According to Ed

VAT reinforces UK class divide...and riotous behaviour

The VAT in the UK is pretty high - 20%.

I’ve been noticing this for a while - When buying my 27inch imac last August, or my novation SL MK II midi keyboard, to considering purchasing a vintage 1938 ‘balance action’ Selmer alto saxophone, or a Ted Brewer electric violin. 

You know, if it wasn’t for multiculturalism, and mass empathy - both of which increases intelligence as it encourages one to put oneself in another’s place, or consider other perspectives - the Brits would be pretty dumb.  I suppose the above significantly helps in alleviating the intelligence-compromising problems created by the VAT and the class divide.  But not completely. 

I have to wonder if most of the rioters would have done what they did if we had put a sax or a ‘magic mouse’ in their hand at an early age.
I was saying to ‘V’, that the less privileged classes ought to be given a VAT waiver when it comes to purchasing developmental items from, say, exercise machines, musical instruments, to computer technology (excluding XBox, Playstation, Nintendo, and other such stuff).  An income tax should only be levied on those earning, say, 80,000 quid a year or more.  To tax those whom earn less at the rate of 40% or so basically makes them poor enough to not be able to purchase much developmental stuff. 

How on earth are the poorer classes expected to not churn out rioters, delinquents, people with less intelligence/creativity, etc, if alternative preoccupations aren’t really accessible eh?  Hmmm, so i’d say the Brits have only themselves to blame for the recent riots, and not the rioters.  And those people who suffered the consequences of the riots have only the more privileged, the so-called ‘royalty’, ‘celebs’, the VAT, the Tax system, amongst others, to blame, and not the rioters.  If you don’t get rid of those factors that can be used as mitigating factors in defence of the rioters, you won’t be able to mitigate yourself out of complicity in causing the riots.  Think about that.

I have to wonder if most of the rioters would have done what they did if we had put a sax or a ‘magic mouse’ in their hand at an early age.  Well, on the way to the sax shop in London this past weekend, i couldn’t help noticing the graffiti on the some walls as we approached Liverpool Street Station.  “hmmm”, i thought, “if the VAT wasn’t so high, perhaps, the graffiti wouldn’t be there.”

ed

What the ipad 2 has in common with a high society whore

Well, Steve Jobs and his capitalist cronies have done it again - An ipad without an inbuilt USB slot or memory card slot. This makes his posterior a perfect fit for my metal-heeled cowboy boots, methinks.

Well, when i was doing ‘The British Constitution’ during my A-levels a couple of decades ago I read that, ‘a people deserve the government they get, or else they wouldn’t have it.‘, or something to that effect. Very interesting statement don’t you think. But of course, that’s not entirely true. I place such a situation on an evolutionary or revolutionary curve. There might be a period of resistance from the people in the face of a greedy leviathan, so you can’t say that they deserve that government at that point. But if they fail in their resistance - which is oftentimes due to a combination of mass apathy and governmental suppression, i.e. the reason behind the Tiananmen Square slaughters - than they will be reduced enough in character over time via their efforts to make the best out of bad situation to deserve the government and become similar in character to the government itself. You can call that ed’s law if you like.

I suppose Apple will include these slots in the future, but the message is clear, if Apple does it, it does so not because it has to - which is the attitude and approach of the lower orders of people and products - but because it feels like it. That adds ‘prestige’ to the ipad 2.

Anyway, the same thing applies to the ipad 2 not having said slots. The people have trained Apple to treat them as they deserve by buying the ipad 1 - unlike myself who refrained from the temptation of having a chunk of my posterior bitten off, apple-like, by having the ‘option’ to purchase two connectors for both USB and memory cards. It was a matter of principle. It may not cost much, some might say, to get these connectors. But the point here is that I can’t remain blameless when things get worse. I’m encouraging them aren’t I. And, being a Socialist with a capital ‘Red’, the cost of the connectors appear huge to me, especially since I multiply the cost by all those whom buy it. You could say that Socialists, unlike others, operate through a different mathematical paradigm. Hence, I take the collective cost personally. I suppose that is the essence of the 13th Commandment of Jesus. ‘To love thy neighbour as thyself’ is to empathise with her/im to the point that you take her/is losses as your own. It’s only when you do that, and provided that it is mutual - the 4th of the 9 Satanic statements is applicable here, i.e. ‘Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!’ - all of the people aren’t going to get screwed all of the time by individuals getting screwed a little each time. If we did that, 119 wouldn’t have happened, a cure for HIV or Cancer would have been found ages ago, and mobile phones would last more than a couple of years. Think about it.

