Funky Winkerbean by Tom Batiuk Sunday Strip for September 9, 1974
In the spirit of the season I thought I'd make a light hearted post of two Funky Winkerbean Sunday Newspaper Strips from the 1970s dealing with the new phenomenon of computer technology. In those days desktop computers were hardly dreamed of; computers were huge automatons that cost a fortune, no thought yet of moniter screens and only big business or a very rich school could possibly afford one. This made them serious business, and remote from most people's life, and therefore prime material for cartoonists. Here Tom Batiuk takes a couple shots. Happy Holidays!
Funky Winkerbean Sunday Strip for February 9, 1975
people 000 consumption 001 production 002 service 003 manufacturing 004 accounting 005 finance 006 government 007 fiduciary and economic issues 008 Federal Reserve 009 politics 010
Of course this spectrum represents the economy of the United States. If the numbers seem arbitrary they are meant to imitate the form of the spectrum of reflected light waves. Here they reflect an interpretation of the values of the denoted elements. The lowest numbers notes the most valuable aspects of the economy; while the highest numbers are least valuable or useful.
I see this as a spectrum, rather than a list, because each part blends as an inseperable whole entity. Each of the eleven components of the spectrum may certainly be considered to have it's own properties and function, but there is no effective way to isolate one from the others; or make changes or adjustments in one that do not in some important way affect all of the others.
The individual is the basic cell of the body of society. It is useful to remember that it is a multiplicity of individuals that make up our entire economy. It is in the interest of government, corporate interests, law enforcement, media and financial interests to put persons into homogeneous groups that can then be dismissed as sub-human. If we allow ourselves to see others in this way we are being manipulated by forces we do not realize, and we will surely be ourselves portrayed similarly in time.
Consumption and production are as two sides of the same coin. These are the basic building blocks of every economy. Service, manufacturing and accounting are also key, crucial elements that all combine to provide employment throughout the economy. This in turn allows consumption of goods and services by people. These six elements are completely inter-related in a healthy economy. It is clear that none of these parts can exist by itself; and also no fraction of the them can function without all of the others.
Finance and government are two institutions entirely dependant upon the previous numbers for their creation and continued existance. Theoretically these two are responsive to economic issues and offer transparent oversite in maintaining fiduciary responsibility to keep the public trust. But the complexity that has grown around the present economy has obscured this function of transparancy in finance and government.
Politics today are archaic, dishonest and wholly ineffective in service of the people of the United States. Politicians today resemble pigs at the trough of political contributions largely from corporate and financial instutional sources. With the only concern being their own re-election politicians tell an endless stream of lies to profit their financiers. In lock step groups politicians, aids and spokes-people repeat their lies and distortions to malleable media outlets; in effect creating 'truth,' 'facts' and 'answers' to further their corrupt agenda. This in direct disregard for the best interests of their constituants, whose vote they learned long ago that they can have for only lies and money.
***************************************************************************** My purpose in composing this work is to make a complex expression with clarity and brevity. Allthough parts are provocative, I believe they are irrefutable. Any expansion of this consideration can only lead to distortion and loss of clarity. All of the missing 'hows' and 'whys' must come from within you the reader. This work is in effect a 'driver,' or bit of software to connect the information already in your brain and lead to a useful perception.
There are no 'facts' or 'answers' in this work, it does not pretend to solve any of the injustices described, except perhaps one tangentially: this is a very complex expression but it can be grasped with only a little effort. It is this extra effort put forth beyond our daily life's concern that we need to keep us free from the oppression born of our own indifference. In our short form, sound byte, keep it simple culture I will not stop attempting to expand our collective attention span.
I suppose this chapter must serve me in lieu of proper credentials. I do see the unevenness in this part, and it's construction came very much from my subconscious. It exposes my mind's process in a way sure to confuse and make readers uneasy with the examination of love and abuse, punishment and rehabilitation.
