Obama On Clean Energy
I agree with everything he has laid out here, I am still concerned that he even mentioned clean coal and off shore drilling (not in this video). The part where you see half the chamber stand up and clap, you will notice that the republicans remain seated. I fear that being the party of NO is going to be the downfall of the republicans, I can only shake my head in wonder at why they don’t realize it as well.
Peak Moment
Simple living, seriously the simpler my life gets the happier I am, give it a try, you will love it.
Monthly Undermining Task, January 2010: The Great TV Turn-Off
“Out-of-Home impact plus the power of television to a captive audience. Reach 5.8 million monthly Atlantans, commanding attention during the entire ride.”
You don’t really notice it, but it’s there, filling your subconscious with a thousand different messages; broadcasting its commercial dominance to an entrapped population. Television is the primary method by which civilized humans are manipulated into carrying out the instructions of the industrial machine; this is no Orwellian fantasy, it is now and it is real, and don’t you feel pissed off that you can’t go anywhere without having your eyes and ears assaulted by this garbage?
The Unsuitablog’s Monthly Undermining Task was instigated in order to remove greenwashing from the world, but because television propagates so much more than just the greenwashing messages of the industrial world, taking down the commercial public television network also removes all sorts of other insidious messages: promises of material fulfillment; political spin; embedded journalism; commercially sponsored “education”. By switching off a television you do nothing less than give people back their ability to think for themselves.
So, are you up for it?
From today, throughout 2010, I would like you to switch off televisions and other electrical hoardings whenever you get the chance. As I explained in the opening article, the risk you take is up to you; you can do this in an almost risk-free environment, or you can take a few chances and do something more permanent. Risk is relative, of course, and the first time you do something like this it always feels a bit dangerous – as though someone is about to walk up behind you and say, “Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?” before escorting you away from the premises.
Not that it really matters if you are asked to leave; but in all my time switching sets off I have never once been escorted away or even caught. The point is: no one expects anyone to switch these damn things off!
Low Risk
You see these everywhere now: plasma or LCD screens littering the walls and ceilings of shops, pubs, railway stations, libraries, schools. So insidious yet so fragile. With a wave of the hand you can switch these off. I’m going to recommend a product to do this; if you don’t want to buy it then you will need to take a little more risk (see later).
TV-B-GONE is the product you need; it is available in kit or ready-made form. The link for the ready-made versions is below:
https://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_buy.tvbg.php
Check it works, attach it to a keyring or just hold it in your hand, and when you see a television that is in a public or commercial place – keeping the LED pointed at the screen – just press the button. It’ll take a while to get used to the order in which televisions are switched off, but in general the most popular models (like Sony, Toshiba and Samsung) go first.
I had great fun sitting on a bench outside a Sony Store, eating a sandwich, while switching off all the televisions within range; I have walked past shops with huge screens inside and knocked them out much to the incredulity of the staff; and I even walked around a music store, “shooting” the TVs off which were situated above the salepeoples’ heads. Great fun and, as I say, I have never been suspected: who would dream of switching televisions off?
Medium Risk
The next level of risk is essentially doing the same as for the Low Risk, but without the remote. Obviously there are fewer opportunities to do this, you being limited to what you can physically reach, but there are a few reasons why this might be a better option: first, you don’t have a remote control; second, the display is a computer monitor or other custom display that doesn’t respond to remote controls (these are often in small stores or office-type areas); third, you might want to just make a point of switching the screen off, as described by a correspondant:
My dentist recently instituted an *enormous* widescreen telly in their previously very lovely Georgian house conversion waiting room. It had some trashy Hollywood comedy playing on it when my partner and I were there last year. In fact, it had finished so it got stuck in the irritating sound loop that DVDs go into when they are in their menu screen.
Anyway, later on, we were both back in the waiting room while our xrays and so forth were being attended to, and there was one other middle-aged woman there too reading a magazine and sitting where she couldn’t see the screen. So I switched the TV off. A while later someone who worked there stormed in and switched it back on. I explained that we’d switched it off because noone wanted to watch it and was told off.
