Comments on: Franchised

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:52:08 +0000

“The truth’s a franchise. Greeters at the door, isles of abundance, smiles at the cash register - where everyone ends up eventually.”

http://www.chomsky.info/debates/20060906.htm

Some thoughts by Noam Chomsky and Robert Trivers on the role of mass media and education in our society. Basically the media is used to promote ignorance that favours the interests of the wealthy and education serves as a kind of indoctrination to self-deception that allows otherwise intelligent people to spend their lives advancing the interests of a priviledged minority.

By: deb

deb — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:38:38 +0000

ket…truth doesn’t make a noise.

By: Agent-K

Agent-K — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:13:08 +0000

Good on the UK, and certainly better late then never. Its a shame they probably wont extend that finding to simply state that they should no longer on blind faith accept American assurances on anything when it comes to the War on Terror and pretty much the whole of the middle-east. One can always hope though…

Sadly, truth is a relative and subjective thing. It always has been, and always will be. One person’s terrorist is another person’s patriot. One person’s good is another person’s evil. Yet no matter which side of the line you stand on, no matter the debate, you know what the truth is (relative to you). Our individual notion of truth is so powerful that even when we are forced to confront the falasy of what we consider to be true, we will slip into denial about it.

So why do we cling to this notion of truth? What is it about this idea that draws so much of our attention and energy? Perhaps it is simply a desire to have complete and total assurance about something, to know that regardless of anything else, that in regards to that particular something we know the truth and that the truth will remain fundamentally unchanged. Even though we know that the universe is constantly changing, we do not logically extend this to the idea of truth. Instead we seperate it and put it on a petistal to worship as some sort of complete and perfect diety.

Perhaps the only truth in this existence which is constant and unchanging is death. In the end, death will find us all, and someone will probably be there to make a buck or two when it does.

By: KET

KET — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:26:12 +0000

Truth is a funny thing. I always thought that just because you say something forcefully and repeat it enough times, that doesn’t make it any truer. But, maybe I’m wrong.

By: Jane Smith

Jane Smith — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:15:06 +0000

Awesome post. Are you sure about the Blackberries? I thought it was handwritten notes…

By: VIDEObox

VIDEObox — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:26:18 +0000

Everything’s a franchise. Look around. Health, Love, Peace, War, Family, Pet’s, Imagination.
You’re right Amanda, it no longer phases us, but why is that? I think saying it doesn’t phase us is part of the problem. It puts the focus on something outside of us, something external to us that made us this way. It’s up to each and every one of us to stand up and say I’m not going to take this anymore.

There was an old homeless guy walking down the street at Dundas Square in TO last Monday. It’s one of the bussiest intersections in TO. He was swaying as he walked and then he fell to the ground and lay there. I looked around to see if anyone would help this guy who just passed out and landed on the ground. Nothing, it didn’t phase a single person. I made it phase me.

We are the begining and end of everything. Everything starts with us.

By: Amanda Kyffin

Amanda Kyffin — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:09:01 +0000

“Little fish, big fish, swimming in the sea.”

Made me think of this image:

http://www.anarchistblackcross.org/images/library/images/fish.jpg

By: Amanda Kyffin

Amanda Kyffin — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:04:39 +0000

“everyone needs to see the prisoner
they need to make it even easier
they see me as a symbol, and not a human being
that way they can kill me
say it’s not murder, it’s a metaphor
we are killing off our own failure
and starting clean”
— Ani Difranco; Crime for Crime

A way with words you have Matthew.
“Death’s a franchise.” A franchise established everywhere you go.
Makes you sick doesn’t it??? Or does it even make us flinch.
Torture; murder …
Heading to work yesterday I caught a view of a body laying beneath a white cover; only its feet exposed. Later I find out it was a boy I went to school with, shot over an argument. When I saw the body I felt nothing; nothing. When something becomes a franchise it no longer phases you. It’s like the McDonald’s you expect to see in every city you ever visit. Its something so integrated into our lives. Its only until we go without that we start to see the problem.

“I mean, you’ve gotta pay, right?”
How about some resistance???

Just wow! And amazing post!