Since this is sort of a publication, and many other publications — like newspapers, for example — offer election endorsements, I thought I would do the same. Hence, the official Supraterranean.com endorsement for the United States election in 2008 is…..(drum roll)…..total abstinence.
I know what you’re thinking. “Abstain from voting?! But that would mean surrendering one of our great American rights. If we don’t practice our rights, we will lose them. And that would mean eventually losing our freedom.”
First of all, let me specify that this is not a personal recommendation — at least not for the current election. This endorsement is being made as the Administrator of Supraterranean.com, a website founded on principles that are new and confusing to many modern human beings. Take the Goals list on the About Us page, for example:
- To undermine the power of major content corporations who distribute most of the media to which people are exposed.
- To fight the disease of anti-intellectualism rampant in the U.S. and around the world.
I readily admit that this stance has been influenced by the films Zeitgeist (2007) and Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008). I saw the first back in March, and the sequel about two weeks ago. The first film drew connections between Christianity, the 9/11 attacks, and the Federal Reserve bank. The sequel picks up at the same place, going into further detail on our monetary system. They explain (in considerable detail, given the riddling topic) how the very core of our society is fraudulent and corrupt. Essentially, it’s impossible to have a fair, just, or sustainable world that is based on our kind of monetary system. It doesn’t matter if it’s democracy, dictatorship, socialism, or any known government. They are all part of the grand scheme of Globalization. We are all slaves, and we don’t even know it — but those in power are well aware. We have to undertake mindless, repetitive, and often useless jobs in order to survive, let alone “succeed.”
But the film explains this far better than I can in a ranting blog post, so let me progress to the point. Do you ever wonder why the Presidential Election appears to be a choice between only two candidates? In actuality, ANYONE CAN BECOME PRESIDENT. So why is it always one of two or three candidates offered to us by major political parties? The film argues that corporate approval and sponsorship are ultimately what determine who becomes president. To accept this requires a better understanding of what corporations can get away with in our society.
We don’t live in a democracy. America is a democratic republic. The popular vote does not determine the president. The president is chosen by an Electoral College, who supposedly act on our behalf. For proof of this, look back at the 2000 election. Al Gore received 48.4% of the votes, while Bush received 47.9% (See the Wikipedia page for more statistics). And yet Bush became president. Why? Because the American public doesn’t decide who becomes president — the corporations and banks do. Furthermore, it won’t make much difference who becomes president. It pains me to write that, because I feel that Obama is more than qualified for the position. But the problem is with the presidency, not the president.
Zeitgeist: Addendum also argues that this system is failing. We all witnessed the market crash recently. This is the only possible outcome in an imaginary monetary system where inflation is inherent. Bush’s $700 billion bailout will not help anything. All it does is privatize a whole lot of public wealth that should have gone towards making our country a better place.
So the biggest lesson to take from the two Zeitgeist films is that the solution lies at the core of the problem. If a tree has a disease, you don’t trim off the leaves or a branch; you cut the tree at the stump, or even remove the roots altogether. All of our symbols and theories and concepts, all of our governments and religions and ideologies, all of our companies and organizations and clubs, all of our friends and families and loved ones —- these are all automatically infected by the monetary system.
Unfortunately the second film makes a concrete solution seem even further off than the first film. That might be because the human race still has some evolving to do before we can achieve a solution. However, they do propose five points for positive social action:
- Boycott CitiBank, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America. They are the most powerful and have the deepest ties with the Federal Reserve.
- Boycott TV News, and turn to independent sources on the Internet that cannot be controlled by the corporations.
- Boycott the Military. It’s just an instrument for corporate action around the world. It takes advantage of the anger and confusion of young adults, and then abandons them — if they aren’t killed first — to drug addiction, mental illness, and homelessness.
- Put pressure on the Energy Companies. Seek out sustainable methods of energy and transportation. If the companies don’t provide these, find other ways. (But keep in mind that an energy company might be in the same corner as the public. Their primary goal is to keep the world lit up and running, not to swim in profits). My recommendation: also pressure automobile companies.
- Reject the Political System. Democracy is a sham. Therefore, voting is not only irrelevant, but also irresponsible.
Don’t delude yourself into thinking that voting is a sufficient way to participate in our world. Don’t underestimate your imagination, since that is the greatest tool bestowed upon humanity. Most importantly, don’t forget that any and all change begins with yourself, the individual. The film states that the revolution will first be one of consciousness. This theme has been constant in literature and philosophy throughout recorded history. The more people who devote themselves to an inward revolution, the better off the world will be.
For more info about the original Zeitgeist film, read my editorial hosted on SpartanEdge.com (published 3/19/08). Read more about The Zeitgeist Movement at their website. Read about the Venus Project (design pictured below) at their website, cuz I’m out of steam.
Design by Jacque Fresco
Other links:
IMDB – Zeitgeist
Wikipedia – Zeitgeist – Zeitgeist: Addendum
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