Dismantle Civilisation Rotating Header Image

Crash Into Me

May 31st, 2009
by feministwriter.
2 comments

One aspect of the destruction of civilization that is often overlooked is sexuality. We all know that society necessitates an ownership of our genitals. What we do, how we feel, and how express our desire is dictated by the culture that we live in. But is sexuality designed to be dictated by norms? More specifically, are we supposed to express our sexuality in the same way as our neighbors?

Dismantling civilzation means that we must find a way t0 exist in an equal and beautiful paradigm. We know that the way we live now lends itself to domination, patriarchy, and capitalism. We need to learn how to be explicitly free and unequivocally loving.  Everyone has a different method of loving, and the problem is that no one talks about it. The whole concept of a “norm” means that there is a right way, a wrong way, and everything in between.

What would happen if there was no norm? If we decided for ourselves how we would love each other and make love to each other? Of course we do what we want now, regardless of what others think, but it is very secretive and private. Perhaps there is a medium in which we could decide that no matter what someone chooses as sexuality, it is still wonderful and perfect. We are still very far away from that now. Those who support it are labeled “liberals” while those that oppose it are labeled “conservatives.” Why does there have to be a whole theology of thought behind these two views? And more importantly, why does there have to be only two views? Why can’t there be one thousand trickling into a digestible format known as a dichotomy?

Share

What is Revolution?

Apr 7th, 2009
by feministwriter.
2 comments

Obviously, to dismantle civilization we need to stage a revolution. Society cannot be replaced by an ‘un-society,’ that is, a state where humans digress to a lower stage of development and remain unaware of their environment. But what would revolution look like? And what would society be replaced by?

The biggest problem with revolution is that, in the mind of the public, it can often border on anarchy. Most imagine that the state is dismantled and then ruled by whoever has the brute strength and force to overtake the others. This is not the solution, as it is identical to our current state of affairs.

All of the problems with civilization seem to surround power. Someone has too much, someone has too little, and in the end no one is happy. Can we envision a culture constructed without power? How about something like a collective farm, where everyone has his or her own duty and plays an equal part in contributing to the product/society? In turn, they all receive equal shares of the profits/benefits. This type of arrangement is distinct from socialism or communism, as it does not hold one party in charge of harnessing the wealth and distributing it equally. It is simply a responsibility shared by everyone.

Even more productive than pushing the case to dismantle civilization may be brainstorming ways to replace it. What do you think? What would you like to see happen to civilization after it is dismantled?

Share

The Fallacy of Democracy

Oct 31st, 2008
by feministwriter.
No comments yet

In America, there’s a lot of hoopla going on right now about the upcoming election. American citizens are given several choices for a presidential leader, and must choose the one that they feel represents them the most. Then a new dude gets elected and we’re all happy and get on with the next four years of our lives.

election.jpg

Democracy is one of the biggest delusions we have been taught to believe. You want to know why? First of all, the elections are controlled by the people already in power. The people who have the most access to campaign resources (and the most money to buy them) will obviously have the most successful campaign.  Second, we are given two choices for a leader. Two. Yes, I know there are a whole list of independent candidates on each ballot, but election propaganda sets up political freedom as an either/or choice; You pick this guy because you hate that guy. And since the majority of Americans vote for one of the two main candidates, even if you do support a minority party, your vote pretty much doesn’t count and usually ends up working against you in the end.

And the more subtle fallacy at work? A president is not elected based on popular vote. It’s electoral votes that count. So it’s easy for the people in power to do their research and figure out how they can manipulate the votes in certain areas and get a chosen candidate elected. And if that doesn’t work, then they can just “lose” or “misplace” a few thousand votes and call it good.

Of course, there is still a bunch of red tape rigamaroll invented to trick people into thinking their votes are very important. Voters must be registered. All votes are anonymous. Voters must go to the proper precinct to vote. All of this crap, and the president isn’t even chosen by us! Not to mention that the current voting process makes it impossible for low-income individuals to vote. How do they know where to get their registration forms if they don’t have a phone or internet access? How do they pick one up if they don’t have a car? How do they vote if they have to work a 10-hour shift that day, and don’t have the postage to send in an absentee ballot?

But I digress. I’ll lay my cards on the table and admit that I’m planning on voting on November 4th, and I’m really excited about the idea of having Barack Obama as a leader. But on the other hand, I know that nothing I think or say or do matters when the same old boys club is going to be reigning in the White House until the end of time. And I wish everyone else could see that too. Some do, but they still allow elections to divide them and break them down. Can’t we start believing in something other than the republic? How about ourselves? Or our communities? Or anything else that hasn’t already become corrupted by out-of-control, unbridled power?

