Howzit y’all? After my last two recent blog posts I decided to put up a short video on my social media platforms today informing anyone who’s following me or a friend that as of tomorrow I’ll be protesting in support of Palestine tomorrow during the global strike I mentioned. I knew that with extended family beliefs being what they are and with where I live the people believing the way they do that odds were it was only a matter of time until someone had something to say about what I had to say.
Now, the person who messaged me is a very old family friend and she’s an incredible person and artist. That being said, she also comes from a different time when the people believed that Reagan was the the way of the future. Look where that got us…the trickle-down economic strategy never trickled down and policies against drugs ended up with the result being overcrowded prisons where the prisoners are used as slave labor.
So clearly that didn’t work. It’s funny because as I’m writing this I’ve gotten at least one more notification of a message from her. Now the reason I posted the video and my recent blog posts concerning the issues going on over in Palestine is becuase I feel like I owe it to the people of Palestine to bear witness to what’s being done to them. At literally any given time I can just put my phone away, turn off TikTok and tune out. The Palestinian people don’t have that luxury.
I think it’s kind of funny how from my experience, the disconnect seems to be between the boomer generation and the younger generation. There’s one group that isn’t going to have to deal with literally any of the consequences of what they’ve been responsible for because they’ll either die in office or knock off before having to deal with any of the consequences of the decisions they’ve made. Based off my own experiences, this generation seems to have this idea that TikTok, or for that matter any video on any social media platform is fake news. Just gotta watch, read or consume media from “real credible news sources” like Fox, CNN, BBC, MSNBC etc.
Meanwhile all the major news networks have their own TikTok pages… It’s just funny to me, the older generation is like where are your sources? Anybody that’s ever written any kind of research paper, college essay etc. knows you HAVE to cite your sources. Then, when you do show that generation multiple different sources all corroborating your original point they’ll be like “Well those sources all come from ______, so obviously all your sources are biased propaganda.
Like come on y’all… Pick a freaking lane.
Then the people that will have to deal with the consequences are everyone from high-school students to people under the age of forty. We’ve still got lots of time left and unfortunately the older generation seems intent on a policy of hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. La la la, I’m not listening; so it must not exist type mentality.
Unfortunately, pretending there’s no problem doesn’t stop the world from actually having one. That family friend I spoke about seems to think that all the students at all the college campuses worldwide are just all being mass manipulated on some fools’ crusade. Look, I’ve said it before to people who’ll listen and I’ll say it again. If thousands, let alone millions of people are all saying the same thing. It cannot, I repeat, cannot all be just happenstance. Let alone mass hallucinations on a global scale.
There simply MUST be truth to what’s being said. As I’ve covered in previous blog posts the major reason why US Senators and Congresspeople want TikTok gone is that it’s become kind of like the international community gathering place. Where different ideas, information and recipes are shared. Different religious and political views are picked apart and analyzed. When there’s that much intergenerational knowledge and information being shared?
It’s bound to make the people gatekeeping information nervously nibble their nails; or at the very least sweat a little bit. I mean after all…we’ve got information and algorithms that track US senators, congresspeople and celebrities’ stock portfolios so that we all can see how they invest their money. What does that kind of information do? Well, I sure as hell don’t have the stupid amounts of money they all do to invest. However it lets basically anyone see the trends.
Something a friend of mine from college who went on to have a tax business said that I’ve always remembered is that “math doesn’t lie, it’s numbers plain and simple. If you pair the numbers with the statistics and trends you could make stupid money.” Something Chancellor Palpatine said in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith was “Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it; even the Jedi.”
I really do feel that’s the reason why there’s this huge push to ban TikTok. It challenges the balance of power. Information is power and if you can’t control the narrative it shifts everything. I recommend everyone read both How to Win an Election by Quintus Tullius Cicero and the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. My dad gifted me a copy of How to Win an Election several years ago and told me to read it and something to the effect of after I did, every time a politician spoke, it’d change how I view what was actually being said.
I became aware of The 48 Laws of power probably about a decade ago and it’s been roughly about that long since I’ve read a copy. However, at the time I first became aware of this book I’d been dating this girl with a series of very complicated issues. Several of which included being super paranoid of any of my really close friends. The only dynamic I can really liken it to would be like a dog, that had major separation anxiety issues and would destroy your apartment while you were taking the garbage out to the dumpster less than 400 feet from your apartment being gone less than ten minutes.
At the time a then very good friend of mine, who himself was going through some complicated issues with his own parents and coming to terms with his own sexuality told me “Bro, you just GOTTA read The 48 Laws of Power. you got access to the college library right? If so check that book out and read it ASAP.” I remember being like ok homie, why do I have to read this particular book? his response was basically “Y’know how your GF is like kinda toxic clingy and how she uses word games to try guilting you and making you feel like an abusive asshole even though you’ve literally done nothing wrong?”
I was like ummmm……way to call a brother out but yeah , sure, I’m with you so far. He was basically like this book can either be used to manipulate the absolute shit out of people depending on what principles are used OR conversely it’ll make you aware of when people are trying to manipulate you or a situation to use you. He warned me that after reading the book it’d change how I looked at the world and admittedly now I have a little bit more pessimistic/realistic view of the world than perhaps I would’ve otherwise.
Read these books and I mean hell, with the day and age we’re living in you can probably find the book for free somewhere if you look for it. Just remember, no purchases today as today is the global strike day in support of Palestine. Anyways coming back to my original point of the family friend and people having something to say about what you might have to say. I feel like I’ve said this a million times by now but I’m going to say it again. In art (Poetry, photography, acting etc.) the point is to provoke a response; to get the audience to take a second and say damn! Hold up a second here and do a double take.
Also happens to be the point of all these protests, boycotts and strikes occurring nationwide and internationally. To get those with the power to do something to actually do something. With the sheer numbers of this movement it’s inevitable that with those in power? Something’s going to have to give. As it is, the likelihood of anyone my age or younger voting for either current President Biden or Former President Trump isn’t terribly high. I mean…come on people; we’ve got literal video evidence of the real way these people believe and what they stand for.
For my part, I’m planning on keeping on supporting the campus protestors here in the US and internationally in support of Palestine. Thing about America? Is we still have freedom of speech and freedom to peacefully assemble. Even if those freedoms are under fire by those who are supposed to serve the people? Those things are still worth fighting for, and in my mind? They always will be.
Holy Water, Burning Man 