Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona, Bastille in Paris, Munich, New York, Rome… London. As pictures from the many cities that organised the continuation of the process that began last year are starting to come in, this remarkable young movement is showing its capacity to mobilise people across borders. Will it be able to bring about the level of inspiration present in all mayor historical changes? It is not a matter of hoping but of actively engaging, because we are already witnessing some very nasty alternatives arising as a consequence of the crisis.
Many may *rest* assured by a few feel-good rebellions by Corporations shareholders (including the Bank of America and Barclays) preventing some of the excesses of the economic violence represented by disproportionate bonuses and golden handshakes. But these small tweaks at the system do not change it; they are the in-built safety valves that keep it going. Unless, of course, people expand the newly found sense of power in joint action and look at more fundamental issues.
At the same time the Leveson Inquiry continues to delve into the murky Politicians-make-or-break machinations of the Murdoch Media Empire and a new Hollywood blockbuster, “the Avengers”, in 3D for maximum effects, continues the long tradition of numbing the public consciousness with another (very enjoyable, no doubt) story about vigilantes who are allowed to break the rules because they are saving us all. It reinforces, yes, yet again, the concept of revenge as a response to conflict, and destruction as entertainment, apart from the goodies always win, no matter what is happening in real war zones and countries under fire. The Mass Media, Hollywood included, is the only tool that influences not the 1% or the 99% but the 100%; it is what shapes our beliefs and actions, with a suggestibility far more powerful than education and family. And it crosses *all* the borders.
As the Occupy/*Indignados*/Springs movement searches for new images for a just and nonviolent world, we must be aware of this monopoly on the subjectivity of the human being, not to censor, but to elevate our collective level of consciousness and maximise the balancing effect of alternative Media.
Such as Pressenza 😉
