Scapegoating
“Destroy another fetus now we don’t like children anyhow”, from The 94 “Future” album by Leonard Cohen. The economy is buried in the electronic milieu, north of cyberspace, lost in the next game of snakes and ladders, at our expense. What about our movie stars, celebrity’s, sports figures and CEO’s multi-million dollar paycheques and lifestyles, while millions go to bed hungry. We lesser mortals, unable, for whatever reasons, cannot even manage to get by, without great difficulty. Notwithstanding that most of us, including the poor and not so poor, would have few qualms about being able to live without worrying about, how we’ll manage, at the end of the month. But some are compassionate, like the Late Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, Bob Geldoff and too few others. The privileged haven’t changed their opinion about the under privileged. This from Richard Grossman former CO-Director of the Programs on Corporations, Law and Democracy “Sovereign people do not beg of, or negotiate with subordinate entities which we created, sovereign people instruct subordinate entities. When a subordinate entity violates the terms of its, creation and undermines our ability to govern ourselves, we are required to move in quickly and accountably, to cut this cancer out of the body politic”.
The hatred and the outright lies of the Religious Right for Obama, may enable the disaffected to attempt to assassinate him.
Our purpose is not to blame any one of the various actors in this drama, but to look for the origin of our hidden violence as a whole, and why our societies seem to end up with such chaos, from time to time, again and again. “What is man that thou shouldest magnify him? And that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him”? / and that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment”? Job 7; 17- 18, that seems to pretty well describe most of our inter-relationships! “Violence as a form of Quest for Identity is one thing the people who have been ripped off feel the need of” Marshall McLuhan.
Even though, we the poor start the game of life with two strikes against us, and would more naturally be inclined to do something untoward, to escape our state of under abundance and constant need. Rest assured that, almost anyone in our position would do the same. Those who should know better blame poor parenting. But in reality, it’s simply how we treat each other, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief, we are all branches of the same tree, White man, Black man, Red man, Yellow man to, all cut from the same cloth.
Without malice, is it a weakness in character that makes one want to acquire, wealth for themselves that could provide for thousands of others? How many trillions have been spent on war, policing, surveillance, mental illness, depression, medication and on and on, and on? Most of this madness could be alleviated, by a genuine understanding of what sets the stage for our misguided behaviour.
Eric Fromm (1900-1980) in his book suggested that society itself is unadjusted. We need only watch the news, for confirmation of that polite assessment; it’s becoming more and more pathological as we speak, to my mind. Of course it’s always the other guy, group, nationality, who’s at fault, never us, apparently, some of us need scapegoats, in order maintain a positive self image. More correctly or additionally it’s mis recognition, a defence mechanism, and fear that all hell will break loose if we lose our autonomy and or our conflict causing individuality; and have to rely on each other’s good intentions. Not to say that we shouldn’t maintain our differences, our own circles.
Three Universal Truths of Jesus Christ
“Any valuable extension of awareness is determined by re-discovery of neglected truths.” Marshall McLuhan. 1/ Why do you think Jesus Christ said from the cross, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do?” Could it be that we’re not as guilty as we think, obviously the Messiah knew something we didn’t and we still don’t know. The truth may be that we really don’t know what drives us to break each other’s heart and cause each other pain. Like using the proper grammar when talking is a pre-conscious process, science tells us that what causes most conflict and violence is also in our subconscious. Feelings like, envy, hatred, racism, rivalry etc. are born there and live there, just waiting to spring forth with a
vengeance.
So not to excuse violence, but we really aren’t as guilty as we think. Jesus revealed a Universal Truth about mankind
In order to get along we’ll have to find a common enemy to demonize
2/ We often have conflict that we are unable to respond to, like, being told off by our boss, or being innocently mistreated by some person in authority. So when we get home we take it out on our wives, children, anyone handy or kick the cat, which we call transference, an act of scapegoating. Another example is road rage, someone cuts you off and you immediately go into fight or flight response mode, and if others are with you it can turn into a contagion and your all, then ready to go to war.”The car has become the carapace, the protective and aggressive shell, of urban and suburban man” Marshal McLuhan. Often the person who cut you off didn’t mean it, but you never think of that, and age old reflexes take over. Either of these two can quite naturally lead to murder. Another wide spread and almost automatic response is how we see what another, or a group does that’s wrong or inappropriate and are quick to lay blame at his /her or their feet, but we rationalize our own misdeeds. In archaic days that reflex led to violence or even murder. But now we suppress our urge to act, and unless we have some outlet, we can develop a multitude of stress related illness. Wealth, power, pleasure, workaholicism or exercise will only bring displacement, only revelation or conversion can bring closure and truth, and set you free. No one listens to advice because it makes them feel inferior, and the advisor feels superior.
Be careful who you imitate.
3/ When Jesus said “Follow me for I follow no man, but my father which is in heaven”, he knew that mankind was basically a creature of imitation, and that imitation was a double edged sword, depending on whom and what you imitated. Notwithstanding that without imitating we could not have created culture, let alone learned language. As can be seen from the above, Jesus dealt with every day experiences, unlike Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, the two most outspoken Atheists who deal in the mostly abstract and invisible world of particles, atoms, DNA and chemical reactions in the brain. Abstract Science, which is fascinating in itself and useful for technology, is hardly useful in our every day experience of human inter-relationships; and can tell us little about the origins of conflict and violence. These three truths can facilitate and relieve stress in our Multi-Cultural based societies and offer hope for the future.
