You don't have to like me, let's get that out of the way.
You probably hate me and my ideology even though you've never met me, and that's fine. You might even draw parallels between my methodology and that of Islamic extremists. More a question of different flavors of the same poison you might say. Merely a palette swap on the same monster. While I certainly don't endorse illegal activities like terrorism I can see the merit in your position. Again, this post isn't about us agreeing on those principles. This post is about an observation I've made that I want to share that I feel transcends the boundaries of political ideology.
We must stop perpetuating the myth in western culture that not depicting Muhammad is a question of respect.
The question of whether or not "The Prophet" Muhammad can be depicted isn't a question of respect, it is a question of blasphemy. Various individuals have chimed in on whether or not the Koran specifically forbids the depiction of their prophet, and the inherent irony of killing in his name. What is clear to the casual observer and rank and file member of western society is that the bulk of Muslims are offended by the idea.
This isn't simply a matter of frankly rude depictions of their prophet, such as some of those published by Charlie Hebdo. The average person 100% understands people being offended in general by depictions of their important historical figures engaging in activities anathema to their lifestyle. I think that if Neo-Nazis were depicting prominent Jews gassing other Jews, or the KKK published cartoons of MLK Jr cracking a whip against black people, there would be considerable outrage. We all understand that, and most of us are even willing to have a debate about where to draw the line on what should be done about that. Few people stomach the notion of state censorship, but I think the vast majority would side with conventionally ostracizing those papers - such as people did with Charlie Hebdo by its small following, and as they do for Neo-Nazi and KKK propaganda. ( That's not to insinuate equivalency to those works, mind you )
Let's look past that non-issue at the core of this debate: reasonable and respectful depictions of the man Muhammad. A very large number of Muslims consider this to be blasphemous, and that is what we are actually fighting against. This isn't a question of sensitivity or disrespect, it is a question of abiding by blasphemy laws - whether we enforce them through the state or through widespread shame and self-censorship. If you think that I am wrong, take the popular punching bag in mainstream conversation - Christianity. In most of the known world it used to be against the law to commit blasphemy against God and the church. There are innumerable examples throughout history of individuals being killed or imprisoned for the offense of insulting the church, and God. We no longer withhold reasonable and respectful debate of Christian principles, whether they consider objection to them blasphemous or not.
Due to advances in popular thought and the expansion of freedom, we are no longer bound by archaic restrictions imposed by stagnant religion. Religion has a place in modern society, but that place is in the free market of ideas where it will evolve and adapt with the rest of humanity to the ever changing landscape of our destiny as a race. We must maintain the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion. Christians are routinely offended by the society they live in, and at times they get quite vocal about it - and yes a minority has even opted toward violence. However, the bulk of Christianity has adapted to the minimum standards of freedom established by modern civilization. They have been FORCED to evolve and face the fact that co-existence is necessary, that they must harden themselves to offense and blasphemy, and that their policy agendas and decisions must be made within the framework of democracy.
One of the minimum standards of freedom for the future of the human race is that you can draw a reasonable and respectful picture of whoever you want. At the bare minimum we must have the freedom and confidence to engage in constructive dialogue with each other on our thoughts and ideas. A picture is worth a thousand words. It is a form of communication. If an entire set of people absolutely refuses to let us communicate with them in a perfectly reasonable manner then there is no productive way forward. It is incumbent on the Muslim community to prove their willingness to engage in conversation in any and all effective forms.
Friday, 9 January 2015
Saturday, 29 November 2014
Defeating the Riots
In the face of rampage, screaming, and chanting... answer with relentless quiet.
The year is 2014, and all legitimate institutions have taken meaningful measures to reduce or eliminate racism from their midst. Let me state this clearly, for ME, racism is over. I owe you nothing for the actions of my ancestors, or the ancestors of others with the same skin color. You owe me nothing for the actions of your ancestors or the ancestors of others with the same skin color. We can spend eternity waiting for a greater authority to declare victory over racism, or we can choose to declare victory over it individually. If every person can beat racism in their own context then racism will be truly put to rest.
Make no mistake, if you are a racist the conversation is over. In the wake of the controversial case of Darren Wilson and Micheal Brown I have come to the personal conclusion that I am done with this endless fighting. If you tell me that "a white cop shot a black man" the conversation is over. I will ignore you and we will not continue to discuss the topic. The appropriate description of the event is that "a police officer shot a young man". Contextual use of racial descriptors should be limited to reasonable situations like medical reports or suspect descriptions. If we do not change our use of language to reflect a change in our mindset two things will happen. One, it will be an indication that we haven't actually changed our mind. Two, it will encourage us to continue to think in the framework of the supporting language.
