An Open Letter To The Disenfranchised, Disillusioned, and Labeled

Hello once again ATS! I am back, filled with a rage and need to vent it, once again, so please indulge me for the next few minutes. I promise to be much more concise than usual!

Tonight I wish to speak to the disenfranchised among us. Those who end up being tagged with hurtful and limiting labels. Those who find themselves weighed, judged, and categorized on sight, or within the first few words they happen to speak. This is the audience I have a strong need to address this evening, and that is exactly what I plan to do.

Most of the distasteful things I see on the news, in my real life, and even on ATS are born of these automatic associations and biases.

Race
Religion
Culture
Nationality
Class
Age
Sexual preference
Gender
Health
Employment
Politics

All of these things, and many more, open the door to attack. And I state, as strongly as I possibly can... such attacks are beneath contempt and are dishonorable.

A few years back, when the economy tanked, a common statement, here and elsewhere, was "So what if you used to make $30.00 an hour before you got laid off. Lazy bum, go get a job at McDonalds... sheesh I detest people like you!. Well, a few years later, that same type of person now simply says "Why should I listen to you? You work at McDonalds for chrissake!"

Ironic, isn't it?

And the bigotry? Understand that I am growing as a person and I have expanded my personal definition of bigotry to not just include racial, religious, or ethnic slurs. I've expanded it to include class based insults, homophobic, sexist, and health based slurs as well. Also, I think taking pot shots and those effected negatively by the recession ( I say depression, but apparently the FED disagrees with me ) borders on bigotry as well. Hating people for situations or conditions they cannot control is bigotry - and it sticks in my craw like a thorn.

At any rate, the number of us who are becoming marginalized and disenfranchised is growing exponentially. And as sad as that fact is, there is one that is even more disturbing... we are being tricked into blame each other for the sad state of things...

I lost my job because of those guys in China who'll work for next to nothing...

My taxes are so high because all of those welfare freeloaders living the life of Riley on my dime...

The rich are bleeding us dry...

The poor are bleeding us dry...

The white man is holding us back...

Those Muslim terrorists started this...

Those Christian crusaders won't start boming us...

Those gay people are offending my right to religion...

Those religious people are denying my right to live as I choose...

Republicans are destroying this country...

Democrats are destroying this country...

Illegal aliens are stealing our jobs away...

America is using us for cheap labor and then deporting us for being illegal when harvest season ends...

Religious people are the root of all the worlds problems...

Humanists are demoralizing the world and destroying society...

I could keep typing for another 20 pages and still not touch all the bases, or voice all of the opinions.

We fight amongst ourselves, like wild and underfed dogs, for scraps from the masters table. We nip and bite at one another without stopping to realize that we're all on the floor, and none of us are at the table? We're fighitng our equals and not our oppressors. How odd is that?

Divide and conquer.

The indoctrination involved here is so deep seated in your genetic predispositions, and then so manipulated by the media as to be almost incomprehensible. Some of the latest science suggests that our instincts are about 10,000 years behind the curve. That it takes about that long for genetic knowledge to permeate the gene pool. This is why you have an instant and powerful reaction when you see a snake or a spider ( most of us anyway ) but don't flinch at the sight of a car - even though a car is many hundreds or thousands of times more likely to kill you than a creepy crawly is. Our ancestors, 10,000 years ago were tribal and tended to be somewhat segregated into small groups - so a natural distrust formed about strangers and people who didn't look like us, or share our cultural traits. In those days "different" usually meant invader. And, even if the different people were peaceful and benign, they still were a threat because their proximity meant a strain upon the natural resources your own tribe relied upon for survival.

So we do have a genetic predisposition towards wanting to repel what is different. And don't think for a fleeting moment that those at the highest level of power and wealth are not fully aware of this.

Thus many of us find ourselves on the fringes of "normal" society... a club that is becoming increasingly more elite and selective as the years pass. More and more of us wake up one day to find ourselves disenfranchised.