Although I address several very important subjects plainly and without equivocation, I make all of the assertions in these sections only as my considered observations that come from a lifetime's experience of the world I live in. I do not assert 'facts' or 'answers' at anytime, because these terms are missleading and even harmfull to our perception of reality. Do not let the thing you know, blind you to the thing you do not yet know. Amen
Shaman: For the love of thought
Industrial progress has co-opted the artist in common culture. Painters are required to coordinate their palette to the client’s rugs and furniture, or to mimic popular forms or other native cultures in multiple versions to pay the bills month to month. Comic books are expressive, but their labor is too great to justify the paycheck for most creators, but still they do it for love. Art Schools put a mouse in your hand, and it is all about design, which means all our precious work is only to sell someone's something else.
The place of the artist in culture has always been that of a fancy whore. In demand she can maintain a veneer of independence and prosperity, but if the money dries up and another new artist becomes the vogue she can be painting caricatures at the local street market. It was the camera that put the nail in the painter’s coffin, it was only a matter of time until pictorial representation was obsolete. The skills of the painter; chiefly keen observation, the acquisition of multiple points of perspective and an incessant need to learn about everything around her are hardly in demand in common culture for the reasons that evolved over the past 500 years. The artist’s role in society today is that of Shaman. To be apart from and outside of common culture and see it’s remedies, and express them to the few who are looking for alternatives.
It is not without trepidation that it must be stated the role of Shaman is the province of the male human being. There are certainly very wise and able female persons who have similar knowledge and ability as a Shaman. The essential difference stated simply is that the male can relentlessly pursue his equation to the exclusion of all else. Suffice that for this meditation dear one, and do not create a structure of resentment that blinds you to these expressions. The male/female dichotomy will be addressed at length an the treatment of Human Equivalence.
A man may possess a single mindedness of purpose that allows him to forgo everything, literally everything else he ever desired to have the object of his mania. This itself may not seem so remarkable, Moby Dick notwithstanding, but a Shaman will work relentlessly to root out the ’why.’ For a concept in his head that no one else can see a value of. For one it is to seek the essence of the function of his own brain.
Having gone through the stages of seeing the variables of existence and the nature of reality, a Shaman reaches an understanding of truth that aids his quest and those aspects of life that are a hinderence. Thus is born the perception of the Vows a Shaman adapts and will not break, for they are the armor in his battle for reason. Priests and Monks of all descriptions and other Holy Men and Women make many Vows for this purpose. The key distinction is that Priests, Monks and others have a structured dogma surrounding their practice; while a Shaman has none of that, but only his own personal equation of purpose.
Often the first vital Vow evolves from a selfish desire to avoid the responsibility of family and persistent female concern; and finally to never be bound in that way to a need for an income of money. This is only the first step towards more binding Vows. This step is usually made by young men without really intending a specific purpose, and mostly for no honorable one. Instead it is a gut level instinct that guides him in this direction. It is foolish and even dangerous for a man to take a Vow of celibacy or poverty without having had real experience with both young women and earning and spending money. A Shaman must typically learn to have his way with both of these elements on his path that will lead him to the ability to have anything he wants. The key to this is to see the way to gain anything he desires; and in time; more valuable, the gift of knowing what to want, and what to pass by.
Of course we learn the thing of greatest value is love and affection. Sure, everyone knows this, and the road nearly everyone goes down is to: love, penetration and reproduction. This can only lead us to many responsibilities that can only take one off of the path. In time we may come to recognize that with each initial penetration comes an essential change in the woman that cannot be reversed to the time of the ‘before.’ This change is not a function of what comes after, or how she seems or acts or says she feels later. From the moment of penetration a clock starts ticking and a man must choose. If things are not to her liking she will eventually split; or he will run out: our they will come together.
The sweet new love of youth, when we can steal away and make out like wild animals, and it only leads to snacks after while. The elevated feeling of well being that comes of thinking about each other can be like a spinning top at times, on and off an amazing feeling. How can one be married forever and perhaps feel only occasional sparks of this feeling? If we feel anything at all. This is the reason so many persons cheat on their spouses; because they cannot resist this ‘new love buzz.’ This is why Vows are so important in maintaining a truth in ones actions and continuity in life. Each to their own perspective of course, but a Vow of celibacy has little purpose if one is not commonly with naked young women.
