Best Protest Signs of 2011

'Leave already, my arm is hurting'

Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-40-best-protest-signs-of-2011

I don't want to hate right-wingers but they make it so hard not to!

*Inspired by Twitter and 'Cross Talk' on Russia Today*

I have fairly recently joined Twitter, so I have had to discover and refine the art of summarising my musings in 160 characters or less. I usually hate social media as I am an unsociable sort but I find the phenomenon of Twitter quite fascinating. It proves that there is a market for everything as it appears that you can find people all over the world who are exactly like you, or near enough. This has proven spectacular results with regards to mobilisations such as the Arab Spring and Occupy.

I also love reading people's twitter descriptions about themselves, and as an OCD wannabee wordsmith of sorts, I fiddle with mine on a weekly basis. How to summarise ones entire being in 160 characters? 'Die-hard lefty' me thinks and I love that there are so many other liberals in the world, if not in governments, at least they are on Twitter! So what defines left and right-wing? Well the terms originated from the French revolution according to the seating of Parliament. Those who advocated secularisation and eradicating social and economic inequalities sat on the left, those who believed inequality was inevitable and natural and were pro-aristocracy, monarchy and Church sat to the right. It is a fascinating and exhausting divide to this day and one in which more social media interaction can just exacerbate. (The tweets from @moronwatch, dedicated to exposing right-wingers on twitter is particularly informative and hilarious.)

I also notice that there are some who state that they do not want followers who do not have the same views, this is disappointing to me as the only way to change people's minds is through dialogue and if possible embracing them in a way. Plus personally, although sometimes it is torturous and near enough heart-attack inducing, I seek out right-wing views to see what their views are on certain things, it always unsurprisingly serves to remind how stupid and brainwashed they can be and at times just outright disgraceful. One American right-winger invited to today's 'Cross Talk' on Russia Today, on the subject of Newt Gingrich said he 'did not like the Palestinians anyway' and cited the 'fact' that on 9/11 'THEY danced around when 9/11 happened'.

WOAH NELLY (sound of cars screeching to a halt). No he diduuuunt. Yes he did. Cue me effing and blinding at the TV. It's no shocker that right-wingers are typically anti-immigration, pro-Israeli to the point of defying common sense and generally just stupid, but this crossed the line to outright racism.

FIRST of all, 'that' footage was long ago found out to be misinterpreted, i.e. it was filmed before 9/11 so 'they' were in fact dancing over something totally unrelated. The fact that the footage came out in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to further demonise Muslims when surely there were more important things to be concerned about is deeply suspicious not to mention disconcerting.

SECOND of all, even if this obvious fact was not pointed out to this douchebag more than a decade after 9/11 had surpassed, can you blame an entire race of people on the actions of few? Bigot much?

THIRDLY, the crimes against humanity that the US government has perpetrated on the Middle East is of microscopic proportions in comparison with celebrating the murder of innocents, as sick as that would be, which I repeat THEY DID NOT ACTUALLY DO.

FOURTHLY, it would be almost be funny if it was not so tragic, that so many people do not even think that outsiders have a reason to hate America. Of course I would never advocate hating an entire people for the crimes of its governments, cos then I'd be just like right-wing douchebag of the day but the reasons why 9/11 occurred to begin with, must be acknowledged. The fact that this has not happened and that politicians have simply said that 'the terrorists are jealous of our freedom' is an absurdity and a gross lie perpetuated to the masses to redirect the hate and absolve state liability. To use a British example, when little Madeline McCann was abducted, who were the blameworthy? At first, there was much animosity toward the slow reaction of the Portuguese police in investigating the missing child. Then there was the obvious indignation that her parents should not have left a small child alone in the first place, no matter how near they were and how safe the place was meant to be. In all the hubub that ensued, not much was mentioned of the evil perpetrator(s), although admittedly he/she has yet to be found. Yet when it comes to the ability to surpass lax airport security and the interventionist and immoral foreign policies of some Western governments, the blame is attributed solely to the terrorists who take advantage and take revenge.

Who is to blame? The incitement to hatred or the ensuing hatred? Is it an either or? Although I am a die-hard lefty, I can stomach the right, what I CANNOT stomach, is the downright WRONG.

  

See also http://anbarrockny.blogspot.com/

My Strange Week...

Last Monday I went to my job seekers appointment, to collect what feels like the remnants of communism. The normally friendly guy was extremely short with me and told me had cut me off because I didn't turn up to a random check on my job search the week before.

1stly WHY THE HELL are you randomly checking me? I am a graduate, do you think I paid £9k plus for my education to sit on the dole for less than a tenner a day?

2ndly WHY THE HELL don't you 'randomly' check the people that cannot seem to get a job but can make it to the bookies at 9am every day?

