Jobs With Justice的动态

George Monbiot Comes Face-to-Face with His Local Conspiracy Theorist (The Guardian - Excerpts Below) ”… there’s so little overlap between conspiracy fantasists and conspiracy theorists. Those who believe unevidenced stories about hidden cabals and secret machinations tend to display no interest in well-documented stories about hidden cabals and secret machinations. Why might this be? Why, when there are so many real conspiracies to worry about, do people feel the need to invent and believe fake ones? These questions become especially pressing in our age of extreme political dysfunction. This dysfunction results, I believe, in large part from a kind of meta-deception, called neoliberalism. The spread and development of this ideology was quietly funded by some of the richest people on Earth. Their campaign of persuasion was so successful that this ideology now dominates political life. It has delivered the privatisation of public services; the degradation of public health and education; rising inequality; rampant child poverty; offshoring and the erosion of the tax base; the 2008 financial crash; the rise of modern-day demagogues; our ecological and environmental emergencies. But every time we start to grasp what is happening and why, somehow this understanding is derailed. One of the causes of the derailment is the diversion of public concern and anger towards groundless conspiracy fictions, distracting us and confusing us about the reasons for our dysfunctions. It’s intensely frustrating. Jason Liosatos and I have the same desire for a better world, the same anger towards those who thwart it. What differentiates us, I think, is rigour. I think he is insufficiently rigorous in choosing what to believe. As a result of this lack of rigour, his instinct for justice and his potent sense of his own persecution have taken him to a very dark place. This has led someone trying to be good to spread great harms. It’s a warning to us all.”

"... At first the time-honoured principles of Liberalism and Democracy are invoked to shelter the infant organism. Free speech, the right of public meeting, every form of lawful political agitation and constitutional right are paraded and asserted. Alliance is sought with every popular movement towards the left. The creation of a mild Liberal ... regime in some period of convulsion is the first milestone. But no sooner has this been created than it is to be overthrown. Woes and scarcity resulting from confusion must be exploited. Collisions, if possible attended with bloodshed, are to be arranged between the agents of the New Government and the working people. Martyrs are to be manufactured. An apologetic attitude in the rulers should be turned to profit. Pacific propaganda may be made the mask of hatreds never before manifested among men. No faith need be, indeed may be, kept with non-communists. Every act of goodwill, of tolerance, of conciliation, of mercy, of magnanimity on the part of Governments or Statesmen is to be utilized for their ruin. Then when the time is ripe and the moment opportune, every form of lethal violence from mob revolt to private assassination must be used without stint or compunction. The citadel will be stormed under the banners of Liberty and Democracy; and once the apparatus of power is in the hands of the Brotherhood, all opposition, all contrary opinions must be extinguished by death. Democracy is but a tool to be used and afterwards broken; Liberty but a sentimental folly unworthy of the logician. The absolute rule of a self-chosen priesthood according to the dogmas it has learned by rote is to be imposed upon mankind without mitigation progressively for ever." Is this an analyses of the goings-on in the world over the last few years? Is this describing current political events in the UK, the United States, and the world over? Sounds uncannily apropos but this is Winston Churchill writing on Trotsky and Communism in 1938 (Great Contemporaries). The concluding sentence to the paragraph carries a timeless warning: "All this, set out in prosy text-books, written also in blood in the history of several powerful nations, is the Communist’s faith and purpose. To be forewarned should be to be forearmed!"