Upon attaining the point of perception allowing us to transcend time, money and sexual desire one moves directly into the realm of perceived mental illness. One’s perceptions form observations of increasing complexity, and result in increasing difficulty in coherent communication with others. Also one is likely to adopt behaviors that seem strange and inexplicable to others. One particular aspect of this sort of mania is the need to verbalize the stream of thought that is racing in the mind. The author, when experiencing this condition; would commonly self medicate with cigarettes and talking to young women.
Because the cerebral cortex, located in the frontal lobe, is not yet fully formed in young people until typically, the age of 22 or so; they are better able to listen to a Shaman’s complex equations without the distress commonly experienced by older persons. Young persons are capable of understanding great complexity, especially when exchanging questions and answers. Much of the expressed complexity is embedded in their forming synapses and may connect past and future learning in time. This personal interaction is very much a two-way street of comprehension. The Shaman gains equally important perspective from the apprentice as he imparts; and when it is shared, it is a mutually enjoyable and beneficial experience for both.
Perhaps it may be useful to compare the mentoring of a Shaman with the ministering of a clergyman who has taken similar Vows: a Catholic Priest. A Priest is very similar in development and perception to a Shaman but with a number of fundamental differences. A Priest has a Cannon of belief and a place in a structured hierarchy, and a sacred credential to his faithful. His work is rigidly defined before him. A Shaman may or may not maintain a faith in God, and in some theology that is above him; but he is completely master of his earthly Vows, actions and decisions.
A Priest makes Vows of Celibacy and Chastity, also of Poverty that are proscribed and institutionalized by the Church he serves. As a young man decides to follow the path of priesthood he often adopts the forms of respectability expected of his future position. When at last he becomes a Priest he may not have adequately experienced the venal lusts a human man must know to have a basis to dogmatically forsake them. The Shaman is iconoclastic and pragmatic by nature often mentoring strangers by slight and fleeting interactions; a smile to uplift, a word to diffuse conflict, a bit of advise where evidently useful, listening to persons who have been neglected. From the destitute to the wealthy, all persons may have their sorrow.
A Priest lives a life of service to his flock of faithful, young and old all receive his ministrations and often return gratitude and love. That has naturally formed countless bonds of trust and love. For the Priest there is no proper or possible physical interactions between himself and young or old person. All the love he feels he must internalize and dissipate as best he may. A Shaman evolves into his Vows by the urgency of his own obsession. His actions are essentially in service of himself and his equation. In that service, and that of his apprentices and acquaintances he finds his share of trust and love as well. At times he can properly share love and closenesswith another within the bounds of his own Vows.
It is the fidelity to one’s sworn Vows, in the practice, of a life, that determine their efficacy. If they are taken in form and in service of a dogmatic hierarchy, they are only as binding as a human being can cling to them against human desires. No one stands to hold a Priest to his Vows day to day and person to person; in interacting with especially young and helpless parishioners. The widespread abuse that Priests have caused for decades, even Centuries, came about as a fundamental human failing. When we experience new-young love from a person or persons who are essentially in our power and control, it is a clear road to abuse. We begin to feel entitled to do anything we wish with them; and more we ourselves come to believe that our victims are asking for our abuse and want it to go on as long as they cannot escape us. These acts, individually, may go unreported even for years. In fact only after many serial abuses for long years and many transfers from place to place do abusers feel any serious consequences at all.
The mental process that evolves in Priests, abusers or not; is largely free to exhibit any behavior within broad limits because they enjoy a hierarchic status that keeps their actions nearly unquestionable. A Shaman behaving much less outrageously is soon diagnosed and medicated. A Shaman is careful not to interact with children without their parents present today because of the Scarlet Letter of child abuse laws. It is necessary to maintain clear personal standards of behavior, especially in urban settings if one is to remain master of his life and actions. There is a legal proper window of interaction with teen age young women. Artist/Shaman persons may crave interactions with naked young women within the perimeters of his Vows. Understand that a Shaman, together with a naked young apprentice, may feel every desire and interest in her naughty parts and be with them closely without breaking his Vows; because those Vows are what allows him to carry on with his work. It is the release valve that makes celibacy useful and healthy, to go to the brink and pull back.