3rdly I called your 0845 number that you make JOBLESS people call to tell you I could not make it as I had an interview, you know the thing that is meant to make me get off the dole??

4thly This is MY NATIONAL INSURANCE money that I'm begging for!

He had no sympathy and said I should have come after my interview and waited around the job centre until he had seen all of his appointments to check in with him. Just because you haven't got a job they think they can enslave you and demand you to be there at whatever time of day. When I returned and spoke to a different clerk he said the job centre is becoming like a 'concentration camp' and 'prison' with all the new government requirements. He also let me in on another 'secret'; that now they are ACTUALLY going to really help us get a job instead of just signing us off because there are too many people on job seekers allowance. Well blow me down! The job centre are actually going to start helping us get jobs?!

Later that week I met the TORY boy, being working class and living in London I don't usually meet, or possibly have never met someone like him. He asked me my view point on so many specific topics just so he could try and prove his narrow minded point of views. I told him I was at Occupy at St Pauls, he asked me how it was, to which I replied 'fun' & he said 'I knew it, it's just a party, I bet everyone was drinking and taking drugs etc'. Errr no, they have a strict policy of no drugs or alcohol, it was fun just because it was a good experience with loads of varied debates going on. The picture on the left was a guy from 'anonymous' and a random capitalist heckler who we ended up chatting to for about 2 hours. He repeatedly kept saying 'What are you doing here with these losers?' ie what are three 'normal' non-hippy, bathing, young women doing at this protest?

Yet the people who insist on stereotyping are the people who conform to stereotypes themselves. The Tory boy is a pro-fox hunting, clay pigeon shooting, Guardian hating, anti-immigration, sticking up for colonialism, boarding school educated, racism denier. Among the least offensive things he said was that 'a foreign name does not inhibit you from getting a job'. This is 100% untrue and just shows you how naive some people are. I can think of 100 examples but off the top of my head; a lawyer family friend once left an interview in tears when the employer said she had all the credentials but wouldn't hire her because of her surname 'Mohammed'. Another friend had a disheartening short time as a recruitment consultant for professionals because her superiors would put CVs in the bin if the header name was foreign and would say 'this CV looks good' if their was name was 'Thomas' or 'James' etc. Even entrepreneur 'James Caan' changed his name as he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with a Pakistani name. (Also see http://anbarrockny.blogspot.com/2011/11/disadvantage-of-being-ethinc.html). One of the more offensive things was a sarcastic fake phone call he made saying 'We colonised countries, especially in Africa, then we left, and now they want our charitable help?'

Need to dye some hair now, will be back... Peace

http://raraproductions.blogspot.com/

The Chattering Classes, Occupy and the 99%

*Inspired by Russia Today*


This morning I watched a debate on Russia Today on Occupy Wall Street. They had the presenter and three panellists. One of whom was of particular interest as he embodied every stereotype of the so-called 1%. In the face of gathering momentum across the US and across the globe he belittled the protests as issues of the 'chattering classes'. WOW. The others could scarcely believe their ears. The disturbing thing is I do not think he was part of a propaganda machine trying to persuade the masses that the Occupy protests were meaningless due to any vested interest. To me he was the victim of the propaganda machine and he genuinely dismissed the mass unhappiness at the economic and political systems currently in place. He said the only unity between the protesters is their system of voting consensus and even this he dismissed as arduous and unworkable. I am guessing that this is exactly what was said when democracy came to the fore.

Across the world people en masse are refusing to accept the status quo that has made their lives a misery, so why exactly should people in the West still accept that more deregulation, income equality and cutting spending aka services for the poor, is the answer to the world's economic problems. For their convenience, people like the man I mentioned would like to put people in neat little categories which fit his view of the world. They also do this in order to feel safe, as this is how the masses are controlled. Create stereotypes and people will conform to them. People fear what they don't understand... You get the point! I wonder if Mr Category is aware that he himself is embodying a stereotype?

The Tory Voice on twitter called @raraproduction 'bitter socialists' due to a report on David Cameron. This had nothing to do with being a bitter socialist, it was simply exposing the person that is in charge of your life. This is another example of a right-wing assumption - because you are unhappy with aspects of the elite or capitalism that means you are a hippy socialist? No-one in their right mind begrudges the success of someone who is rich and has worked hard, it is the resulting slavish way that the politicians end up soullessly pandering to them that is pissing off the 99%.

See also http://raraproductions.blogspot.com/ & http://anbarrockny.blogspot.com/

Governments should be scared of us, NOT the other way round!