"...but you'd rather make it hard." -X-Factor, From: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse Records, 1998) We are caught in the web of interloping and symbiotically traumatizing systems. These systems capitalize on the symptoms of our trauma. Reproduced epigenetically and gepolitically reconstructed over generations Past the hyerimpunity offered through legalized bribery - also known as lobbying - these systems insulate themselves by peddling an ideology which worships and rewards (the lie of) rugged individualism and villainizes intercommunal collectivism (the one thing that will ever free us from our current systemic exploitation, decolonize, and unite us). The beneficiaries of enslavement, native extermination and displacement campaigns, stolen land and white supremacy are now the machinists overseeing the engine of global conquest - capitalism. Ultimately, through destabilizing interventions of communal, subaltern cultures across the globe in mineral-rich regions, in effort to breakup any mass mobilizing against imperialism, can capitalism sustain itself longterm. That is why so many NATO states came to the Defense of the US despite multiple extermination campaigns and modern day Trail Of Tears incarnations happening with their shared coffers funded by respective tax payers without consent but subsidized by wealthy campign donors through political loopholes designed to sustain the engine. As long as weapons manufacturers and energy companies are financially fed - campaigns are financially fed, a marriage of sustainability through price-gouging work class undercastes. The cumulative result? You can count on the inhmane conquest campaigns to continue across the globe. Meanwhile glorifying celebrity culture will be propagated to placate and distract the masses as they lull back into the spell of collective amnesia surrounding colonialism and plutocracy. Lauryn Hill sang the lyrics "everything is everything". Patricia Hill Collins called it the Matrix of Domination. Antonio Gramsci coined it as hegemony. Karen and Barbara Fields called it Racecraft. We are hard wired (culturally and neurodevelopmentally) for connection and socially exploited towards disconnection. As the incomparable Ms. Lauryn Hill also once sang: "It could all be so simple, but ..."

This is a fascinating objective, I guess you could say, "exoteric historical view" of cyclical systemic changes in nations throughout time. It seems much aligned with what many esotericists perceive as "the plan" for world goodwill and the cyclical preponderance?of various cosmic rays (now outgoing 6th and incoming 7th) which usher in great change: "...While civil wars and revolutions are typically extremely painful, they often lead to restructurings that, if done well, can establish the foundation for improved future results. What the future after the civil war/revolution looks like depends on how the next steps are handled. Conclusion My study of history has taught me that nothing is forever other than evolution, and within evolution there are cycles that are like tides that come in and go out and that are hard to change or fight against. To handle these changes well it is essential to know which stage of the cycle one is in and to know timeless and universal principles for dealing with it. As conditions change the best approaches change—i.e., what is best depends on the circumstances and the circumstances are always changing in the ways we just looked at. For that reason, it is a mistake to rigidly believe that any economic or political system is always best because there will certainly be times when that system is not best for the circumstances at hand, and if a society doesn’t adapt it will die. That is why constantly reforming systems to adapt well is best. The test of any system is simply how well it works in delivering what most of the people want, and this can be objectively measured, which we can do and will continue to do. -->Having said that, the lesson from history that comes through most loudly and most clearly is that skilled collaborations to produce productive win-win relationships to both grow and divide the pie well, so that most people are happy, are much more rewarding and much less painful than fighting civil wars over wealth and power that lead to one side subjugating the other side." Read entire article (which is a book excerpt) here --> https://lnkd.in/gFdQAKYC #politicsandlaw #revolution #civilwar #collaboration #middleway #WINWIN #wealth #power #commongood #goodwill #humanrights #equalrights

Next in a series of posts for #blackhistorymonth. The "Lost Cause" myth still permeates today. The Lost Cause myth emerged in the aftermath of the American Civil War, primarily in the Southern states, as a narrative seeking to reinterpret the conflict and its outcomes. Central to this myth was the portrayal of the Confederacy as a noble and just cause, emphasizing states’ rights and downplaying the role of slavery as the primary catalyst for secession and war. The proponents of the Lost Cause myth sought to romanticize the antebellum South and its social order, depicting it as a virtuous society defending its way of life against Northern aggression. One key element of the Lost Cause narrative was the portrayal of Confederate leaders, such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, as noble and honorable figures fighting against overwhelming odds. Their military prowess and supposed commitment to states’ rights were celebrated, often overshadowing the moral complexities of their cause. Additionally, the Lost Cause myth aimed to diminish the significance of slavery in the Southern economy and society, portraying it as a benign institution and suggesting that the war was fought over abstract principles of sovereignty rather than the preservation of human bondage. The Lost Cause myth exerted a profound influence on Southern culture and memory, shaping public discourse, historical interpretations, and even monument-building efforts well into the 20th century. Its enduring legacy perpetuated a distorted understanding of the Civil War, impeding reconciliation and obscuring the systemic injustices that underpinned the Southern way of life. While modern historians have thoroughly debunked many aspects of the Lost Cause narrative, its echoes persist in certain circles, highlighting the enduring power of myth and memory in shaping collective identities and historical narratives.

