I need some help in two areas. Once again, now that I've paid the March rent and a couple of other first of the month bills, I'm almost flat broke. And this time, I mean flat broke. In a little while, I'll go to the corner convenience store, to pick up a few staples (milk, eggs, bread, etc.). I'm posting this now because that errand will exhaust me for most of the rest of the day. Over the last several years, even that brief trip has become harder and harder for me to make. I have to rest two or three times in the course of walking a single block. That's what a worsening heart condition will do to you -- a rotten heart which steadily worsens in the complete absence of medical care, when I can't even afford basic heart medication (as I haven't been able to afford it for the last nine months, after the prescription from my last emergency hospital stay ran out). I remarked to a couple of friends earlier today that I have a particular reason for hating Andrew Breitbart: that bastard stole my heart attack. I sometimes fall into very black moods -- gee whiz, I simply can't imagine why, what with my superlative health and tens of thousands of readers eager for my every stray thought (hahaha) -- and a quick end to this extended misery seems enormously attractive. But I'm assured by mysterious powers that there is an unlimited supply of fatal heart attacks. Hope springs eternal, even for bloggers whose "significance" shades into invisibility.
After I buy those staples, I'll have about 50 bucks left. That's it. Since I'll need that 50 bucks to avoid starvation week after next, I won't be able to pay the internet bill that's due in nine days. Then, this exhilarating experience will be over. And to think I've been working on some complicated articles dealing with resistance movements, the particular factors that motivate the resister, the loss of perceived legitimacy in our government and the effects of that loss, and many related issues. I've been thinking about some of these articles for the last several years, and I briefly had been looking forward to publishing them at long last. Oh, well; sorry to disappoint the 30 of you who give half a crap. In any event, if a few of you care to make a donation, however small, perhaps my wondrous existence can be extended a bit longer. And I do offer my sincere thanks for your kindness, despite my current bleak mood. I suppose it will lift somewhat, as it has before. Or perhaps I'll be dead. Choices, choices.
But here's something that might cheer me up a bit, or at least give me an interesting project to think about (besides all those great essays that tens of thousands of people just can't wait to read). I've concluded that no one with a platform much larger than mine is interested in even
discussing the suggestions
I put forward here. I've also concluded that it was remarkably stupid of me to think that anyone who enjoys such a larger platform would do so. All of the "dissenting" writers who might have done so (all of whom belong to the type I call "
The Obedient Dissenter") are very successful in the system
as it currently exists. They enjoy lives of privilege and affluence (certainly in comparative terms, and often in absolute terms as well). Why on earth would they do anything to imperil the advantages they currently enjoy? It's extraordinarily rare for people to act in major ways against their own self-interest. And these "dissenters" are
part of the Establishment. Yes, they push at the edges, but they do so within the limits of what the Establishment itself permits.
But that's not at all the idea behind my ad suggestion. My suggestion was conceived as a direct challenge to and
attack on the Establishment, and particularly on the Establishment conception of the United States itself. We can't expect those who are part of the Establishment, even a "dissenting" part of it, to help us in this effort. Here, I use "we" to refer to those of you in my small audience who might want to advance my suggestions. And as I've often said in this connection, if you have different and/or better ideas, tell us about them! But with regard to the ad idea I came up with: is there anyone out there who's skilled in assembling videos and who would be interested in putting together a video along the lines I outlined? If there is, we can make the ad ourselves. I'll help to whatever extent I can. I've already written part of the script; I'll write the rest if a few other people with the needed skills come on board.
And when we have it made, we'll put it on Youtube. Then we'll drop links to it everywhere we can. And we'll see what happens. Could be interesting!
The vast majority of people in any time are simply dead weight, in the sense that they passively absorb ideas and attitudes from the culture in which they live. They sometimes will challenge one or two prevailing ideas; they almost never will systematically challenge -- and reject -- the prevailing ideas of their time in their totality. As part of this largely unquestioning acquiescence, most people wait for
other people to do something. Even if they hope for significant change, they still wait for
other people to bring it about.
To hell with all that. Let's try to do it ourselves, or at least start the process. If this particular project fails, so what? It's not as if we're headed toward Paradise in the absence of even trying to effect desperately needed change, on however small a scale. If we do nothing, it's more than likely that events will continue to get worse, possibly much, much worse. Trying to alter that course is not a cause for condemnation or ridicule (although critics will assuredly offer both reactions). Besides, I thought that trying to change events in this way was what some of you wanted to do. Maybe I was wrong about that, too.
Okay. There are two main ways in which I need some help. Over to you. Thanks for your time.
