"I'VE HAD ENOUGH! GET IT?"
While blog grazing this morning I came across an interesting story on Pissed Off Patricia's blog (see Morning Martini in Special Links). She had a problem with work carried out by City Hall, the equivalent of our Councils, and was so irate that she rang them and demanded it be fixed that day. I won't spoil her story but it does demonstrate that individual people, if they get fired up enough, can get things done, can affect normally slow-working bureaucracies, can bring about change.
So then why is George Bush enjoying a free ride as he takes America and perhaps the rest of the world to hell in a handbasket? Why aren't millions of people getting out and agitating, marching, demanding, pushing, uniting, until they pull their crazy President into line or put him in a padded cell? Why are they in the process of electing a person who is probably little better than a Bush clone?
Blogging might be one of the answers. Patricia didn't sit down and blog about what she saw as a problem. She moved into action mode and rang the City Hall, had strong words, demanded it be fixed. If all she'd done was to blog about it, nothing would've happened, not a single thing. She blogged afterwards, told about her success. There's a moral in this story I'm sure!
All over the world, serious bloggers are at their keyboards writing themselves silly. Billions of angry, frustated words are scattering right across cyberspace as I write this and you read this. And what is the outcome (other than people write comments of sympathy and understanding or of argument and insult, etc)? Nothing! Not a damn thing! Everyone has a whinge and moves to the next post!
I wonder whether those who rule us, the politicians, the Corporations, the Clerics, the MSM, etc, don't just love the internet and blogs. It keeps people who might otherwise DO something off the streets. It keeps angry people in voluntary home detention. It keeps frustrated people separate so they can't form groups, ones that might get funny ideas like building barricades or marching or, dare I say it, engaging in acts of non-violent civil disobedience.
Is blogging simply a diversion up a blind alley, one that ensures that we drift into WW3 and nuclear Armageddon? Should we burn our keyboards and join together in our hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, to dramatically change this world, our world, so that it suits everyone, not just the political manipulators, the religious fundamentalists and fanatics, and the infinitely greedy, wealthy elite?
Is it time to translate blogging into action? Real action! What do you think?
Photo Link.
13 comments:
Daniel I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not this is a constructive comment, but maybe you could explain what you hope to achieve by blogging?
I've followed you to your site from Larvatus Prodeo out of curiosity, and while I do like the straightforward way you write, I can't see much really going on here beyond polite chit chat and idealistic platitudes about evil and peace.
I think we can be multi-spatial in our politics. What I mean is that we can be active locally (like the Mud-cleaning incident), at a regional or state level, and even in cyberspace. Why not? Also, I don't think that writing (blogs, fiction, whatever) is impractical, or apolitical. Writing has material effects - it's a practice otherwise we wouldn't bother.
I'd be interested if you blogged about incidents closer to your own experiences, to your own location. Not quite blowing down the doors of the local Council, but still interesting, and meaningful!
Cheers,
Ag
Ag, your comment adds absolutely nothing to the topic I raised.
It does however demonstrate how successfully L.P. grooms commenters. Once groomed, mistakenly they think that the L.P. way is the only way!
This may come as a surprise to you but, to some people, those outside the L.P. loop, what I write is interesting and meaningful.
But to understand why you have to be capable of dealing with serious sociological issues, world issues, things that extend beyond important topics like whether or not women welcome anal sex or esoteric topics like whether cultural elites exist or profound subjects like whether Missy Higgins is a lesbian or even to the pinnacle of intellectual achievement: discussing poor photographs of a Brisbane wharf or a restaurant.
I'm sorry, Ag, you'd better stick with L.P. It's more your style! I'll just carry on without you doing the best I can.
Cheers.
"This may come as a surprise to you but, to some people, those outside the L.P. loop, what I write is interesting and meaningful."
Well Daniel you can add me to your list,I find your writing interesting.It is obvious (at the risk of pissing in your pocket) you are an educated man, and can communicate your thoughts,to the un learned, that's "me".
Anyway where was I ? Oh yea,you are correct, and in my opinion we do need to get off our bums and do a bit for the cause.Although blogging for me, is not so much putting my own boring thoughts into cyber space but about what other people are thinking.
More tangible actions are needed to really achieve something worth while,I give money to Sea Sheppard,I was arrested at the wharfs in Fremantle (not proud mind you) during the Reith nazification of the work force.I now shun friends I know supported John Howard,and yes you did read that right.
I joined the rally's against work choices,although I don't remember a lot from the two days I marched, me and No 1 son were well pissed.ha ha.
In the past I have done some volunteer work for disability services,taking bus loads of kids out with downs syndrome etc.Unfortunately some gentlemen thought he would flick ice cream on one of my kids at a Mc Donalds so I broke his nose.It was no doubt a learning curve for him,and it made me bubbly all over.
The problem was Daniel it was the old mortaboard brigade to the rescue,a shame I enjoyed it.Still breaking the thumb of a gentleman groping a downs syndrome kiddies tits was the last straw for me,and them. ha ha.
Cheers.