Love runs a course in our lives. If we can mate and it sticks, it is only because both persons toil to make it work. The natures of men and women are very different, one from another. perhaps they are complimentary in some way, but this is not clearly, explicably evident. For a successful marriage to be at all happy the woman must take charge in the majority of all decisions, and the man, if he can hope for peace, must allow her to have her way, even to the brink of disaster. He must not simply roll over, but instead take stock of her decisions so that at the crucial point, if it is reached at last; he is able to assert himself to affect. Please choose wisely when, and not often, for often our fears of our wife’s poor judgment are unfounded. In this balance lies a breath that can keep a love alive in a marriage.
There is so much that a couple face together and individually that may bind or drive them apart. It is only natural that one or the other plays the alpha role in public, but if one or the other is truly dominant in a real and persistent sense; the relationship is unbalanced, and it is sure to be unsatisfactory to both spouses. Without exception spousal violence is inexcusable, even one time. These broad strokes of a typical relationship are a simple framework on which love may grow. In the wake of the new love buzz a much quieter and perhaps mundane sort of love takes over. One that tends to fluctuate over the years. It is a sad fact that the ‘god’ money intrudes here all too often.
The title ‘husband’ is no joke and no coincidence. For a marriage to work the man must find joy in himself in serving his wife, and do all that he can to give her the things she desires. It is his personal dedication and labor that wins the prize. If one fends off her concerns and anger with mere cash deposits she will devolve to places that make for nightmarish marriages and bitter divorces. All fights, anguish, bitter feelings and even violence come from leaving the path described above.
Children are a great asset in generating love in a marriage. A Shaman is no person to tell anyone how to raise their children, but perhaps he may make some useful observations. Children are not to be underestimated, they possess a wisdom and fresh perspective that can rejuvenate their parents, siblings, teachers and all who share time with them. Even very young, pre verbal children show great personality and perception if observed and considered. If these traits are not recognized and acknowledged regularly, this is a source of bad behavior, petulance, failure to learn and to behave. As one interacts with children of all ages on an equal footing, without condescension or superiority they will blossom, interacting with great enjoyment and love. An adult may have their young love and perspective as a tremendous reward in their own life.
Without an answer of the why; observation leads to the conclusion that love is the road to abuse. It is thought to be generational. If one was abused as a child, we are likely to be abusive in turn as adults. However this is not always the case, many work through their abuse and are able to become kind persons. Also some may become abusers without having that in their past at all. It seems likely that many abusers never learned how to approach and interact with their target gender. This may lead to isolation, social ostracism, unbalanced/abusive relationships, stalking behavior or predation of adults or children.
In working with young people in a compassionate manner and as a figure of authority it is common for them to react in a kind and loving manner. This is true of all ages and genders, and our Vows are our shield from misbehavior and abuse of powerless young people in our charge. Although in common culture young children and teens may become sexualized in their behavior, this is not always the case. Still young persons commonly react to attention in a loving manner that may affect a Priest, teacher, or other regular or occasional caregiver with the ‘new love buzz’ that may skew their perception and can lead to them feeling justification for what is actually abuse. Perhaps evolving from this behavior, other factors may cause predators to develop twisted desires for specific crimes against innocent victims. This is a subset of humanity that certainly exist, and their numbers are very large, and are spread world wide.
These predators exist and are a concern, especially to women and children who are their common prey. It is very important to not be ruled by fear of these persons. This societal problem can never be solved by police action and punitive punishment. To significantly reduce recidivism these offenders must either be executed or rehabilitated. Any other action will lead to continued abuse of new innocent persons. Execution may seem like an attractive option to do to many serial offenders. They surly each have a sad story of their origins as offenders, but after some number of offences it must be considered a wash. Capital punishment will not deter these offenders, but if widespread perhaps it could have a cumulative effect. Remove X number of predators from the gene pool we may spare X(Y) number of potential victims, some number of which being candidates for becoming future abusers. This is only a possible intended result, and very likely the true result would be different, and possibly/probably would be worse than anticipated.
