Bro. Searle,
Benjamin Barber wrote a book with the eye-grabbing title: "Jihad versus McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism are Re-shaping the World" 1995/96, ISBN: 345-38304-4.
The gist of it is the programme of the anti-globalists, namely that trans-national corporations and their allies are running rampant over the globe (Hollywood, internet, satellite broadadcasting, McDonald's, Wall Street. And they are running into primitive tribalist notions and reviving others, along with THEIR allies.
This process allegedly is weakening the sovereignty of "nations" whose competence to govern was already inadequate.
It's such a simple idea that it may have some value for analysis of what used to be called "current events".The rest is my view, but Barber helped me see it more clearly.
It's quite obvious that the primitive thinking of most of the Muslim world was not ready for constant "cultural" bombardment by the post-modernist, atheist, hedonist, value-less west. When they heard of it before, third or fourth hand, they could laugh or ignore it, but not when it's on TV and billboards everywhere all the time.
The west, and particularly the US, have no shame in "letting the light shine in" to any mess or vulgar happening. Indeed Hollywood and the press have really invented the US image for most of the world, including at home.
The raucous cacophony of this process has intensified over the past few decades into cynical sensationalism and an updated radical chic or trendiness. Nor is it limited to the US as Europe shows the same face.
For a long time I thought all this was merely a matter of taste. But propaganda, intentional or not, is a very powerful image and belief builder. I now feel that the "media" have created a monster show which has polluted the international air with amorality and violence and trash culture.
Quite apart from the use or mis-use of national power, this image building process is overwhelmingly negative for all who touch it.
End of sermon.
At this stage I'm not sure I'd really like to see gold go up very much, and I don't really expect it to do so for another decade or so. Thirty to fifty dollars up per year is really quite modest and most probable.
Cheers!
Bro. Thomas |
