SOTT Focus:

The American Dream - Connecting The Dots

Sott.net
Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:04 UTC

"They call it 'The American Dream', because you have to be asleep to believe it" - George Carlin

Reader Comments

Niall · 2011-07-04T16:34:59Z

LOL!

Yeah, happy Independence Day, America. May your dream and everyone else's nightmare fade into oblivion.

cyre2067 · 2011-07-04T16:41:24Z

Awww

George's lil bit at the end was volume'd down?

Joe · 2011-07-04T17:51:10Z

must be your speakers, sounds fine to me

Erykah · 2011-07-04T16:53:17Z

Awesome Video!

Thanks SOTT for Connecting the Dots again!

Sakura Yamato · 2011-07-04T16:55:54Z

Thanks for the laugh

I always hate the 4th of July, because it's filled with so much stupid celebrations based on good ideologies that were never followed by the Americans. They have spat on and degraded their own constitution so much that there is barely anything left of it- and yet, every year on this day they 'celebrate' it. So much lies... Thanks for cheering me up with this song today Sott!

1gnatious · 2011-07-04T16:57:15Z

Wow!

Brilliant!

SpiralOut · 2011-07-04T19:39:41Z

That was awesome!

Great job!

Noise · 2011-07-04T19:56:27Z

Very creative!

Thanks for sharing that creativity and observation once again.. another homerun!

hkoehli · 2011-07-04T23:07:08Z

Nice

These have all been so great, it's impossible to pick a favorite!

beetlemaniac · 2011-07-05T03:07:01Z

For everyone

Not just for Americans, but everyone still fast asleep.

Bayreera · 2011-07-05T04:31:49Z

Super

awesome!!

shellycheval · 2011-07-05T05:05:36Z

Another

excellent production from SOTT. Spot on in the message--so true it should hurt. Thank you.
shellycheval

Rabelais · 2011-07-05T06:28:49Z

A star is born...

Burma Jones is da bomb!

GRiM · 2011-07-05T13:46:57Z

Indeed! The production value of this video is unbelievable, I don't get it. Such a good song with a powerful and metaphysical message!

Aya · 2011-07-05T08:13:01Z

Wow!!

Awesome! Love the music!

Amerikagulag · 2011-07-05T10:52:56Z

Happy 4th

The US 4th of July holiday is supposed to commemorate freedom from tyranny.
[Link]Historical Fact: Independence Day Is A Celebration Of Freedom From Government Tyranny
And what kind of government tyranny, specifically? Well, the kind that involves warrantless searches of peoples' homes, where government agents could just waltz right into your private home for no reason and conduct a search without even getting a court-issued warrant. That was a form of government terrorism waged against the people, and when the USA declared its independence from British rule, it adopted a new rule at home that specifically forbade such tyrannical government actions.

That rule is called The Fourth Amendment. It protects citizens from illegal searches and seizures undertaken by a tyrannical lawless government.

Looks like we've come full circle.
I don't participate in the sheep festival any more.

Woodsman · 2011-07-06T14:10:53Z

Wonderful!

Catchy tune, vital message.

This is top notch stuff!

Thank-you!

learning2 · 2011-07-07T10:10:12Z

Greece: Meeting Held Within Minutes -- Pass it on

COMING SOON. Pass this on…We need to watch and learn.

Greek People Continue the Battle: [Link]

stopcartelgr: We are organizing the 2nd Day of People’s Conference and Deliberation concerning Direct Democracy and the Constitution. The requisite workgroup announces that the event will be held on Thursday, 7 July at 19:30, at Syntagma Square.

Participating speakers:Christos Grammatikas, PublisherPeriklis Korovesis, Author-JournalistMihalis Lianos, Professor of Sociology (Université de Rouen- Haute Normandie)Matina Papahristoudi, Journalist Kostis Triantafyllou, Author

Positions:Lefteris Karayiannis: Experience with base groups in Germany; real democracy growth prospects. Member of the “Sporos” collective for fair and alternative trade. Report on the self-organized distribution of goods within the framework of the solidarity economy.

Questions and statements by attendees will follow.

pophistorian · 2011-07-07T16:33:15Z

Great!

!

System · 2011-07-08T12:43:25Z

When did people stop caring about the suffering of others? When did people stop caring about one another? The level of indifference, the roaring silence, the blank looks in the eyes of people when I try to engage them in some meaningful discussion about a topic of substance, the impatient vibe you feel when you know someone is simply sitting there shutting you out, not even paying attention, because they just don't give a damn about what's going on OUTSIDE themselves, their property, their job, THEM, THEM, THEM. So little attention and value is placed upon what happens to others, or to experiences, and so much attention and value is placed upon THINGS.

I've never understood WHY, WHEN or HOW THINGS replaced PEOPLE on the ladder of priority.
But I see it every day in the unkindness, in the indifference toward other people's suffering and loneliness, on the street when nobody seems to know the words "Please", "Excuse me" or "thank you". I see it when I say hello to people and they act as if I didn't even speak, or I am unworthy of language. Nothing, just silence. And this is at a workplace, where you see the same faces every day. common courtesy seems to have been erased. Social skills seem to have vanished. And at my workplace, it appears that almost EVERYONE is ADDICTED to their cell phones - which they stare at constantly, texting and playing video games. When people do speak, they gossip about others or talk about THINGS they bought, want to buy, superficial bullshit. I hear nothing about what's going on in the world UNLESS I bring it up and attempt to engage in conversation. Mostly they don't speak. Mostly they stare at their cell phones, engrossed.

