The Homeland of Lies
In the homeland of lies, a malign stronghold of savage capitalism that fraudulently seeks to represent itself to the wider world as an honest republic, few people are willing to speak the absolute truth outright, freely and fearlessly. Unashamed acts of overbearing falsehood, frequently offered in a seemingly guileless manner, are the daily rule. Most citizens of the homeland are loath to affirm that which is undeniably true, even to the extreme of desperately rejecting what they can easily behold with their own eyes. A baneful shadow of murky delusion prevails, darkly extending across all forms of discourse, both public and private.
In the homeland of lies, where it is considered advisable to follow the current trend of general opinion, regardless of the direction in which that trend is leading, any person who is not fully compliant, who seeks to break step with the crowd, who dares to hold an uncompromising outlook of cleareyed rationality, will face the likelihood of being hated, harried, and persecuted. Most inhabitants of the homeland are keenly aware that it is preferable to keep one's thoughts to oneself. Even better is for a person to have no thoughts at all, to be completely blank at all times and in all situations, to be utterly unobjectionable in every way. An empty mind is a safe mind.
In the homeland of lies, nothing is what it appears to be, nothing is held to a close examination, and no perversion of verity is too outlandish for eager consumption by the witless masses. Most citizens see their homeland as a widescreen triumph that will never decrease or decline. They dwell in a thoroughgoing state of permanent denial, never looking beyond the margin of their own experience, and never challenging the tyranny of accepted explanations. They are stuck in their unwillingness to address the defects and shortcomings of their history, preferring to maintain, at any cost, the host of self-righteous illusions upon which their homeland was founded.
In the homeland of lies, “liberal” citizens and “conservative” citizens pretend to differ in opinion, despite it being glaringly apparent that most citizens of the homeland are united in a vile accord of collective hypocrisy. Their general understanding of what it means to hold citizenship is scant and superficial, and the elections in which they foolishly vote are never anything more than hollow diversions, offering no prospect of actual change. Nevertheless, they are fond of declaring the supposed greatness of their homeland, loudly and bellicosely, to the citizens of other homelands, who are required to prostrate themselves in abject obeisance.
In the homeland of lies, where the unbridled worship of wealth and luxury constitutes the primary religion, it is an article of faith that things always are on the upswing. Covetousness is rampant, and avarice is the chief motive in everyday life. Those who have much more than they need are blithely guiltless in their excess, viewing themselves not as greedy, but rather, as hard-working and extremely fortunate. Children of the homeland are groomed for a dreary fate of lifelong servitude and herded toward a narrow future of corporate domination, fulfilling their empty destiny as dutiful consumers and confirmed spendthrifts.
In the homeland of lies, people are judged by how much they buy, how many things they own, and how many credit cards they possess. Although affluent citizens might express token concern for the plight of those who are deprived, they blindly refuse to abandon their unquestioning allegiance to capitalist inequity, thereby ensuring that bleak cycles of deprivation are endlessly maintained. In many quarters, poor people are blamed for their own poverty. Those who cannot contend for sustenance within the ruthless mainstream are scorned and forgotten, pitilessly abandoned in the outskirts of prosperity, where they are allowed to starve in the streets.
In the homeland of lies, a frantic round of perpetual busyness is the standard mode of day-to-day living, providing a constant source of frenzied distraction and effectively preventing most citizens from perceiving the formidable walls of thick deception that enclose their lives. Faceless throngs of weak-kneed workers, all burdened with the unyielding curse of ponderous debt, are directed to engage, slavishly and gratefully, in a lifetime of soulless activity that makes their masters rich, while bringing little gain to themselves. When those workers have obligingly served their purpose, and can be exploited no further, they are summarily dismissed.
In the homeland of lies, coldblooded violence is vigorously glorified in countless ways, and the ardent pursuit of war is publicly endorsed as a commendable policy. When the armed forces of the homeland are repeatedly sent abroad to wage war after war, wantonly killing huge numbers of civilians in distant countries, few citizens are moved to offer any displays of vocal protest, and most citizens do not even acknowledge their own connection to those killings. Taxpayers of the homeland are willing to support endless warfare, as long as it happens far away and does not detract from their own selfish comfort.
