When I first saw this I have to admit, I thought it was just an angsty liberal's bit of anti-conformist garbage. However, after I read it I noticed that a lot of the points this man makes are true. We are literally raised up from the time we are born to obey these commandments and I will show you how.
1. Learn to drive.
Most people don't know this, but in truth the Government is almost wholly responsible for much of the "White Flight" in the 50's and 60's to the suburbs.
"By the post–World War II baby and economic booms, their descendants were thriving and there was pent-up demand after the war for improved housing. The subsidized federal highway construction and real estate development of cheaper outlying lands led to suburban development and growth outside cities; commmuting by highways and parkways allowed the wealthier residents to bypass older areas filled with newer, poorer immigrants."
Basically, the Government spent a ton of money very carefully and called the result an "economic boom". They subsidized highways and other infrastructure development and showered returned troops with cash and school loans. What did this do for the economy? Well, it influenced market forces in an unnatural way to say the least. It's impossible to know if all those poor, scared white folks would have moved all the way out to the 'burbs without the State greasing the way for them, but it seems to be evident that the State had a strong desire for urban sprawl.
2. Get a job, go to work.
When I was a kid my friends would ask me "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I would tell them I wanted to be a scientist or astronaut, but now that I think about it those answers are totally invalid. When I grow up, I will be a human being... with feelings and thoughts and desires to boot. When I grow up, I want to be a good human. A happy human who has lived a full and rich life. This isn't really what we are taught in school, in fact it is the opposite.
It is sad, but since the 1850's when the Government began to take hold of schooling the youth, intelligence in this country has actually been on the decline.
"The educational institutions that prospered produced a generation of articulate Americans who could grapple with the complex problems of self-government. The Federalist Papers, which are seldom read or understood today, even in our universities, were written for and read by the common man. Literacy rates were as high or higher than they are today.[36] A study conducted in 1800 by DuPont de Nemours revealed that only four in a thousand Americans were unable to read and write legibly."
So before the Feds took over education with their Prussian model, America was actually a country full of close, self-responsible families. Education was understood to be somewhat of a lifelong pursuit, and just as most people could find themselves the knowledge they needed- they found the jobs that were needed too, and remained self-sustained men. On the other hand...
The schools imposed an official language, to the prejudice of ethnic groups living in Prussia. The purpose of the system was to instill loyalty to the Crown and to train young men for the military and the bureaucracy. As the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a key influence on the system, said, "If you want to influence [the student] at all, you must do more than merely talk to him; you must fashion him, and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will."
The military and bureaucracy you say? Is it ANY WONDER that we are living in the world's most bureaucratic, militaristic country and yet nobody notices a damned thing? Maybe it is because we are trained to love it in school. Maybe because after 12 years of it we "simply cannot will otherwise." It's sad but indeed this point in the picture was true. In America, you become a cog in the machine or perish.
3. Have a girlfriend, have children.
This is why I thought the picture was angsty to begin with. Having a partner in life and then having children with them is hardly a wrong thing. But I do see some point in putting it there, seeing as this message is drilled into most people socially and that might put some people off.
4. Follow fashion. Act "normal".
These desires, I do believe, come directly from the brainwashing facilities called schools. As Jonathon Taylor Gatto said in his The 7 Lesson School Teacher:
"The sixth lesson I teach is provisional self-esteem….The lesson of report cards, and tests is that children should not trust themselves or their parents but should instead rely on the evaluation of certified officials. People need to be told what they are worth."
When somebody stops putting trust in themselves to determine their worth it opens the door for anybody to exploit that. Children don't quite grasp this as it is happening, since they have biological hard wiring to blindly trust those they believe to be in authority. This overwhelms a child's nervous system, and depending on how they were raised, creates little bullies and little victims. Most "normal" people get caught in between and end up spending the rest of their lives trying to avoid dealing with bullies or becoming victims.
5. Walk on the pavement? Really?
6. Watch T.V.
See now, I think T.V. is great as long as you are watching with a keen mind and not just letting the low frequency hums lull you into hypnosis. But, if you're wondering "Why do so many people let themselves get lulled? Why is T.V. such an addicting escape for so many people?" Well, I would suggest looking above once more. If you were forced to fill your mind with monotony and conformity for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 12 years of your life, wouldn't it be natural to want an escape?
