If “HAL, Skynet & The Matrix”, Were We-The-People Created & Run…?
.
Notice how the movie makers regularly come up with scary systems, or A.I. that will someday, somehow control human society? HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey did it. The Matrix, and Skynet from Terminator also took over humanity. Why are we allowing such a thing to happen, even if it is only in movies? It is because the They figure we are mostly chumps, and consider the great bulk of Americans a democratic mob.
.
Not sci-fi or screen writers necessarily, but the way our political system always ends up getting more convoluted, and self damaging. The They is a nebulous entity We The People originally formed, and now have little real control over. While politicians and the wealthy have much of the power, even their control is limited. The They slowly tie up, and snarl the system in ways we cannot see, and other times the problems arise in plain sight. At some point, this loosely held together nebulous will allow groups to wield more, and more uncontrollable power, then collapse on us.
.
Think the attack on the nation’s capitol just the other day. Is it the precursor of our complete collapse? Rioters are not the They nebulous, but a tangential expression from one side. The nebulous follows, and gloms onto the next administration, getting even more snarled. Biden can slash and burn some parts of it, but more will twist and enmesh somewhere else, and fill in the same crevices where things were ripped out just to sprout again. You must rip out root and branch, and burn every inch. That is not possible via the same system that protects it, or messes with it.
.
The They in every government takeover movie is an allegory. The ingenious A.I., or superior alien being, is merely us losing control, and allowing others to take more and more control from us. Movies give us a technology to fear, but no technology can have as much power over us as the political system already has. The control comes from a substantial wealth imbalance a.k.a. inequality, and how that imbalance of power corrupts politics. Americans have never been consistently very active, assertive, or aggressive, even since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Presidential voting hardly ever surpasses 60%. That is the basic civic activity. While there are likely many other civic activities one could do that have more impact, voting should be parallel, and automatic.
.
Instead the wealthy dictate our direction and focus; we have become consumers to a much greater extent than we are citizens. By dulling most of us to the big nebulous takeover, and pushing away another 20 to 40 percent due to their educational, economic, and health predicaments, creating significant change is as near impossible as it was when only white male landowners could vote.
.
We decided the They knew better. Unfortunately, the They creates confusion, corruption, and collapse. While one party has done more than the other to damage our democracy, this is a simplistic retort to the problems we face, which keeps us from gaining much ground. Without the Supreme Court decisions on abortion (at best a partial victory) and gay marriage, our progress in the last five decades, if you can call it that, would be utterly dismal. Of course, in most every other way, the justices have torn up our progress. That includes decisions from San Antonio ISD (equal school funding), Bush (v. Gore), Milliken (busing), qualified immunity (police murder), Heller (guns), to Citizens United (political money), Shelby County (voter suppression), and Department of Commerce (gerrymandering).
.
For Trump’s new additions on the highest, and lower federal benches, to achieve at least dismal results for liberal and progressive causes in the next five decades will seem like great progress, if such results were actually achieved. That is because the legacy of Trump’s court will be much worse than dismal, if his picks have their likely effect. Therefore, we cannot rely on the courts. We must simultaneously build another path toward achieving our goals, along with trying to improve the same old, same old ways.
.
No political party, or our legal system is likely to help us in any crucial way without an outside force putting immense pressure on them. The They are going to gather even greater steam, and disruptive power for decades after Trump leaves office unless we roadblock They, and reroute We The People towards greener grasses. Realize that this concept is not anti-politics, anti-Joe-Biden, or anti-the-Democratic-Party. It is a parallel pillar to uphold, lift up higher, and hold up our democracy.
.
We The People must create, and run our own Matrix, Hal, and Skynet. Rather than think technology specifically, or a takeover of current systems, the focus will be on building something that protects us (Skynet), represents us (HAL), and fights for us (The Matrix). These movie titles/characters are only generalizations of the new system’s actual functions, and help keep my allegory alive. No violence is necessary, the D.O.D. can quit worrying, and the two political parties are not being excised.
