Religion, Nationalism, Class Boundaries, Political Parties, Football Teams, Subcultures, Gangs. Everything and everything about modern society is structured to prevent the unification of the people of Earth.
The effect of these divisions, particularly the finer ones such as Football Teams is shown well in George Orwell's book 1984, which i talk a lot about on this site. Everyone has heard about this and with the help of the US government's propaganda machine thinks it to be a novel which shows the evil's of communism, and that what goes on inside it's covers can only exist in a communist state. But that's a lie, it's happening here and now.
What follows is a grouping of several extracts from the book, all based on how the only way to overthrow the Party would be if all of the proles (general public) would group together and fight.
"If there is hope, it lies in the proles.
If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there, in those swarming, disregarded masses, 85 per cent of the population of Oceania, could be found the force needed to destroy the Party ever be generated."
The Party here is the government of Oceania, which is a totalitarianistic (totally controlling) reigime which stole power under the guise of being a communist movement to free the working classes.
"They were born, they grew up in the gutters... heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighours, films, football, beer and, above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult. A few agents of the Thought Police moved always among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating individuals who were judged capable of becoming dangerous, but no attempt was made to indoctrinate them with the ideology of the party. It was not desired that the proles should have strong political feelings. All that was required of them was to have a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary to make them accept longer working-hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they somtimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because, being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice."
The description of the proles in 1984 is very much the same as the general public today, preoccupied with minor problems, force-fed banal opinions by the capitalist media, dragged to their heels by the pressures of the rat race, and being tricked into patriotism, loving the very system that pushes them into the gutter. They could end it all if they only saw th evil's around them. But...
"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they will never become conscious."
This is the problem, we aren't educated by the school-systems to think for ourselves, the people in charge aren't that stupid as to teach the next generation how to destroy them. we're educated simply to pass exams, get jobs and slot into the appropriate place in the system. a nice comfortable office job. or maybe a doctor healing the body while the minds in society rot. We aren't supposed to be aware of the problems with the world, and the general public never will be until they're educated about them. But that's not going to happen until they've been at least partially liberated from capitalism.
"But if there was hope, it lied in the proles. You had to cling to that. When you put it in words it sounded reasonable: it was when you looked at the human beings passing you on the pavement that it became an act of faith."
This is where it becomes depressing. When i walk down the street I see yobs everywhere, drunken louts who want nothing more than to have some alcohol, an easy life and some mindless, souless sex.
They have no political identity because they're too apathetic to vote. There used to be a strong socialit movement amongst the working classes, now there is hardly any because the fight's been sucked out of them by conservative governments and right wing movements lying to them, telling them the reason they're poor is immigrants and not the capitalist environment. So now we actually have a right-wing, nationalistic working class.
I'm sorry, but how fucked up is that?
I know the image I paint shows them lacking any emotion, intelligence and compassion. But that's my experience with these people. Maybe some of them want a family too. But they still care about nothing more than themselves and their own little bubble. Selfish and ignorant. It's not their fault, they're a product of the system.
But this isn't the way it has to be. I believe people can change, people can be taught right from wrong; love from ignorance and hate.
And that's where you've just got to have faith and accept that nothing is impossible, and keep trying to make the world better.
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