Hegemonic Logic

Attitudes differ between classes, and we need to be mindful of their influence

For many of us, the way we see the world has been formed by hegemonic forces, and the logic they use.

Here is a partial Britannica definition of hegemony:

the dominance of one group over another, often supported by legitimating norms and ideas. The term hegemony is today often used as shorthand to describe the relatively dominant position of a particular set of ideas and their associated tendency to become commonsensical and intuitive, thereby inhibiting the dissemination or even the articulation of alternative ideas. The associated term hegemon is used to identify the actor, group, class, or state that exercises hegemonic power or that is responsible for the dissemination of hegemonic ideas.

We’re bombarded from all sides with certain points of view until they become common sense, whether or not they represent reality. Things like the west brings freedom and civilization to other countries, our systems are democratic, we are a force for good in a barbaric world, that privatizing public services makes those services more efficient, and that kind of thing.

For centuries, there has been a small group of very wealthy and powerful people who have plundered the rest of the world in order to enrich itself. They feel entitled to do this, and superior to the rest of us. And right now the wealth gap between that group and the rest of us is astronomical.

They control news sources on and off line, entertainment like the movie industry and video games, most politicians, and every imaginable kind of messaging to convince us that the rich are the good people, and those who aren’t rich are much less important. This small group of people is rewarded in countless ways at the expense of the rest of us, our societies and our environment.

And right now they’re making a lot of money supporting Israel’s genocide.

With social media, we’re able to see what’s actually going on in Gaza and the West Bank, so many of us object. Whatever happened to “Never Again” we ask. Killing babies is wrong no matter their skin colour we say, thinking this is self evident.

Self evident to us. For the group of people that profits from the war machine, it’s business as usual, and our objections are a public relations failure.

So we’re told that we’re anti-semitic, and that it’s not really a genocide, and all manner of lies made to excuse Israel as it destroys Palestine and bombs neighbouring countries.

The latest solution of this class of people? Buy up more news outlets and pay influencers to rationalize their side.

Their newest money grab is getting western nations to put 5% of their GDP into NATO; funding the war machine with money that should go to bettering our societies, meaning even more austerity for the rest of us.

The bullshit wars they want us to fight have nothing to do with democracy or anything noble. They don’t want countries that prioritize the well-being of their citizens to give people in their own countries ideas. And, of course, they want resources, cheap labour and governments who are subservient to western interests.

I truly want to have more generosity of spirit towards these people, but I also want to see the carnage stopped. The destruction of Gaza, the bombing of boats off the coast of Venezuela on unproven charges, the sabre rattling towards Iran and China, CIA backed colour revolutions and those sorts of things can’t be allowed to go on.

There are so many innocent people losing their lives, loved ones and property. So many are being robbed of a decent life, and we hear barely a peep about them since our media deems them unimportant.

In the meantime, we’re encouraged to consider ourselves temporarily embarrassed millionaires, as we work multiple gig jobs and as the cost of living skyrockets. We’re pitted against each other, and some groups are demonized and blamed for our economic woes. Groups like trans people, immigrants, women — almost any identifiable group that can be scapegoated in place of the people who control and profit from western economies.

The reason? Because solidarity is a threat to this group of people. When we band together and demand peace, a decent standard of living, and environmental restoration we’re powerful.

If the world seems crazy right now, it’s because of the BS we’re being fed. Like the recent ceasefire in Gaza that didn’t involve any Palestinians in negotiating of the agreement. Or the Nobel Peace Prize going to a woman who wants to see the USA and Israel invade her home country, Venezuela. Or the increased censorship of our media. Who else has been kicked off of Facebook and X? And that’s just the tip of the censorship iceberg.

We’ve reached a new level of barbarity with the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and increased censorship in our own countries. The emperor’s clothes are off, and the sight ain’t pretty. We’re supposed to start believing that might means right, and that we should stick up for our countries, right or wrong.

Thankfully that isn’t washing with most of us.

But how do we make the genocide stop? And how do we get these people who are causing so much devastation out of our politics?

We have everything we need to have a world of peace and plenty for every single person on the planet, even if the super rich keep their money.

I truly wonder about the mental health of that wealthy class. I mean how many mansions or private jets or expensive clothes does anyone need? How do you even spend a billion dollars? What is wrong with people who think they’re entitled to so much at the expense of everyone and everything else?

But that aside, we need to protect ourselves from this kind of excess.

I don’t know what the solution is, but the most important thing is to make sure we understand what’s going on. You can find some media sources I consider trustworthy here and here.

The next step is building community and supporting each other as we descend into very challenging times. Putting aside our differences, and looking out for each other’s interests will be crucial.

And keeping our eyes open for opportunities is also essential. Recently, here in Canada, I rejoined the federal NDP in order to support Avi Lewis in his bid for leadership. I’ve followed his activism for decades, and trust his motives, abilities and integrity.

What the very wealthy pay attention to is money, and we have a certain amount that we can use as a tool: banking at a credit union, buying local, boycotting Israel and corporations that support it. All these things make an impact.

The pressure the rest of us have put on this class of people has had an impact, and we need to amp it up, and find new ways of asserting our power. The future of our kids and grandkids is worth fighting for.

We can’t fall for the hegemonic logic that’s being pushed on us. We need to look out for our own interests, the well-being of our societies and our planet, and for people everywhere. This small, wealthy group can’t be allowed to continue the horror of war, austerity and destruction, and we have to stand up to them together.

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I love the BDS campaign and the effect it’s having on Israel’s economy.

Here’s an excellent list of products from Israel: https://boycott.thewitness.news/browse/1

Here’s a way to help others who are not in your bubble to boycott Israel: https://www.cjpme.org/stickies_2024_en

And here’s where you can support Palestine by buying a keffiyeh: https://www.hirbawi.ps/

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