In this free western civilization we are afforded the right to freedom of speech. We are also entitled to the freedom not to speak. I am calling on each and every non-racist person to take on the bold and brave action of being silent in the face of endless yelling. We must prove that we are adults that are able to set aside our grievances and feuds. As well as refusing to speak to these racists and race baiters we have the right to choose to ostracize those who wish to continue advocating racism. It will be incredibly difficult to shut down conversations or avoid friends, but with discipline and self-control it is achievable. We can teach the racists the virtue of colorblindness in society by showing them that there is no way forward together with those views. There can be no reciprocal conversation or work with those who absolutely refuse to let bygones be bygones.
The year is 2014, and all legitimate institutions have taken meaningful measures to reduce or eliminate racism from their midst. Let me state this clearly, for ME, racism is over. I owe you nothing for the actions of my ancestors, or the ancestors of others with the same skin color. You owe me nothing for the actions of your ancestors or the ancestors of others with the same skin color. We can spend eternity waiting for a greater authority to declare victory over racism, or we can choose to declare victory over it individually. If every person can beat racism in their own context then racism will be truly put to rest.
Make no mistake, if you are a racist the conversation is over. In the wake of the controversial case of Darren Wilson and Micheal Brown I have come to the personal conclusion that I am done with this endless fighting. If you tell me that "a white cop shot a black man" the conversation is over. I will ignore you and we will not continue to discuss the topic. The appropriate description of the event is that "a police officer shot a young man". Contextual use of racial descriptors should be limited to reasonable situations like medical reports or suspect descriptions. If we do not change our use of language to reflect a change in our mindset two things will happen. One, it will be an indication that we haven't actually changed our mind. Two, it will encourage us to continue to think in the framework of the supporting language.
In this free western civilization we are afforded the right to freedom of speech. We are also entitled to the freedom not to speak. I am calling on each and every non-racist person to take on the bold and brave action of being silent in the face of endless yelling. We must prove that we are adults that are able to set aside our grievances and feuds. As well as refusing to speak to these racists and race baiters we have the right to choose to ostracize those who wish to continue advocating racism. It will be incredibly difficult to shut down conversations or avoid friends, but with discipline and self-control it is achievable. We can teach the racists the virtue of colorblindness in society by showing them that there is no way forward together with those views. There can be no reciprocal conversation or work with those who absolutely refuse to let bygones be bygones.
"Two households, both alike in dignity
(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."
Romeo&Juliet - Shakespeare
Every halfway educated member of western civilization knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, and it's true meaning. There can be no peace between warring factions if they do not set aside their differences completely. The cost in youthful blood will be absolute and destructive to all involved. Darren Wilson and Micheal Brown weren't white and black people, they were people. If your ability to communicate hinges on differentiating by race you are a racist and our dialogue will be pointless. If there are statistical realities to be faced about subtle racism I assure you I will actively work to limit it. For my part, I've never had a problem associating with someone who displayed similar values to me based on their skin color. Human will, human reason, and shared values supersede any minor genetic differences or variations.
My opinion is just one opinion. I'm just one man, but I'm here to say, if you intend to be racist, this is one less person that will speak with you. I sincerely hope that this deafening silence can drown out the racist outrage of the world. My fellow non-racists, I implore you, please consider my strategy. Together we can put an end to racism in our communities and our nations once and for all.
Monday, 24 November 2014
Obey the Law.
#Ferguson
A hotbed of discontent and illegal rioting is breaking down communities across the USA, doing damage to innocent people and a cause in the process. There is a major clash occurring between the law abiding elements of society and the unruly mob that feels as though everything is stacked against them. When the legal process provided no indictment for officer Darren Wilson certain portions of the community took it upon themselves to throw an illegal tantrum and burn things down. This is typical behavior from criminals and special interest groups that want to turn the world upside down.
The truth has prevailed. Micheal Brown was a punk and attacked an officer, and died as a result. His destructive behaviour is nothing for anyone to aspire to. Society needs to learn from this experience and re-orient themselves towards justice. What is the true cause of that young man's death? It's a culture that has thrown aside respect for the law and for authority. It is a "F*** DA POLICE" attitude that gets young men shot by police or each other, and that gets women objectified and treated like garbage. Promoting thug culture is a disservice to youth and immensely dangerous.
Moving forward.
As we move forward as a civilization, we should take this opportunity to confront the enemies in our midst. There is a corrosive undercurrent of extreme ideology that wants to take apart western culture and substitute an anything-goes self-destructive way of thinking. Freedom is important to the West and always has been, but respecting the limits of freedom has been central to our success as nations. There is no way for us to move forward as a cohesive society if we disregard the rule of law and undermine our legal and democratically asserted authorities.
Make no mistake, disregarding a legal and democratic result or ruling is fighting against the will of the people. The people have spoken on these matters and declined the special interests of extremists. There are many changes we can make for the betterment of our land and people, from the economy to social programs, but they require our obedience to the legal system. A system crafted by the people who established our nation, a system defended with the lives of our soldiers, a system supported by the back breaking labor of millions of taxpayers. The rule of law and all its protections for citizens, the equality and responsibility it engenders, this is the true heart of western civilization. Without secular law and the capacity for reason we lose everything that our ancestors built and we inherited.