But what bothers me most about the port-less ipad2 is that Apple has deliberately left out the said slots, yet again, and despite competitors having them. And I don’t think it is only because the masses of idiots out there bought the ipad 1, thus giving Steve Jobs the thumbs up to stick his up their posteriors - you are excused if you got it out of necessity, i.e. like getting your aged mum one so that she can do more without having to sit up in front of a computer or lug about a laptop, or whilst she’s out fattening the pigeons. It is more than that.

It’s like sitting in the lounge of the Ritz sipping wine out of small cylindrical glasses. Having that which is celebrated in small doses is like the classy thing to do. Then you can say, ‘it may be expensive given that i’m not getting much, but hey, I can afford to do so despite its deficiencies.‘ And that is what makes it taste even better. Same thing crosses my mind when I see the Chinese forming long queues for food from and ‘award-winning‘ shop. I dare say that it is having queued for it that makes it taste even better. People aren’t going to say it tastes crap as that is akin to saying that you were stupid enough to queue for it. Same thing applies when it comes to the attachment a mother feels for a child after and because she had carried it for 9 months. Or you can liken it to people smiling understandingly at the idiosyncrasies of a ‘star’ or a millionaire. It’s alright when that which is valued sports such deficiencies. “It adds character to them.” Is the same thing happening here?

Are we, or rather, are you being taken in with the shiny new exteriors of the Ipad, and especially as it blatantly disregards the inclusion of the aforementioned. Do these deficiencies make it more valuable? Just like how guys go for those ‘hot chicks’ despite most of them having opportunistic and self-absorbed characters - the ‘ugly’ chicks always seem more beautiful to me and the beautiful ones, if they try to act the big-shot with me, always get monosyllabic responses, or dual-syllabic ones that have F.O. as their acronyms. Their deficiencies seem less, well, deficient, given their ‘features’, and which is usually dependent on your being deficient enough to be appealed to by the latter. So what is Apple saying here? If you want on nitty gritty USB and memory card slots - it is only the lower orders whom think about getting one's money's worth - go for the competitors. But if you want an ‘Apple’, like if you want to sip overpriced wine in an overpriced lounge; have a ‘beautiful’ model wife; or have large plates with as much food on it as one might expect in one’s hanky after blowing one’s nose; you should appreciate the little you get given how good it is - and one of the reasons why it is good is because you aren't getting much of it. Something like not expecting more than cucumber sandwiches if sitting with the Queen, but if you want a good slap-up meal, you’ll be deprived of her company (I’ll pick 'bangers and mash' or a curry that makes the pores of my head salivate any day over the company of the so-called 'Queen'.)

I suppose Apple will include these slots in the future, but the message is clear, if Apple does it, it does so not because it has to - which is the attitude and approach of the lower orders of people and products - but because it feels like it. That adds ‘prestige’ to the ipad 2. At their discretion. And that simply adds to their value doesn’t it. Like an idiot might feel when his model wife condescends to ‘uncross’ as and when she feels like it, or if the price is right, be it a brand new Porsche or those glittering bits of glasses called ‘diamonds’. Despite complains that the ipad 1 didn’t have said ports, and Apple blatantly disregarding this is a testament to that. They can still ignore public opinion, just like Paris Hilton. And that is what adds character and prestige to the ‘celebs’ our modern times doesn’t it, though it says much about your not having much of it.

And, finally, think about this. When we look at the evolution of a product, ask yourself if the evolution of a product depends on your gradual evolution into being less than you might otherwise be.

ed

Freezing the moment. A perspective on photography.

ed (youtube) : Damn creative of you to exhibit your cards 'on location'. It gives a sense of 'still life' within the same environment that is buzzing with movement at the same time. You have frozen reality whilst it is moving to give us time to reflect on it. It's video art.

You should do a longer one. Thanks!

ed

Things are constantly a-moving - except when one is having a post-coital smoke, waiting in line at the unemployment-check office, or is dumb enough to sleep over at the entrance of an Apple store the night before an I-something is released.

But to appreciate an environment that is constantly moving whilst paradoxically freezing it with a picture, and appreciating the contrast between the two 'on location' enables us to reflect on the significance of the environment and not be caught up with the moment and get lost in it.

Reality, at the end of the day, is not in the eye of the beholder, but the variety of perspectives with which one appreciates it.

