Counter HE-GEM-O-NY:
To counter the hegemonic forces
at work in the world is to assert
one's own opinion and one's own
unique energy. The uniqueness
of the individual and the
uniqueness and variations
amongst the earth's cultures
cannot be homogenized in
accordance with the current
capitalist trends. To counter
hegemony is to decolonize the
mind, re-read the history of the
world and assert the mother
earth's need for a new deal.
Let us evaluate the very
principles governing American
Society, with careful
consideration given to the
question: What is expected from
a person living in the United
States of America? How we, as
a national collective, respond to
catastrophic events as well as
smaller, less consequential
happenings is a direct reflection
of our values. A rush to bomb
our 'enemies', a leader who
declares himself a 'war president'
and a flood of national pride can
be interpreted in almost as many
ways as there are people. So, at
the request of the artist, ask
yourself, what our the
implications when we consider
WAR as a necessary evil? What
does it suggest when the world's
sole superpower can find no
other option than pre-emptive
military strike? By consequence,
what values are we as citizen's of
the United States passing on to
the youth and our unborn
children?
As humans first and U.S. citizens second, we must come to the
realization that there cannot be a never-ending war on terror. To
declare WAR on TERROR is a logical impossibility. To keep any
group of people in a constant state of FEAR, whether at home or
abroad, is not only tiring and disconcerting, but immoral as well. Fear
creates the strong desire for security, regardless of the actual threat
level. Fear provokes a genuine concern from the populous, who
respond with trust and the sincere belief that we need eliminate the
cause of that fear, whatever it may be. What are we afraid of and who
tells us to be afraid of it?
A challenge, not a demand, but a challenge, is to corroborate what it is
we are told to believe. Go to more than one source, read more than
one publication, absorb information from the self-proclaimed 'religious
right' as well as the 'liberal pres.' Do not succumb to the notion that
'United We Stand - Divided We Fall.' What would be the consequence
of silencing dissent?