Lift your chin and stand your ground. Law abiding citizens of our western nations, now is the time to stand together in solidarity against the chaos of the world. If the criminal elements and hateful entities of the world mean to destroy our civilization let them try. If they mean to draw a line in the sand and threaten the basic foundation of our countries let us step to the line together and rebuff them.
Scream. Cry. Throw things and burn things. We'll be here. You will not win, we will not submit. The West will prevail.
A hotbed of discontent and illegal rioting is breaking down communities across the USA, doing damage to innocent people and a cause in the process. There is a major clash occurring between the law abiding elements of society and the unruly mob that feels as though everything is stacked against them. When the legal process provided no indictment for officer Darren Wilson certain portions of the community took it upon themselves to throw an illegal tantrum and burn things down. This is typical behavior from criminals and special interest groups that want to turn the world upside down.
The truth has prevailed. Micheal Brown was a punk and attacked an officer, and died as a result. His destructive behaviour is nothing for anyone to aspire to. Society needs to learn from this experience and re-orient themselves towards justice. What is the true cause of that young man's death? It's a culture that has thrown aside respect for the law and for authority. It is a "F*** DA POLICE" attitude that gets young men shot by police or each other, and that gets women objectified and treated like garbage. Promoting thug culture is a disservice to youth and immensely dangerous.
Moving forward.
As we move forward as a civilization, we should take this opportunity to confront the enemies in our midst. There is a corrosive undercurrent of extreme ideology that wants to take apart western culture and substitute an anything-goes self-destructive way of thinking. Freedom is important to the West and always has been, but respecting the limits of freedom has been central to our success as nations. There is no way for us to move forward as a cohesive society if we disregard the rule of law and undermine our legal and democratically asserted authorities.
Make no mistake, disregarding a legal and democratic result or ruling is fighting against the will of the people. The people have spoken on these matters and declined the special interests of extremists. There are many changes we can make for the betterment of our land and people, from the economy to social programs, but they require our obedience to the legal system. A system crafted by the people who established our nation, a system defended with the lives of our soldiers, a system supported by the back breaking labor of millions of taxpayers. The rule of law and all its protections for citizens, the equality and responsibility it engenders, this is the true heart of western civilization. Without secular law and the capacity for reason we lose everything that our ancestors built and we inherited.
Lift your chin and stand your ground. Law abiding citizens of our western nations, now is the time to stand together in solidarity against the chaos of the world. If the criminal elements and hateful entities of the world mean to destroy our civilization let them try. If they mean to draw a line in the sand and threaten the basic foundation of our countries let us step to the line together and rebuff them.
Scream. Cry. Throw things and burn things. We'll be here. You will not win, we will not submit. The West will prevail.
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Society out of control
Control.
Control is the most important and determining factor of a civilized human being. Self-control is largely what separates the successful from the unsuccessful, the lawful from the unlawful, the moral from the immoral. The greatest advances of human history have been made in the form of control - of mastering the world around us. Our defining trait as animals is the ability to perceive the world as something greater than our basic senses dictate, to be able to form abstract ideas and put them into practice. We learn the rules of the world and then we use those rules to create things, from the simplest stone tools to glittering skyscrapers. Behind every development is the capacity to control it. It is inherent to every efficient tool to be readily controlled by the user.
When we don't have control, we have the wild world of chaos. Outside of the most fundamental and pervasive laws of physics it seems to be a place of madness. Your circumstances can change daily, your future is uncertain and potentially full of strife. There is a constant sense of fear with that unknown and untamed world. A fear of violence, a fear of hunger, a fear of the elements. All these natural and important fears that have dominated human history and whose reality have killed untold numbers of people. If you do not farm, you live at the whim of nature. If you do not raise livestock, you live at the rise and fall of local animal populations and their migration. If you do not control yourself you live at the mercy of your emotions and if you do not control others you live at risk of theirs.
As a society we have erected the rule of law as a monument to control greater than any one man or woman. The rule of law has bent kings to a knee before the people and made god a choice, not a necessity. The rule of law is what separates us from animals and from people who behave like animals. Law is control. Law is created around the rules of the world. For better or worse it is a force we are all subjected to, just as we are subjected to gravity, to heat, to light, and to all the other basics of the universe. Our rule of law grew out of common law, of basic uniformly understood principles that effect every human being. It grew and grew from a common spring in every human soul until it was bigger than kings and gods and nations.
To protestors who revel in their lawlessness
These people are nothing short of traitors to western civilization and the sanctity of the law. There is certainly room for the law to be improved. We can reign in the agents who work to undermine or twist it. We can root out the traitors in our midst who falsely use the law as a shield to fund personal ambition at the expense of the people. The law exists first and foremost to satisfy and protect the most basic needs of the people.