And, you know what? Most of us just deal with it. We are adaptable beings. Lose that $80,000.00 per year job and can't find a suitable replacement? Well then, we find a $18,000.00 a year job and painfully adapt to that new way of life. At first we rage, question, and rebel... but eventually we just accept.

I am not even addressing the more prevalent excluded groups here. The ones who didn't even get a shot at being "normal" long enough to get kicked out of the club at all. Those who were born into hatred, unaccepted and judged from birth - or maybe from a later day when they decided to come out of the closet, or renounce their religion, or state their religion, or change political party.... or any number of other things.

Some get it simply because they aren't part of the beautiful people crowd - or prefer to express themselves through dress, or body modification, or style.

All disenfranchised.

I ask you? How many of you feel more like outsiders than insiders?
How many of those of you who answered "outsiders" truly feel like you don't have anything to offer society?
How many of you are so angry at the whole situation that you could literally rip out your own hair at the baseless judgment you've experienced?

Is there a hot and seething anger burning in your belly?

GOOD. Because the time is swiftly approaching when that burning anger will finally have a purpose and a positive means of expression. In the US you'll soon have a chance to put it to work by voting. But elsewhere, everywhere else, you'll soon have the chance to express yourself because the world paradigm is shifting. The people are realizing that one voice means nothing, but thousands of voices are a chorus, tens of thousands are a threat, and hundreds of thousands are a regime change. Now imagine what a chorus of millions or billions could accomplish! Total redefinition of what society is and can be. Total renewal.

Sure, they have armies, they have bombs, and they have all the money and power. But understand, all of those things are just air and mist without our consent. They are empty tools supporting empty threats. United we take it all back - and we can do it without a single one of us bringing anything more than our voice to the battle.

And, a sincere thank you, from me, to the powers who run this world. Every day you marginalize more and more of us, thus building the mechanism of your own doom. You think so little of us that we seem like no threat at all. But wait... wait until you hear us all speak as one. And know that, on that day, you will tremble and you will beg mercy.

Thanks for reading.

~Heff

How many of you feel more like outsiders than insiders?
How many of those of you who answered "outsiders" truly feel like you don't have anything to offer society?
How many of you are so angry at the whole situation that you could literally rip out your own hair at the baseless judgment you've experienced?

I do!
I feel I do have something to offer but because of my sexual orientation and the bigotry I have faced I have given up trying to do for other humans, I would much rather offer up my time to help an animal!
I am angry enough!

Thank you for this thread!

I honestly consider it impossible for we 99% to unite. Consider just two categories.
The Statist and the Individualist. We are mutually antithetical to each other. The best we might do is work together against TPTB and then try to agree to a mutual split of the nation or world into two separate spheres. We would end up even further divided as there are other groups antithetical to each other, but this should make my point. An individualist would consider living in a statist society pure hell, while a statist could not even survive in an individualist culture.

why do you have to unite, why can't you be your own person. be your own man and answer to no one but God.

most people tend to rally behind anything that takes away their personal responsibility of the situation they are in. whether it be religion,race, social status or anything else. As long as someone is there to say things are bad for you because of "those guys" they will surely get massive support.
So if you are feeling disenfranchised spend a bit more time trying to fix things for your self and less time blaming others, if you are doing fine find someone that you can help out. If you are feeling disenfranchised start doing something about it. Life gets good and bad you don't always have to find someone to blame when things get bad. When things are going good you never hear about how someone else is to blame.

reply to post by Hefficide


I have been labeled a "People like You" so many times on ATS that I now wear that label with pride.

I used to be offended at being marginalized, discounted, and insulted for my beliefs but at least I'm not
part of the herd being led by fools and fascists ala Fox, Rush, Beck, Levin, Savage etc.

However I certainly don't feel disenfranchised. I have been blessed to have been able to take advantage of the American spirit of entrepreneurship and prosper beyond my wildest dreams. But I'm afraid with the corporate mentality currently in favor; it will be exceptionally hard to make it in today market place.