7. Obey the law, save for your old age.
Well of course! When you're a kid, "following the law" is the only way to keep yourself from getting abused even further, so it becomes a type of nervous tick for most people. Even when I point out the law is clearly wrong or arbitrary to somebody, "but it's the law!" seems to be the most popular retort I hear. Saving for your old age (Social Security) falls right into this. Most people have no idea it is a ponzi scheme and even rationalized giving more faith to the Government since this mass theft can be relabeled as "beneficial for society".
Now repeat after me, "I AM FREE"
Excellent post, look forward to reading you're next update!
ReplyDeleteI think that picture was made by a European. Americans don't call the sidewalk the pavement.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post though!
Really interesting, the picture itself for me when I saw it, made me want to break "free" and do something out of the norm.
ReplyDeleteYep, they say actually how you should live, and that's freak me out cus we can't get away from that.
ReplyDeletenice post, really interesting
ReplyDeleteIs it bad that I have that picture as my wallpaper on my computer in a higher resolution? I've been thinking for a while that the US needs to go through a change in system of government. We've had this same "democracy" since we gained independence, with a few tweaks here and there. Obviously its not working as it should be
ReplyDeletethat is exactly how i feel about western civilization lifestyle
ReplyDeleteThat picture makes me sad. And unfortunately its the damn truth
ReplyDeleteAwesome write up, unfortunately too many people are indeed set into rhythms, I myself am guilty sometimes of the same thing.
ReplyDeleteEh, watcha gonna do
ReplyDeleteGet a job, buy a car, buy a house,
ReplyDeleteA slave 'till death.
-Slave to convention-
goodthing Ive already broke the rules of these I'm really living a free life haha
ReplyDeleteJobles, Full of debts and not even paying for house and food.
Fantastic post. In addition, White Flight also led to the first time in American history where more citizens worked white-collar jobs than blue-collar jobs. And not-so-coincidentally, this is about the time the military-industrial complex arose. The government had a plan for its citizens. =/
ReplyDeleteAnd walking on the pavement is more along the lines of obeying the laws and societal norms. Conforming.
TV disgust me. Honestly. Especially reality TV. It's just a way of controlling the masses. It's absolute shit, too -- most of it.
Yes, we are free, but we all to often conform to others' standards and those imposed upon us. I suppose it's better than living in, say, North Korea, but life in the USA is what you make of it...
One of the very first blog posts I have ever physically applauded for after reading it...
ReplyDeleteI broke out of that cage you ar3e describing a few years ago. And with the exception of the occasional missing someone close to me still in Babylon, I haven't looked back.
Life was meant to be better than those dumb stories in the idiot box. So GO! Move to Thailand or Costa Rica, or Brazil or Jamaica, get the hell out of that cage before the owners lock it up completely and for good (most likely after the next terrorist attack).
Great post. Looking forward to the next one.
ReplyDeleteThat about sums it up. Hard not to just become a nihilist, really.
ReplyDeleteFreedome has always been an illusion. We are not "free" more than animals in a zoo. They get to do what they want as long as they're inside their bounds.
ReplyDeleteAnywho, good written post, +follow from me mate.
The idea of freedom gets distorted more and more, after every generation. It's kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeletei just posted this picture on my blog a few days ago! i love it
ReplyDeleteI am free
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to do all that stuff you know. They are just there to make everyone's life more organised and functional.
ReplyDeleteExcellent stuff here, really informative!
ReplyDeleteWhat is a "full and rich live"? You have to be part of the system to archive that you are not part of the system... fucked up
ReplyDelete+1
Not just america, I know that feel and Im over in the UK. You NEED to do this. and that and this.
ReplyDeleteWhy? =/
Yeah this picture always kind of troubled me for some reason. Conforming to social norms is seen as a kind of bondage which I can't really refute . . . +Followed
ReplyDeleteIt's just like that. I value the work, that you put in creating this post, but I think it's just empty words. Better to act and change things, than analyze them all day long and complain. Cheers!
ReplyDelete