That is why i got my chinese circle to take up photography in the past. As the chinese are prone to missing out on details in things - due to their abiding by a culture where independent thinking is deemed to be the sole right and profession of those in power, and being taught to ignore differences via cultural introversion - i take my chinese mates out for photographic sessions and return to the same location again and again so that they might think of other angles or phenomena, or the interrelation between phenomena on location, that they didn't notice or appreciate the first, second or 10th trip there.

Looking through a viewfinder tends to force one to focus on an aspect of reality that might get lost in the haze and daze of too much activity, colours, textures, shades, tones..... But in order to get the most out of it, one has to not simply focus on the obvious - which simply reinforces one's prior tendency to focus on the obvious and miss the detail. One has to appreciate interrelations, contrasts, and so on. And even lenses play a part. Telephotos, fisheyes, medium-range, wide-angles, again give you another take on what might otherwise be the 'same reality'. Reality, at the end of the day, is not in the eye of the beholder, but the variety of perspectives with which one appreciates it.

Interesting.

ed

My great respects to the Blacks of america. On Racism

I scorn all equalities if it is not based on the respect of the unduly advantaged of my own culturally-induced and enhanced persona. 'Getting along' has no place in my list of priorities if it means cleaving off my own unique character to make it more palatable to those whom are disinclined to appreciating anything other than their usual fare. That is the essence of Black. It is that portion of you that is worthy of respect and appreciation, not because it is a part of you, but because it leads to the appreciation (as opposed to 'depreciation') of others. The litmus test of the open-mindedness of the others is not in their sitting with you if you're like them, but if they'll interact with you respectfully if you aren't. That is how we might gauge the racist tendencies of 'friends'.

With regards to the Blacks getting into the Olympics,

If the blacks managed to get into the Olympics, it wasn't because of America, but despite America. They had more hurdles to jump than the average white man who was told from birth that he could do anything. The Blacks did it despite being told they were good for nothing.

Amen

ed

What the ipad 2 has in common with a high society whore

Well, Steve Jobs and his capitalist cronies have done it again - An ipad without an inbuilt USB slot or memory card slot. This makes his posterior a perfect fit for my metal-heeled cowboy boots, methinks.

Well, when i was doing ‘The British Constitution’ during my A-levels a couple of decades ago I read that, ‘a people deserve the government they get, or else they wouldn’t have it.‘, or something to that effect. Very interesting statement don’t you think. But of course, that’s not entirely true. I place such a situation on an evolutionary or revolutionary curve. There might be a period of resistance from the people in the face of a greedy leviathan, so you can’t say that they deserve that government at that point. But if they fail in their resistance - which is oftentimes due to a combination of mass apathy and governmental suppression, i.e. the reason behind the Tiananmen Square slaughters - than they will be reduced enough in character over time via their efforts to make the best out of bad situation to deserve the government and become similar in character to the government itself. You can call that ed’s law if you like.

I suppose Apple will include these slots in the future, but the message is clear, if Apple does it, it does so not because it has to - which is the attitude and approach of the lower orders of people and products - but because it feels like it. That adds ‘prestige’ to the ipad 2.

Anyway, the same thing applies to the ipad 2 not having said slots. The people have trained Apple to treat them as they deserve by buying the ipad 1 - unlike myself who refrained from the temptation of having a chunk of my posterior bitten off, apple-like, by having the ‘option’ to purchase two connectors for both USB and memory cards. It was a matter of principle. It may not cost much, some might say, to get these connectors. But the point here is that I can’t remain blameless when things get worse. I’m encouraging them aren’t I. And, being a Socialist with a capital ‘Red’, the cost of the connectors appear huge to me, especially since I multiply the cost by all those whom buy it. You could say that Socialists, unlike others, operate through a different mathematical paradigm. Hence, I take the collective cost personally. I suppose that is the essence of the 13th Commandment of Jesus. ‘To love thy neighbour as thyself’ is to empathise with her/im to the point that you take her/is losses as your own. It’s only when you do that, and provided that it is mutual - the 4th of the 9 Satanic statements is applicable here, i.e. ‘Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!’ - all of the people aren’t going to get screwed all of the time by individuals getting screwed a little each time. If we did that, 119 wouldn’t have happened, a cure for HIV or Cancer would have been found ages ago, and mobile phones would last more than a couple of years. Think about it.

