I grew up believing in American Heroes. The kind that would pull kids like me from burning buildings if I were trapped. My American Heroes in my favorite cartoon shows and wrestling would save me and any other innocent person from the disasters of nature or the evils of men, that's what made them heroes.
They weren't just heroes to us kids just for that either, they (because their creators had to fill in some dialogue to explain things and sometimes for character development) were often given an ideology, one that could explain why their actions made them good guys and others bad. In my era, after the Vietnam war had its scars visible and frightening, after years of economic downturn, the propaganda I was receiving was directed towards American competition in the new global economy. I was being given my instruction on how to serve a goal that wasn't my own, but of the men of the Tri-Lateral Commission and the Military Industrial Complex.
I was constantly told growing up that America is the best country in the world. I was placed on sides cheering against the foreign menaces from Aliens to Iran. From G.I. Joe to WWF and eventually the mix of the two thanks to Sgt. Slaughter, I watched some heroes change (and not into flies but) into bad guys and that's when something really started to click with me.
In some cases I watched heroes break the rules to win. I was told it was better to accept the win, despite the cheating, because it was better than losing to evil. After awhile, good and evil didn't matter as much after watching this happen over and over. When the rules of a particular canon are thrown out in a story it takes the impact away from what just happened. It confuses and frustrates people. Imagine a Seinfeld episode where the whole premise is them collecting people's bodies to make suits of flesh for Jerry's new stand-up routine. Some folks not prepared for that may find another show to watch.
The America that I knew, no longer existed as I got older. The image of it reflected in media was something of a remorse or admission at times. This, at one time I thought, would lead to more people understanding where America went wrong and that my generation could fix it. Then the identities of the people that were addressed in that work, that united people in a reality and objectivity artistically, were rapidly weaponized against the mainstream culture and today even against one another. All driven by the new trends in media and influence. Just like Rock n' Roll but maybe we still got something of value out of that manipulation?
This weaponization of identity created a time for me where there was no one to cheer for because they all looked the same to me. No one had anything to say, because the American Values had been exposed as fraudulent in these tales, so that the good guys could make it right this time and include everybody. They managed to include everybody in supporting evil.
The idea of unity under the principles that were fed to us since 9/11 and throughout Covid still to this day, show that the American people still want heroes. We still want to believe in this abstract, but when you introduce the offer to every little group or demographic by pointing out that THEY are what the American ideals are supposed to be about. Based on simple things like race, skin color, and some genitalia.
I think this type of media had let a lot of different folks see the move that was being done to everyone and now its starting to get played out. People are falling back into the Pro and Anti-America camps. Some so-called Anti-Americans in America are cheering our war in Ukraine. Things have indeed gotten weird. It's almost like the A.I. took over and I'm watching things that don't go together. Things look that crazy to me sometimes but you all keep me grounded.
The rest of the media, and even most alternative media can go to shit, but I am thankful for all of you and TNP is looking to help create stories that make sense in reality and fiction. So stay tuned.
It is excellent, these observations you have penned. I gather so many thoughts around your position as a spectator that it is difficult to put it all into a sentence or two as a comment. You described what it is to see the storm of Sociology at work. The view of watching the ideology and practice of cutting off generational transmission of information of the old world so it can be replaced with the brainwashing lies of a new and sterile one.
There is you noticing of the psychological flip flopping of the former hippie peace nicks of the 60s and 70's turning into New-Cons (the whole time whistling their Pete Seeger and Peter Paul and Mary tunes to make the feel better) At the top, it is all puppeteered by Congressional connections to the money.
Somehow, you will find this predates even Karl Marx if you read Thomas Paine's "Common Sense".
..."Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher."...
and
" Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance, and the world they act in differs so
materially from the world at large that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests,
and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any
throughout the dominions."
I think Thomas Paine's insight and suggestion that a new government be formed with a better design, should be taken doubly serious today. I look upon yet another example of our disgusting nation in the horrible acts of murder of the Maui fire. I am have always been a proponent of non-violent restarting of governments. It is our nature as Americans and violence only comes from the "ignorant and unfit" spoken of by Thomas Paine. For the life of me, I don't see why the people of Maui, don't hold town hall meetings across the island to propose becoming a new island nation, abandoning the old government and starting a new town hall, style to runt he island. They would then perhaps be able to perform proper investigations and if criminal activity can be proven of the old government, then justice should be sought and as soon as possible.
Maui can become it's own state and there is nothing the Hawaiian government can do to stop them and there is nothing the US government can do to stop them. I say yes, Maui! Vote for independence!
Very best regards,
Vince