The reason for the telling off, I suspect, was not because anything had been damaged, but because the employee of the dentist had the idea in her head that THE TV MUST STAY ON! Why? Because it must. That’s it. Talk about brain death!
You might simply just say to the people in the room: “Is it ok if I turn the TV off?” Chances are no one will object, even if they were blankly staring at the screen. While we’re on the subject of reaction, the thing I have noticed most is that when an “ambient” (a.k.a. subconsciously brainwashing) television goes off, people don’t react at all; if anything they simply switch back into communication mode, and get on with their lives.
See, you are freeing people up. Well done!
High Risk
Now we’re getting into voluntary territory: if you want to take the high risk options then you need to follow the basic rules of Sabotage, as explained in this article:
- Carefully weigh up all the pros and cons, and then ask yourself, “Do the benefits far outweigh the costs?” Only act if the answer is “Yes”.
- Plan ahead, and plan well, accounting for every possible eventuality.
- Even if you value the worth of your actions, don’t get caught.
For legal reasons, I have to write that I don’t condone any breaking of the law nor anything that could potentially harm a living being.
Now, in the case of the displays that you can’t switch off remotely or by pressing a button, more drastic action has to be taken. You really have two options that are practical.
In the case of units that are immobile, like in the image above, it’s not generally practical to simply obscure the picture, so you will need to find the power source. I’m not going to go into any details, and it is highly inadvisable to mess around with breakers and wires if you don’t know precisely what you are doing; nevertheless, if there is a plug socket or obvious rocker switch connected to the unit, then you could just disconnect it. Whether you go further is up to you; but if you can disable a very large display, such as those in major railway stations, then you are a bit of a hero in my eyes.
For display units on public transport, like the really creepy one in the image above, you will need to be more up-front. Don’t mess around with the power unless there is a switch on the back – you won’t find the source anyway because it has to be hidden well away – I would suggest covering the screen up, perhaps using a professional “Out Of Order” sign or something like this one:
(click for large version)
If you have a high visibility jacket or smart suit then you can probably get away without anyone saying anything. You may raise a smile from some of the people who didn’t even realised their eyes were glued to the set. You might even give someone the motivation to do something similar themselves.
And speaking of which; make sure you pass this article to your own networks, Facebook friends, Twitter feeds and put it on your blogs – here’s the link:
I have a funny feeling we will be seeing fewer usable televisions in 2010…
[Originally published on The Unsuitablog]
One Action A Month To Undermine The Greenwashing Industry
There’s no time for a review of 2009, it’s happened, we are in deeper shit than we have ever been in, but one of the very few points of light is that the term “Greenwashing” has become common currency. It’s not so easy to greenwash now without being at least identified as a Greenwasher; but in all sectors of civilised society, Greenwashing continues to ensure we still implicitly trust the industrial machine as the litmus test for what is “right”.
Across the UK, as I write, snow is beautifully enveloping the land, producing a swath of picture postcard images that will stay in the minds of so many children for years to come; not to mention the slide rides downhill,the snowball fights and the snow scuptures that feed ordinary people both young and old with excitement and imagination.
For the civilised, adult world, snow is simply a barrier to economic activity: the roads must be gritted, the airports must be kept clear, the shopping malls must remain open, we must all get to work. Our growing, pulsating economy depends upon it, so snowy weather is “bad” weather.
Nothing demonstrates the priorities of this destructive culture better than the twisting of a natural, seasonal phenomenon that can imbue such joy, into a blight upon society that must be dealt with — and now! This is a message that comes directly from the press packs, policy measures and editorial regimes of the corporations, politicians and broadcasters that run Industrial Civilization.
Angry? You bet I am!
2010 was, up to a few hours ago, going to be much of the same for The Unsuitablog, but then I started writing a message to the members of the Anti Greenwashing Action Facebook Group, and realised that there was so much we, and you, could do to undermine the system that tells you how to live your lives; often under a cloak of greenery and false hope. One action a month, by every person who reads The Unsuitablog: that’s a lot of actions that could really drive some terminal nails into the Greenwashing coffin, helping to free up the minds of a mislead and brainwashed public.
