THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF : SCHIZOPHRENIC AMERICA
Borrowing a term first coined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817, I find that the country is deeply involved in letting to many falsities simply slide by. The concept of the "suspension of disbelief" has been around for a long time. It is what makes a great adventure movie more thrilling and great literature more entertaining. When the reader or viewer is able to suspend their logical thought processes and allow a temporary acceptance of characters, ideas, situations and computer-generated graphics as being real, no matter how far-fetched and inconceivable, they enter into a state of denying reality. It is a semi-conscious decision in which you put aside your disbelief and accept the story as it unfolds. Often the premise of a great story or movie can be quite outrageous, but it holds your attention as long as it stays consistent and doesn't go to extremes.
With most of the action-packed movies put out by Hollywood these days, the suspension of disbelief has become quite easily obtained. We have come to expect it. Great fiction also employes our acceptance of unusual situations and characters who go beyond what is humanly possible. But since fewer people read these days, movies are a quick and easy way to get your mind off everyday problems.
Is it any wonder that the actor Ronald Reagan was able to persuade Americans into thinking that unions were bad for the country ? As an employee of General Electric, Ronnie was able to sell ice-boxes to Eskimos. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" he once quipped before entering into big-time politics, where the dialog changed to: "the government can not solve your problems, the government is the problem." With this phrase he went about destroying regulations which were put in place to protect the citizens of our country. He presented a scenario in which people suspended the concept of government for the people, and brought about a mind-set of government elimination. It was not difficult for a trained actor to sway public opinion, after all, he had been doing it for many years in theaters and on television, and the American public really sucked it up..
The Warren Commission was established to find the truth behind the assassination of President Kennedy, but the commission was loaded with politicians who stood to gain politically and financially by the passing of Kennedy, and their final report stated that it was a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, who acted alone. Today we know a lot more about the Cuban nationals, Oswald's CIA background, the Mafia connection, the Bay of Pigs disaster and Kennedy's likelihood of getting the US out of Vietnam. But, for many, the Warren Commission had established the final word about it all. We have suspended reality in favor of not re-investigating the entire event.
Painted as a conspiracy theory, the 9/11 rebuttal against the official report, is not going to die. With evidence pointing toward a controlled demolition of all three towers; a British newscaster standing in front of building-7 saying that it had collapsed many minutes before it actually did; the engineering that went into the construction of the twin-towers to withstand an airplane attack; the fact that the airplanes, loaded with fuel, could not create the heat necessary to melt the steel-columns and crumble concrete into dust; the fact that an airplane could not have hit the Pentagon as the size of the hole was not large enough, no surveillance camera footage has been released to the public and no engine parts could be found; while one of the supposed hijacked airplanes actually landed in Cleveland without incident and the passengers disembarked normally; the crash site in Pennsylvania was without airplane parts; the realization that several of the supposed 19 hi-jackers from Saudi Arabia were seen alive in foreign countries afterword; the fact that 16 independent national security agencies all failed to react as they had practiced in previous drills, going back several years, involving hi-jacked airplanes flying into the Twin Towers; and the fact that large "put" options were placed on the stocks of the airline companies involved just days prior, is just many loose-ends to be ignored. Now add to this mix, Dick Cheney giving orders from his secluded bunker to all agencies to "stand down" and not scramble jets to intercept. Believing that these newly trained hi-jacking pilots, trained in Florida (hey Jeb, what's up with that ?) to fly much smaller airplanes, could have possibly piloted huge airliners into the sharp descending turns which many experienced 767 pilots said was nearly impossible, stretches the suspension of disbelief to snap under it's own weight. But the 9/11 commission continues to sell it to the public anyway.
Not that I'm nit-picking, but it is clearly understood that Doubya had plans already drawn up to attack Iraq before becoming president. In fact the Patriot Act was written in draft form before 9/11 ever happened.
With delusions of thought, Americans, in general, do not believe that their government would ever engage in "false-flag" operations against her own people, but we now know that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was well known in advance, but nothing was done to alert the citizens in Hawaii. The Spanish-American War was started off the coast of Cuba when newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst made up a story about the Spanish sinking an American ship (the Maine) and politicians quickly followed his lead. The Gulf of Tonkin incident was another example of getting us into a war under false pretenses, and who can forget the Weapons of Mass Destruction never found in Iraq, leading us into a pre-emptive war; all based on lies.