.
However, the wealthy and powerful are to feel the pressure as the We The People system comes online, and its network of citizens and workers is solidified. It is a significantly broad and deeply grounded countervailing force against the 1%; waging war on the knotted up nebulous. While in stage two it will require considerable organizing and federal funds, stage one is about developing its constitution to spell out exactly what is being proposed. I have come up with many ideas, which I have explained in other essays, but the concepts in the paragraph below are provided to make its reality believable, and give it a basic, understandable structure.
.
Nothing is necessarily set in stone. That said, I see some general elements that give the WTP system its reality, and structural strength. These include the jobs development platform (JDP), common watchdog rampart (CWR), single civic door (SCD), emergency logistics/facilitator (ELF), and pollution eliminator project (PEP). Our current structure is too focused on political machinations, and the moneyed class, which is not a surprise. That is how it began.
.
The founders were worried about parties developing when they wrote the Constitution. Then barely a half decade after it was ratified, and just as the first president left office, party factions had made their presence known with all its accompanying squabbling, and nebulous bulking up. Now we have the immense, rotten onion of all its layers 225 years later. This level of connivance and corruption is not the fault of representative democracy, or its representatives per se, but the fact that things allowed to do as they will, will do it.
.
Much of the negative nebulous building probably could not have been avoided, or prevented, especially in the past. Like expecting everyone to be a saint. Even if all of us told just one adult lie in our lifetime, those lies together, even if not meant to be harmful, would likely cause negative and problematic ripples in society. If not enough people are consistently focused on shining a very bright light on this corruption, the They will create their roiling nebulous of problems.
.
There is no perfect system; only a more perfect one that does even better at shining a light on the lies, etc. Slavery and states’ rights made it that the Constitution and our democracy would falter, and nearly die. Jim Crow and states’ rights kept it in a chokehold. States’ rights and ever increasing polarization has squeezed the lungs of democracy into intubation territory like COVID has done to nearly a million Americans. There were a few times in history when it was possible (during the Revolutionary War, and Reconstruction), and when it almost happened (1890s populism) where we came together enough to breakaway from the states’ rights borders of separation. Unfortunately, too many whites still make separation and race their sanctuary.
.
However, we do have another chance; we can make a more perfect change. It may be our last opportunity before democracy fades under the suffocating and drowning aspects of division, derision, and economic deterioration. Many of us may lounge around or limp along for a decade or two before we see the tsunami tidal wave. Yet without significant reinvigoration in the next few years, there will be no stopping the inertia train we are on that is heading into a surging sea. Most things do fall apart if not regularly refurbished.
.
Many whites have enough privilege, and distance to the ignore reality coming their way, and that reality will be hitting others first. Of course, this power struggle is not all about race. Much of our separation problem is related to wealth and income, a.k.a. socio-economic class. Democrats in both northern and southern states do not, very often, make common cause with people who are not in their socio-economic group, except from a charity perspective. Our non-day-to-day knowledge of their plight is one of the major reasons nothing much is done to help the poorest Americans anymore. Instead, we have made finding a job a priority for getting assistance, which is clearly a catch 22 for many poor people.
.
This insular and uninformed concept, a.k.a. the deserving poor, automatically excommunicates over ten million people from their pursuit of happiness. We cannot continue to punish people for our lack of understanding. Yes, some tiny percentage may be scoundrels, but do ten to 100 million people, who are mostly children, really deserve to be judged by our inattentive and likely inaccurate ideological takes on society? As Wes Moore, stated in his 2017 book, Five Days, about protests that ensued after the murder by police of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, just a 2% increase in the federal budget could end child poverty, stop lead poisoning, and greatly reduce other health-related, educational performance issues.
.
As to a bigger versus smaller government, the They nebulous is neutral. It will always be present in our government, unless we could have an ultra utopian society where all incomes are the same, and everyone had the same power in government. The They nebulous can be found in a Soviet Union type society, in autocracies, and in democracies. An efficient government is not possible if the They nebulous is not constantly scrutinized and rooted out, then repaired and renewed as needed. Fewer people in government could just make fewer people more corrupt. Outside money and power, unchecked, bulk up the nebulous.
