This entry was posted on
Friday, December 24th, 2004 at
8:19 am and is filed
under Humanity.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to post for Christmas (well, 20 minutes at least).

It just didn’t seem right to switch my brain off, point to a few happy/ironic links and be done with it. A message of hope also seemed misplaced.

Bush won. And the (by now very confident) right controls the majority of the bandwidth.

Frankly, it’s all going a bit tits-up, but us leftist/elitist/secularist/socialist peaceniks – the very model of political correctness gone mad – have been significantly marginalised with the help of media owners such as the lovely Mr Murdoch. (We’re all a bit barmy, in case you hadn’t noticed. We seem to think that greed, fundamentalism and extremism are the main dangers facing us today. Our problem is that we don’t appreciate the complicated nature of world politics. Happily, this can be solved if we approach matters in the simplest terms of Good Vs. Evil.)

So where’s the hope when we’re so visibly getting our butts kicked?

For hope, we must turn to the terrorists. Their greatest weapon is fear. This fear is further enhanced by governments that wish to exploit the threat for their own ends. These ends they seek and the means they use to reach them increase the threat of terrorism. That’s how, with a few planes and bombs, the few have crippled the many.

For hope, we must turn to the Bush administration. They developed and maintained a massive swing to the right by using fears of an equally massive swing to the left.

For hope, we must turn to Tony Blair. He stays in power and is able to enact right-wing policies because he exploits the fear of a return(!) to right-wing government.

Can you see the hope yet? It is in there, you just have to look for it.

These. Machines. Are. Run. On. Fear.

And there’s your hope, right there.

You still can’t see it, can you? But that’s because you’re failing to hang onto it. That’s because you’re failing to use it.

Hope lies in numbers. Using hope can build numbers. And you’re looking at the machine you should be using to build those numbers right now.

Obviously we’re all heathen scum – so most of us won’t have been to church for a while – but you may be familiar with a small fellowship exercise used at many a Christian gathering. Basically, you look to the people around you, find a stranger or two, and shake their hand. Or hug them. It depends on how full of the Holy Spirit you are. (This exercise works especially well at Christmas-time, as there as so many strangers attending church.)

Today, I looked up a few new blogs and I’ve offering them a hug/handshake via hyperlink. I urge you to do the same.

Meet timx. In this post he explains why he blogs. I was pleasantly surprised to find in this post a link to another blogger who already happened to be on my huggy-kissy list…

Meet Disillusioned Kid. He’s a man of strong opinion who peppers his thoughts with links to relevant posts/articles. A technique you may well be familiar with.

Meet Exoplanet. His beliefs appear to be similar to mine, but on his blog he cuts back on opinion and primarily documents news items of interest.

Meet Samir, Eileen, Katie and Leanna. Their blog is kind of like a mid-point between Disillusioned Kid and Exoplanet. There are many news items of interest, but each post is enhanced with an opinion.

Meet Amber. She’s currently serving in Iraq. Her moral is low, but she does find time for levity of sorts.

Meet Bizkitz. He works for the disadvantaged and has just returned from serving in Iraq. Recently he has pondered on the unique relationship between Bush and Blair and expressed concern over “aggressive projection of American interests”.

So there you have it. I’m all hugged-out.

I wish you all the very best in the coming days, I hope you enjoy your toys and – as always – I would ask that you not consume more than is good for you.

Merry Christmas.