[MD] How are people controlled?

[Arlo Bensinger]

[DM]
Critical thinking, creativity, quality, sounds good to me. What do we 
do? Do we not need to spread the word? Do we need MOQ art?

[Arlo]
I think there are two basic avenues to this scale of change.

First is a fundamental change to social education, beginning at the 
earliest levels. Art (in all its guises) should be stressed. We 
should look, for example, to the "Arete" of ZMM, the excellence in 
all areas of life strived for. ZMM should become required reading at 
the high school level (along with the Guidebook). I've proposed (and 
have been shot down every time) a four-year comparative mythology 
track. I've also argued for meditation and yoga beginning at the 
earliest school levels (techniques for achieving peace of mind). 
Curriculae should be integrated, and developed from a "holistic" 
stance, to show the interconnectedness of all things. Respect for 
being "part of the world and not an enemy of it" should be encouraged 
and not disparaged.

Second is exposure to cultures where this is more the norm than ours. 
Witnessing "real, live" social habits based on Quality and no S/O 
dualism. Supporting Zen centers, such as the one Pirsig brought to 
Minneapolis, should be considered. Rather that blindly demanding 
immigrants conform to our habits, we should look to Japanese/Native 
American/India-Indian and other non-S/O cultures for inspiration and 
adopt their habits when those habits are Quality-oriented.

Finally it will depend on spreading the word. As more and more 
individuals become aware of the alienation produced by modern S/O 
life, and are given a language for combatting it, change will occur, 
slowly at first.

Sadly, I will admit, when I look at the world I am not encouraged. 
S/O dominance spreads, as "wealth" and technological production 
spreads, and more and more people are made to serve the empty 
fortress of "individualism" and the Capistrocracy. Lured by shiny 
objects, we walk to our own enslavement. Led away from Quality, of 
"being part of the world", we become its enemy. And turn only to the 
vendors of style to be told what is of value and what is not. But 
despite overall pessimism, I do see some signs of hope. I mentioned 
Google and Starbucks as labor-examples that bring optimism. To 
paraphrase Marsha, more people are starting to get that its "We the 
People" and not "We the Markets".

MOQ art? I like the idea. I remember a while back that a group of 
migraine-suffering artists created a display called "headache art" to 
prompt awareness of their suffering. In the same awareness-type way, 
perhaps our artist contributors would digitize some of their work 
that they feel represents "Quality". (Obviously, you could make the 
argument that ALL art is a representation of Quality, but I hope you 
know what I mean.)