.
The assault on the capitol last Wednesday was a wake up call. Our democracy fails when the truth, in almost every form, becomes disputed by a near majority of the nation. Allowing nebulous others to grab ahold of such power can no longer be our default approach. The They nebulous include us, or at least our lack of consistent and constant attention. We are still mostly working from a late 18th century platform.
.
The current system is like a Model-T that has a modern audio system, an air conditioner, automatic wipers, door locks, windows, seatbelts, and airbags in it, but still putts along. Our Congress was not even prepared to go fully digital during the pandemic lockdown! Pathetic, embarrassing, and disgraceful. No wonder we were caught with our pants down during the Capitol Hill riot.
.
Imagine if a massive earthquake, or hurricane hit the greater Washington, DC. area during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, Trump’s Administration would have collapsed six months ago. However, even if Hillary had been the president, our nation would not be ready. We either overreact after the fact like with 9–11, or just before something happens, we have reduced our presence somehow so we respond weakly. The greatest nation ever, at least from a wealth perspective, should never have its pants down around its ankles. But time and again, and again, we do.
.
Whether it is the Republicans or the Democrats, we cannot rely on the They nebulous both are working from, and within. The goal of the We The People system is to unwind it or burn it up, then rethink it, and separate the wheat core from the nebulous chaff. Lastly revise, and rebuild each local, state, and federal agency, or eliminate, reconstitute and/or combine them. While it may take many years to root and branch some, others can be updated much faster. This removes the weight and quantities of decisions from the Congressional dillydally and to-do list. NOTE: Most agencies are not mentioned in the Constitution. Many are being run or staffed by private contractors, which is a dangerous nebulous threat.
.
The WTP system is devised to eliminate the They nebulous by giving We The People direct management access. The technology to do this is available, but due to our consumerist focus the They has been able to keep these ideas from our sight. Realize that the They is nothing mysterious or some traditional conspiracy, but a conspiracy of complacency. It is how we have allowed things to progress, out of our sight and insight. We The People also are perceived as weak minded, not able to care for ourselves. And if this is true in any sense, consider how the They pretend as if our education system is the best in the world, as the They denigrate public schools, and fund it in a horribly haphazard way.
.
We can turn the table on the They. But first we must reframe our own perspective around politics, and about wealth in our nation. Yes, most of us recognize how massive wealth disparities, and unrestrained egos can harm us. That said, we keep following the moneyed class, and how the They want them to be followed. Its nebulous inertia keeps us believing that doing the same thing better is the answer. We cannot make this nebulous mess work better from the inside alone. As it is doing what it does, has run its course, headed toward a dead end.
.
Again, politics from a technical, and Constitutional standpoint does not need to change as much as we do. Or at least how we approach and manage politics and politicians. Additionally, “free” market economics is not on the change chopping block. However, we can improve it and manage its flaws much, much better with the WTP system’s CWR unit. The CWR is also the scrutinizer of every local, state, and federal agency, and a redeveloper if given the authority. Workers have the JDP, which “automates” everyone a job. Citizens have the SCD that bolsters civics understanding and participation.
.
Finally, ELF and PEP are instrumental in actually making our nation the greatest ever, in every other sense. Responding to emergencies with uncompromising speed and logistical effectiveness. And eradicating pollution in every form including moving amazingly fast to pursue, and implement a carbon neutral regime worldwide. The WTP system is not a fantastical idea, but a refocus of our civic selves, our perspectives and technology towards a better future.
.
Stop thinking that the complete solution can only be found somewhere within the They nebulous. While there is much to do inside it, its inertia requires a countervailing force. The WTP system is that force. If the Capitol Hill riot does not make that point clear, I hate to think what will.
.
by Richard The Chwalek
Comments
Post a Comment