On a half hour break at work, I can't tell you how many times I've sat amidst a group of people and nobody speaks. Everyone but me is mesmerized with their cell phones. 30 minutes of watching these people and I was reminded of just how isolated people are becoming from one another - even when others are sitting right next to them. If you can easily, mindlessly ignore the people sitting next to you, if you can act as if the person who is approaching you and saying HELLO while making direct eye contact is NOT THERE, if you can act as if that person right in front of you doesn't even EXIST, then how difficult is it to ignore the person in Palestine?

I just don't understand why people have become this way and to this extent. Is it because of prescription anti-depressants? This addiction and obsession with smartphones, etc? Is it some inherent lack of empathy and caring? This song is so absolutely on target, I wish I could play it at work. My day job is at a rehabilitation and nursing home facility, where people are EXPECTED to care about vulnerable elderly and recovering patients. It's really unnerving to see how LITTLE CARE actually exists there, genuinely.
I see this all around me, too. On the street, in the market, and online.

When did people become so VACANT?
When was the dropping-off point? When did people stop caring about the "things" that matter?
When did people stop giving a damn about other people?

Have empathy, patience, and compassion for others been erased in much of the population? My own experiences surely must reflect something much larger, something very dangerous, very toxic and quite contagious, at least as I see it.

This song brought so many thoughts to mind. Thank you for sharing it.
I'm here and I'm still thinking.

ChewyBees · 2011-07-08T23:25:26Z

Let me start by saying I know nothing. Or maybe it's that I know everything and everyone else knows nothing. There's a balance point in there somewhere, it's elusive, but I will say that I have my eye on it.

I stop and wonder if all of this stuff going on around me, entering one or all of my senses all of the time is real. What actual proof do I have that any of this is real? Think about it, is any person, place or thing real or do you just interpret it as real?

Take that a step further. Maybe, just maybe, all of this interaction and playback we call life and world might just be put forth, in your grill, to see how you react. No one else, just you. This all might just be one huge test to see how far you will plug in to the madness, and what exactly will happen if you are forced to unplug. No one else exists, it is just a simple software program in which you are a subroutine, and all of the other elements are presented and then re-presented to get from you that which you are going to give. There really is no right or wrong, but there is pass or fail, and you have to be the determiner of what events in your life are obstacles for you to overcome, and what is mindless drivel to distract you from your purpose.

Your identification of the many of the elements of love is a key indicator that you are already on a track that will in the least put you on the path that is in deference to fear, and anger and chaotic hate that are all elements of evil (evol). This is the path I would like to see everyone follow, but there are bell curves everywhere and on one side is the loving and on the other are those that hate love because it isn't profitable in some twisted form or another. In the middle are the rest and really all they want is immediate gratification as their only form of validation.

We are all constantly being coaxed and advertised to plug in just a little farther, with some new gadget and some pretty blingy thingy to impress our pseudo friends for 10 seconds at a time. When you can see that, which anyone can and I believe you have, then it becomes a little easier to unplug, and to unplug your family little bits at a time. It doesn't mean move to a shack in the woods, but it does mean that if the world system went dark, and the off switch got flicked on everyone's fictional little life, how would you (and your family and loved ones) react and survive? As much as we all would like to be physically prepared for such an apocalyptic event, it is the mental preparation that sets any survivor apart in any situation. It is also what will allow true neighbors to gather and thrive while others have long ago perished.

In the meantime, you can only behave as the child of God you are. Even if people don't smile back or respond in kind or even acknowledge you, believe me when I say that someone does. Love people in spite of them. This is the lesson of the prophets and philosophers of the ages. If you don't, then who will?

HowToBe · 2011-07-09T01:53:41Z

Quote from Wingedpiper
"I just don't understand why people have become this way and to this extent. [...] I see this all around me, too. On the street, in the market, and online.
[...]
Have empathy, patience, and compassion for others been erased in much of the population? My own experiences surely must reflect something much larger, something very dangerous, very toxic and quite contagious, at least as I see it."

It sounds like you could really benefit from reading Political Ponerology, as that book is about the process of macro-social corruption (the corruption of entire societies/nations), the factors (and individuals) that cause it, and the conditions under which it occurs. Indeed there is "something much larger, something very dangerous, very toxic and quite contagious", and that book is a valuable piece of the knowledge required to protect ourselves and our world from this condition we find ourselves in.

You can get the book at the Quantum Future Group Bookstore here: [Link]
I must note that Political Ponerology is pretty information-dense, so it will probably take some time to get through the book, but I think it's well worth it.

andycox · 2011-07-09T06:06:40Z

The American Dream

Ah yes, the American Dream. More ideological crap. I have something to say on this on [Link]The big question is: Who realy benefits?