Chewin' the gristle....

Perhaps, as you read, you are chewing on the ankle of the man from no. 23. If so, you're maybe wondering if marinating in soy sauce would soften up that tough old achilles. Probably you're just wondering why you are eating the neighbour. Don't panic - its not your fault.


Its merely the logical consequence of existing in an environment sustained and controlled by fear - put down the ankle (its only good for stock) - and pay attention.

Once upon a time the government had to send men in red jackets to set fire to thatched rooves and shoot a couple of kids to get the people's co-operation. Then, as now, they wanted a docile and maleable population who could be easily coerced. The suitably frightened population were then used to fight (the French or Spanish normally) or provide cheap manual labour for the economic benefit of the state. Today, economic gain is still the aim and fear is still the means for achieving it.

However, the contemporary economic organism (of which we are all living, working parts) is a far more efficient and sophisticated beast. No more men in odd clothes coming round to shoot dad and burn grandma - there is a swifter more effective means of pushing our psychological buttons. Media. If you have any doubt one of the main functions of media is social control then consider the following.... -

"There was a major shift in the fall of 1989. Before that time, the media did not make excessive use of terms such as crisis, catastrophe, cataclysm, plague, or disaster. For example, during the 1980s, the word crisis appeared in news reports about as often as the word budget. In addition, prior to 1989, adjectives such as dire, unprecedented, dreaded were not common in television reports or newspaper headlines. But then it all changed."

Why did it change? No more Commie murdering scum bags threatening world domination and the rape of the democratic way of life. The Berlin wall came down and the USSR split into its constituent parts. By having a credible threat to our peace and security removed we were left with the possibility of becoming a happy, forward looking, non-coercable populace. Not on. Not at all. In response to this disaster all forms of media cranked up the fear and spewed it into our collective conciousness at every available opportunity.

Not only does the fear keep us tidily stored in our own personal compartments (locked in our houses) it creates an atmosphere of mistrust and paranoia which results in bad feeling, negativity, depression, suicide, violent crime - and having to lock yourself up in your house. A self-fulfilling prophecy which leaves us locked up with no one to reassure us but the TV. Which is showing you all the bad, depressed suicidal people doing terrible things to each other and re-inforcing the mentality of insecurity and low self worth - which makes a gloriously maleable society.

But where are all the cunningly crafted automatons being coerced towards? Why would the media mindlessly fill the roll of monkey to the governments organ grinder? Happily enough for both parties fear doesn't only produce docility and compliance, it also produces vast profits for endless multi-nationals who are only too happy to pedal their solutions to modern misery and pay the media handsome sums to advertise for them. Too fat, too slow , too sad, too dangerous - there are myriad products designed to alleviate these problems. Anti-depressants, life assurance, gyms, home security systems, plastic surgery - the more worried, shallow and introverted we become the more the economy booms. So - personal security, fulfillment, success, happiness and love - all are commodities available for purchase to counter the fear and ultimately fulfill our true raison d'etre - to spend..... so you see its really not your fault - Jamie Oliver has some great ideas for leftovers - scrape together those carcasses and make a nice stew.