Rehabilitation is a preferable alternative, but as this is not highly prized by society it is unlikely to be funded in the United States. Effective treatment will require long term treatment in a compassionate and nurturing environment. The very opposite of our penal system of enforced misery. Our structures of criminal ‘justice’ and penal servitude are not serving us in a real way. Our society likes to feel criminals are severely punished, but the results do not serve us well, and the cost is astronomical. It is not that rehabilitation cannot be accomplished; it is only that society can’t accept that we can and should change the nature of our structures.
We live in a time of rapid acceleration of the constant evolution of perception of reality. So many of common culture’s unsolvable problems are becoming understood. Their causes are found to be the very structures we have set up to treat them. It is not the way of the Shaman to involve himself in political forums, or even to vote or express who he is except to apprentices and to cronies. The process of the Shaman is perhaps the definition of mental illness. Health workers cluck and check the box marked ‘grandiose’ when examining persons who ‘believe’ they know the answers to many or even all of life’s broad problems. The funny thing is that most of these shabby street persons perhaps actually do understand the root causes, these are not difficult to grasp really. The problem is that most of these persons are unable to express these answers clearly and in concise English that the hapless, underpaid and overworked health worker can understand them.
Ask any mother who spends her days with small children about the frustration of unexpressed mental capacity. Televised media carefully restricts stories to a single subject in a short amount of time. An interested conversation among friends might touch on a series of subjects that circle a single theme. Sports enthusiasts may delve deeply into five or six aspects of the game or team on a regular basis. The average very intelligent person can concentrate on as many as seven variables and maintain clarity and leaving only minor loose ends.
If a person is capable of and commonly thinks in terms of a number of variables greater than seven, she de facto departs from ‘normalcy’ both socially and intellectually. These persons, once rare and esteemed for their value to civilization, are today only too common, jumpstarted into existence by the prevalence of popular culture and the pseudo half knowledge to be derived from movies, television, popular song, books and other sources. There are truly remarkable minds to be found on the streets of every major city. Mischaracterized as ‘homeless,’ these people have turned their backs on common culture; in favor of the freedom from money and bills that eat away the thing they hold most valuable: their fleeting time.
Unfortunately the deficit so many of these persons share is a serviceable grasp of the English language, and a basis of distinction to edit the ‘crap’ out of their own equations. So many people, and not only ‘street persons,’ build their understandings on vicarious experiences gleaned from popular culture. We all have some of this in youth, and ideally we go on to have experiences of our own that are a more reliable basis to understand new experiences. For instance it is better to actually talk to and date actual woman than to model our female understanding on movies, popular song or pornography, as far too many sad people do.
The sad case of grown up women is that they exist in a world that worships their teen age past. Oh but the young women and even girls are exploited to see their future as only fashion and sexual function. Doctor? Lawyer? Business person? all in designer wardrobe and 6 inch heels, tricked out cosmetics and tanning bed complexion. Plastic encouragements to study and achieve in school become betrayal if she excels mentally by ignoring trends of appearances and social interaction. When she applies for positions she is perfectly qualified for she finds she must fit into the sexually charged atmosphere of office culture.
The beefed up persona women project make it ever more difficult for men to step up and speak to the women they admire if they do not see themselves as conventionallyattractive or excessively wealthy. Because simply saying hello seems a high stakes proposition it takes on an ever greater emotional investment to walk over and take a chance. Since an unbalanced emotional investment goes into every approach, rejection can be devastating, and even worse, a somewhat neutral or positive reaction from the woman can be blown up beyond the reality of the situation, and men often develop inflated expectations of a relationship, or even stalker behavior.
In working to expand my chapter contrasting the ephemeral with the optomal my thoughts seemed unable to to come to a clarity that satisfied me. I was expressing elements I thought were pertainant but it remained rather dull and not quite what I was driving at. I had thought to use an analogy of Apple Corp vs PC technology, a subject that I had thought about for decades, and I saw as a clear parallel to my theses. However, with the demise of Steve Jobs I feel reluctant to pursue an unflattering train of thought because I feel my point will be discounted. So, cast adrift I drew a new equation as a stream of consciousness that I found a bit surprising when I considered it the next day. Parts are purely subconscious, and I am not yet completely sure that all variables are in the proper place.
