Crime and Punishment - p.1
The institution. A word with many connotations, definitions, meanings, associated images, etc. One aspect seemingly shared by all institutions (in my view) is the abstract phenomena of cultural control, of trying to organize and influence and alter the behavior of all parties involved. Whether it be through the dogmatic teachings of religious institutions such as the Catholic church (I pick them arbitrarily, as most any religion will suffice in this example; though they are /so easy/ to criticize at this point, I’ll spare you a tirade), the (not so) subtle alterations imbued in persons via the school system (dumbed down anyone?), or even the institution of marriage which for many, seems to be one of those few ‘appropriate’ life choices to make (find a wife/husband, steady job, 2.5 kids, and live a comfortably NUMB life. work work work). The idea behind institutions seems sound to some; to organize (in some manner) aspects of a society that either benefit or enforce ‘cooperative’ behavior, and though I’m prone to taking the stance that we as a society could do entirely without institutions were we willing to take responsibility for ourselves; the vast networks of people in the world, as well as the communication between ‘nations’ would appear to make such a wish innumerably difficult to achieve without a great deal of re-’structuring’ (change is a bumpy road, blah blah, violence, ‘human’ nature, blah, etc.).
It has become cumbersome to bother distinguishing between different power structures, different edifices of abstraction. The chains that hold us down are purely hypothetical, but this notion is fleeting, in a world where “freedom is under attack” (George Bush), it feels more ‘comfortable’ for most Americans to stay complacent, to continue to participate, and though questions may be raised, the dictum of our age seems to be “can’t somebody else take care of it?”.
If you say something with enough conviction, perhaps others will follow? If you say something with enough uncertainty, perhaps others will investigate? Either way, two sides of the same coin. Communication is control. Control the communication to control the people. “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (allow time for applause. . .)” (George Bush) Bouncing back and forth, we give and we take. But most people just want to take, or don’t understand that they CAN give. In a timely fashion (redundancies excused), waiting is. Oh, speaking of generalizations, has anyone heard the joke about the statistician who, while walking across the a river with an average depth of two feet, drowned in a deeper part of the river? It was funnier when we laughed.
Sometimes it feels like we’re all playing tug-o’-war together, but instead of using a rope, we’re using the players of the game in some Escher-esque fashion; an infinite loop of regression in which participants are pulling and pushing while being stretched out thin, like a latex glove made transluscent from the outward pressure. Hm… I write this with the intention of appearing scattered, yet I am as much a reader as I am a writer of these words. I’ve no points to make for a point would imply an end or resolution. We are not resolved and though floaty words may dissipate to far-reaching ears and eyes, the message remains fuzzy. Do we all need new i’s to see these words for what they become?
And. . .