And, a sincere thank you, from me, to the powers who run this world. Every day you marginalize more and more of us, thus building the mechanism of your own doom. You think so little of us that we seem like no threat at all. But wait... wait until you hear us all speak as one. And know that, on that day, you will tremble and you will beg mercy.

1. Every construct gives means to its demise, that is government, power and corruption. Well that is... hypothetical construct... our very interaction and relationships are based upon theory, and then nature rears it's ugly head and brings forth empirical data that tells us that we have it wrong. But we can 'make it right'.... right?

2. We are only a threat to ourselves... we're no threat to the 'powers who run this world'. It could even be said that the real power is of the people, so even then... with this logic, we are still a threat to ourselves. The US hasn't marched into countless countries waving guns around with out nobody agreeing.

3. We will not speak as one any time soon, it doesn't happen and will not any time in the near future. I could ramble on and on about how this is obvious, but I don't care to dampen your spirits. We can leave that as opinion based on 1000's of years of history of similar circumstances.

And know that, on that day, you will tremble and you will beg mercy.

Silly wrabbit.... tricks are for kids. Granted there's a thick history of governments being overthrown and heads of powers being tossed out. Nobody gives a **** about begging for mercy. It's manipulation, it's tactical deception and it's control.... to be overthrown is to fail. Failure then gives rise to learning and next thing you know 'they're' right back again. I don't know how many families or institutions that this has to happen to, before people realize this lol. "Oh, we got rid of them"... right?

Leave you with some of my favorites:

www.lyricsreg.com...

And it seems like, in the grand scheme of it all
The world’s run by a few people and we never seen them at all
How do they exist if we don’t know who they are?
They can be you, they could be me, they could be queens and gods
Some say that we’re slaves, an alien race created us all
From a distant star, some say through evolution we evolve
But if anything, what you finna see is a change, don’t be alarmed

[Outro: Morgan Freeman]
As the mask of deception falls off the face of humanity
Unveiling the grim reality of duality
In which everyone is a casualty, no one will be exempt
Truth has many shades
It’s not a matter of black and white, but gray
Although many, we are one, so in the final analysis
Could it be that we are fighting a war that can’t be won?

Don't back yourself into a glass wall expecting to throw stones and take it down.

Wow.

Great thread Heff!

The only thing I can say is that not only do I feel "disenfranchised" , but I'm also guilty of what you described. Perhaps we all are.

reply to post by Hefficide


Great Rant! Unfortunately if the many voices don't unite soon then TPTB may pull the trigger and render us allback down to a manageble herd.

Selina Kyle: There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.

Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Eventually, and it could very well be within our lifetime, fiction will become reality.

Good thread.

reply to post by Hefficide


Are you sure your not butter?

cuz your on a roll

reply to post by Hefficide



Your title immediately brought back to mind this band and in particular, this song.

"Here's to the losers!"



"Have you ever wanted To be someone you're not
But you look into the world And you see what you've got

There's nothin' there But brains and guts
Finally open the door And then it shuts

Look to the center And i'll think you'll find
The people that are gettin' They are blind

You changed the channel And there's nothin' there
You weren't born pretty And it isn't fair...

Here's to the losers
The substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects

'Cause i think we're beautiful
No matter what anyone says
I think we're beautiful
The most beautiful in the world

You try for jobs But they say you're strange
You're sportin' a style That they call pain

So you get in trouble And your brain is gone
You're cryin' out man But the words are wrong

Here's to the losers
The substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects

'Cause i think we're beautiful
No matter what anyone says
I think we're beautiful
The most beautiful in the world

I know you're tierd Of being put down
And all the crap that's said in town
But you're a person thatmatters most
I raise my glass, And make a toast

Here's to the losers
Substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects
To the retarded
And the broken-hearted
To the starving masses
And the lower classes

'Cause i think we're beautiful
No matter what anyone says
I Think we're beautiful"




ps. I'm also starring and flagging this because you somehow made Lemmy look like some supercharged Jesus

Thanks for posting this,

and a nice synchronicty that I was just thinking today about "divide et impera". How much the whole show reminds of Machiavelli - no need actually for NWO, Reptilians and God knows what demons to understand it, although I am ready to pricipally give the most crazy stuff out there a chance - more than what is on the news.

