article Sociatry

[georgia rigg]

Well said, Cynthia!  Georgia Rigg
--- CGayle <cgayle at zipcon.com> wrote:

> I find Pinter's article a simplistic reaction and
> polarization of complex
> historical issues.  I am not supporting the war, or
> Bush, or the US.  I see
> much of what is happening as systemic and
> historical; I see a larger world
> and evolutionary picture.  Right now US is the major
> player and "fighting"
> to remain so. The long history of British
> colonization has probably had more
> to with what is happening today than what the US has
> done historically,
> although the US has been in the "role" for decades. 
> Many of the European
> nations had historical parts in the conflicts around
> the world Pinter
> mentions, eg, the middle east, a conflict whose
> seeds were sown in centuries
> of European colonization and hatred.  Yet, I see all
> of these problems as
> based on human evolution, and how societies have
> formed and functioned, and
> have not evolved from domination world views and
> practices.
> 
> Pinter's reaction is typical of social activism that
> only knows protest and
> polarization to try to stop what is happening.  And
> is a reaction typical of
> social activists who demonize one side over the
> other, making one side seem
> the innocent victim, which also is not historically
> or currently accurate.
> That is confronting the dynamics of the problem with
> the same dynamics; Bush
> is demonizing, so demonize back.
> 
> Also, I don't think it's effective.  I  have marched
> the marches, much in
> the 60's and some recently.  I marched with 10's of
> millions of others
> around the globe to protest the Iraq war from
> happening, and how effective
> was that?  I am coming to believe that marching and
> protesting are pissing
> in the wind, b/c it is attempting to address
> historical systemic issues with
> polarization, when what is needed is systemic
> transformation, a
> transcendence in human evolution.
> 
> I believe there are seeds for contributing to this
> human transformation in
> the sociometric concepts Moreno was forming.  We
> have discussed this some on
> this list before, ie, how to apply these concepts to
> larger societies.  It
> is astronomically complex.  But until the
> transformation of systemic
> dynamics of historical societal structures, I don't
> think anything will
> change...unless the planet is destroyed first.  No
> one has the answers yet,
> but demonizing one side over the other and
> polarizing, although I understand
> it emotionally, is not contributing to change.  If
> anything, it is the
> status quo.
> 
> Cynthia Gayle, CP
> Seattle
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
> To: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 6:33 PM
> Subject: : article
> 
> 
> >
> >
> > -- >
> > >
> > >  Remember we were talking about Britain....and
> what the heck are they
> > >saying in England
> > >  well, this article came out in England and at
> least some Brits are
> > >thinking.
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=12453&sectionID=72
> > >ZNet
> > >Why George Bush is Insane
> > >By Harold Pinter (Nobel Prize Winning Author)
> > >
> > >Earlier this year I had a major operation for
> > >cancer. The operation and its after-effects
> > >were something of a nightmare. I felt I was a
> > >man unable to swim bobbing about under water in
> > >a deep dark endless ocean. But I did not drown
> > >and I am very glad to be alive.
> > >
> > >However, I found that to emerge from a personal
> > >nightmare was to enter an infinitely more
> > >pervasive public nightmare - the nightmare of
> > >American hysteria, ignorance, arrogance,
> > >stupidity and belligerence; the most powerful
> > >nation the world has ever known effectively
> > >waging war against the rest of the world. "If
> > >you are not with us you are against us"
> > >President Bush has said. He has also said "We
> > >will not allow the world's worst weapons to
> > >remain in the hands of the world's worst
> > >leaders". Quite right. Look in the mirror chum.
> > >That's you.
> > >
> > >The US is at this moment developing advanced
> > >systems of "weapons of mass destruction" and it
> > >prepared to use them where it sees fit. It has
> > >more of them than the rest of the world put
> > >together. It has walked away from international
> > >agreements on biological and chemical weapons,
> > >refusing to allow inspection of its own
> > >factories. The hypocrisy behind its public
> > >declarations and its own actions is almost a
> > >joke.
> > >
> > >The United States believes that the three
> > >thousand deaths in New York are the only deaths
> > >that count, the only deaths that matter. They
> > >are American deaths. Other deaths are unreal,
> > >abstract, of no consequence.
> > >
> > >The three thousand deaths in Afghanistan are
> > >never referred to.
> > >
> > >The hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children
> > >dead through US and British sanctions which
> > >have deprived them of essential medicines are
> > >never referred to.
> > >
> > >The effect of depleted uranium, used by America
> > >in the Gulf War, is never referred to.
> > >Radiation levels in Iraq are appallingly high.
> > >Babies are born with no brain, no eyes, no
> > >genitals. Where they do have ears, mouths or
> > >rectums, all that issues from these orifices is
> > >blood.
> > >
> > >The two hundred thousand deaths in East Timor
> > >in 1975 brought about by the Indonesian
> > >government but inspired and supported by the
> > >United States are never referred to.
> > >
> > >The half a million deaths in Guatemala, Chile,
> > >El Salvador, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Argentina and
> > >Haiti, in actions supported and subsidised by
> > >the United States are never referred to.
> > >
> > >The millions of deaths in Vietnam, Laos and
> > >Cambodia are no longer referred to.
> > >
> > >The desperate plight of the Palestinian people,
> > >the central factor in world unrest, is hardly
> > >referred to.
> > >
> > >But what a misjudgement of the present and what
> > >a misreading of history this is.
> > >
> > >People do not forget. They do not forget the
> > >death of their fellows, they do not forget
> > >torture and mutilation, they do not forget
> > >injustice, they do not forget oppression, they
> > >do not forget the terrorism of mighty powers.
> > >They not only don't forget. They strike back.
> > >
> > >The atrocity in New York was predictable and
> > >inevitable. It was an act of retaliation
> > >against constant and systematic manifestations
> > >of state terrorism on the part of the United
> > >States over many years, in all parts of the
> > >world.
> > >
> > >In Britain the public is now being warned to be
> > >"vigilant" in preparation for potential
> > >terrorist acts. The language is in itself
> > >preposterous.
> > >
> > >How will - or can - public vigilance be
> > >embodied? Wearing a scarf over your mouth to
> > >keep out poison gas? However, terrorist attacks
> > >are quite likely, the inevitable result of our
> > >Prime Minister's contemptible and shameful
> > >subservience to the United States. Apparently,
> > >a terrorist poison gas attack on the London
> > >Underground system was recently prevented. But
> > >such an act may indeed take place. Thousands of
> > >school children travel on the London
> > >Underground every day. If there is a poison gas
> 
=== message truncated ===


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