On this day in 1965 a young man immolated himself in front of UN headquarters. He said he was against wars, all wars, and took this despearate measure as a religious act. Nineteen years ago today, the Berlin Wall opened. This weekend there have been ceremonies marking 'the war to end all wars'. What do these events, as well as the recent selection of Obama, have in common? None of them have or will bring about real change, for which the capitalist class is very grateful.
Thank you, loyal subjects, for your show of support now
and all those years ago. Yes we are glad to learn
that the deal we struck when you were fresh out of
school still holds. As you know we give you enough
money to live on, raise a new generation of wage
slaves, as well as the opportunity to buy fantastic
consumer items such as the jerry built house, the car
which will poison and kill you, foreign holidays
(where you can flaunt your pride in our country) and
satellite tv to kiss that troublesome mind goodbye
(although if you are religious, this has probably
already been achieved). But, devoted supporters of
the status quo, perhaps you are concerned that not everyone shares your
cherished values. Well, if you feel this is so,
encourage them to emulate your good selves. Here are
some pointers. Do not let them remove their
blinkers. For example, in this way, they will
continue to see that stress & depression (second
biggest killers in the western world) have nothing to
do with the way we live. The depressed, homeless,
etc., are best treated on an individual basis.
Encourage them to accept their lot (be it part of
god's plan or through seeking solace in mind-numbing
satellite tv). Similarly, promote family first
values and leave politics to the politicians - phrases
such as 'that's life' and 'human nature' are adequate
explanations for war, starvation, global poverty,
pollution, etc. There are of course some people who
refuse to resign themselves to the way things are;
labels such as idealistic or utopian are appropriate
here. But should the worst happen and someone dear
to you becomes a leftie, do not worry - it is just so
much hot air. Oh, yes, whatever you
do, do not listen to dangerous fanatics who say that
instead of producing things for sale and profit, we
should produce things to satisfy our own needs. Do
not listen to the extremists who say we could and
should take control of our own lives and collectively
make our own decisions about work and play. Whatever
you do, do not think, do not debate, do not look at
the world around you, do not question, do not ask
'Why?' That definitely will not change things.
4 comments:
I remember reading good articles in Socialist Standard in the library many years ago, by Steve Colman. Does he still write for the Standard? What became of him?
Hello Jock,
he dropped out of the SPGB a few years back.
You're right. He wrote some excellent articles for the Socialist Standard, and he was also a very fine public speaker.
PS - You can access a few of his old articles here.
thank Darren, have looked at a couple of them already. I was always impressed with Steve's articles and style of writing
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