A few days ago I thought - yeah, when the Event has happened, when the great positive Aliens show up with their fleets of spaceships and this show here is over, then we will all stand up and become the New Human Beings, Homo Enlightened or whatever you want to call it.

I wanted to start a thread here on ATS and gather opinions about what the values of the New Human Beings would be, surely values that all those that claim being working for this New Age right now,would agree upon. Well ... I wasn't able to make my first post because I coulnd't find a value that we could all agree on.

Let's say I am gay and I thought that the new level of human consciousness will surely finally find that's ok - well I don't think everybody would agree on that here. Most of the Christians folks probably wouldn't and the yogo-chakra-spiritual healing-people would presumably come around the corner saying my sexual chakra is turning the wrong direction.

Some will say we need to come back to a self-sufficient, subsistence-based lifestyle, I sympathize with that but in the same I'd image our new world with amazing new technology and not amish-like.

Sometimes I think what we need would be a world with thousands of different regions and lifestyles, spiritual approaches and cultures wherein basic human rights are the standard and everybody is free to find his/her favorite tribe/family/place. Main thing would be: peacefully be united in diversity.

Anyway ... just a few thoughts before I go to bed. Peace everybody.

reply to post by Hefficide

And as sad as that fact is, there is one that is even more disturbing... we are being tricked into blame each other for the sad state of things

Aren't you doing the exact same thing in your thread?

It seems to me that you are blaming "someone" for your anger, and you are trying to get others to rage against that "someone" as well.

You never define that "someone", but it appears to be that you are angry at anyone you deem more powerful than you.

K heres one I couldn't help thinking of when I initially read your thread (been digging your threads, much thanks)
I hope this doesn't sway from what you're trying to say; I hope you don't mind the Wayseer's Manifesto:
soundcloud.com...

congratulations grasshopper... you are starting to see the truth but have far to go yet on your journey... up till you got to the part about voting quite codrect... however in todays world voting doesnt mean a damn thing as the game is rigged ... and not in the peoples favour... it gives the illusion of choice, freedom and change... in reality nothing changes and the people are still oppressed...

reply to post by Hefficide

We fight amongst ourselves, like wild and underfed dogs, for scraps from the masters table. We nip and bite at one another without stopping to realize that we're all on the floor, and none of us are at the table? We're fighitng our equals and not our oppressors. How odd is that?

Divide and conquer.

I've done a thread on this. Psychology makes it so easy to use fear against people who have no need to be afraid. Using hate against people who have no use for hate. Using ignorance against people who are already poisoned by ignorance.

There's not much else to say except, obviously, I support this entire message. People refuse to wake up because they're afraid of what they've done and what they've become. But how can they ever change that if they don't wake up?

It's a never-ending cycle. But I hope we can make an ending. We've made everything else, right? Let's make peace. I know it doesn't make money, but in the end, you just can't eat money.

"Well, I ask you to consider: If this is a firm, and if the board of regents are the board of directors; and if President Kerr in fact is the manager; then I'll tell you something. The faculty are a bunch of employees, and we're the raw material! But we're a bunch of raw materials that don't mean to be—have any process upon us. Don't mean to be made into any product. Don't mean… Don't mean to end up being bought by some clients of the University, be they the government, be they industry, be they organized labor, be they anyone! We're human beings!

There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels…upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!" - Mario Savio

I think the above quote and video are a perfect example of how we feel about the current system. Whether you agree with them or not, I'd like to offer them as a demonstration of my own opinions on the topic.

No!!!! THANK YOU Hef... Well said.