All is fair in love and capitalism: The Barbaric Heart

Recently, The Supreme Court ruled in favor of big business when they lifted the ban on political spending by corporations in candidate elections. The ban on spending was put in place to keep a certain amount of checks and balances in place between corporate power and citizen interests. Now, thanks to this ruling, political candidates can be bought and paid for by special corporate interests without the threat of monetary limitations or competition from an impotent public. Soon we will be seeing politicians wearing flashy jumpsuits with the blazing logos of Microsoft, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Wal-mart. For a detailed explanation of the decision and its implications please click on the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22scotus.html

Curtis White is an author as well as a professor of English at Illinois State University. In his most recent book he implicates the rise of The Barbaric heart as facilitating America’s unprecedented allegiance to The Market God (i. e. capitalism)—at the expense of all other virtues. The Barbaric Heart is an ancient entity that is concerned exclusively with the satiety of the Ego. It knows no other beauty than the accumulation of things—wealth—and it will do so with lustful vigor by any means necessary: including violence. The Barbaric Heart does not recognize the inherent beauty and virtue in a pristine sparkling river, or the resplendent melody of a symphony or a majestic mountain.

These are all—to those ensnared within The Barbaric Heart, only valuable as commodities. Who cares if a mountain is home to people and animals? Who cares if the mountain is lovely to look at and has served as the muse for countless writers and artists? The Barbaric Heart stands unwavering in its quest for profit and remains unmoved by the beauty in just being. There is coal within those mountains and it will stop at nothing to get to it; even if that means destroying the mountain and everything that depends upon it. Never mind that blowing off the mountaintop will result in displacing thousands of native people, poisoning the land and water and destroying an important eco-system. All is fair in love and capitalism. Briefly-- The Barbaric Heart may contemplate the ramifications. No doubt there will be a few unfortunate side effects along the way; people and animals may die, a whole generation will lose its identity, the beauty of natural vistas will be marred and forever altered—but what really matters is that “progress” is allowed to march forward unhindered.

In this case, “progress” is used as a euphemism for greed and oftentimes veils the violence necessary for it’s implementation. When the capitalist: a contemporary incarnation of The Barbaric Heart, implements the term “progress” it is actually referring to the progression of it’s own wealth. It cares little for the progression of equality, fairness and the what is good for the public welfare. Double-speak is a favorite tool of those ensnared by The Barbaric Heart. Words seemingly familiar and determinate such as freedom, democracy and liberty are restructured into terms that simultaneously mask and codify the greed, consumption and insatiability of The Barbaric Heart.

The Barbaric Heart has found a home within every known historical period. Although it has traded in animal pelts, clubs and spears for Armani suits, briefcases and Blackberries; the ferocity of it’s grim mission remains unadulterated and is just as potent and dangerous as in years past. What is different is the scope of The Barbaric Hearts influence. Via globalization, technology and population mobility The Barbaric Heart has laid siege to the entire Earth: like the frenzied rampage of a blood thirsty, foaming-at-the mouth and irrational monster: a monster that is rendered worse than any imagined in a child’s fairytale—if for any other reason than it is real.

This ruling by the Supreme Court has basically unfettered this dreadful beast from the few sinewy ropes that held it in check. What can we expect for the future? For starters-- the idea of a government of the people, by the people and for the people will indeed perish from America. Corporations will be wedded to the American military so the chances of widespread multiple wars across the planet increase as capitalists seek more nations to plunder for oil and raw materials. Civil liberties, already dealt a blow by the Patriot act, will further erode. The poor will be further marginalized and rendered disposable because they cannot contribute to the capitalistic machine. Debtors’ prisons will likely resurface and the poor along with other dispossessed groups will become the latest victims of the industrial prison complex. (Actually—this has already happened.)

Is this our fate as a nation? Some people envision this as a likely scenario. Writers like Robert Bly and Curtis White don’t think this has to be our fate. Our salvation, they argue, resides in the intangible realms of the human imagination. It is upon the sweat of the artist’s brow that our civilization will redeem itself. Is this far-fetched? I don’t think so. Creative visionaries have always inspired people to higher aspirations. Even now I can see the beginnings of an awakening in the public consciousness. There have been revolutionary movies made recently, including Avatar, The Visitor and District 9; that have cloaked contemporary moral problems within the guise of entertainment. Writers, musicians and artists the world over are banning together to facilitate change. The world may not be saved by the grace of a lofty messiah or the fierceness of a military force but rather-- by the humility of regular individuals wielding nothing but a paintbrush.

Citizens versus consumers: the rise of apathy

I've recently joined a local reading group. Currently we are reading Robert Bly's Sibling Society. In a nutshell, Bly argues that the destabilization of the nuclear family, particularly the absence of a stable father figure, has created a society of "half baked adults"; frozen in adolescence and unwilling to grow up. This can be seen in the recent trends of hyper-capitalism, declining wages, corporate irresponsibility, environmental degradation, and a reckless adherence to literalism and fundamentalism.

