Murphy’s Bye-Laws

The G20 Summit, something I would normally ignore, has come to my proverbial backyard and has drawn my attention to the protesters and the ratcheted up police-state that spontaneously sprout up around such glaring symbols of exploitation, injustice, and power. When I first heard of the event coming to town I was inexplicably anxious to be there and find some way to protest. This reaction, springing from anger and frustration with nary an outlet, was inexplicable because I had decided some time ago that protesting is not my thing (after an April 15th protest at a US Post Office) and that I cannot stand to be in a very large crowd – especially when a good portion of the crowd are bend on violence (talking about the LEOs, of course). Returning to my senses, I instead started mental preparations to absorb all of the misinformation about anarchists that would flood the news. As some of this flood is now bearing down upon us, I thought I might try to levy some sense to keep my feet dry.

There are many lessons and talking points to be taken from such a highly visible event: governments’ totally saturated role in economies; industries’ totally saturated role in government; the “Us vs. Them” attitude of law enforcement officers; the complete trampling of rules, rights, and passionate dissenters with zero consequences – maybe a promotion; the nature of propaganda and getting a message out; the superficial complaints of various protest groups about the fruits of injustice represented by the G20 rather than the root of the tree producing it; the media coverage and language used to cover the protests and why this propaganda is more effective than that of the protesters; and finally why should anyone care about any of this. I’m tempted to just stop the post now after that long list of talking points but, grudgingly, I’ll continue to flail my arms recklessly in the dark in hopes of hitting on some sort of point.

The first thing I bash my knuckles into is the notion that anarchists are somehow completely against organization of any kind. I’ve read it or heard a notion portrayed a few times lately in the Pittsburgh media that sounds as if anarchists are chaotic gas molecules zinging violently in random directions until they bounce off of some container, cursing and vandalizing that container, and then bouncing off in a completely different direction. As comical as this image is in my head (for some reason populated by hippies in a Benny Hill sketch being chased by the Keystone cops – all in 2x speed), it doesn’t render the idea any less naive and obtuse; as if the only form of organization can come from some coercive, violent elite. Can we really be that helpless? Are we mindless robots waiting for every command to come down from above before we act: awaiting permission to move, a command to produce, or an imperative to act on our own behalf?

Shrugging off the sting of a busted knuckle I continue flailing before, piercing through the darkness, a bright spotlight illuminates a city from afar. Apparently, there is a business meeting taking place there. Not a conference call; not a web conference; but a face-to-face meeting…of people who [mostly] don’t own any businesses. Shielding my eyes from the absurdity of that last statement, I notice thousands of scuttling creatures hurrying to get into the spotlight. It turns out to these creatures are a distant cousin of the common cockroach (periplaneta americana), known mainly for seeking the spotlight rather than scurrying away from the light. Yes, this attention-seeking cockroach (periplaneta politicus) comes in all sizes and colors, from the big world leaders to the small passionate followers. The whole exercise that is this summit boils down to spectacle – very expensive spectacle. Instead of a conference call or a web conference, tens of millions of dollars are spent on this spectacle. But why would the organizers of this spectacle care; it isn’t their money they are spending. And the passionate followers, is their message informing their target audiences of anything they hadn’t already known? Are disruptive stunts really currying favor for the message? Is it even about the message? The whole operation and governments themselves are essentially an employment program for the army of idiots chasing both these groups around , otherwise known as the media. Regardless of the side or angle it is approached, spectacle is the name of the game.

While typically I’d ignore such an event, the sheer proximity to me of this particular occurrence has drawn my attention. Sure, I’m using it just like the other groups when I write a blog about it, but this just further strengthens the conclusion that nobody is winning and we are all net losers. The good news is hockey season is just around the corner.

I’ll leave you all with a poem I threw together a few months ago that seems wholly appropriate.

Random Ramblings

Sagging and exhausted under the heavy burden of boredom

Disillusion has stolen the color from the kingdom.

…(Continued on the linked page)