HOWEVER, changes to the law must be made within the framework of our democracy and constitution. When a person defies the apparatus we have created to protect and work out these ideals they reduce themselves to an unruly mob. They become closer to animals in their methods and tactics. By their own choosing they become something less than civilized. It applies to homeless people or drug addicts ignoring injunctions in public parks. It applies to the Kinder Morgan pipeline protestors in Burnaby. It applies to young people rampaging through Vancouver after a hockey game. Their defiance of the result of the law is immature, infantile, dangerous, and condemnable. Those who choose to throw tantrums when things aren't ruled in their favor, screaming and shouting, or blockading with their bodies, are like insolent children. These are the tactics of children who will thrash or pout and refuse to move and obey, who make a scene by needing to be dragged away by force.
We need better than you. You need to be better than you are in your conduct. There is no future for the civilized world that bows to the whims of fickle protest. We have mastered the plants and animals of the earth. We will master you as well. You will obey the law and work within it to change it for the better, or you will find yourself caged like a senseless animal.
Control is the most important and determining factor of a civilized human being. Self-control is largely what separates the successful from the unsuccessful, the lawful from the unlawful, the moral from the immoral. The greatest advances of human history have been made in the form of control - of mastering the world around us. Our defining trait as animals is the ability to perceive the world as something greater than our basic senses dictate, to be able to form abstract ideas and put them into practice. We learn the rules of the world and then we use those rules to create things, from the simplest stone tools to glittering skyscrapers. Behind every development is the capacity to control it. It is inherent to every efficient tool to be readily controlled by the user.
When we don't have control, we have the wild world of chaos. Outside of the most fundamental and pervasive laws of physics it seems to be a place of madness. Your circumstances can change daily, your future is uncertain and potentially full of strife. There is a constant sense of fear with that unknown and untamed world. A fear of violence, a fear of hunger, a fear of the elements. All these natural and important fears that have dominated human history and whose reality have killed untold numbers of people. If you do not farm, you live at the whim of nature. If you do not raise livestock, you live at the rise and fall of local animal populations and their migration. If you do not control yourself you live at the mercy of your emotions and if you do not control others you live at risk of theirs.
As a society we have erected the rule of law as a monument to control greater than any one man or woman. The rule of law has bent kings to a knee before the people and made god a choice, not a necessity. The rule of law is what separates us from animals and from people who behave like animals. Law is control. Law is created around the rules of the world. For better or worse it is a force we are all subjected to, just as we are subjected to gravity, to heat, to light, and to all the other basics of the universe. Our rule of law grew out of common law, of basic uniformly understood principles that effect every human being. It grew and grew from a common spring in every human soul until it was bigger than kings and gods and nations.
To protestors who revel in their lawlessness
These people are nothing short of traitors to western civilization and the sanctity of the law. There is certainly room for the law to be improved. We can reign in the agents who work to undermine or twist it. We can root out the traitors in our midst who falsely use the law as a shield to fund personal ambition at the expense of the people. The law exists first and foremost to satisfy and protect the most basic needs of the people.
HOWEVER, changes to the law must be made within the framework of our democracy and constitution. When a person defies the apparatus we have created to protect and work out these ideals they reduce themselves to an unruly mob. They become closer to animals in their methods and tactics. By their own choosing they become something less than civilized. It applies to homeless people or drug addicts ignoring injunctions in public parks. It applies to the Kinder Morgan pipeline protestors in Burnaby. It applies to young people rampaging through Vancouver after a hockey game. Their defiance of the result of the law is immature, infantile, dangerous, and condemnable. Those who choose to throw tantrums when things aren't ruled in their favor, screaming and shouting, or blockading with their bodies, are like insolent children. These are the tactics of children who will thrash or pout and refuse to move and obey, who make a scene by needing to be dragged away by force.
We need better than you. You need to be better than you are in your conduct. There is no future for the civilized world that bows to the whims of fickle protest. We have mastered the plants and animals of the earth. We will master you as well. You will obey the law and work within it to change it for the better, or you will find yourself caged like a senseless animal.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Remembrance Day
...
Today was Remembrance Day, on the 100th year anniversary of WWI. There is too much to say about the world war for a single blog entry, and at the same time too little. The solemn moment of silence was as powerful as ever, as was the solidarity of the people with the soldiers. Parades had a swell of pride and a sense of loss at the same time. It was a bittersweet day as it always seems to be. A day that made you feel important as a Canadian, as if you had been entrusted with a special gift. You are, and you have been.
We will never forget the sacrifices that were made for our country. The lives that protected our freedom and the toll that established us as an indispensable ally. Our nation is one that is born of war, that faced the worst conflicts in human history as a rite of passage and emerged stronger. Across the country people were forced to face the true gravity of war and its consequences. All at once we are aware of the glory of war and the reality of dying in mud on foreign soil. Canada takes from history the most important lessons and refuses to let them go. There is a sense among the people of the profound nature of Canada itself. Unrelenting, stoic, strong, and brave. We would not, could not quit. Even when tasked with the impossible Canada fulfilled its responsibility and defied defeat.