Even though the governments are meant to be FOR the people, WORKING FOR the people, they don't want to listen to anything we want. Even when they promise that if a motion gets 100,000 signatures they will debate it in Parliament, no-one is surprised by the resulting absence of response/debate. If you're going to lie at least do it properly! Granted some of the views of the majority are astoundingly misguided e.g. calls for the restoration of the death penalty or leaving the EU, some are sound, yet are still ignored. Of course it goes deeper than that, it even goes deeper than the so far released Wiki cables. The governments of the world were up in arms over diplomatic conversations going public. Excuse me but the last time I checked governments were working FOR US, so why do we not have the right to know what's really going on?? or at the very least know what you really think about one another (see Saudi on bombing Iran). Is anyone put on trial for the murders of the Reuters journalists, the civilians and the children killed in that infamous Wikileaks video? What exactly are the results of exposing their conversations and war crimes?

The solitary confinement and mental torture of Bradley Manning, the absurd extradition of Julian Assange and the shutdown of Wikileaks through forcing the massive companies in the world (Visa, Paypal, Apple etc) to withdraw any Wikileaks finance or material. Wikileaks was meant to make the governments face the reality but instead its the exposer who suffers.

Western powers and even the Arab League, pause for a minute, the ARAB LEAGUE, a host of dictators, people oppressors and human rights abusers, seemingly support other nation's fight for freedom. JUST NOT THEIR OWN nations. This selective support is unbelievably hypocritical, and no-one is fooled that this posturing has more to do with ease, security concerns, allies, business interests and so forth.

Are the blood and dignity of the citizens of Libya and Syria more worthy of governmental support than those of Yemen and Bahrain? And there are other countries, especially in the Gulf, that also MUST be fighting for freedom, but we do not hear about it or it quickly disappears from the news.

Although the Eurozone crisis and mass unemployment is taking over the headlines, we must remember that economic justice and social justice go hand in hand. While protests are being suppressed all over the world, please do not be deterred even in the land of lie-down Britain (see Sleepwalking blog). We must do whatever we can because this is OUR lives that are in the hands of the few, our governments, and by proxy the rich. The fight for justice must continue, whether it's with your heart, mouth or hand* (or twitter) and we cannot be the ones left behind.

follow @raraproduction   see http://raraproductions.blogspot.com/ & http://anbarrockny.blogspot.com/

*Prophet Muhammad

Are We Sleepwalking Into a Disaster?

The premise of the parody film Shaun of the Dead was 'dead' on and is more relevant today than ever. For those of you that don't know, in the film, London was being taken over by zombies and nobody noticed because everyone pretty much behaves like zombies anyway. So much has happened since its release, wars against previous allies, a global economic downturn with no end in sight, yet it appears many people, young and old, are still sleepwalking.

The world is changing rapidly and still there are too many people who don't know what's going on around them and frankly don't care. Even those who are aware think there's no point in either voting or protesting against any measures that are cast upon them as 'it won't make a difference'. You will not believe how many times I have heard this and thrown a BF (bitch fit) because of it. If we were all as bloody lazy and cynical as people like that nothing would ever change!!!

We cherish that we live in a democracy but (unlike the French and even now people under tyrants in the Arab world,) we are the most on-lock nation I can think of - whenever something happens that we don't like we just lie down and take it like dogs. The favourite national past time is moaning yet we do not even want to complain at restaurants so why would we dare protest about something that is affecting our entire lives!! We may as well be under a dictator as there is not much which unite the masses in an effective way. AND!! Even when there are large protests people stand at the sidelines and say 'what's the point?' or even worse they moan and complain about people who do protest.

Our Occupy protests are small compared with our cousins across the Atlantic and people just see them as a bunch of hippies who are partying at St Paul's (they are most definitely not all hippies and so what if they are?? and alcohol and drugs are strictly banned). There are many against the public sector striking over their wage and pension reforms because

- How dare they hold the government to account?

- How dare they fight against punitive measures breaking their lawful employment contracts?

- Apparently, because the private sector are even worse off, this means the public sector workers should just count themselves lucky they have jobs and pensions. So because the private sector cannot but actually more significantly WILL NOT do anything about it that means the public sector workers should not do anything also? What kind of absurd logic is that?!

-We are doing exactly what the government want us to do, turn against each other, So the answer is all putting our heads down and doing whatever the authorities tell us to do?

We are the people and we should decide how are lives should be, not stooges in suits. People all over the world are standing up to their rulers, from the students in Chile demanding access to education, the Occupy protests across the world demanding a fairer distribution of wealth, the Israelis unhappy with living standards, the Bahrainis who want reform and democracy in the face of great brutality, even the super rich in the US (including the creator of Ben & Jerry's) are lobbying to pay higher taxes. Why are we, the British, so disunited even when we are theoretically in agreement? This is the one British trait that I hope will change. What will it take for us to stop sleepwalking?

See also http://raraproductions.blogspot.com/ & http://anbarrockny.blogspot.com/