But what bothers me most about the port-less ipad2 is that Apple has deliberately left out the said slots, yet again, and despite competitors having them. And I don’t think it is only because the masses of idiots out there bought the ipad 1, thus giving Steve Jobs the thumbs up to stick his up their posteriors - you are excused if you got it out of necessity, i.e. like getting your aged mum one so that she can do more without having to sit up in front of a computer or lug about a laptop, or whilst she’s out fattening the pigeons. It is more than that.

It’s like sitting in the lounge of the Ritz sipping wine out of small cylindrical glasses. Having that which is celebrated in small doses is like the classy thing to do. Then you can say, ‘it may be expensive given that i’m not getting much, but hey, I can afford to do so despite its deficiencies.‘ And that is what makes it taste even better. Same thing crosses my mind when I see the Chinese forming long queues for food from and ‘award-winning‘ shop. I dare say that it is having queued for it that makes it taste even better. People aren’t going to say it tastes crap as that is akin to saying that you were stupid enough to queue for it. Same thing applies when it comes to the attachment a mother feels for a child after and because she had carried it for 9 months. Or you can liken it to people smiling understandingly at the idiosyncrasies of a ‘star’ or a millionaire. It’s alright when that which is valued sports such deficiencies. “It adds character to them.” Is the same thing happening here?

Are we, or rather, are you being taken in with the shiny new exteriors of the Ipad, and especially as it blatantly disregards the inclusion of the aforementioned. Do these deficiencies make it more valuable? Just like how guys go for those ‘hot chicks’ despite most of them having opportunistic and self-absorbed characters - the ‘ugly’ chicks always seem more beautiful to me and the beautiful ones, if they try to act the big-shot with me, always get monosyllabic responses, or dual-syllabic ones that have F.O. as their acronyms. Their deficiencies seem less, well, deficient, given their ‘features’, and which is usually dependent on your being deficient enough to be appealed to by the latter. So what is Apple saying here? If you want on nitty gritty USB and memory card slots - it is only the lower orders whom think about getting one's money's worth - go for the competitors. But if you want an ‘Apple’, like if you want to sip overpriced wine in an overpriced lounge; have a ‘beautiful’ model wife; or have large plates with as much food on it as one might expect in one’s hanky after blowing one’s nose; you should appreciate the little you get given how good it is - and one of the reasons why it is good is because you aren't getting much of it. Something like not expecting more than cucumber sandwiches if sitting with the Queen, but if you want a good slap-up meal, you’ll be deprived of her company (I’ll pick 'bangers and mash' or a curry that makes the pores of my head salivate any day over the company of the so-called 'Queen'.)

I suppose Apple will include these slots in the future, but the message is clear, if Apple does it, it does so not because it has to - which is the attitude and approach of the lower orders of people and products - but because it feels like it. That adds ‘prestige’ to the ipad 2. At their discretion. And that simply adds to their value doesn’t it. Like an idiot might feel when his model wife condescends to ‘uncross’ as and when she feels like it, or if the price is right, be it a brand new Porsche or those glittering bits of glasses called ‘diamonds’. Despite complains that the ipad 1 didn’t have said ports, and Apple blatantly disregarding this is a testament to that. They can still ignore public opinion, just like Paris Hilton. And that is what adds character and prestige to the ‘celebs’ our modern times doesn’t it, though it says much about your not having much of it.

And, finally, think about this. When we look at the evolution of a product, ask yourself if the evolution of a product depends on your gradual evolution into being less than you might otherwise be.

ed

Now the Americans want credit for the Egyptian Rev

Now the Americans want credit for the Egyptian Revolution?

“In an old townhouse in East Boston an elderly stooped man is tending rare orchids in his shabby office. His Labrador Sally lies on the floor between stacks of academic papers watching him as he shuffles past.

This is Dr Gene Sharp the man now credited with the strategy behind the toppling of the Egyptian government.Gene Sharp is the world's foremost expert on non-violent revolution. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, his books slipped across borders and hidden from secret policemen all over the world...

For decades now, people living under authoritarian regimes have made a pilgrimage to Gene Sharp for advice. His writing has helped millions of people around the world achieve their freedom without violence. "As soon as you choose to fight with violence you're choosing to fight against your opponents best weapons and you have to be smarter than that," he insists.” - source

What a joke. Then again, perhaps Gandhi read Gene Sharp’s book too. And maybe, Jesus, the Buddha, Guru Nanak, Martin Luther King, amongst a host of others, might have spent some time reading his thoughts on their Amazon Kindle. Just because the strategies used by revolutionaries may be found in his book doesn’t mean that it was inspired by it. Simple logic. But we are talking about americans here. They probably believe that the sun only rises when they get out of their beds and scratch their arses whilst chewing on a bagel.