For the record I feel very strongly in favor of the ephemeral aspect of Art, because it is a better fit for me, and those who look beyond the flash of optomal design that expect buyers to conform. Still as I looked and thought about it the equation seems to resemble something like chaos theory. So I went to the library and got some books on complexity to see what has been off my radar. It's a blast to find something new to absorb.
A word about this equation; I can't really explain the crown, it came last. The bottom center triangle reads "matter of individuality." The last line reads "can anything be explained without the only thing that is understood." By which of course I mean money.
This outline (left) consists of individual elements I have isolated as key factors composing our subconscious mind. I have given each a name for ease in consideration as stand alone factors and as combinations as well.
I have expanded these variables as eight line verses that I call Octaines, a form I commonly work in. When I finished with all 14 Octaines I dashed of 14 corresponding poems in an hour and a half. A personal record, and I reckon there's some subconscious something going on there.
The complete outline entitled 'Sweet Neurology of My Heart' is posted in October's posts below. Here immediately below is the first chapter of my expanded text on 'The Nature Of Reality.'
Fern The Nature of Reality
We hold onto structures of our existence in our personal lives and also as a society. The things we have always known bring us comfort of a sort, but seen objectively, they are often not what we believe them to be. Realilty is always behind us. We understand the nature of reality to be static, even though our lives demonstrate that this is not the case.
A child is born and raised by loving parents who often don’t notice the rapid changes in their child on a day to day basis. Concerns, worry, labor and more that a parent must cope with can cause the multiplicity of new and fleeting factors that come, each with a new immediacy that are met and dealt with without a real perception of changing realities.
We adapt to new realities in ourselves and our families as a matter of course; and most people will say that they are constant in their lives and behavior if asked. Even though exterior forces cause them to change and adapt constantly. We make these changes to solve problems and make our lives work within the constraints in which we find ourselves.
So often in our lives we are striving for a thing; but we are made to see we must accept something else instead. Education is a fine example of this curious reality. We want very much for our children to be educated, and in the abstract we imagine them to be literate, somewhat proficient in math, science and social studies; with a bit of an understanding of history, economics and other subjects to boot. Now, if a parent insists that their student gains this experience with work and study our schools are possibly able to provide it. However if, as most parents do, they rely on their student’s teachers, curriculum, supervision and testing they will be cheated of meaningful learning in favor of learning to fit the purposes of administrators and politicians; who have no interest in thoughtful educated persons, but every use for passive, unimaginative workers or candidates for higher education.
These following points illustrate the realities of current American public high school education. There is a political source of funding for a school district. There are the top level of politically appointed distributors of school funding. There are physical school properties, each with a Principal and incumbent staff. There is a budget meant to pay for teachers salaries, other salaries for coaches, assistants, custodians, lunchroom staff, equipment, supplies, utilities and everything necessary to operate the school: to in turn educate the students.
There is a beauty to be found in equations of multiple variables such as described above in operating a school. The fact that the majority of these indicated variables are human beings makes their complexity in effect, infinite. This being the case, in order to bring order to chaos, arbitrary lines must be drawn. This being so, it follows that the persons in charge of making these arbitrary decisions will do so to meet their own pleasure and profit. Detached consideration can only lead to this conclusion, no rational logic can predict any other outcome.
The best we can hope for from our education is the ability to discern for ourselves right from wrong when we can see it and understand it. However our lives have a way of building structures about us that serve in place of reason. A job, friendships, relationships, romance, marriage and family are all examples of structures in our personal lives. Also there are fixtures within these structures that very often serve in place of reason. For instance there is one’s paycheck; if it is very large it stands for many of life’s concerns, and holds them nicely at bay. If your paycheck is only much smaller it can solve only that many fewer problems; and we must seek other means to deal with our lives demands.
