initiated independently of the
established system. We must learn to survive independently in the midst of
Babylon's house, if for no other reason than to prove it can be done. Why not
set up an independent international network of Internet servers based on
packet radio? Why not set up an online bartering system and opt out of the
Beast system entirely? Why not organize corps of volunteer knowledge workers
and guerilla information activists to develop the software and hardware that
would be necessary to set up these alternatives? All we really need is food,
shelter and a little time.
There is no end to the possibilities, if people actually got together and
started DOING something. Again, it's important to debate economic issues as
thoroughly as one might beat a dead horse, but it is also extremely important
to put ideas into action. When our leaders are derelict and corrupt, we must
lead ourselves; when the system has deteriorated beyond repair, it is up to US
to build a new one. Failing this, we embrace the idea of controlled dissent
with open arms.
And the tools we need are sitting right here in front of us. Stop thinking of
your computers as boxes with microchips and circuits inside. Start thinking of
them as infinitely malleable blocks of clay, or as cans of paint with your own
mind serving as an infinite canvas. Start thinking about the possibilities.
Start thinking.
I came to a snare in the woods kind of half-assed covered in some leaves. I
spent years staring at it in muted anger. Then I spent some more years
pointing at it in a rage and yelling at others to come help me stare and point
at it. Finally I realized that the snare was not only doing its work quite
well, it had actually managed to entrap many more than it would have caught if
I'd just ignorantly stepped into it and been caught. Then, finally, I
remembered the knife in my back pocket. I took it out and cut the rope, and
I've been pretty happy ever since.
Peace out,
Charles Overbeck
ParaScope
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