"I do not wish to imply by the prefix "post-" that the system is no longer totalitarian; on the contrary, I mean that it is totalitarian in a way fundamentally different from classical dictatorships...~politician, Václav Havel
Within the system, every individual is trapped within a dense network of the state's governing instruments...themselves legitimated by a flexible but comprehensive ideology, a 'secularized religion'...it is therefore necessary to see, argued Havel, that power relations...are best described as a labyrinth of influence, repression, fear and self-censorship which swallows up everyone within it, at the very least by rendering them silent, stultified and marked by some undesirable prejudices of the powerful.
~John Keane
the contradictions between the "intentions of life" and the "intentions of systems", i.e. between the individual and the state, in a totalitarian society.
An individual living within such a system must live a lie, to hide that which he truly believes and desires, and to do that which he must do to be left in peace and to survive.
Havel argued that the restoration of a free society could only be achieved through a paradigm based on the individual, "human existence," and a fundamental reconstitution of one's "respect for self, for others and for the universe"; to refuse to give power to empty slogans and meaningless rituals, to refuse to allow the lie to oppress oneself, and to refuse to be part of the lie that oppresses others.
Havel proposes that the oppressed always contain "within themselves the power to remedy their own powerlessness..
an individual "living in truth" in their daily life they automatically differentiate themselves from the officially mandated culture prescribed by the State; since power is only effective inasmuch as citizens are willing to submit to it
Those who rule at the top of the pyramid are fundamentally incapable of controlling every aspect of an individual citizen's life despite their best efforts to do so.
those in petty power positions all the way down the line perform the prescribed rituals mandated by the State yet it is this blind obedience which in turn tends to dull the perceptions of the leaders at the top — inadvertently opening space for those who wish not to conform
ideological rituals...are ever less credible,
Are eroded...because they are untested by public discussion and controversy"
no matter what the situation, individuals carry responsibility with them. Therefore it is possible to not allow oneself to be humiliated by superiors anymore, or intimidated by the secret police.
all that is suffered over time under such systems often leads to deeper reflection: "There are times, when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth...
"living in truth" meant rejecting the notion that power is something to be grasped or abolished. Havel instead argues that power is relational.
"Demanding that the laws be upheld ... threatens the whole mendacious structure at its point of maximum mendacity." ~ vaclav Havel
Forms of opposition to the regime
Havel's political program being a breaking with both the traditional forms of governing and opposition.
"parallel institutions"
within a society more responsive to human needs
a "second culture"/ Counter Culture
an "existential revolution"
Which side
~ Jackson Browne
https://youtu.be/33kV-_jUuw8
Which side / Jackson Browne
you know that it's coming, as surely as the dawn
The battle for the future, baby, which side are you on?
The battle for the future, baby, which side are you on?
The corporations attacking
The natural world - drilling and fracking
All done with the backing of the craven and corrupt
The natural world - drilling and fracking
All done with the backing of the craven and corrupt
There's a restlessness out in the street there's a question in the air
How long if this theft goes on will our country still be here?
How long if this theft goes on will our country still be here?
People know the game is rigged even as they play
They see their expectations slowly slip away
They've got subsidies for billionaires, there's a bailout for the banks
A monopoly on medicine, and a sale on armored tanks
The whole damned country's being sold - out that revolving door
Between Washington and Wall Street like it's one big Dollar Store
They see their expectations slowly slip away
They've got subsidies for billionaires, there's a bailout for the banks
A monopoly on medicine, and a sale on armored tanks
The whole damned country's being sold - out that revolving door
Between Washington and Wall Street like it's one big Dollar Store
Which side?
The bankers and their special friends
Who rob you time and again
Who like to pretend they're the only game in town
Or the people who
Hope with everything they do
They can build something new
And turn this world around
The bankers and their special friends
Who rob you time and again
Who like to pretend they're the only game in town
Or the people who
Hope with everything they do
They can build something new
And turn this world around
Who owns the elections? Who profits either way?
Who ends up with all that money politicians pay?
To be the fearless leader, to put themselves across
To be the one entrusted with the profit and the loss
You try hard to believe that when you cast your vote it counts
But elections are won with money in ever larger amounts
Take the money out of politics and maybe we might see
This country turn back into something more like democracy
Who ends up with all that money politicians pay?
To be the fearless leader, to put themselves across
To be the one entrusted with the profit and the loss
You try hard to believe that when you cast your vote it counts
But elections are won with money in ever larger amounts
Take the money out of politics and maybe we might see
This country turn back into something more like democracy