What i would say is that Gene has basically studied the non-violent revolutionaries of the past, and summarised their efforts. That’s just about it.  He might have furthered a few points, but other than that, he's simply put his name, and that of 'the greatest nation on earth', on the collective works of many others.

What i would say is that Gene has basically studied the non-violent revolutionaries of the past, and summarised their efforts. That’s just about it. Nothing more. He might have furthered a few points, but other than that, he's simply put his name, and that of 'the greatest nation on earth', on the collective works of many others. We’ve had non-violent revolutionaries since before the time of Christ. Buddha for instance. And of course Jesus, Guru Nanak, and the largest scale and earliest non-violent movement was that of Gandhi’s. Yes, there was violence as well, but that wasn’t the spirit and method of the movement. You could say that the British were ‘prayed and fasted’ out of India. And this, and the non-violence of Jesus, did inspire the great Martin Luther King as well in his non-violent opposition to white oppression. So Gene being given credit for being the brains behind the revolutions in the Middle East is like the so-called Queen and over-hyped Willy boy (prince william to idiots) taking credit for their positions and achievements whilst keeping silent about how they require everyone else’s money and worship to do so.

It is pretty insulting how americans constantly try to take credit for the good in the world. Being pissed off with the authorities and doing something about it is an old thing. Very old. Look at the revolt of the plebeians against patrician rule in Rome who withdrew their labour and forced change. Look at the revolt against the caste system in India about 2000 years ago. Look at Buddha breaking away from his princely status and turning up his nose at those with upturned noses. Look at the beautiful communal beliefs of Guru Nanak. And i can go on and on. People have their own ideas in the face of their own problems, and the culture which they practice. Yes, they do get inspired by the perspectives of others as well. As i’ve said before, that, oftentimes, there is no such thing as invention, only innovation.

If Gene is getting the credit here, and through him, the americans, it is not because he is the father of non-violent revolution, but because much of the world has been trained, via Mickey Mouse, the Justice League, and the mess of american media, to discount sources of insight from all sources unless it nicely wrapped in the star-splattered banner.

If Gene is getting the credit here, and through him, the americans, it is not because he is the father of non-violent revolution, but because much of the world has been trained, via Mickey Mouse, the Justice League, and the mess of american media, to discount sources of insight from all sources unless it nicely wrapped in the star-splattered banner. So an idea is not worthy, even if it exists, unless it spews forth from the great white overlord of the west. When the leaders of non-violent revolutionary movements go and visit this fella Gene, it’s like as if they are seeking his blessing in the eyes of the people that they hope to lead. It’s something like the ‘Holy Roman Emperor’ in the past being anointed by the Pope so as to indicate that God favoured his rule (and exploitation) of the people. It’s like having your picture taken with a ‘celeb’ that enables people to say, ‘hey, i’m a somebody because i’m with this guy, so i’m better than you.” And when they can go and meet this guy Gene, they can say, “hey, i know better than you, so do as i say.” It’s not that they didn’t already know what they were going to do before that. For instance, look at what this bimbo had to say,

“After recent allegations of vote rigging in her home country of Gabon, supermodel and activist Gloria Mika travelled to Boston to meet Sharp.

"I felt like I was going to meet the main man in terms of non-violent resistance in the world," she says. "It was important because some of the Gabonese were talking about a violent option. They were saying, let's go and kill some people and I was able to say: 'Hang on guys there's another option here.'"

Get the point? Is it any wonder why the BBC uses the word, ‘pilgrimage’ in the excerpt above? You are supposed to be one step closer to heaven after a pilgrimage even if you are after as you were before.

But the truth of the matter is that the west is bringing back ‘the great man theory’ - that historical movement and events are due to the work of ‘great’ good or evil people. This is a ploy to ensure that people are easily led by single individuals as opposed to rational and scientific thought. So ‘terrorism’ is the brain-child of an Osama. Saddam was likened to Stalin. The american president, and america in general, is like Spiderman vs the Green Goblin of evil - i thought it interesting that spiderman was paired with the american 'red, white, and blue' whilst fighting the 'Green Goblin' during the earlier period of the 'war on terror' given that green is a colour associated with Muslims. I wonder how many appreciated this point. And anyone notice how the americans produced quite a lot of these superhero movies from 119 onward. It serves to strengthen the people's tendency to discount all sociological, historical, and psychological causes of evil so that people wouldn’t as reflexively look at the causes behind global evils and just think it the work of a bunch of evil and elusive men. Sociology, psychology, history, science, has nothing to do with anything. It is only superHeroes and superVillains.

