Dawn survives
just
and the Anglo-Klaxon propagandu machine
putt putt putters alive
trailing plumes of thick black acrid smoke
as it chugs along its merry way
ignoring anachronistic cannons to left of it
and banners proclaiming The End Is Nigh
to right of it
dispensing summary justice here
and there
and sugar-coating the gift of
corporate blessed globalisation
just about everywhere
You know, we unworthy, unworldly,
unwashed natives really should cease
this anally retentive knee-jerk rejection
of modern Christendom's undeniable benisons
and realise that life without upsized Big Macs
and international debt servicing
and Calvin Klein's inspirational designs
is a life as good (or bad)
as death itself
Let us instead cheat scriptural Satan
out of his unwarranted due and
give our asses
and our assets too
to the seductive you-devil-you
called Mammon in English
or anything you want in your own tongue
whose being reeks of temptingly redemptive
Chanel number nine hundred and ninety-five
cos you know
the pleasure principle was created
by )> himupthere <( for our collective benefit
Why then do we continue to masturbate
on the sidelines
(minos - march 2007)
14 comments:
i love your irreverant attitude!
kudos to you!
Living 'on the sidelines' is at least one conscious choice made by us and for ourselves...so however little, there is still some hope.
A great write and a great blog; glad I'm here.
I think using the products and services made available to us on account of globalisation, should not be confused with subscribing to the ideologies, philosophies, values and attitudes associated with the places from where these products are sourced. Not too many people seem to understand this, however, which is unfortunate.
@gulnaz - thanks. i try to abide by the laws revealed to me by the god of irreverence
@id - thanx for dropping by. see you on the sidelines.
@sidhusaab - i see your point.
what (i think) i'm trying to say is that the same propagandu machine which spews forth warmongering rhetoric and perpetuates oriental/occidental stereotypes (among other things) also clouds our minds (in an almost jedi knight-like manner) (ha ha) making it difficult for us to resist the lure of tawdry trinkets.
films, tv, tv news, newspapers, magazines, outdoor, indoor... aspects of the same function - the dissemination of propaganda.
it could be argued that we *allow* our minds to be clouded and must hold ourselves responsible. and i would agree, wholeheartedly. only by seeing the message for what it is do we stand a chance of not drowning in a tsunami of [shudder] consumerism.
but what of those who want to drown in the tsunami?
economists of all denominations are welcome to expound on the imperative of consumerism in a 21st century world still in the process of *progressing* from subsistence to universal leisure.
true leisure and consumerism is kind of at odds with each other, isnt it? :D.
Materialism IS seductive and pleasure is defined individually.
i dont completely know if what Ive written is in context with your quite-a-way-with-words poem, but thoughts that went thru me reading it. :)
I quite like Oscar Wilde's lord goring(?)'s life of leisure.
its not propoganda if it leads to better lives, dont u think?
besides, chine would still be shit poor if it werent for the american tendecy to buy more and more and more than they can afford.
@mystic: i like your take on "true leisure." consumerism is a contact sport which requires a certain attitude as well as commitment and considerable effort.
i'm not familiar with lord goring, unless you mean the effete reichsmarschall of a few wars ago. :)
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@shez: i hear you. i'm struggling with the conflicting emotions of revulsion for the consumerist ethos, and the awareness that without it third world communities will suffer materially.
what i object to, or decry, is the lack of a competing third world philosophy which can operate independently of the first world capitalistic ideology - not necessarily a socialistic/marxian one. the truth is that western profligacy, while improving (though hardly enriching) the lives of the non-western masses, is continuously widening the gap between relative incomes. the nature of outsourcing retains technological superiority in western hands. and yes, this is "our" problem not "theirs." it is we who have to realise that and work towards achieving technical advancement through our own efforts, rather than relying on the crippling effects of "technology transfers."
u make consumerism sound all too glamorous here sir. :)
it was a play by oscar wilde and lord goring was one of the chief characters, the kind of person that hugh grant seems to personify in the roles he plays. :)
I wish I could say something interesting after reading your well written piece, but since I have never been able to understand even a single thing about economics and the related politics, I am afraid I'll have to remain silent.
Nice blog, by the way. :)
I dont agree with a grand conspiracy theory.
such a theory is based on the assumption that the global economy can not sustain the lavish lifestyle of the rich without keeping a portion of the population miserable.
but the point u make about our inability to pick ourselves up (us=3rd world) is a good one.
i don't believe in a grand conspiracy theory. what i mean when i say "western profligacy... is continuously widening the gap" is that the net effect is that.
having said that, it is true that in order to be rich (which is a relative term) someone must be poor (or less rich anyway). the same philosophy is at work in the immigration policies of most developed countries. immigrants allow more established citizens to lead better lives working better jobs with more leisure time.
the other factor in "keeping a portion of the population miserable" is the security that the miserable are less able to *usurp* the position of superiority, given their inferior circumstances.
or as a friend is wont to say, "qismat ki m.k.c. laura naseeb ka, har saal fail hota hai bachha ghareeb ka"
LOL!!! ur friend is a smart man!
oh, she's a very smart man indeed!
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