Are we Unintentional children of the Devil?
If you are envious or hate someone or some group, you are a potential murderer, because hate and murder are of the
same structure. It’s been said over and over, that, anyone of us is capable of murder given the right circumstance! We all experience - and not without good reason – ourselves, as being the center of the universe. Proverb 21; 2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; But the Lord pondereth the hearts”, pretty well aptly describes humankind, except the pondering part. Nothing’s wrong with feeling your right about something, except when you’re not. A recent book by Elliot Aaronson,” Mistakes were Made but Not by Me,” elaborates on our need to be right in our own eyes, sometimes at all costs, using George Bush as an example; “I may be wrong, but never in doubt”, a Marshall McLuhanism.
Rene Girard, who is considered to have made a discovery in the Social Sciences, about the nature of mankind, which is being compared to Darwin’s theory of evolution - in its ability to explain human behaviour - had this to say. “Human relationships are usually seen as normally good, peaceful and so forth, whereas in reality, they’re competitive in a war-like fashion.”And that “True Christianity is not about peace, but truth”.
Who Controls the Media?
Edward R Murrow, the legendary head of an investigative unit at CBS News had this warning for those in the mass media, on the occasion of his retirement party Oct. 25/58. “Unless we get off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us. Then TV and those who finance it watch it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late”. We all know by now the media’s role in having fashioned the Global Village, and creating, or as Noam Chomsky called it, Manufacturing consent, after the book of the same name. That is they created a new world for us to be engaged by, in which they told us how to dress, what to buy, and was, for example, responsible for starting women smoking, by showing attractive models smoking and having a good time. This is a good illustration, of advertising, using our need to imitate others, to enhance sales, (Manufacturing Consent), no matter the effect on our health and well being.
By transferring the survival of the fittest from the wilderness - to the board room, due in large part to the many films of predatory animals running down their prey in graphic detail - they helped create the politics of cold selfish greed. This environment attracted the self serving psychopathic types who do not have empathy for anyone, unless it serves their purpose. Perhaps they were brought up in severely abusive, unloving homes, and swore to get even; or realized what life’s all about, and decided very early to take no prisoners! They feed on our hypocrisy and selfish greed.
From the Heart of Noam Chomsky
“Take the example of television and talk radio pundits, most are required to be forceful, confident and decisive, not tentative and balanced. They seek certainty and closure, dismiss information that undercuts their pre-conceptions, and embrace information that enforces them. This is called belief defence, and bolstering; and assertive decisions make better sound bites. Whereas, a minority of pundits are modest, open to self criticism, and are cognitively flexible. The market place of new ideas does not punish poor punditry; in any case we soon forget what was said. Instead we are impressed by credentials, fame and even good looks. These are traits that have no bearing on a pundit’s accuracy.” I guess Edward R Murrow was right, we’re seeing the picture we deserve. There are few men of honour in the business today, one I know of here in TO, who is a joy to listen to on Talk Radio, who you feel is sincere, and lightens his program as he returns from commercial breaks by playing short cuts of soulful music, but watch out some can chew you up and spit you out, and cut you off in a flash. Because of ancient reflexes, (automatic responses) best suited for our pre- cultural environment, and small groups, we tend to over-react to opposition and to difference of opinion and ideas. In an overcrowded spaceship earth, a more reasoned response is required, which can be much easier facilitated, by comprehending, putting it out and laying it down, the “Logos”, (word) of Jesus, the son of the God of forgiveness, compassion, and non-violence. McLuhan “We now share too much about each other to be strangers”
Yes the cats out of the bag, the boats leaking, and Satan’s in charge. Jesus reserved his harshest warning for those who abuse children, “Anyone who scandalizes these little children; it were better if he had a millstone placed about his neck; and was tossed to the bottom of the sea”. We recognize, “about time”, the damage done to a child, is life long, and the loss of their most precious characteristic, innocence, turns out to be very costly, to the victims well being, and society as a whole. If we were on solid ground we’d have much less of this immorality. Only unfolding the truth can do that, and an admission that we’ve been wrong about a lot of things.
Interpreting current issues from a viewpoint, not a point of view, and including the wisdom of the Judeo-Christian Bible and Jesus’ revelation, can inform us about everyday truth and not conjecture. Don’t forget we’re not as bad or guilty as we think... and these truths and others can lead us to a new revelation and conversion, and to higher ground.
Reach us for more views & news at...Secrets of Violence 1881 Steeles Ave. West, Suite 196, Toronto ON. M3H-OA1
Sept.10/09 Revised edition. Watch for the release of our book, “Secrets of Violence Revealed” and our blog.
secretsofviolence@yahoo.com Not affiliated with any Church or Religious Organization, we seek only to unfold the truth. Why is it that Science has built on those who came before; but Christianity accepts the chaff with the wheat.
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