Just as those before us, I cannot quit. In the face of mounting threats and accusing stares I must remain vigilant. The nation that our veterans have fought to protect is slowly evaporating. It is unrecognizable now from the place they left one hundred years ago. Freedom and prosperity run the risk of being quietly subdued. A kind of rot has taken hold of the nation and is ravaging it from within. The government seems unwilling or incapable of taking the drastic measure necessary to correct our course. I hope that in time my actions can show that I am not the enemy of the brave men and women who have served this country.
The world will never forget the dedication of this land to the cause of justice. To forget the sacrifices and strength of character will not be permitted. Each and every single one of us will be made to look into the mirror and confront ourselves. We will be weighed against some of the most courageous people in human history. We will be reminded of what it is to never stop until the job is done, to accept victory humbly, and to lead by example. By this time next year we will be a full step closer to embracing our heritage and realizing our destiny.
Monday, 3 November 2014
Principles and Magnitude
1 or 1,000,000
It occurred to me today that I am pretty thankful to be living in the modern age, with a contemporary view of many social phenomenons. I was watching the music video for that song "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Contrasting the romance and dedication in that story was a conversation earlier in the day on http://myliberals.com/ about BDSM culture and freaky orgies. I suppose for every loving and dutiful couple gay or straight there is a bunch of deviants or chronically bored people. Not that I'm opposed to a couple spicing things up with blindfolds or something, but I draw the line well before the crazy stuff like gimp suits and peeing on each other.
Looking back through time we can see that homosexuality has been treated differently by different cultures at different times. One thing that's true is that homosexuals were often ostracized or killed. In fact, there are many places in the world today where being openly gay can end in imprisonment or death. Given the sheer amount of time and prevalence of this violence its easy to imagine the number of people that have been killed as a result. Human death is rarely encountered in huge numbers, so the actual scope of this can be hard to visualize. With morbid curiosity we can envision monuments dedicated to the expression of this reality - great heaps of corpses made of stone that rival the Mayan temples. Perhaps the only silver lining of the Holocaust is the fact that photographic technology allowed us fully digest industrialized murder.
The number of people killed in the name of social purity is truly immense. It would be staggering if it weren't spread out worldwide, over decades and centuries. Estimates put the number in tens of millions. For a country like Canada with only roughly 35,000,000 people, it could easily be the entire population. Diehard animal rights activists would probably compare these numbers to industrial meat production. We tend to dispassionately murder hundreds of millions of animals to serve our appetites. Theoretically then, we can assert that the people who orchestrate these killings are the farmers and butchers of men. No one would actively support a leader who openly intended to kill them all from the outset, so it stands to reason that these individuals must have served some greater purpose. Society must have looked at these men and women and understood that their actions benefited the whole in the long run.
Necessary evil
One thing I tend to find is true in the world is the fact that big or small moments can be profound. Whether its a quiet epiphany or a major spectacle there is a heaviness that sets in at points in our lives. The core of every thought and action can be traced back to principle. It is our principles that provide the base for who we are and how we handle our experiences. Magnitude becomes irrelevant if you take a principled stand on an issue, which prompts the age old debate between consequential thinking and principled thinking. A person who stays true to principle in the face of overwhelming consequences might be labelled a fanatic, whereas a person who picks on a case by case basis might be regarded as scrupulous.
Using the above ideas, we can explore how principled actions turn 1 into 1,000,000. If your principle is that human life is more important than animal life and that it's appropriate to kill and eat an animal it's pretty easy to kill a million animals. At that point all you really need to do is reason that you're feeding a few million people in the process. The industrialization of death requires a degree of hardness typically associated with career killers like hunters and butchers. We make the same value judgment when it comes to our soldiers and national armies, entrusting a minority of people to kill other human beings for our defense. The difference between a single enemy soldier or criminal being killed and a million of them being killed is just a few logical steps. By looking at the core principle of the action we can determine that there is little if any meaningful difference between the one and the million.
A lot can be said for the devastation of war. The collateral damage, the expense, the toll in human life. If we reverse engineer the scope of these engagements we can draw similarities to street fights. There have been wars that were short and brutal, wars that were long and grueling, and wars that have been mostly posturing. Each of these wars can be drawn back to a number of reasons that are consistent with national character. Whether its an ethnic cleansing, a war of expansion, or a bitter feud between rival states they all average out to the common motivations of the state. Even if you take a war like the invasion of Iraq where the public was misled, the core of that war can be drawn back to a profit obsessed capitalist economy which is consistent with American values. It is that same insatiable hunger that led politicians to wheel, deal, and lie to the public. The Iraq war was simply an issue of false advertising.
Killing is wrong, isn't it?
