#mentalpollution

I have a mind which allows for me to see certain things and store them for far longer than I wish. For some things it's a boon, no doubt. I have no problem with directions for example. I can go somewhere once and then have no problem getting back there ever again. I can remember land marks and seem always to know in what direction I need to go. I can not, however, remember faces and names without having met someone a handful of times or remember what that person and I talked about for 10 minutes at a party. What my mind seems to be very apt at is sponging up all sorts of pop culture news, bands, actors, celebrity rag covers at the super market. All this garbage, once seen, is implanted into my memory like a tick. A parasite, along for the ride, taking up space that should for all intents and purposes be used for something much more interesting or at least useful.

Advertising has to be the worst of all the mental pollution that we are subjected to on a daily basis. Weather it's on the t.v., radio, internet or magazine there is no escaping the loud, smelly, shiny hooks that barb themselves into our consciousness. With these advertisements we have at least signed a social contract which allows for these intrusions. T.V., radio, internet, magazines, all of these are possible because of the advertising revenue. We all know this, it's fine. When I start to feel violated is when the city bus that i'm waiting for arrives with an advert for a new cologne, or blue jean, or television show plastered along it's side. Even worse if I'm in my car and that bus pulls up along side me. The adverts on the billboards, the neon signs for fast food chains, the blimp, the dancing inflatable balloon man. All of these are a violation of the mind. A sensory overload, driving a collective mental collapse closer and closer to the brink. 

I've been looking at photos from inside North Korea these days. There is of course photos of thousands of people participating in mandatory events which look slightly terrifying. There are photos of giant statues of glorious leaders. Photos of subways and street cars, apartments and slums and mansions and all the rest. There is a striking thing about all these photos though. It was the first thing I noticed but I didn't realize it right away. The thing I noticed or more fittingly, didn't notice was advertising. There is none and I don't mean that figuratively. Not a single billboard, buses with nothing on the sides, stadiums with out HSBC in big lit up red letters 60 feet high. It is, remarkable.

The argument would be that there is wall to wall propaganda in place of advertising. This is indeed true, but what is advertising if not corporate propaganda? National pride or  Pepsi pride. It seems as though if global capitalism is to continue, the nation state as we know it serves no purpose. If Capitalism is to work, all trade is done without the involvement of the government. If there are no governments and only corporations with a world wide currency would this not seem to be the end game of capitalism. A world wide capitalist oligarchy. If we are to celebrate our national pride than it should also be at its most pure. Schools, stadiums, libraries, hi-ways, should all be state owned and free to be used by anyone. 

We are seeing it now on a world wide scale. People are no longer throwing stones at parliament or the court house. They are throwing rocks at the Chevron, the bank, the 7-11. People know who is really running things. There aren't any politicians who can stop the pulling of strings by their lobbyist puppet masters. What good does it do to cut the head off the Hydra? It is not the job of one person either. Look at poor Obama. He never stood a chance. Americans let him fail, the people were the ones who could bring about change but it takes more than voting. We will have to be ready to fight. Both bleed and draw blood. Corporate warfare is at hand. They have been at war with us for a long time and have not only won the physical battle to this point but they have almost won the war of the mind. If we don't act quickly, within a matter of generations there will be no fight to be had. Our surrender will have been complete. All that will remain in our minds will be slogans written in the new texting language that we ourselves help to create.