What we ought to do is to redistribute the power of an icon to other historical icons, and to the ‘nobodies’ of our own times as well. This enables us to access perspectives from otherwise discounted significant people and populations of our own time and the times of yore. That is the only we way we are going to be able to protect ourselves against being led by those nose by celebrities, and through them, the elite.

So they are putting forth this american fella Gene as an icon, a ‘superhero’ of democratic movements. What next, get him to put on a cape and wear thongs over his pants? And guess what. Democratic movements throughout the world might also hold up this ‘celebrity’ as an icon to rally the people - just like so-called celebrities are used to promote products from anti-aging creams to overpriced coffee. That doesn’t mean that they, or the people, didn’t already know their options before reading the book. That doesn’t mean that they might not already hold in their minds the examples of Gandhi or Martin Luther King, or the peaceful philosophies are some Islamic denominations. And those whom are against these movements might also present Gene as the ‘superVillain’ behind civil strife. What they are all doing is seeking a celebrated icon to promote or put down mass movements. Those whom are against it will point to these icons as the cause for civil unrest so as to deny that there is a real social or historical cause for it that might lay the fault at their door. And those whom use these icons to rally the people, paradoxically, whilst attempting to validate the significance of the people through democratic movements, also devalue them by giving undue credit to some american or 'celeb'. This is how such icons sometimes tend to become overvalued at the expense of the value of the people, their plight, and other sources for their intelligence.

But please, just because we chose to meet at the water fountain before a night out doesn’t make that water fountain the mother of all night outs. Icons may be rallying points. But the moment we forget that, we become putty in the hands of such icons - like how people are easily led by celebrities or overly-celebrated people like the americans. In fact, people might even begin to stop thinking for themselves and await the instructions of their superhero gods. And they call themselves ‘secular’. What a joke. What we ought to do is to redistribute the power of an icon to other historical icons, and to the ‘nobodies’ of our own times as well. This enables us to access perspectives from otherwise discounted significant people and populations of our own time and the times of yore. That is the only we way we are going to be able to protect ourselves against being led by those nose by celebrities, and through them, the elite.

ed

The King’s Speech - the real synopsis

Synopsis: About a grossly privileged twat who has to overcome his stuttering problem so that he can say, ‘let’s live off the hard work of the masses’, instead of ‘let’s l-l-l-ive of the ha-ha-ha-hard wer-wer-wer-work aw-aw-aw-off duh-duh-duh-the mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-ass-ass-ass-ass-ass......’

Well, this git - ‘king’ George the 6th - might stutter that to his cronies, but that doesn’t mean that he, and others of his ilk, pause even for a moment when he thinks it, or does it - same goes for the British ‘royal’ family today. And whilst we are empathising with this knob, let’s not forget that millions were dying for ‘king and country’ all over the world. I’m talking about the colonised peoples. So who gives a far-far-far-*k about Georgie's stutter.

(same thing goes for another rubbish film, ‘The Titanic’ where a white boy shouts out, ‘i’m king of the world’, whilst millions were at the same time dying under the hands of the colonialists - you won’t see a blockbuster being created out of that. This is how we are taught to devalue the grossly exploitative capitalist past of human history through identification at some 'human' level with the relatively privileged people of the past and present.)

At the end of the day, to empathise with the human problems that these exploiters have serves to detract our attention from their inhumanity to the rest of humanity via our identification with them at some level.

Perhaps the revolutionaries who lopped off Marie Antoinette’s head might not have done so if they had theatrical performances sympathising with her for that zit on her nose which she had been trying to get rid off for ages. “Awww...poor thing. Never mind our starving children, she’s got her own problems, and I've got those zits too”, i can almost hear them saying, if they had less than half a brain that is. If Hollywood existed back then, or if people were stupid enough to make celebrities out of mere entertainers, the French Revolution would never have happened. Well, thankfully, they got rid of their hallowed aristocracy. When are the Brits going to pull their heads out of their asses and get rid of theirs? (though i don’t support depriving anyone of their heads or lives. Terrible thing about the French revolution that...and also the shooting of the Romanov family in Russia....amongst others. I think that they should just be exiled to some island as was Napoleon. Oh, by the by, did you know that just about all the 'royal' families in Europe are related by blood? You could say that the 'glorious dead' of ww1 were victims of a family squabble amongst the privileged. 'Glorious fools' would be more accurate.)