Killing in and of itself cannot be wrong as a matter of principle, because we are a type of animal that kills to survive. We kill plants and animals to eat them or harvest their body parts for other uses. Even sustainable practices like eating fruit can be regarded as comfortably ripping a limb off a creature just because you know it will grow back. Even the most primitive cultures understood that killing things unnecessarily was counterproductive to the greater task of survival. Ignorance might have led them to hunting styles or activities that were wasteful, or ritualistic practices with no supernatural value, but underneath that the concept remained. Human beings are distinct for their mindfulness of the world and abstracts.
We must accustom ourselves to the reality of eternal struggle, of limited time and resources. The modern people need to take their newfound wisdom and apply it to age-old principles. There are criminals and traitors in our midst that do not deserve to live at our expense. There are enemies in other countries plotting our demise, dreaming of destroying or subjugating us and erasing our values from the world. Vast monuments of human death and suffering have been erected throughout the ages, and it is our responsibility to pay them due respect. For every person that has been unjustly killed we cannot let the guilty continue to live. Every breath taken by murderers, rapists, and terrorists is an affront to justice. Every pulse they have, every moment they enjoy as their victims rot within the earth is a travesty. That the common man has been tricked into dragging an orgiastic throne of criminality across the dirt where their loved ones lay is blasphemous.
It is time we cut loose the weights that are holding us back as a society. We cannot be intimidated by the magnitude of our task. The principles of our laws are intact and can serve this purpose adequately. All our brighter future requires is that we open our eyes to the reality of survival. With truth as our ally we can dispel the feeble arguments and empty condemnation of those weak people who shy away from life's hardest tasks. Let them turn blind eyes to our work and live their lives in comfort and blissful ignorance. In the end, they will thank us for doing what they could not.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
the true north strong and free!
It occurred to me today that I am pretty thankful to be living in the modern age, with a contemporary view of many social phenomenons. I was watching the music video for that song "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Contrasting the romance and dedication in that story was a conversation earlier in the day on http://myliberals.com/ about BDSM culture and freaky orgies. I suppose for every loving and dutiful couple gay or straight there is a bunch of deviants or chronically bored people. Not that I'm opposed to a couple spicing things up with blindfolds or something, but I draw the line well before the crazy stuff like gimp suits and peeing on each other.
Looking back through time we can see that homosexuality has been treated differently by different cultures at different times. One thing that's true is that homosexuals were often ostracized or killed. In fact, there are many places in the world today where being openly gay can end in imprisonment or death. Given the sheer amount of time and prevalence of this violence its easy to imagine the number of people that have been killed as a result. Human death is rarely encountered in huge numbers, so the actual scope of this can be hard to visualize. With morbid curiosity we can envision monuments dedicated to the expression of this reality - great heaps of corpses made of stone that rival the Mayan temples. Perhaps the only silver lining of the Holocaust is the fact that photographic technology allowed us fully digest industrialized murder.
The number of people killed in the name of social purity is truly immense. It would be staggering if it weren't spread out worldwide, over decades and centuries. Estimates put the number in tens of millions. For a country like Canada with only roughly 35,000,000 people, it could easily be the entire population. Diehard animal rights activists would probably compare these numbers to industrial meat production. We tend to dispassionately murder hundreds of millions of animals to serve our appetites. Theoretically then, we can assert that the people who orchestrate these killings are the farmers and butchers of men. No one would actively support a leader who openly intended to kill them all from the outset, so it stands to reason that these individuals must have served some greater purpose. Society must have looked at these men and women and understood that their actions benefited the whole in the long run.
Necessary evil
One thing I tend to find is true in the world is the fact that big or small moments can be profound. Whether its a quiet epiphany or a major spectacle there is a heaviness that sets in at points in our lives. The core of every thought and action can be traced back to principle. It is our principles that provide the base for who we are and how we handle our experiences. Magnitude becomes irrelevant if you take a principled stand on an issue, which prompts the age old debate between consequential thinking and principled thinking. A person who stays true to principle in the face of overwhelming consequences might be labelled a fanatic, whereas a person who picks on a case by case basis might be regarded as scrupulous.
Using the above ideas, we can explore how principled actions turn 1 into 1,000,000. If your principle is that human life is more important than animal life and that it's appropriate to kill and eat an animal it's pretty easy to kill a million animals. At that point all you really need to do is reason that you're feeding a few million people in the process. The industrialization of death requires a degree of hardness typically associated with career killers like hunters and butchers. We make the same value judgment when it comes to our soldiers and national armies, entrusting a minority of people to kill other human beings for our defense. The difference between a single enemy soldier or criminal being killed and a million of them being killed is just a few logical steps. By looking at the core principle of the action we can determine that there is little if any meaningful difference between the one and the million.