Who do you think said these things and how did it impact humanity and the world? “By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.” “How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.” “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” Yep! Adolph Hitler History reveals his murderous manipulation and fear-driven dictatorship. He was an example of evil, injustice, and the one who started World War II. He controlled what books could be read, the news media of the day, the devaluation and dehumanizing of people groups, and the destruction of anyone who dissented. Download your free eBook: Behind the Mask: Manipulating Culture through Hidden Devaluation https://lnkd.in/dBnZvEj? This book is for the courageous! In “Behind the Mask,” go behind the curtain of propaganda and manipulation and learn to discern the messages that are true and just from those that are a fa?ade to cover up a harmful agenda. Advocacy for true social justice and equality requires individual freedoms to be protected. As human beings and as citizens, learn how to stand on the side of justice to empower every fellow person’s value, ability, and right to think, speak, act, and choose for themselves.

So for those of you who aren’t familiar with how these things go or what the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill encampment looks like, there are (at least) two things in this notice that are deliberately misleading. 1) The “trespassing” referenced was students going into buildings to use the restroom. 2) The “outside activists” are people like me - NC taxpayers, local organizers, local elected officials, professors, and other folks who want to protect and support these students. This morning, students of the inner encampment were arrested. So far we’ve heard reports of someone’s shoulder being dislocated by police (and more reports may come in as students are able to speak). Police are not wearing their body cams. Please know that when you see these printed notices and media releases, you are intentionally being manipulated into assuming things that aren’t true. What is happening in Gaza is a genocide. I don’t support the Hamas attacks, and I also don’t support the ongoing years of Israeli occupation of (and continued expansion into) Palestinian land. I don’t support the October 7 attacks, and also GENOCIDE is not an appropriate response. Antisemitism is never acceptable, and also you’d have to be intentionally obtuse to ignore the NUMEROUS Jewish voices speaking out against the Israeli state’s actions and reminding us that a huge proportion of American Zionists are evangelical Christians, not Jewish. When these students come back, I’ll be there (again) to support them however I can. Youth activism has ALWAYS been essential to peace movements — they are peacekeepers — and it’s on us to protect them the best we can.

In our latest Gale Review blog, Isabelle Partridge from the University of Exeter examines how primary sources shed light on how #Romanticism not only responded to the #Enlightenment but also the many political and social developments across the 19th century. Read more >> https://lnkd.in/eiBvmfa2

Last October 9th (Indigenous Peoples' Day in the US), I made a promise to learn more about the history of and government policies for Indigenous people of the US. My daughter is also learning about California tribes in her social studies class, so it is an opportunity for us to learn together. I bought "An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. It took me a while to start reading it as I was worried it would upset me remembering the little I knew from my high school US History class. I just finished it. I found it powerful and eye-opening. To understand the history, the author provides the basis for US government policy, "According to the centuries-old Doctrine of Discovery, European nations acquired title to the lands they 'discovered,' and Indigenous inhabitants lost their natural right to that land after Europeans had arrived and claimed it. Under this legal cover for theft, Euro-American wars of conquest and settler colonialism devastated Indigenous nations and communities, ripping their terriories away from them and transforming the land into private property, real estate. Most of that land ended up in the hands of land speculators and agribusiness operators, many of which, up to the mid-nineteenth century, were plantations worked by another form of private property, enslaved Africans. Arcane as it may seem, the doctrine remains the basis for federals laws still in effect that control Indigenous peoples' lives and destinies, even their histories by distorting them." She offers an unfolding geographical and temporal description of how this policy was applied to the various Indigenous Peoples, illustrating the terror and brutality perpetuated by settlers and the US military and the series of broken treaties driven by both the belief in manifest destiny and greed. I recommend this book to understand US history from more than one perspective.