At the end of the day, to empathise with the human problems that these exploiters have serves to detract our attention from their inhumanity to the rest of humanity via our identification with them at some level. To give this rubbish movie an overly-vaunted Oscar is, in essence, to promote and reinforce that. But you can't expect the actors starring in the movie to know all that. They are, after all, just actors.

The BBC article on this rubbish goes, ‘Oscars 2011: The King’s Speech reigns’. Well, according to the gospel of ed, that’s because the masses have yet to free their imagination off the blinkers and reins of the privileged.

ed

My great respects to the Blacks of america. On Racism

I scorn all equalities if it is not based on the respect of the unduly advantaged of my own culturally-induced and enhanced persona. 'Getting along' has no place in my list of priorities if it means cleaving off my own unique character to make it more palatable to those whom are disinclined to appreciating anything other than their usual fare. That is the essence of Black. It is that portion of you that is worthy of respect and appreciation, not because it is a part of you, but because it leads to the appreciation (as opposed to 'depreciation') of others. The litmus test of the open-mindedness of the others is not in their sitting with you if you're like them, but if they'll interact with you respectfully if you aren't. That is how we might gauge the racist tendencies of 'friends'.

With regards to the Blacks getting into the Olympics,

If the blacks managed to get into the Olympics, it wasn't because of America, but despite America. They had more hurdles to jump than the average white man who was told from birth that he could do anything. The Blacks did it despite being told they were good for nothing.

Amen

ed

Briefly, on Capitalism II - on Google's resolution of the blogspot problem

Anyway, i was surprised at the number of people getting down on their knees and pleading for Google to solve this problem. And i wasn’t too thrilled about the outpouring of gratitude once the problem was fixed either.

If you look at it, the most tyrannical and self-aggrandizing figures in history are no different from the ‘philanthropists’ of today. The only difference is that the former didn’t pay out enough to buy the slavery and subservience of the masses and hence got guillotined.

What we need here, girls and boys, is some collective consciousness. Google gives you a tiny plot where you can plant your little potatoes, get whatever kick you might get from passers-by saying, ‘oooh, those are lovely potatoes, so shiny and whatever’, and maybe make some money from those ugly ‘adsense ads’. But Google walks away with the bulk of the profits. Who’s doing whom a favour here mate? And some are idiotic enough to think Google to be ‘left-leaning’ and ‘caring and sharing’. Just like some might consider that over-hyped Oprah, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or ‘Princess’ Diana, to be ‘philanthropists’ just because they go on walkabouts every now and then and toss pennies to the hungry. And we even get these celebrities heading charitable movements/musical festivals as well! Unbelievable. If you look at it, the most tyrannical and self-aggrandizing figures in history are no different from the ‘philanthropists’ of today. The only difference is that the former didn’t pay out enough to buy the slavery and subservience of the masses and hence got guillotined.

But the most important thing here is that for us to confuse the likes of Google and other ‘philanthropists’ as such is an indication of the degree to which the exploitation of the masses is viewed as natural and the masses have moved on to doing unto others that which is being done unto them. The masses have become so self-centred and self-absorbed that they count losses and gains in terms of their personal losses and gains and not in terms of the collective’s losses and gains. People might say, ‘who cares, i’m only losing this much’. But these idiots don’t realise that when they look at the losses their own children and descendants are going to accumulate over the next 100 years, that is going to amount to a huge sum in terms of money, perspective, character, and humanity.

At the end of the day, we aren’t getting our blog spots for free as the morons of our time assume. It’s paid mate. It’s paid by us, our children and all whom come after them who are increasingly enslaved by those corporations and governments who are able to acquire more and more of the means of production through, amongst a multitude of other means, the money they make via the ads we place at our sites.