A lot can be said for the devastation of war. The collateral damage, the expense, the toll in human life. If we reverse engineer the scope of these engagements we can draw similarities to street fights. There have been wars that were short and brutal, wars that were long and grueling, and wars that have been mostly posturing. Each of these wars can be drawn back to a number of reasons that are consistent with national character. Whether its an ethnic cleansing, a war of expansion, or a bitter feud between rival states they all average out to the common motivations of the state. Even if you take a war like the invasion of Iraq where the public was misled, the core of that war can be drawn back to a profit obsessed capitalist economy which is consistent with American values. It is that same insatiable hunger that led politicians to wheel, deal, and lie to the public. The Iraq war was simply an issue of false advertising.
Killing is wrong, isn't it?
Killing in and of itself cannot be wrong as a matter of principle, because we are a type of animal that kills to survive. We kill plants and animals to eat them or harvest their body parts for other uses. Even sustainable practices like eating fruit can be regarded as comfortably ripping a limb off a creature just because you know it will grow back. Even the most primitive cultures understood that killing things unnecessarily was counterproductive to the greater task of survival. Ignorance might have led them to hunting styles or activities that were wasteful, or ritualistic practices with no supernatural value, but underneath that the concept remained. Human beings are distinct for their mindfulness of the world and abstracts.
We must accustom ourselves to the reality of eternal struggle, of limited time and resources. The modern people need to take their newfound wisdom and apply it to age-old principles. There are criminals and traitors in our midst that do not deserve to live at our expense. There are enemies in other countries plotting our demise, dreaming of destroying or subjugating us and erasing our values from the world. Vast monuments of human death and suffering have been erected throughout the ages, and it is our responsibility to pay them due respect. For every person that has been unjustly killed we cannot let the guilty continue to live. Every breath taken by murderers, rapists, and terrorists is an affront to justice. Every pulse they have, every moment they enjoy as their victims rot within the earth is a travesty. That the common man has been tricked into dragging an orgiastic throne of criminality across the dirt where their loved ones lay is blasphemous.
It is time we cut loose the weights that are holding us back as a society. We cannot be intimidated by the magnitude of our task. The principles of our laws are intact and can serve this purpose adequately. All our brighter future requires is that we open our eyes to the reality of survival. With truth as our ally we can dispel the feeble arguments and empty condemnation of those weak people who shy away from life's hardest tasks. Let them turn blind eyes to our work and live their lives in comfort and blissful ignorance. In the end, they will thank us for doing what they could not.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
the true north strong and free!
Friday, 24 October 2014
Solving Homelessness in Canada
How do you do it?
Homelessness is a widespread problem in pretty much every country, and an expensive one to deal with. In BC specifically our cities have homeless camps popping up in public parks that cause safety concerns for both the public and the homeless. There are many different causes for homelessness ranging from bad luck to personal crisis, childhood abuse to mental illness. It's important to accept that homelessness is not a problem that can be solved by the allowance of independent decision making, as most homeless people are incapable of executing good strategies to get back into mainstream society. There is an abundance of social programs and religious services designed to insulate the homeless from their condition and to keep them alive, but ultimately these things tend to fail or commit the homeless to a recurring cycle.
We need new ideas, and to that end, we look at intervention that is stark and meaningful. It occurs to me that most of the problems of homelessness can be directly attributed to a lack of stability. There are few things more stable than a professionally operated compound designed for a specific use. Think of it as a mandatory temporary housing arrangement, similar to a prison in some respects but with a greater degree of freedom. There are many places where we could build such facilities, accessible for mass transportation by rail. This would make transporting and processing the homeless as efficient as possible. I've worked out a very basic idea of how this would work.
First, an officer of the law would find someone they suspect is homeless. At that point they would ask the individual for some form of identification indicating the person's home address. A failure to provide this adequately could lead to an arrest and processing. During processing an individual would either provide additional information to show they aren't homeless, or they would be temporary held in order to try and verify their identity. If someone was found to be legitimately homeless they would be told to fill out a simple government form. It would cover things like:
Name
Last known address/city of residence
Next of kin
Reasons for homelessness
After being processed, the homeless person would be transported to the labor camp. Upon arrival they would be processed, cleaned, and given new clothing. Men and women would be separated. A publicly accessible database of all persons at the facility would be made available. Terms of internment would vary according to the severity of the person, ranging from 1-5 years.
During their stay, each person would remain fed and clothed. Detoxification and labor would be mandatory. Each person would be paid $200 a month into a secure account, accessible at the end of their rehabilitation. While at the facility the core issues of homeless would be resolved while building up the strength and stability to return to society.
LABOR would get the individual accustomed to work. It would resolve the main issue of joblessness. In addition, a profitable enterprise could help offset the costs of the facility. It would also contribute to overall fitness.
INTERNMENT would solve the problem of homelessness itself, by putting a roof over their head and giving them three square meals a day. There would be no more starving or freezing to death, or struggling moving from shelter to shelter and city to city. Additionally, this would keep them out of the cities and away from predatory drug dealers.
REHABILITATION would cultivate a sense of responsibility. The stability afforded by the camp schedule would help prepare them for the real world. Money put away into their personal accounts would give them a solid headstart on return to mainstream society, with enough to cover the basic costs of finding a place and a job.