Hey, Phill, certainly the comments on this thread thus far are diverse (whereas the comments on the very incestuous L.P., too often, are gratuitously insulting and are based more upon point scoring than genuine discussion)!
Funny thing is, Phill, I don't judge people on their qualifications but on what they stand for. From your comment and previous ones you are obviously a carer and a doer.
In my book, that beats most pretentious intellectuals anytime!
Funny thing is, Phill, I don't judge people on their qualifications but on what they stand for. From your comment and previous ones you are obviously a carer and a doer.
Thanks for the comments Daniel I try to make what difference I can.
Unfortunately I believe the process may be getting a bit beyond us.I was ecstatic when Rudd got the job,and to some extent it restored my faith in the system, but I know the real challenges to mankind will not be fixed by the Rudds of the world. That process of renewal will need to come from the bottom up.
The biggest problem with the working class is,they can be very gullible.And it is sad, they, being the establishment, will never have any trouble finding half the working class to beat up on the other half.Take the union movement it has always been full of "Agent Provocateurs" pulling on a strike over the fact the ice cream was to cold.Or the other end of the spectrum it's "Business as usual" when a worker gets killed on the job.
But you really know the world is in doo doo when you go to a party,and the conversation is not about how we can save the planet for our kids future.No way it hovers around the price of the real estate in the area,or indeed the value of the house the two shmucks are working all the hours god sends to pay it off.
This fairy tale Camelot existence some people are living at the moment, is going to be over soon,and it's going to take more than a gaggle of academics with a PhD in Psychology to make it right.
Cheers
i saw that post as well, and thought your comment was great. and it's nice that she got fired up about a muddy garage door, but as you pointed out...it's too bad we can't get equally fired up about what's going on in our names every day. beyond blogging.in action and deed-like stop BUYING things. there is a total disconnect in much of the american population, when it comes to putting yourself out there, and risking the unknown. nobody wants to lose what they perceive as their security. ha!
i spent my youth marching in the streets against the vietnam war. where is the youth of today? distracted and silenced. it has gotten to the point where i would again march in the streets, and not in "peaceful protest". that has accomplished nothing. people need to wake up and fight for their beliefs, even if it requires stepping out of their (imagined) safety zone.like in venezuela, and indonesia. too many are afraid of the risk involved. that's why we are where we are today.
Phill, how come academics aren't more aware of the reality of the world they live in? Beats me.
Annie, thanks for calling by. If more people were astute enough to understand what the problems with our world are and that they have the power to change them then perhaps the world wouldn't have so many problems.
Cheers.
"Phill, how come academics aren't more aware of the reality of the world they live in? Beats me."
Daniel I think a lot of them are,I believe they don't like to rock the boat of the accepted thought patterns they all seem to share.I mean it sticks out like the proverbial dogs nurry's that they are all reading from the same script.The same names come up time and time again from the mists of time, in reference to making some point or other.
They study Plato,Socrates,etc, etc,then expect to change your view for stringing up some some scum bag for murder.I know it is so savage,so base, but if some bastard murdered one of my kids or family for that matter, they're gonna wish the state dispatched them.
They seem to extrapolate theory's over to facts,from events that happened if not a hundred years ago to thousands of years ago,and apply that to 2008 A.D.For mine you can learn all you need to know,(on the basis of what you need for a fulfilling life)on the vagaries and quirks of humanity from a shearing shed, you don't need to go to university.
Your point about some of the topics that come up on our pet site I agree with.In a light hearted way I explained the reality of most men in a given situation when it comes to pleasures of the flesh.And was told I had an alleged sense of humour,when in the same list, people were discussing anal sex as a norm, which I found disgusting, but there you are.
Academics can cover this subject I suppose in a more subtle, and nuanced way. Well that's how it would appear anyway.Ask them.
Lets face it Daniel who wants to do a real job,especially when only fools and horses enjoy work, when you can run aroud pontificating on how the world works, and get money for it. ha ha.
Cheers.
Yeah, a shearing shed is one of life's more down to earth universities, Phil.
Perhaps no one should be allowed to enter uni. until they've worked for a couple of years on a building site or road gang or cattle station, learned a bit about the reality of life and their insignificance in the scheme of things. It would certainly stop them getting up-themselves. Cheers.
I was very active in the protest movements for the last four years, providing pictures and YouTube video's of the various marches and protest's I attended. I considered most bloggers to be armchair activists and nothing more.
Lately, I have a hard time getting excited over the various protests because the MSM doesn't even report on them. They marginalize we protesters that way and they know it.
So, why do I continue to blog? Hell, I don't know..to silence the voices screaming in my head.
I understand your dilemma, Dusty. I feel the same way.
We can see what's wrong but not enough other folk seem to care enough to actually do something.
Perhaps things have to get really bad first!
Betmo says that all the time Daniel and sadly, I have to agree. People won't get off their arses until it personally affects them.
But by then..its almost too late.
Humans are a funny lot, Dusty, and so are bloggers.
Bloggers seem to divide into two unequal groups: those who are on an ego-trip (most of them) and those who are genuinely trying to make a difference.
Post a Comment