Other fixtures in our lives may be almost anything; persons, pets, objects such as televisions or toaster ovens, computers, telephones and other tech-type devices. All of these may be fixtures to the extent that we depend on them to live our lives for us; or that we live through them. It is the nature of the reality of human beings to construct these structures and fixtures to give our lives continuity and meaning. In themselves they may be a good and positive aspect of our lives. As they maintain a simplicity and balance life is manageable and reason is well able to prevail in decisions and judgments about our concerns and affairs.
A time comes in the life of nearly every modern human being that her life becomes excessively complex and dependent upon a single fixture for virtually every aspect of their existence. Though we think we are interested in many different aspects of life; in fact they are nothing in our concerns compared to the constant and eternal pursuit of the main modern fixture: MONEY. We think that our lives have various meanings and most of us use objects in our possession as a gauge of our success and happiness. It is tempting to believe that our income is a real measure of our happiness, largely because we use it to gain the objects we desire, the insurance that we may be treated for illness or emergency; and it is saved to provide us security in our old age so that we can retire and still live a nice life without our daily labor.
We perceive that this is THE reality of money, and so it looms before us as the structure that allows us to survive, rather than the useful tool of convenience it really is if we can step back and assign it a different reality in our lives. It is the nature of money that the more one acquires it or desires it the more our lives become filled with demands for more and more of it to satisfy perceived happiness.
Here is a description of the path of supposed American prosperity and happiness. One gains a public school education and next looks for higher education at a college or University that the parents or student loans can pay for. Education is only incidental to a college education. What is imparted is conformity, labor and the developed ability to read the instructors; and feed back to them the form they demand. Education, though not specifically excluded, is not what is purchased with a degree: the object is a credential. The credentials buy one a foot in the door to the lucrative jobs in academia, finance, business and government.
So now we are led with luck to a good sort of entry level job in some private firm. The money seems good, but the expenses of living are high as well. Perhaps we start a family, and very likely there is already a good deal of debtto be maintained. The salary has deductions for future retirement, health insurance coverage and of course federal and state deductions from every paycheck. As an entry level employee the firm expects long hours labor in return for our fancy salary; punctuality and our butt in the seat at the desk every every every day.
So we have a good job and lots of money coming to us, that is mostly spent as soon as we have it. Between work and sleep our ‘life’ is reduced to a few precious hours a day, and perhaps most of the occasional weekend. Although, in five years or so we may work our way up to a larger office and salary, and maybe even more personal time away from work, not to mention vacations.But the kids are growing older too, they attend school but there are more demands for our time that we satisfy with our money. A bigger house, more more more stuff, the latest, most stylish this and that. Maybe we stay ahead of the expenses, but what if we do not? Our every thought, action, hope and dream is only for more money.
This is only natural and quite to be expected, because the way of all American business, finance, manufacturing, religion and government is the worship of constant growth, or ultimately more money. In our system the value of everything is reduced to the figure that it can be bought and sold for. As we may see this twisted perception has driven our employment overseas because manufacturing domestically makes little sense when foreign workers will produce for a fraction on the dollar. So here fewer and fewer accrue increasing most of the money; while an ever larger majority struggle to pay their bills.
Look closely at the structure of our government for the reasons this is true. Two hundred years ago it worked amazingly well for Colonial governance. By any objective analysis of it’s function in the 21st Century shows that it now just resembles pigs at a trough. Wall Street cleans up on legislated retirement and investment funds that pool hundreds of billions of dollars over decades, which are manipulated so that they make fortunes for the managers, and only a pittance by comparison to the creators of this wealth at the time it matures. If the banks haven’t gone bust in the mean time.
The bankers shovel money into the political trough so that incumbents constantly muddy the waters by spewing a steady stream of lies and distortions, that with the faithful retelling from every elected mouthpiece become as good as truth to the majority of we persons; intent upon getting our ‘news’ by paying attention to lapdog press pundits. All of these keep their steady jobs and hefty paychecks by doling out fear, mistrust and hatred; which are the building blocks of the continuity of political representation in our government.