Without being too idealistic, one must concede that if this solution were to be implemented a certain number of people would inevitably die. The various needs of different homeless people are considerably different. A hardcore heroin addict for example might not survive the process of detoxification and adjustment to their new lifestyle. However, it seems to me that these kinds of deaths are practically inevitable to begin with. We turn a blind eye to the issue as a society and in the process squander millions of dollars a year on the court system and temporary medical services. Our homeless people are already dying on the streets at the hands of people who want to hurt them, their own vices, or the elements. We are already spending an inordinate amount of money trying to combat homelessness to no lasting success.*
It is time we tried new ideas. It is time we broke bad habits.
*It might seem as though I am callous, but I prefer to handle matters dispassionately. People shouldn't misconstrue my thoughts as some effort to hurt the homeless. I think we should definitely ensure that such a facility be regularly monitored to prevent abuses, and that the needs of the individuals within are met. That being said, I think that the best way to serve the homeless and the rest of society is by giving them the tools to lead productive lives - whether they want them or not.
Anyway, it's just an idea. God knows nothing else seems to be working!
Homelessness is a widespread problem in pretty much every country, and an expensive one to deal with. In BC specifically our cities have homeless camps popping up in public parks that cause safety concerns for both the public and the homeless. There are many different causes for homelessness ranging from bad luck to personal crisis, childhood abuse to mental illness. It's important to accept that homelessness is not a problem that can be solved by the allowance of independent decision making, as most homeless people are incapable of executing good strategies to get back into mainstream society. There is an abundance of social programs and religious services designed to insulate the homeless from their condition and to keep them alive, but ultimately these things tend to fail or commit the homeless to a recurring cycle.
We need new ideas, and to that end, we look at intervention that is stark and meaningful. It occurs to me that most of the problems of homelessness can be directly attributed to a lack of stability. There are few things more stable than a professionally operated compound designed for a specific use. Think of it as a mandatory temporary housing arrangement, similar to a prison in some respects but with a greater degree of freedom. There are many places where we could build such facilities, accessible for mass transportation by rail. This would make transporting and processing the homeless as efficient as possible. I've worked out a very basic idea of how this would work.
First, an officer of the law would find someone they suspect is homeless. At that point they would ask the individual for some form of identification indicating the person's home address. A failure to provide this adequately could lead to an arrest and processing. During processing an individual would either provide additional information to show they aren't homeless, or they would be temporary held in order to try and verify their identity. If someone was found to be legitimately homeless they would be told to fill out a simple government form. It would cover things like:
Name
Last known address/city of residence
Next of kin
Reasons for homelessness
After being processed, the homeless person would be transported to the labor camp. Upon arrival they would be processed, cleaned, and given new clothing. Men and women would be separated. A publicly accessible database of all persons at the facility would be made available. Terms of internment would vary according to the severity of the person, ranging from 1-5 years.
During their stay, each person would remain fed and clothed. Detoxification and labor would be mandatory. Each person would be paid $200 a month into a secure account, accessible at the end of their rehabilitation. While at the facility the core issues of homeless would be resolved while building up the strength and stability to return to society.
LABOR would get the individual accustomed to work. It would resolve the main issue of joblessness. In addition, a profitable enterprise could help offset the costs of the facility. It would also contribute to overall fitness.
INTERNMENT would solve the problem of homelessness itself, by putting a roof over their head and giving them three square meals a day. There would be no more starving or freezing to death, or struggling moving from shelter to shelter and city to city. Additionally, this would keep them out of the cities and away from predatory drug dealers.
REHABILITATION would cultivate a sense of responsibility. The stability afforded by the camp schedule would help prepare them for the real world. Money put away into their personal accounts would give them a solid headstart on return to mainstream society, with enough to cover the basic costs of finding a place and a job.
Without being too idealistic, one must concede that if this solution were to be implemented a certain number of people would inevitably die. The various needs of different homeless people are considerably different. A hardcore heroin addict for example might not survive the process of detoxification and adjustment to their new lifestyle. However, it seems to me that these kinds of deaths are practically inevitable to begin with. We turn a blind eye to the issue as a society and in the process squander millions of dollars a year on the court system and temporary medical services. Our homeless people are already dying on the streets at the hands of people who want to hurt them, their own vices, or the elements. We are already spending an inordinate amount of money trying to combat homelessness to no lasting success.*
It is time we tried new ideas. It is time we broke bad habits.
*It might seem as though I am callous, but I prefer to handle matters dispassionately. People shouldn't misconstrue my thoughts as some effort to hurt the homeless. I think we should definitely ensure that such a facility be regularly monitored to prevent abuses, and that the needs of the individuals within are met. That being said, I think that the best way to serve the homeless and the rest of society is by giving them the tools to lead productive lives - whether they want them or not.
Anyway, it's just an idea. God knows nothing else seems to be working!
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