The Consent Of The Exploited
Brad Harrington
By Bradley Harrington
"Men cannot be enslaved politically until they have been
disarmed ideologically. When they are so disarmed, it is
the victims who take the lead in the process of their
own destruction." --Ayn Rand, "The Wreckage of the
Consensus," 1967--
Economically, the United States, at present, finds itself
in the midst of lethargy: unemployment, taxes, deficits
and the cost of living are all rising, while growth,
investment, savings and productivity are all shrinking.
Who has made this possible?
Socially, we find ourselves in the midst of paralysis:
opportunity for all has been steamrollered by political
pull, respect for individual character has been
obliterated by class and race warfare, and the sanctity
of property has been swamped by the looting, mooching
decrees of the "welfare" state. Who has made this
possible?
Culturally, we find ourselves in the midst of jadedness:
ethical standards have been overrun by the reign of moral
relativity, adherence to principles has been overwhelmed
by the moronic rule of the immediate moment, and the
quest for truth has been torpedoed by bombastic,
sensationalistic propaganda. Who has made this possible?
Educationally, we find ourselves in the midst of
mindlessness: school costs continue to escalate while
test scores decline, phonics teachings have been
supplanted by the non-abstractive dictates of "look-say,"
and the inculcation of the facts and accomplishments of
American history have been superseded by a touchy-feely,
non-objective, non-conceptual mass of indoctrinational
worthlessness. Who has made this possible?
Politically, we find ourselves and our individual rights
held hostage by government officials who hold their
ability to plunder the productive people of our society
as superior to our right to retain the product of our
efforts, who consider themselves and their laws to be
above and greater than our former constitutional
protections, and who have no problem whatsoever with
replacing our peaceful desires with their legally-
mandated declarations and promulgations, all enforced at
the point of a gun whether we agree or not. Who has made
this possible?
It would be nice to be able to declare, at this point,
that we have been victimized by a malevolent conspiracy
that we could resist and overcome, or assailed by an
enemy that we could fight and vanquish. The reality,
however, is completely different, for the answer to all
of the above questions is: WE have. That's right. Not a
single one of the deficient horrors mentioned above has
taken place without our prior approval. We, the majority
of the voters of the United States, have, at one time or
another, demanded all of it.
If we now find our economy in a shambles, where is the
surprise? We, the voters, have asked for the controls
that are bleeding us dry--all in the name of "fairness."
If we now find our society teetering on the brink of
collapse, where is the surprise? We, the voters, have had
it re-engineered--all in the name of "progress." If we
now find our culture besieged by an irrational cesspool
of degenerative senselessness, where is the surprise? We,
the voters, have supported it--all in the name of
"tolerance." If we now find our "educational" system at
the mercy of concrete-bound, range-of-the-moment
brainlessness, where is the surprise? We, the voters,
have encouraged it--all in the name of "self-esteem." If
we now find our political system hijacked by self-serving
politicians bent on raping and pillaging the system for
their own greedy aggrandizement, where is the surprise?
We, the voters, continue to return them to the halls of
Washington, D.C. year after year after year--all in the
name of "representation." Are we now shocked that in all
of these instances, and many more, we have been granted
our wishes?
The conspiracy we are being victimized by--is the
internal logical consistency of our own ideas. The enemy
assailing us--is ourselves. Yes, we are being used,
abused, manipulated and exploited--but no form of
exploitation can continue for long without the consent of
the exploited.
Aren't the implications clear? We, the people, can bring
about "change"--REAL change, not the mere trading of
dictators that has been foisted upon us by our own
ignorance--any time we desire to do so; all that is
necessary is that we stop acting as our own destroyers.
To have the virtue of freedom TAKEN away is one thing;
voluntarily GIVING it away, however, is something else
altogether.
The power of choice, as always, is in your hands. What do
you intend to do with it?
--
Bradley Harrington is a former United States Marine and
a free-lance writer who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Charles Bell
wrote:
> THE CONSENT OF THE EXPLOITED
>
> By Bradley Harrington
>
> "Men cannot be enslaved politically until they have been
> disarmed ideologically. When they are so disarmed, it is
> the victims who take the lead in the process of their
> own destruction." --Ayn Rand, "The Wreckage of the
> Consensus," 1967--
>
Good quote!
> Economically, the United States, at present, finds itself
> in the midst of lethargy:
Dunno . . . This reminds me too much of preachy Carter's "malaise".
Maybe there's a kind of mass-hysterical apathy going on.
Spiritlessness. Perhaps, if this is a decent xmas retail season, then
we're both wrong, I suppose.
I like the rest of the essay very much. Much harder hitting than some
of your previous ones. However, I still see the nation's mood as
something other than lethargic and probably worse, as in cynical -- as
if some think that because Obama's "hope" was a sizzle then there is
no hope.
Charles Bell
> if some think that because Obama's "hope" was a sizzle then there is
> no hope.
"Sizzle" should be "fizzle".
Matt Barrow
news:hegpst$ks2$1...@vulture.killfile.org...
> THE CONSENT OF THE EXPLOITED
>
> Are we now shocked that in all
> of these instances, and many more, we have been granted
> our wishes?
>
"....against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC."
"We have met the enemy and they are us!" - Pogo
"A nation, just like people, are their own worst enemies!" - My Dad
Polls tell us that 50-60-70-80% of Americans are displeased with the
direction the nation is going. The poll options given are never "More
Statist" or "Less Statist". I almost hate to find out WHICH DIRECTION they
wish us to go as the overwhelming majority of people have no grasp of those
terms.