At the end of the day, we aren’t getting our blog spots for free as the morons of our time assume. It’s paid mate. It’s paid by us, our children and all whom come after them who are increasingly enslaved by those corporations and governments who are able to acquire more and more of the means of production through, amongst a multitude of other means, the money they make via the ads we place at our sites. And through their increased control of the means of production they are thus able to acquire, they are also able to control the media, create our needs, determine the evolution of our perspectives, lead us to be apathetic enough to cause deaths by the millions all over the world, etc, etc, etc. And that is what has been happening thanks to our ‘family-oriented‘, ‘practical‘ and ‘hardworking‘ forefathers. This is a sleight of hand on the part of the corporations out there. You just have to not be self-centred/absorbed enough to connect the dots and realise that it is us vs. them. All multi-million/billion dollar companies, celebrities, political entities, are one and the same. When we begin to have enough empathy for our neighbours even when our stomaches are full, that is when we’re going to see each other, whatever our race, creed, nationality, etc, as family enough to see our exploiters as one family as well.

Well, I’ll leave you with my response at the Google forum on the blogspot issue. Pardon my american.

“These fu*king blogspot monkeys can't even be bothered to explain and ease the tension. Why you guys begging these bastards with 'please please please'. Tell them to fix it or else. That's the way to negotiate with capitalist bast*rds.; Or maybe they're coming up with some secret deal with wordpress to move over bloggers, or something and therefore giving you people a headache. You can never tell with these fat cats. It's all behind the scenes. They are making tons of money off you, so no need for please, or begging, or treating them as if they're God's gift to humankind. It's all about money, and the blog spots we're getting is just a little something for us to make them big money. Don't forget that, especially all those google arselickers out there who keep standing up for them.“

“Finally working. It's about bloody time. No need to thank them.  Our blog spot is just a small return for the tons of money they're making - 'caring and sharing Google' my ass. Considering that, they should be more vigilant.”

ed

Briefly, on Capitalism

Well, that's the thing about capitalism, the richer you allow the fat cats to get, the more they're going to own your means of expression, subsistence, aspiration, and motivation. S/he who owns the means of production, does not only own your means of subsistence, but owns all of the above as well. It is that which enables them to determine the evolution of the human persona.

A company being completely answerable to you is dependent on your owning it. The same thing applies in the case of 'democratic' governments doesn't it. Why do people expect to 'own' their governments and not their companies eh?

Your condition cannot but get worse until you degenerate enough to think it normal and natural - as do most these days. I sometimes look at the people of a 100 or so years ago and cannot wonder how they wouldn't put up with much the people in these 'modern' times put up with. Well, for starters, they weren't stupid enough to make celebrities and millionaires, or billionaires, out of actors, singers, ball-kickers, talk show hosts, etc. The Spice Girls and 'Lady' Gaga would probably have had to work as prostitutes to make a living - which would be more virtuous considering that they would really have to work to make a living as opposed to making millions from wiggling their posteriors, singing rubbish songs. These bitches don't 'empower' women mate, they simply channel the potential power of women down meaningless and self-absorbed channels so that they might make bitches out of men - as men did out of women in the more patriarchal past.

And look at Britain's 'Labour' government compared to the Labour of the past. Compare their Clause IV as written by Sidney Webb to Blair's rewriting of it. And look at how people discount as 'academic' or 'psychobabble', or intelligence as 'geeky' when the democracy and technological advance they enjoy now was dependent on people being open to, or doing and becoming these in the historical past. They are undoing and discounting all that founded their civilisation, and bemoaning the evils that emerge as a consequence. They are allowing the elite to monopolise scientific thought and dominate them as they have allowed the capitalists to monopolise human's resources and dominate them. Stupid isn't it.

Democratic governments give you the impression that you are the masters of your destiny whilst the latter compromises your interests by owning you and turning you into dispensable mistresses.

A company being completely answerable to you is dependent on your owning it. The same thing applies in the case of 'democratic' governments doesn't it. Why do people expect to 'own' their governments and not their companies eh? It's a symbiotic union between governments and corporations. Democratic governments give you the impression that you are the masters of your destiny whilst the latter compromises your interests by owning you and turning you into dispensable mistresses. When the latter is compromised, you naturally won't expect as much from your government and put up with more shite than you otherwise would. You need to meditate and think about that as it means far more than you might think. Under such conditions, 'parents' don't exist. They become nothing more than pimps dolling up their children with the right gear so that they can be employable and become 'upstanding respectable citizens' who are able to do unto their own children as they did their own whilst doing unto others that which they wouldn't want done to themselves - which is one of the reasons why i don't find someone having a baby any cause for celebration or congratulation.

Companies. Don't own it, and they will own you. Perhaps this 'downtime' with the Blogger template is just an exercise to show you 'who's boss'. They do that sometimes as it's good to engender just the right amount of helplessness amongst the people so as to render them more manipulable and thankful for small mercies.

ed