On the Dictablanda

[nadinbrzezinski]

Growing up in Mexico we knew they were listening to our telephone calls, especially foreign calls. So we all knew to watch what we said on the phone, even as early as five years of age. Those were the bad years of the Dictablanda. Those were the years after 1968, when criticism of the party and demands for gasp, transparency and democracy crossed a certain invisible line. For that students went missing...there are still about 1000 Mexicans that non has a clue what happened to, but anybody who's been awake suspects are in some shallow grave at a military base outside Mexico City.

When I was growing up we knew that you could be critical of the state within certain constraints and otherwise were left pretty much alone. So people lived their lives, mostly within a circle of friends and family.

Yes, there were (still are) activists in Mexico, and there are still activists in the "freest country on earth," (if it wasn't comical) with a full force security apparatus that like 1968 in Mexico can be turned, shall we say keyed up, in an instant. This is what is wonderful of this new (really old, I think we took notes from places like Mexico and Spain) system, is that you can still pretend. We are having this discussion right? They are not listening to your calls, only the metadata...and gosh darn it, after doing it illegally, all that was made legal retroactively. Hey, this never happens in a real police state right? So what do we have to fear?

There is plenty to fear. The first is the end of the myth. Thus the efforts to go after the leaker...and never ever deal with what was leaked. What was leaked is outside the boundaries in the play pen, for the most part. Why doing research into this rarely leads to the NYT, coincidentally the Excelsior wouldn't not run these kinds of stories either, but to obscure places in the interwebs...or the foreign press. Yup, this pattern is very familiar to those of us who grew in a dictablanda.

So this is the first issue... This discussion is dangerous to those in power, and the elites that control the power structure. Why they insist you take that blue pill...nothing literally to see here, and it is bipartisan.

The second fear is that sooner or later a crisis will lead to the closing in of the dictablanda into a dictadura. This can be done quickly, and even under the color of law. This also comes with plenty of character Assassination of those who dare speak more and outside the acceptable boundaries. Yup, the military and police forces are planning for that day, why? They know sooner or later too many people take the red pill instead of the blue pill.

Well, as a citizen you have a choice. You can continue to believe in the myth, and go back to sleep, or realize what we knew back in Mexico...voting makes not a tinker of difference, but we do it anyway, since it is practice for the day it just may... But we also knew something else, the kids who went missing in '68 bought us an awareness...in many ways these leaks and Occupy are the equivalent and just as dangerous to the current order.

So to be short, you can be loyal to a man...or an ideal, as problematic as that ideal can be at times.

Myself...I am an idealist at heart and will continue to be critical of those who push the Imperial design, and will vote...I need to remain in practice for when it might matter. For the moment, it does not. Empires do what Empires do...and a democracy we stopped being one a long time ago.

Oh and my phone and my IPad and my tv (when we replace it, ours is still quite dumb) are truly tracking devices... I am sure the commanders of the Mexican Security Apparatus we grew up fearing, or the Stasi, or the KGB, are just envious.

And yup, what we are seeing here is the manufacturing of consent and the creation of the panopticon

[SlimJimmy]

1. I couldn't disagree more. Our votes are the only thing holding this Democracy together. And they

count ... each and every one of them.

"and will vote...I need to remain in practice for when it might matter. For the moment, it does not."

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Kick

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Kick

[Floyd_Gondolli]

4. Wow two kicks to your own OP

Last edited Fri Jun 14, 2013, 05:53 PM - Edit history (1)

[Catherina]

5. Great read. Thanks for writing that.

I've lived under 1 foreign dictatorship and 1 dictablanda, well make that 2 now that we know what NSA has been doing. It's not pretty. Over my dead body will I let our country slide into that kind of darkness.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. You welcome

It's part of the illusion, and we already live in that darkness

[Hydra]

7. Good OP

To bad it's so subtly frightening that it's probably not being read correctly except by those who suspect/know it already.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Well, there is a limit

Some of this, I fear, needs to be experienced in the flesh by most. Denial is not just a river, but it is powerful.

[Judi Lynn]

9. K & R. Thanks. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Hey kids...they are actually listening to our calls

When Ari warned us to watch what we say he meant it.

Gosh darn it, he spoke the truth!!!!

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57589495-38/nsa-admits-listening-to-u.s-phone-calls-without-warrants/

[newfie11]

11. K&R