The majority of the American public have little, or no idea at all, of the actions of our government promoting genetically altered foods, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, untested, or tested and found to be dangerous, yet approved by the FDA. Gardasil is one of those products with dangerous side effects, and it was fast-tracked through the approval process, made available before proper testing. Now, Merck, the manufacturer is recommending that it be given to young boys as well. Strangely, the government of the U.S. Is legally allowed to experiment on it's own citizens and very few Americans know this. The CIA is allowed to experiment on anyone, anywhere, as demonstrated by the LSD poisoning of an entire French village a few years back.
Donald Rumsfeld is allowed to sell aspartame with FDA approval. Originally banned by the FDA, it is not a natural substance, nor is it a diet product. In fact, aspartame may even cause someone to gain weight, as it is stored in the body's fat. It is unregulated, like many things today, and turns into formaldehyde when diluted in a liquid. There are officially 92-side effects of ingesting aspartame, as it accumulates in the body. In typical fashion, dieters will suspend their disbelief and sprinkle the sweetener on everything believing that they will loose weight by avoiding sugar. It is a part of many processed foods and most soft drinks, yet it does not appear on the label ..... it is a trade secret, don't tell anyone. Since aspartame has gotten some bad press, the manufacturer has changed it's name; think NutraSweet.
A range of cognitive deficits are associated with schizophrenia, including problems with concentration, difficulty focusing, problems with reasoning, easily distracted, memory loss and failure to communicate coherently. Wow, ....I watched great displays of this behavior in October as Tea-Party candidates avoided direct questions and tried to distract everyones attention to insignificant trivialities. Rather than talk about jobs, we had to listen to tirades about DADT, marijuana legalization, homosexuality, witchcraft and masturbation. Instead of answering questions about a national migration policy, we were distracted with the Arizona governor's plan to keep us safe by arresting anyone without papers. "Hey man " you got papers ? Lets smoke some weed."
In Texas they are re-writing textbooks, taking out significant contributors to the founding of America as a nation. The new text books will be about conservatives only, and creationism; Darwin be dammed ! Talk about a suspension of disbelief .....and we are letting them get away with it !
Dopamine has been identified as the main neurotransmitter implicated in schizophrenia. And what is the favorite past time in America ? Besides the relentless search for instant gratification, Americans are brought up on a constant diet of competition, sports, and video-games based on war situations. Beating the snot out of everyone releases great amounts of dopamine. The movie "Fight Club" come to mind. While the thrill of victory may be a great ride, excessive dopamine in the bloodstream leads to schizophrenic behaviors. Americans are juiced up on this stuff, just look at pro sports and the outrageous salaries given to the most punishing players, or take a gander at Wall Street where the need to take everything they can get their hands on prevails, and they really don't even care if you watch them do it. What kind of a bonus did you get this year ?
Speaking of Wall Street, who can forget the Wall Street Reform bill that did nothing to reform Wall Street, but it sounds like it should have, doesn't it ? Health Care Reform didn't reform Health Care either, it is just another fancy way of saying that we tried .... and failed famously. The actions of the big banks have led the entire planet straight into the hands of the IMF and World Bank, one country at a time, just as planned. That isn't reform, it's progress towards the interest of the wealthy. Once the raising of the debt-limit is voted down, next spring, America will fall into receivership, needing to sell off the Commons; public buildings, national parks, and government services will go to the highest bidder at bargain prices. Entitlement programs, which are fully funded and paid for by the sweat of labor will need to be sacrificed to save the country. It's just the pessimist in me that thinks these unbelievable things are possible. Suspend your disbelief for a moment, and your retirement funding and 401 will instantly vanish from the face of the earth without a trace .... I had, Enron, Worlcom, E-Toys and a few others which were rated AAA and guaranteed to keep my retirement safe, but I blinked and it was gone. I still love the fact that Fidelity sends me quarterly statements which state that I have a thousand shares of XYZ corporation with absolutely no value.
While I'm in a bitchy-mood, lets look at the agenda of the current administration and their failure to face reality. Obama's agenda to move-on and look towards the future, completely eliminates a solid foundation upon which to build a future. But why should his administration give it a second thought, they are all just serving their shadow-masters until the revolution arrives. I suspended my disbelief long enough to elect a conservative in Democratic clothing, pretending to be progressive. The "change we can believe in" has become Bush III (sorry Jeb, you'll have to wait to become Bush IV). Can anyone but a schizophrenic, with delusions, problems in reasoning and suffering hallucinations believe that not correcting the past mistakes with redress & rectify the injustices done by the previous administration is going to lead Americans back to having faith in our government ? ......Poppycock !
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