I mentioned a few months ago in this post that I was becoming more "active", in a political/ethical sense. Since that time this has taken over my life in a big way, using up large amounts of energy and throwing me into lots of new ideas. I've been watching lots of documentaries and reading books about things ranging from media control and arms manufacturing to environmental issues and global trade networks. I've also been reading up on some modern history to try and sort all the new information I am receiving into a solid historical time line.
This is having a massive effect on me, the most obvious of which is frustration. The main reason I have kept away from these topics in the past is because of the frustration and despair I knew I would feel from finding out about these things. It is true that as you learn more, you have more to (potentially) make you miserable, however I think it is far more important for me to be performing what I feel is my social responsibility (for want of a better phrase) than building my own personal happiness. Noam Chomsky in this interview manages to reconcile all his knowledge about the horrors of (certain aspects of) US foreign policy with an enthusiastic optimism that democracy and the general public are going to solve these problems; that the western propaganda system is already starting to fall apart. I admire (and am encouraged by) his optimism, but I find it so hard to see all the problems in the world that are maintained by mass apathy ever being solved through anything short of a psychological revolution.
I'm still glad I have started on this path though, however much anger and frustration it brings me I know it is the right thing to do, and hopefully the work I have ahead of me will have some fruit in the future. I'm planning to keep this site fairly separate from any politics, that isn't really my image of what thesimulacra.net is about, but I feel I need to communicate some of this feeling as it is making up a greater and greater part of myself. Here's a few links in case you are interested in what I have been looking into, but aside from these there won't be too much direct political discussion on the site:
The Power of Nightmares
Why We Fight
The Mayfair Set
Manufacturing Consent
http://www.caat.org.uk/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://www.cnduk.org/
http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/
http://www.amnesty.org/
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
http://www.worldchanging.com/
http://www.controlarms.org/
thanks for those links. unfortunatly i’m unable to view the chomsky interview: “google video is not currently available in your country”.
I will be sure to watch it when i’m back. I do find his other work very inspiring. as you said, he offers us not only a view of the global (and in particular, US) political and economical situation but also an optomism and belief in the capability of people to do something about it. its hard to feel this, but thats no excuse for ignoring the problem.
also, if you will not be writting on politics here, where will you be? what is to follow from this issue that is obviously very important to you. i think many people are searching for a way in which they can focus their energy in a possitive way on this. i’d be interested to read your thoughts on this. i think others would be too.
I just don’t know enough about politics to start a political blog, and there are thousands of politics blogs out there that can criticise far better than I can. Perhaps in the future when I have a bit more knowledge and more of a foundation for criticism I might venture in that direction, have to see how things go.
You might be interested in Reading Uni Socialist Society Meetings. There’s one on 31st January on Sexism and the System (1pm, HUMSS 229) and there is one on 14th February on Marxism and Religion (1pm, HUMSS, 231j).
Thanks for the info, I’ll try and make it along to the Marxism one, sounds interesting.