Matt Barrow
Jim Klein
> Polls tell us that 50-60-70-80% of Americans are displeased with the
> direction the nation is going. The poll options given are never "More
> Statist" or "Less Statist". I almost hate to find out WHICH DIRECTION they
> wish us to go as the overwhelming majority of people have no grasp of those
> terms.
It's a mushy feeling, that something is wrong.
Unfortunately for us, it's probably the last
remnants of rationality squeaking its tiny voice!
jk
Brad Harrington
>> THE CONSENT OF THE EXPLOITED
>> "Men cannot be enslaved politically until they have been
>> disarmed ideologically. When they are so disarmed, it is
>> the victims who take the lead in the process of their
>> own destruction." --Ayn Rand, "The Wreckage of the
>> Consensus," 1967--
> Charles Bell wrote:
> Good quote!
Thanks Charles. This was what I needed the "Consent of
the exploited" quote I was looking for...but this one worked
just as well. It gets the same point across.
> I like the rest of the essay very much. Much harder hitting than some
> of your previous ones. However, I still see the nation's mood as
> something other than lethargic and probably worse, as in cynical -- as
> if some think that because Obama's "hope" was a fizzle then there is
> no hope.
Well, I'm half-inclined to say that just because Obama's
hope is biting the dust bigtime does not mean the end of
hope AS SUCH...but, then again, anyone who placed
their hope in this fool probably would see that anyway;
it's not like he didn't give those of us with a little more on
the ball plenty of warning.
The thing that I find annoying about this whole issue, is
how Bush keeps getting the blame instead of Obama.
My wife's boss voted for Obama and keeps putting the
blame for Obama's failed policies on Bush, and keeps
saying how he had such a mess to clean up, blah blah
blah.
I finally told him the other night: Yes, that is true. But that
is not the problem here! Imagine, if you will, a 10-acre
plot of land that has its stewardship up for election every
four years. It is the job of this steward to, in his time of
office, enhance the beauty and productivity of that parcel
of land--planting flowers, making it pretty, etc., etc.
The last few stewards have done nothing but dig unsightly
holes all over the place and leave mounds of dirt everywhere.
Is this the fault of the newly-elected steward? No, it is not.
And, after a year or two goes by, and the new steward
is acting to fill the holes and attempting to make things
pretty again, is it his fault if he still has not accomplished
the mission? If some holes still exist, and the flowers he
has planted haven't bloomed as beautiful or as numerous
as they might have if he had worked twice as hard? Maybe,
maybe not. It's hard to put a tag on that one; the guy is
trying and he's doing the right things. Maybe we should
just chill out and let him do his thing...
But what if you see the stupid son of a bitch immediately,
the day he is elected, pick up a shovel three times the
size of any used by his predecessors, and start digging
more holes? Whose fault is that?
I think it finally sunk in to Jeff (my wife's boss) what is
really happening here, because he just looked at me and
didn't say a word...to which I added:
"It is not what he started with that is the problem here!
It is the methods he is using to supposedly solve the
problem..."
To place one's hope in methods guaranteed to bring about
the opposite of the (allegedly) desired result, is the
ultimate in folly. And, when that folly makes itself
manifest, the true answer is to change the methods and
bring them into line with the desires. But try telling THAT
to the fools that voted for this fool.
Brad Harrington
Brad Harrington
>> THE CONSENT OF THE EXPLOITED
>> Are we now shocked that in all
>> of these instances, and many more, we have been granted
>> our wishes?
> Matt Barrow wrote:
> "....against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC."
> "We have met the enemy and they are us!" - Pogo
> "A nation, just like people, are their own worst enemies!" - My Dad
Your Dad and my Dad would have gotten along quite well.
He once told me, right after Carter beat Ford back in 1976,
that when the majority of the voters of America support the
"welfare" state that we can kiss our freedoms goodbye, as
they will vote to continue the bread and circuses...
> Polls tell us that 50-60-70-80% of Americans are displeased with the
> direction the nation is going. The poll options given are never "More
> Statist" or "Less Statist". I almost hate to find out WHICH DIRECTION
> they wish us to go as the overwhelming majority of people have no grasp of
> those terms.
I think I know exactly what you mean. The fact that many find
our current course to be unpalatable, gives me hope...until I
realize that it does no good to merely OPPOSE, unless one
has something to PROMOTE in its place. Which, by and large,
we do not.
Still, that dissastisfaction remains the starting point: what is needed
is a successful articulation of a rational alternative.
Rand, hereself, touched on this point in the same essay I used
for my article's opening quote:
"The country at large is bitterly dissatisfied with the status quo,
disillusioned with the stale slogans of welfare statism, and
desperately seeking an alternative, i.e., an intelligible program
and course. The intensity of that need may be gauged by the
fact that a single good speech raised a man, who had never
held public office, to the governorship of California. The statists
of both parties, who are now busy smearing Governor Reagan,
are anxious not to see and not to let others discover the real
lesson and meaning of his election: that the country is starved
for a voice of consistency, clarity and moral self-confidence--
which were the outstanding qualities of his famous speech, and
which cannot be achieved or projected by consensus-seeking
anti-ideologists." ("The Wreckage of the Consensus," 1967.)
Reagan, as it turned out, only managed to slow the growth
of the "welfare" state--and yet, we find our current batch of
nincompoop RINO Republicans holding this out as an
alternative to the held-long plunge into fascism-socialism our
current fool has us embarked upon today.
Not exactly anything to give one hope there, is there?
Brad Harrington