…and is now eating it’s own tail.
By it’s very definition a revolution must come back around unto itself… so why has the social revolution not done this? Why has the social revolution become nothing more than a joke about ideals rather than actual ideals? The counter culture sold out and became the culture, that’s why. They joined the establishment they once fought against. Fighting for ideals became too difficult so they gave up. I see every ideal I continue to fight for tossed aside in favor of comfort and security. You might call them “radicals” but they once stood firm and stood for what they said they were going to. The dreams of social justice died the moment payoffs were taken. Deals were cut and the system was circumvented. You didn’t buy in, you sold out. The revolution was lost the moment you wavered, each and every one of you. You are to blame.
All of the true radicals I know from the “old days” are now working for the companies they once fought. Their homes are owned by the banks they once stood against. They beg the government they once wished to topple for scraps of aid. The system won and for that they just gave up. I say they because I have not given up and I have continued my fight but I feel I am fighting alone sometimes (most times). I am still out there fighting, fighting every day for every single inch of ground I can gain, while you are getting high, selling out and letting apathy beat you down. Drugs are an delusional escape. You escape into the fractured and yet relative safety of the minds eye so you don’t have to face an ever harsher reality. You pretend that social issues don’t exist with twittering and video games and movies. You can’t handle reality so you block it out with distractions, distractions which help give those dark things you are running from an even greater lead on you. Ignoring the ills of society will not make them better, it will only give them a greater and firmer grasp over you. This is something that far to many people fail to realize. They only think of themselves and if they can eek out enough of a life that they are happy… fucking everyone else in the process. I am not like that, I fight for you even if you refuse to. That leads me to ask though… why do I have to fight for your rights if you are unwilling to?
You can always play video games, watch movies or anything else to help you relax or to bring enjoyment to your microcosm of existence, but when those things become the only reason you have a life, then they have taken control of you. You no longer are in charge of your own life, someone else is. Everyone else is. You are just a pawn and what happens to pawns? They get sacrificed for the sake of the king. I host radio shows on movies and pop culture… but I also am a political activist. I don’t use my love of movies as a crutch to escape the world. I remain active in my quest to make this world a slightly better place, some of you may feel I failed at this, others may feel I succeed, either way I am active and all I see for my efforts is people telling me I “depress them” or that I “bring them down” when I show them the real face of a country they believe embodies perfection. I am sorry to be the one ray of reality which intrudes onto your fantasy world but the fact remains, ignoring the real world makes it no less real, it only makes you more of a dupe for letting it pass you by.
You can fight for the right and moral things in the world and not sell out, this is possible. You don’t have to be an activist like I am, you can fight back in your own personal way on your own personal level. When you see something wrong in your community, don’t sit back and let someone else deal with it, take a stand. Become the person you wish you were yet were never able to actually embody. Don’t fall into the trap that is easy money. Easy money will only cost you your core beliefs. Don’t let “security” turn you around on issues of real merit. Refuse to become that corporate drone you always hated just “because the money is good”. That is how they get you, they offer you something that makes you question what and who you are… all for short term gain. Trust in the ideals you hold dear and never stop fighting. The moment you stop fighting is the moment they win. The barbarians are at the gate and they are us. The corporations don’t own me. The corporations don’t own you… unless you let them. We must fight them in the streets… fight them in the voting booths… fight them in the press and most of all fight them in your day to day lives.
Tell me to shut the fuck up at 1201beyond@gmail.com and make sure to leave a comment even if it’s a nasty one (especially if it’s a nasty one).