A Mind of Our Own?

The more I learn the better I see how the collective American mind has been polluted beyond imagination.  I like to call it mind colonization.  Ever since we were young the ruling capitalist culture poured blind nationalism, consumerism, false idolatry, and addiction to endless entertainment into our open and eager brains.  Most of us don't have a mind of our own.  We like to think we do, but we actually don't.

It takes a life time of determined work to open the lid to our dusty brains and clean out the trash that has been put in there by others.  Most people don't bother with it. Folks get comfortable with what they know - even if it is wrong.

Our iconic Uncle Sam has two sides - one is authoritarian representing the ruling oligarchy as in the image above.  Then Sam also has the more sympathetic image that relates to the suffering American people long kept under the boots of our corporate masters as you see depicted below.

The American people are conflicted - they know things are a royal mess but they have been trained to stay loyal to the existing power structure.  People have been made to fear change ("The commies or the socialists will take things from you!").... so they become accustomed to going along to get along.

The ruling elite manipulate the social scales quite professionally as they inculcate the citizenry with the 'success' mythology, dreams of upward mobility ("You might win the lottery!") and quasi-religious notions like "Everyone has the responsibility to pull themselves up by the boot straps".  This stuff is hard for anyone to shake - especially people locked into a corporate job, a mortgage, and the fierce desire to be liked by everyone in town.  It's almost a death sentence.

These are the key obstacles to us making any real progress overturning the present hard rule of the corporate oligarchies across our nation.  It takes some courage, stubbornness, stick-to-it-ivness, and blind faith to keep pushing the rock up the hill.  Many give up along the way and many more never bother to try.

The story of real change is written by those few who jump in and give their life to the task.  They do it because they must - they can't stand the sight and sounds of oppression and destruction anywhere and find that great joy comes from being in active solidarity with our brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of the brutal US corporate empire.  Blessings to all those who do that difficult and important work.