R
Rick
Guest
I wrote this back in the fall of 2002. I had originally sent it to the Boston Globe where it was thoroughly rejected. However, the Cape Cod Times published it, unedited, a first for a letter or essay by me. I dug it up and thought I'd republish it here. This was written long before I encountered this site, but find it quite in synch with the writings here.
The World as Occupied
by Richard J. Healy
----
More and more I have come to believe that planet Earth is resembling an occupation zone. Invaders have subjugated the population. Resources are plundered for the benefit of the occupiers and those selected by them to enforce the occupation. Resistance is met with violence. Dissenters within the ranks are marginalized or criminalized. Those who are not “with us are against us.” Indigenous people are rounded up in ghettos called cities, divided and distracted so that there is incessant internal turmoil. The occupied are told that they can’t trust each other. They must turn in suspicious neighbors to the overlords, who are the only ones who can protect them.
Natural resources are “owned” by the occupiers and sold back to the indigenous people for profit, if there is profit to be made. Otherwise the indigenous people can use it until it becomes profitable to sell back to them. Social services, chronically underfunded in order to appear dysfunctional, are overseen by the occupiers. Research into indigenous behavior is used by the occupiers in order to maximize efficiency and reduce the influence of collective social bargaining. They’ve learned that laughter in the workplace is good for efficiency. Too much or too little laughter reduces efficiency.
External threats created by the occupiers terrify the indigenous people into accepting their rule. When the indigenous people attempt self rule the occupied are told they must obey the rule of law as set up by the occupiers. The enforcers are sent to terrorize the indigenous people who attempt self rule until they accept the fact they are to be subjects of the occupiers and that their resources are not owned by the indigenous people, but by the occupiers.
Organizations are set up by the occupiers to legitimize their rule. The indigenous people are told they are democratic. Some believe this and vote for one of the candidates selected by the occupiers. The others know it makes no difference who rules them.
Happiness of the occupied is measured by the occupiers. The occupiers tell them they are better off than they were a few years ago because the products sold to them using their resources and labor is cheaper and more efficient. Indigenous people are told they are more happy when the profits of the occupiers go up. They are less happy when they go down. When they go down they lose their jobs. When they go up they get to keep their jobs as long as they stay efficient. This is happiness.
Some of the indigenous people were enslaved at one time. Their happiness was also measured by the occupiers. They were also told that their life improved since the earlier days and this too was used to justify their enslavement. A revolt occurred and the slaves were freed. But an artificial division was set up so that internal strife distracted the indigenous population from the occupiers.
The system set up by the occupiers is presented to the indigenous people as “natural” and “inevitable.” Thus, if the system appears to be failing it is demanded by the occupiers that obstructions hindering the system should be reduced in order for it to work more efficiently. And efficiency means more profits. Thus, the people will become “happy.” Large failures of the system set up by the occupiers are never used as justification for dismantling it, only as justification for increasing its domain into all aspects of life among the occupied. This, they are told, is more efficient and efficiency will make them “happy” and this will be “inevitable”.
When failures become extreme the occupiers create wars to distract the indigenous people and to rally them in support of the occupiers. This justifies the heavy taxes levied on the occupied. The elite among the occupied favor these wars because it curries favors from the occupiers. Loyalty oaths must be taken at these times and those who fail to take them are banished from the occupiers’ favors, never to be trusted again.
Life on occupied Earth has become more brutal as resources are plundered and environmental destruction destabilizes the biosphere of the planet. Many species have gone extinct and many more will. Pollution threatens the climate to such an extent that the planet will not have seen such changes in thousands of years. The occupiers are not worried about this because they will always be protected by “their” resources. The occupied are forced to accept the occupiers’ word. Dissenters are marginalized. The solution is more efficiency. This is “inevitable” and will make the occupied “happy”.
The World as Occupied
by Richard J. Healy
----
More and more I have come to believe that planet Earth is resembling an occupation zone. Invaders have subjugated the population. Resources are plundered for the benefit of the occupiers and those selected by them to enforce the occupation. Resistance is met with violence. Dissenters within the ranks are marginalized or criminalized. Those who are not “with us are against us.” Indigenous people are rounded up in ghettos called cities, divided and distracted so that there is incessant internal turmoil. The occupied are told that they can’t trust each other. They must turn in suspicious neighbors to the overlords, who are the only ones who can protect them.
Natural resources are “owned” by the occupiers and sold back to the indigenous people for profit, if there is profit to be made. Otherwise the indigenous people can use it until it becomes profitable to sell back to them. Social services, chronically underfunded in order to appear dysfunctional, are overseen by the occupiers. Research into indigenous behavior is used by the occupiers in order to maximize efficiency and reduce the influence of collective social bargaining. They’ve learned that laughter in the workplace is good for efficiency. Too much or too little laughter reduces efficiency.
External threats created by the occupiers terrify the indigenous people into accepting their rule. When the indigenous people attempt self rule the occupied are told they must obey the rule of law as set up by the occupiers. The enforcers are sent to terrorize the indigenous people who attempt self rule until they accept the fact they are to be subjects of the occupiers and that their resources are not owned by the indigenous people, but by the occupiers.
Organizations are set up by the occupiers to legitimize their rule. The indigenous people are told they are democratic. Some believe this and vote for one of the candidates selected by the occupiers. The others know it makes no difference who rules them.
Happiness of the occupied is measured by the occupiers. The occupiers tell them they are better off than they were a few years ago because the products sold to them using their resources and labor is cheaper and more efficient. Indigenous people are told they are more happy when the profits of the occupiers go up. They are less happy when they go down. When they go down they lose their jobs. When they go up they get to keep their jobs as long as they stay efficient. This is happiness.
Some of the indigenous people were enslaved at one time. Their happiness was also measured by the occupiers. They were also told that their life improved since the earlier days and this too was used to justify their enslavement. A revolt occurred and the slaves were freed. But an artificial division was set up so that internal strife distracted the indigenous population from the occupiers.
The system set up by the occupiers is presented to the indigenous people as “natural” and “inevitable.” Thus, if the system appears to be failing it is demanded by the occupiers that obstructions hindering the system should be reduced in order for it to work more efficiently. And efficiency means more profits. Thus, the people will become “happy.” Large failures of the system set up by the occupiers are never used as justification for dismantling it, only as justification for increasing its domain into all aspects of life among the occupied. This, they are told, is more efficient and efficiency will make them “happy” and this will be “inevitable”.
When failures become extreme the occupiers create wars to distract the indigenous people and to rally them in support of the occupiers. This justifies the heavy taxes levied on the occupied. The elite among the occupied favor these wars because it curries favors from the occupiers. Loyalty oaths must be taken at these times and those who fail to take them are banished from the occupiers’ favors, never to be trusted again.
Life on occupied Earth has become more brutal as resources are plundered and environmental destruction destabilizes the biosphere of the planet. Many species have gone extinct and many more will. Pollution threatens the climate to such an extent that the planet will not have seen such changes in thousands of years. The occupiers are not worried about this because they will always be protected by “their” resources. The occupied are forced to accept the occupiers’ word. Dissenters are marginalized. The solution is more efficiency. This is “inevitable” and will make the occupied “happy”.