Share

MSNBC Undercover: Sex Slaves in America

Oct 26th, 2008
by feministwriter.
3 comments

Tonight I watched a program on MSNBC called Undercover: Sex Slaves in America. The documentary was an investigation into human trafficking in large cities, specifically revolving around Korean, Thai, and Latina women. Apparently, these women are told they can have a free ride to America, and once they get there, they must pay off debts of $55,000 or more. Their debtors force them to work in $60 “massage parlors” in order to pay off the money in time. They are told they will only need to work 6 to 7 months to do this, but then are forced to stay there for 10 to 20 years by the “massage parlor” owners.

trafficking.jpg

Obviously, human trafficking is in a category of its own, but as I watched the documentary, I couldn’t help but wonder how the women felt about all of this. The government has decided to “solve” the problem by busting into the parlors renegade-style, issuing fines and closures, and then subsequently “setting the women free.” It’s interesting that we only choose to use the term “slavery” when referring to sex work, even though all lower- and middle-class citizens are also slaves of the economy, forced to work endless hours in horrible conditions for very little pay on a daily basis.

In video after video, the U.S. Health Department can be seen shaming the women, shutting down the parlors, and, in general, wreaking havoc on the women’s lives. The funny thing is that the documentary never addresses the question of what happens to the women after the parlors are busted. My guess is that they are forced into low-wage jobs, flipping burgers or working registers. They will struggle to make enough money to pay for rent and food, even though they will work long hours with no benefits, very little time off, and no maternity leave. They will also probably treated poorly due to the fact that they are foreign and don’t speak English.

My point is this: we’re so quick to identify slavery when it relates to sexuality, but what about all of the other forms of slavery going on around the world? And who are we to deny underprivileged women an opportunity to make $1000 to $2000 dollars a week, if that’s the only way they are able to do so?

Sex slavery would exist even if there weren’t a bunch of slimy dudes looking to make some money off of immigrant women, because the racism and sexism prevalent in our society enables it on a daily basis. Corporate greed and the hierarchy imposed by the status quo already enforce the slavery of the American people without even having to break the law. It seems to me that sex slavery is just a natural extension of racism, corporatism, and patriarchal attitudes, which are all things that many Americans fight staunchly to protect. Therefore, the cause of our troubles doesn’t originate from some random evil guys living in big cities – it comes from our own backyards.

Share

How much is enough?

Oct 13th, 2008
by feministwriter.
1 comment

The other day I was innocently consuming a sandwich at the sub chain Jimmy John’s, when I came across this interesting poster:

How Much Is Enough?

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-finned tuna. The banker complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied: “Only a little while.” The banker then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker was puzzled and then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, swim a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, Señor.“

The banker scoffed, “I have an MBA from Harvard and could help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds you could buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually you’ll have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle man, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, Señor, how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “Five to ten years.”

“But what then, Señor?”

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company’s stock to the public and become very rich. You would be worth millions!”

“Millions, Señor? Then what?”

The banker said, “Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village, take siesta with your wife, play with your kids, stroll to the village in the evenings where you would sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

I think this poster really hits home, and sheds light on the fraud known as “the American dream.” It seems as if, everywhere I look, there are massive hierarchies enforced for the purpose of enslaving the American people.  Mega-corporations pay workers minimum hourly wages, while the people at the top of the pyramid enjoy luxuries that we could never dream of. All the while, the workers at the bottom are tricked into believing they are “making something of themselves” by working. After all, if you don’t accumulate wealth and assets in this society, what else is there to live for?

I recently ventured employment at a local clothing store in order to engage with the public a bit more, as well as make some extra money for my upcoming wedding. I was shocked to find that the store paid its workers only $8.00 an hour (which we all know gets whittled to about $7.50 after taxes and Medicare), and not only that, it works them to the bone. The “associate handbook” was filled with rules dictating the minutiae of its employees daily schedules – one break for every 3 hours worked, 1/2 hour lunch break, on-call shifts during which you may or may not be required to work.

You may read these things and think, “So what? That’s not so bad. In this country, working hard is a value, I work hard every day” and so on. But that’s the whole point; the fact that we accept these working conditions as normal and expected just goes to show how little we understand about the disastrous affects of hierarchical work environments.

As written elsewhere on this site by the admin, “in modern civilisation, individuals must work to earn money to pay rent, mortgage, taxes or to buy food. For most on the lower rungs of the hierarchy, there is little choice but wage slavery. It is a crime not to have money (vagrancy). The reward system of ‘money’ makes it all the easier to enslave the masses without flagrant violence, especially as nowadays the bottom rungs of the ladder are occupied by other peoples in other lands, where open violence is more commonplace.”

Aren’t we all just like the investment banker in the story – tricked into thinking that we have to accumulate wealth in order to be happy? And don’t we then devote our lives and spirits to corporations?

Share