Controlling the Dialogue *** or *** The Revolution Will Not Happen
I've been paying closer attention to what is happening on DU in relation to what is happening in the larger domain of discourse. DU has a particular focus, and it is mostly reactionary to the tidbit of the moment. The larger scale, the meta-issues which transcend the latest soundbites, seems to be largely ignored. When chained CPI gets in the budget, the echo-sphere vibrates with "Obama betrayed us" instead of the sound economic rationales for raising the cap.
There are pitfalls to politics, and one of them is losing control of discourse. That is a huge, deep pit to crawl out of in our M$M world, but it is happening. The democratization of global media via the internet has transformed who controls the information we receive. What has yet to happen, it seems to me, is a really revolutionary shift in ideas discussed. We are still culture bound to behaviors of the past, stuck in the scripts learned from the past. The revolution has happened on the physical plane, in the media and how we communicate, especially in who has a voice in the greater world's cyber stage. What is lacking is a revolution in the minds and cultures of the world, a shift in discourse from reactionary to progressive motion for change.
What the world needs now is a new dialogue, a new focus on the meta-issues and meta-solutions. We need to take control of the discourse with bold and sound ideas for progressive change, for achieving ideals cherished by everyone. Rather than squabble over the tidbits in a sea of negativity, we should address how to increase social security for everyone. What changes will make more money available should be the focus, NOT how do we save a few pennies in the future. If the budget slashed the military, chained CPI would be off the table. Controlling the dialogue means refocusing the conversation on meta-solutions to the current problems instead of reactionary responses such as cutting cost-of-living increases to save a few pennies. Instead, we should be screaming, "Save Trillions instead of harming millions."
Control the dialogue. Take it to the next level, refocus on the big changes and solutions to the big problems which create the current situation. A revolution transforming which ideas we focus on seems in order. Without that simple step, the revolution will not happen.
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