The British pop rock group The 1975 have created a powerful music video, Love It If We Made It, with the refrain: “Modernity has failed us”
Category: Politics
Rap Against Dictatorship
Polarizing the people is the authoritarian’s ultimate weapon. When this happens, the people’s power will be taken away.
From: Rap Against Dictatorship in Thailand
Note–the English subtitles begin at 0:14
I was living in Bangkok during the 2006 coup d’état. While the military take over was peaceful at the time, deadly violence later erupted as anger boiled over in the population which had become polarized into two opposing groups–the red shirts and the yellow shirts. Needless to say, this made it easier to identify those at large rallies who held similar views.
I was excited to find this video since it’s a sign that some Thai artists are taking a stand against a dictatorship which has instituted draconian laws removing their right to speak out against corruption and injustice.
I wish only peace, security and freedom for my former Thai students.
peace~henry
George Soros and The Politics of Fear
“Fear again. If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid.” Paul Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
George Soros–the most evil man on this planet. Really, I wondered aloud as I read a post from an anti-Soros Facebook group? Over the past few years, as more repressive, right-wing governments have gained popularity in some Western democracies, Soros has become THE go-to bogeyman.
While I don’t personally know the wealthy philanthropist, I seriously doubt he’s responsible for all the global mischief he’s been (and is still being) accused of causing by right-wing media outlets and conspiracy theorists. The list of accusations includes but is certainly not limited to: the Arab Spring uprising in the Middle East, refugee invasion of Europe, Black Lives Matter Movement, Ukrainian Revolution and most recently the much-publicized ‘migrant caravan’ heading toward the US/Mexico border. Soros has been labeled the king of the Institutional Left by far-right Brietbart News and was accused by Donald Trump of paying women to protest during the Senate hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the US Supreme Court.
Post from an anti-Soros Facebook account. Credit: BBC
Putting a Face on Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis
For those who have been paying scant attention to the news-worthy articles tucked between Trump headlines, the on-going humanitarian crisis in Venezuela may be but a blip on an already disorienting radar screen. However, with the pending collapse of President Nicolas Maduro’s government looking more inevitable as the days pass, along with limits to immigration being high on the agenda of many countries, this is a crisis to which we should all be paying attention.
Each day, Venezuelans are dying from malnutrition and treatable diseases due to hyperinflation that’s driving up prices and causing severe shortages of basics like food and medicine. The callous mindset that rules in Caracas was once again placed on international display this past week when President (and dictator) Maduro and his wife dined on the finest cuts of beef at an expensive soirée in Istanbul while his own people were starving back in Venezuela.
Abuse of Power: the more things change…
Just to prove the wisdom of the old adage ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same,’ I ran across some photos from an art show I had in Seattle back in 1995.
Pan Man: The Right Icon? 1995
The show was entitled “Pan Man: the Right Icon?” and featured a group of vaguely male-looking plaster casts covered in decorative bead work. Each of the 10 figures was graced with a large penis made from a variety of found objects ranging from pieces of rusted metal to a strange looking wood-working tool. The figures were inspired by a cartoon I did during the 1994 US midterm elections when Newt Gingrich and his fellow Republicans took control of Congress.
More Arms in the Middle East
…the US Government instead chose the path of aggression and death in partnership with Saudi Arabia…
The civil war in Yemen began in 2015 and has been particularly deadly for innocents–men, women and children. It’s been made even more so due to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s use of remote-controlled weaponry, much of it produced in the USA which is one of the coalition partners.
On August 9th, a coalition airstrike killed at least 51, 40 of them children on a bus which was parked outside a market at the time of the strike. The deadly bomb used in the attack has been identified as a laser-guided MK-82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of the largest US defense contractors.
Reboot: The Global Reach of American Culture
This week I’m re-blogging an update to my very first post. Since this blog has been accused of rambling without any clear direction (just like its author!), I’d like to inform my readers of my original purpose for developing My Quest Blog. Thanks for reading and please feel free to share any and all thoughts you may have!
https://myquest.blog/2017/01/01/global-reach-of-american-culture/