Although there are some problematic assertions in this book--namely Bly's unrealistic faith in traditional patriarchal values and his idealistic belief that poetic and mythological masturbation can save humanity from itself--there are some compelling points.

I've been particularly intrigued by his explanation of the propensity of contemporary adults to embrace selfishness and apathy. Bly explains this situation in the following paragraph taken from the book Sibling Society:

"In the suburbs and small towns, parents are subtly modeling for their children non combative speech--which the CNN anchors have already modeled for them. Many college teachers tell me stories of the strange silence in their classes; and the silence has an economic orgin. They are in college in order to get a job. The literature of social protest--Dreiser, Steinbeck--produces no resonating passions for justice. Many columnists recently have detailed the rapid decline in citizen participation, in fraternal orders, church sodalities, parent-teacher associations, and so on. The heat for public welfare is cooling."

According to Bly, this lamentable situation is the direct result of the sibling society creating adults who lack impulse-control and who indulge in unrestrained ego-gratification. Empathy cannot flourish in the hearts of individuals who are obsessed with acquiring material possessions while simultaneously alienating themselves by acquiring the newest technological gadgets.

Focusing on material possessions, gaining wealth and shirking public responsibility creates a nation of consumers rather than citizens. Whereby citizens see themselves as part of a community and feel some responsibility for the public welfare,conversely--consumers are predominately concerned with the self. Social justice concerns, empathy, creativity, ingenuity, poetry are all spurned in favor of the superficiality of the consumerist society.

I see this infiltration of selfishness and apathy in the college classes I take. When there is mention of social justice issues, immigrant or gay rights, race issues or whenever American exceptionalism is questioned there is often an unsettling silence that ensues. It feels as if there is an invisible authority in the room shushing any dissention from popular ideology.

I am also aware of this epidemic of apathy occasionally when I am engaged in the subject of immigration. Some people will merely shrug their shoulders and say "discrimination has always existed and there is no way to get rid of it." This illustrates apathy at its most dangerous. Imagine if women suffragists had succumbed to apathy--women would have never gained the right to vote. What if Paul Rusesabagina had turned his back on the thousands of Tutsi refugees in Rwanda who were facing extermination? Suppose the Allies during World War II had never battled against the Nazi tyranny because--well they just didn't care what happened to innocent people in the throes of unimaginable horror?

Yes, discrimination, in one form or another has always existed and probably always will. However, when we engage in apathy, we are allowing the basest and most destructive elements of human nature to reign supreme and unrestrained. By becoming engaged and active citizens, rather than passive consumers, we can encourage the structures of society to promote and encourage more positive and constructive behaviors rather than encouraging the destructive ones.

The Present...

Obviously, with my recent postings, it is clear I have not been writing about immigration recently. For the last few months I have been reluctant to delve into immigration politics simply because I have decided that it does not define the entire essence of my identity. Other issues and activities are important to me and since the title of this blog is "Diary of an immigrants wife" it is acceptable--even natural--that I should write about other events taking place in my life. I will never abadon my goals for immigration reform, but I may be more successful in my efforts if I alter my focus slightly.

I will explain this shortly. However, I imagine some readers are curious to know where my husband's immigration status stands. We did receive a rejection of his adjustment of status petition. Although this sounds disastorous, there is still some hope for a positive outcome.

It is not surprising that his adjustment of status petition was denied. Based on the 2nd circuit court judgement there was no other choice. We both knew this--but it was still a shock to receive the denial notice. We reserved a small amount of faith that some miracle would happen and it would be approved. So much for magical thinking. However, since it was denied, that means that the waivers--both the hardship and excludibility waivers can now be evaluated. This process was begun in Novemeber, and can take another 6 months to complete. So far, there has been no determination.

We went to a Homeland Security appointment in October and were told no new developments had been forthcoming. Status quo--again. They did not want to see us for six months! Which likely indicates that India has refused to issue the travel documents--either because Khalid is Muslim or because he has been away from India for too many years. There is only one other, remote possibility: that they are waiting for the completion of the adjustment of status petition and its rejection to deport him. This is a remote possibility because travel documents are only good for a certain amount of time and if the U.S. government had the travel documents in hand they would not hesitate in deporting my husband! So, we basically have one more anxiety-ridden trip to Homeland Security and then if it's status quo again--we are out of the woods. If they don't procure the travel documents by March--it is unlikely that they ever will.

It has come to my attention that my spiritual beleifs have a lot to do with my passion for immigration reform. Maybe it is time to investigate my spirituality and join a local group. Within this group I can hone my teaching skills and perhaps do some good.