TCAHR - Better Living Through Memetics

Issue 15
Back In The Trenches                                01/26/01
------------------------------------------------------------
I usually hate stepping out of evil corporation character,
but this is a personal rant.  I really don't know if I could
stand changing the personal pronouns to "TCAHR" today
anyway.

There's this little saying about socialism and capitalism.
Something around the lines of a person at 20 who isn't a
socialist has no heart, but a person at 30 who isn't a
capitalist has no brain.  This little gem has been bothering
me as of late.

I've been doing more reading than usual on various social
issues.  This is all probably the fault of trying to come
up with new pieces for TCAHR.  Add to this my observations
during my vacation to Las Vegas (future issue) with the
usual stories and rumors of corruption that filter down to
me from my well-heeled and well-informed connections.  You
can see how a deep spirit of depression and apathy can take
hold of you in this mess (which is why this issue is so
late).

Social activism isn't fun.  It wasn't fun about 10 years ago
when I was nearly tossed into jail for protesting the Gulf
war.  It's wasn't fun when realizing that the media coverage
of groups and activities I was involved in were re-arranged
into making me and my associates into weirdos and enemies of
the state.  Social activism sure as Hell isn't fun now.

So why in the Hell do I do this?  I don't do this because
I think it's cool and profitable.  I sure as Hell don't do
it to be happy.  I do this because something in me that's
been forged in abstract concepts of justice and fairness
that goes nuts every time I'm fed crap by the media, the
government, and the corporations.

That's the thing about us, isn't it?  We zinesters,
activists, poets, socialists, artists, musicians,
environmentalists...the whole whiny lot of us.  It's the
same bug up our collective asses that Orwell and Huxley had.
The punishment/pleasure device built into our social machines
doesn't scare or titilate us as much as it does for the rest
of the herd.  

It's that mental itch we can't scratch; we know the social
machine is fucked up.  We will probably never change the
world, but we can't be tyrannized by mores and ideals we
know are utter and total bullshit.  There's a freedom in
that; much more than you'll find in our outdated
constitution, oppressive religions, and prime-time
television.

That kind of mental freedom can't be brought.

See you in the trenches,
Jet Jaguar
------------------------------------------------------------
tcahr@hotmail.com                             Copyright 2001