Thank you for this post, Diana. I really appreciate the links to Naomi Klein’s writings. This includes a previous link that you shared to one of her articles that I might have otherwise missed. Take good care.
Love this Diana -- the analysis and anger are spot on, but also absolutely right that we need to be dreaming and resting (I'm a big fan of yoga nidrā) to have the clarity and resources to even know how the world needs to change. Otherwise our nervous systems are so overwound that we stay distracted and in panic mode where we can't think straight.
I absolutely concur mate - We live in an age where fact is mixed with fiction, with AI deep-fake on the horizon. The US is clearly 'asleep at the wheel' (or so nefarious in its actions that the majority of the world is in denial), & legacy Western media, in lock-step with the state, simply obfuscates the TRUTH & is intent on the total denial of Freedom of Speech. That's where Substack & our voices come in - We can change this, one post, one subscriber at a time, onwards & upwards 🙏
Thank you for keeping the attention on this travesty. Like so many issues of extreme importance, a relatively small percentage of people are more than slightly interested in what's going on. That would be the reason that at least here in the US, people just vote for the same party and positions that they always have, not seeming to care that the issues merit serious attention because people are dying en masse.
Thank you for the link to Naomi Klein's chapter addition to her book. She has always been a brilliant outspoken voice on truth and justice. I think that many silent voices in the community are starting to understand that silence is no longer an option.
Thanks for the great resources and robust demand for peace and justice. What a catastrophe our elections have become to elevate these old men reaching for their bombs, phosphorous, and nuclear weapons. And more gerontocrats stand poised to take the reins.
From a political perspective, it is time to acknowledge and face up to the fact that the United States is lost and evil. Everything is commodified; a price on every head with everything and every supposed value up for sale to the highest bidder. The US/Israeli genocide and the depth and depravity of Zionist lobbying and ideology is deeper than even deeply political people like me realized. Politics as usual -- the pointless Democrat/GOP paddleball back-and-forth -- is so obviously irrelevant, vacuous and evil.
The only hope I see is a revival of the kind of radical politics, labor and social organizing and mutual aid that took hold in the midst of the Great Depression. It was a time of organizing fascists and socialist, communists and Wobblies. Unions took on Wall Street and the arts scene explored the suffering and discontent wracking the crippled nation. While the radical right is organizing now, the left is muddled in squabbling identity politics and has abandoned the working class. Things are moving fast and about to go off the ramp. This next year will, I fear, be the most consequential since the Civil War.
And then there is the unaddressed and accelerating climate crisis...
I read Doppelganger. Although it was written before October 7th, the parts where she writes about Israel/Palestine fit right in with what is happening now, although I doubt she thought the atrocities happening in Gaza now would be happening. I went to a demo here in Montreal yesterday and there were a lot of people not usually at the demos (due to Ramadan). It was good to see so many different faces in this demo organized by Quebec Unions. It would be even better to see them at the ongoing demos after Ramadan. I was also a big fan of Pied Pumkin and went to see them whenever I could when they were together. I am listening to Fear of Flying right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkWCXsFP9OM.
If the average frustrated American were to admit the obvious with regard to the genocide in Gaza, this would logically lead to all sorts of other unpleasant conclusions about Israel and our own government, and our role in supporting hose states and their actions.
Since the average frustrated American has no real say in government policies, even if he wanted to have one, that would require rather jarring cognitive dissonances to avoid unpleasant (and potentially harmful) conclusions.
By contrast, if you play stupid, you can avoid all those unpleasant consequences, at least for the time being.
Thank you for this post, Diana. I really appreciate the links to Naomi Klein’s writings. This includes a previous link that you shared to one of her articles that I might have otherwise missed. Take good care.
Love this Diana -- the analysis and anger are spot on, but also absolutely right that we need to be dreaming and resting (I'm a big fan of yoga nidrā) to have the clarity and resources to even know how the world needs to change. Otherwise our nervous systems are so overwound that we stay distracted and in panic mode where we can't think straight.
I absolutely concur mate - We live in an age where fact is mixed with fiction, with AI deep-fake on the horizon. The US is clearly 'asleep at the wheel' (or so nefarious in its actions that the majority of the world is in denial), & legacy Western media, in lock-step with the state, simply obfuscates the TRUTH & is intent on the total denial of Freedom of Speech. That's where Substack & our voices come in - We can change this, one post, one subscriber at a time, onwards & upwards 🙏
Thank you for keeping the attention on this travesty. Like so many issues of extreme importance, a relatively small percentage of people are more than slightly interested in what's going on. That would be the reason that at least here in the US, people just vote for the same party and positions that they always have, not seeming to care that the issues merit serious attention because people are dying en masse.
Thank you for the link to Naomi Klein's chapter addition to her book. She has always been a brilliant outspoken voice on truth and justice. I think that many silent voices in the community are starting to understand that silence is no longer an option.
Thanks for the great resources and robust demand for peace and justice. What a catastrophe our elections have become to elevate these old men reaching for their bombs, phosphorous, and nuclear weapons. And more gerontocrats stand poised to take the reins.
From a political perspective, it is time to acknowledge and face up to the fact that the United States is lost and evil. Everything is commodified; a price on every head with everything and every supposed value up for sale to the highest bidder. The US/Israeli genocide and the depth and depravity of Zionist lobbying and ideology is deeper than even deeply political people like me realized. Politics as usual -- the pointless Democrat/GOP paddleball back-and-forth -- is so obviously irrelevant, vacuous and evil.
The only hope I see is a revival of the kind of radical politics, labor and social organizing and mutual aid that took hold in the midst of the Great Depression. It was a time of organizing fascists and socialist, communists and Wobblies. Unions took on Wall Street and the arts scene explored the suffering and discontent wracking the crippled nation. While the radical right is organizing now, the left is muddled in squabbling identity politics and has abandoned the working class. Things are moving fast and about to go off the ramp. This next year will, I fear, be the most consequential since the Civil War.
And then there is the unaddressed and accelerating climate crisis...
I read Doppelganger. Although it was written before October 7th, the parts where she writes about Israel/Palestine fit right in with what is happening now, although I doubt she thought the atrocities happening in Gaza now would be happening. I went to a demo here in Montreal yesterday and there were a lot of people not usually at the demos (due to Ramadan). It was good to see so many different faces in this demo organized by Quebec Unions. It would be even better to see them at the ongoing demos after Ramadan. I was also a big fan of Pied Pumkin and went to see them whenever I could when they were together. I am listening to Fear of Flying right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkWCXsFP9OM.
God bless you 🇵🇸♥️🙏
Thank you. 🙏 ✊❤️🇵🇸
If the average frustrated American were to admit the obvious with regard to the genocide in Gaza, this would logically lead to all sorts of other unpleasant conclusions about Israel and our own government, and our role in supporting hose states and their actions.
Since the average frustrated American has no real say in government policies, even if he wanted to have one, that would require rather jarring cognitive dissonances to avoid unpleasant (and potentially harmful) conclusions.
By contrast, if you play stupid, you can avoid all those unpleasant consequences, at least for the time being.