We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Thought Police for the 21st Century [with two later addenda]

Click here to access article by Chris Hedges from TruthDig. (I again thank my longtime online friend and supporter, Christopher (northwest Oregon) for alerting me to this excellent article. Also I'd like to thank Caren in Oregon for sending me alternatives to Facebook which I have added to this post at 3:15 PM Seattle time.)

I've watched with growing pleasure the transition of Hedges from the low point of his writing when he was still trying to suck up to the ruling class in articles like "The Cancer of Occupy" to where he is now doing a program on RT and associating with socialist David North. He still annoys me by putting "corporate" in front of capitalism which leaves open the implication that there is a good kind of capitalism. Corporate capitalism is only entrepreneurial capitalism that has matured. It is the ugly monster that has grown up from (for some people) the rather cute baby of entrepreneurial capitalism of earlier times.

As a result of censorship that he writes about in this article, my website has also declined in readership from a year ago when it was rapidly increasing following the disillusionment of "Bernie-the-Sheepherder" followers. Mostly long time followers have remained loyal and kept reading my articles and commentaries. Hopefully with people like Hedges and the growing awareness of censorship, my website and other anti-Big Brother/capitalist websites will continue their growth in readership. There is clearly an information war going on and we, the people, are its victims--if we remain passive.

What I don't understand is why websites like The Greanville Post keep encouraging people to use Facebook. Isn't there some other place for people to virtually meet online?

Addendum provided by Caren from Oregon:
https://www.1and1.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/social-media/the-best-facebook-alternatives/

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/13/secure-alternatives-to-facebook-instagram-and-twitter.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/six-alternatives-google-facebook-battle-online-privacy-1472156
  
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/6-alternatives-facebook
From another engaged activist, Christopher in northwest Oregon, I received the following posts which also tackled alternatives to Facebook which I added to this post at 9:00 AM, 1/26/2018, Seattle time.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/10/ello_diaspora_and_the_anti_facebook_why_alternative_social_networks_can.html

http://web.appstorm.net/roundups/communication-roundups/6-alternatives-to-facebook/

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/13/secure-alternatives-to-facebook-instagram-and-twitter.html
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