In the homeland of lies, the casual use of firearms is benignly regarded as a wholesome diversion, and guns of every description are readily available. Even the mildest opposition to the unrestrained ownership of firearms is condemned as treason, and any attempt to put firearms under controls that are reasonable and necessary is viewed with the utmost suspicion. Random instances of fatal gunfire happen with grim regularity, but such instances are, without exception, carelessly excused and quickly brushed aside. With a plentiful supply of guns, the deceitful glory of the homeland can be upheld.
In the homeland of lies, where it is considered advisable to follow the current trend of general opinion, regardless of the direction in which that trend is leading, any person who is not fully compliant, who seeks to break step with the crowd, who dares to hold an uncompromising outlook of cleareyed rationality, will face the likelihood of being hated, harried, and persecuted. Most inhabitants of the homeland are keenly aware that it is preferable to keep one's thoughts to oneself. Even better is for a person to have no thoughts at all, to be completely blank at all times and in all situations, to be utterly unobjectionable in every way. An empty mind is a safe mind.
In the homeland of lies, nothing is what it appears to be, nothing is held to a close examination, and no perversion of verity is too outlandish for eager consumption by the witless masses. Most citizens see their homeland as a widescreen triumph that will never decrease or decline. They dwell in a thoroughgoing state of permanent denial, never looking beyond the margin of their own experience, and never challenging the tyranny of accepted explanations. They are stuck in their unwillingness to address the defects and shortcomings of their history, preferring to maintain, at any cost, the host of self-righteous illusions upon which their homeland was founded.
In the homeland of lies, “liberal” citizens and “conservative” citizens pretend to differ in opinion, despite it being glaringly apparent that most citizens of the homeland are united in a vile accord of collective hypocrisy. Their general understanding of what it means to hold citizenship is scant and superficial, and the elections in which they foolishly vote are never anything more than hollow diversions, offering no prospect of actual change. Nevertheless, they are fond of declaring the supposed greatness of their homeland, loudly and bellicosely, to the citizens of other homelands, who are required to prostrate themselves in abject obeisance.
In the homeland of lies, where the unbridled worship of wealth and luxury constitutes the primary religion, it is an article of faith that things always are on the upswing. Covetousness is rampant, and avarice is the chief motive in everyday life. Those who have much more than they need are blithely guiltless in their excess, viewing themselves not as greedy, but rather, as hard-working and extremely fortunate. Children of the homeland are groomed for a dreary fate of lifelong servitude and herded toward a narrow future of corporate domination, fulfilling their empty destiny as dutiful consumers and confirmed spendthrifts.
In the homeland of lies, people are judged by how much they buy, how many things they own, and how many credit cards they possess. Although affluent citizens might express token concern for the plight of those who are deprived, they blindly refuse to abandon their unquestioning allegiance to capitalist inequity, thereby ensuring that bleak cycles of deprivation are endlessly maintained. In many quarters, poor people are blamed for their own poverty. Those who cannot contend for sustenance within the ruthless mainstream are scorned and forgotten, pitilessly abandoned in the outskirts of prosperity, where they are allowed to starve in the streets.
In the homeland of lies, a frantic round of perpetual busyness is the standard mode of day-to-day living, providing a constant source of frenzied distraction and effectively preventing most citizens from perceiving the formidable walls of thick deception that enclose their lives. Faceless throngs of weak-kneed workers, all burdened with the unyielding curse of ponderous debt, are directed to engage, slavishly and gratefully, in a lifetime of soulless activity that makes their masters rich, while bringing little gain to themselves. When those workers have obligingly served their purpose, and can be exploited no further, they are summarily dismissed.
In the homeland of lies, coldblooded violence is vigorously glorified in countless ways, and the ardent pursuit of war is publicly endorsed as a commendable policy. When the armed forces of the homeland are repeatedly sent abroad to wage war after war, wantonly killing huge numbers of civilians in distant countries, few citizens are moved to offer any displays of vocal protest, and most citizens do not even acknowledge their own connection to those killings. Taxpayers of the homeland are willing to support endless warfare, as long as it happens far away and does not detract from their own selfish comfort.
In the homeland of lies, the casual use of firearms is benignly regarded as a wholesome diversion, and guns of every description are readily available. Even the mildest opposition to the unrestrained ownership of firearms is condemned as treason, and any attempt to put firearms under controls that are reasonable and necessary is viewed with the utmost suspicion. Random instances of fatal gunfire happen with grim regularity, but such instances are, without exception, carelessly excused and quickly brushed aside. With a plentiful supply of guns, the deceitful glory of the homeland can be upheld.