Back to our persons with good jobs and many wants and as many debts, where are we to find the time to look into or even question what we see, hear and read in the press accounts? The ‘News’ itself has become a commodity we choose for much the same reason as a brand of beer. First they tell us that the sky is falling, next they point out that elected official X is responsible and legislation Y is only bound to make things worse. While carefully never making any binding promise to fix anything, never the less claiming OUR political creatures will inevitably be an improvement. If we are so imprudent as to write a check to one or another political campaign, or even register to vote in some places, we are subjected to political spam that has no constraint of shame or regulation bidding a daisy-chain of old ladies to hate and fear politicians they know nothing truthful about.
They say we are going to be owned by the Chinese, as if there were no structured repayment of Bonded debt. Just as they said that the Japanese were going to own us decades ago when we were absorbing THEIR prosperity. It takes only a little time and effort to investigate and learn the truth of even very complicated and complex issues of finance, business, politics and government; but that is the very thing Americans cannot and will not spare. This reality is what allows the powers that be to manufacture ‘true lies’ and repeat them to us in any flavor we desire.
So here is the nature of reality: we give up our precious time in exchange for objects, debt and money. We see no way to have enough money so we fret, worry and fear for the future. Our dishonest politicians forsake everything for the ‘god’ of money which they know full well binds and stupefiestheir constituents. ‘No new taxes’ they intone as the doxology of political dogma. ‘Your family can’t spend more that you make’ they point out as if everyone hasn’t their own huge credit card dependence; ’Our government can’t keep building deficits that our poor darling children will have to pay’ Are people governments? Or are governments people? This sloganeering has banished all rational debate from political discourse. Compromise, which is the essence and purpose of politics is not permitted to exist in the theological worship of money.
It is a common problem with shamen and bipolar, schizophrene and merely very intellent persons that they are unable to clearly express many things they are thinking to other persons. Here below I offer a very simplified pictorial equation roughly depicting the complexity of thought that is right in my head when I think of, in this case, the operation of public education in the United States:
Of course this is a simplification to illustrate a point. In reality each individual variable depicted above has subsets and exposition attached to it. It is easy to see that a person who thinks routinely in this complexity about nearly every subject may have a difficult task in conversing with conventionally 'normal' persons. I have found that a typical person can converse on most subjects comfortably with up to seven variables while retaining a good understanding of the conversation. Each added variable creates tension and visible signs of distress in facial features, and inevitably the subject changes or conversation ends.
I suspect that the reason that thoughts become so complex in some persons, is that we read any text but get no 'answers' only new variables to add, and perhaps in time factor out of our equations.
Below is an equation depicting my thoughts of a more useful and effective educational system that serves the students and eliminates governmental funding and control.
Occasionally I run across the one or two Conchy daily strips I've had to my name these many years. Although I collected the strips from newspapers from a very young age, I never saw a paper that ran Conchy, and aside from one or two paperback collections that passed through my hands I never knew much about the strip, except raves from others who knew it better, and the sad story that the cartoonist James Childress committed suicide. When I saw a slew of Conchy dailies on eBay I pawned my gold rings and snaped them up.
I've often wondered why these wonderful strips have never been reprinted in more than thirty years. Having had the chance now to read many of them I find that they hold up very well. Childress was cartooning in the 1970s about issues that will resonate with readers in this new Century. Read this: wiki/Conchy and you will know about all I know about Mr Childress/Conchy. It's clear that the cartoonist's heirs own the copyright to the strip. I can't help feeling that the ghost is some impediment to Conchy's resurrection. It is a sad, terrible story that I cannot know; but that taps my shoulder and my empathy feels James Childress dancing to be remembered.
With enquiry I learned from Mr. Mark Evanier that the Childress family is planning to publish a complete Conchy volume. This is a good thing.
Comic Book Shaman conceived this spell of resurection of the work of a great talent so word may ignite an interest that sparks a demand so that the rightful heirs to Conchy's creator may find peace and reconcilliation with the ghosts that may still haunt them. This strip is copyright 2011 the Estate of James Childress, all rights reserved. Used here without knowledge or permission from said copyright holders. Its use here does not assert any right or ownership by Comic Book Shaman, or permission from the true copyright holders to publish, promote or otherwise use James Childress work on the newspaper comic strip Conchy, it's characters, likenesses or cartooning in any manner or form.
Technology is here to help us keep the ghosts we love from slipping from our memory.