Here it starts. Very soon, the first Monthly Undermining Task will be posted on The Unsuitablog. I ask, implore you, to carry out this action, and repeat it as often as you feel comfortable doing so. It will not be difficult, and I will provide different levels of risk to account for all sorts of personal situations.
In February there will be another action, and another in March, and so on. Please tell me what you have done (you can remain perfectly anonymous) and if you send me photos, recordings, links to web pages and any other evidence, then I am willing to give them pride of place on The Unsuitablog so that others will be inspired to act themselves. If you have any ideas for MUTs then let me know at news@unsuitablog.org; and also take a look at this article if you want to understand why this is so important.
In 2011 you won’t need to look back and say: “Why didn’t I do something?”
You will be able to say: “Look what I did!”
A Simple Message For Humanity – Un Message Clair Pour L’Humanité – Un Mensaje Simple Para La Humanidad
A Simple Message For Humanity
Human activity is destroying the natural systems that we depend upon for our survival. Our most basic instinct as humans is to survive; yet we continue to destroy our life-support machine. Connected humans understand this terrible contradiction; disconnected humans are not able to.
Not all humans are responsible: just those who are part of Industrial Civilization. Industrial Civilization depends on economic growth and the unsustainable use of natural resources, so it has developed a complex set of tools for keeping people disconnected from the real world and living a life that keeps civilization running. Humans have been manipulated in order to be part of a destructive system.
The only way to prevent global ecological collapse and thus ensure the survival of humanity is to rid the world of Industrial Civilization.
Civilization is complex and delicate: it depends on everything running smoothly and also depends upon people having faith in its goodness. Global ecological systems are changing in unpredictable and major ways; natural resources are running out rapidly; the population is growing, particularly the population of urban areas; there is considerable political and civil unrest developing throughout the world: any combination of these factors are likely to lead to a sudden and catastrophic collapse of civilization during the 21st century.
It is possible to create a situation where civilization is left to crumble gradually, reducing the impact on humanity, and the sooner this is done, the less the global environment will be harmed. The key things we need to do are:
1) Reconnect with the real world, so that we can understand our close relationships with it in everything we do. The more you connect, the more you will realise how unreal civilization is.
2) Live in such a way that we do not contribute to the expansion of the global economy, reducing our impact on the natural environment in the process. Be aware that authority figures within the system, such as political leaders and corporations, will attempt to provide you with ‘green’ advice: this advice is designed to ensure that civilization continues, and should be ignored.
3) Create the conditions so that others may also change through education and, even more importantly, undermining the tools that civilization uses to keep us part of the machine. Don’t waste time protesting: this changes nothing – that is why it is legal.
A future outside of civilization is a better life; one in which we can actually decide for ourselves how we are going to live.
Un Message Clair Pour L’Humanité
L’activité humaine est en train de détruire les systèmes naturels dont nous dépendons pour notre survie. Notre instinct le plus fondamental en tant qu’humain est de survivre. Or, nous persistons à détruire notre support de vie. Les humains éveillés comprennent cette terrible contradiction, ceux qui ne le sont pas en sont incapables.
Ce ne sont pas tous les humains qui en sont responsables: seulement ceux qui font partie de la civilisation industrielle. La civilisation industrielle est dépendante d’une croissance économique et de l’utilisation non soutenable des ressources naturelles. C’est pourquoi elle a développé un ensemble complexe de statégies pour maintenir les gens débranchés du monde réel, lesquels mènent un train de vie qui la maintient fonctionnelle. Les humains ont été manipulés afin de faire partie d’un système qui détruit.
La seule façon d’éviter un effondrement écologique global et d’assurer la survie de l’humanité est de débarrasser la planète de la civilisation industrielle.
La civilisation est à la fois complexe et fragile; pour son fonctionnement, elle dépend du bon roulement des choses et de la croyance des gens en sa bonté. Nos écosystèmes planétaires subissent des changements majeurs avec des répercussions imprévisibles: les ressources naturelles s’épuisent rapidement, la population croît rapidement, surtout dans les milieux urbains, il y a un malaise grandissant autant politique que populaire. Ces facteurs combinés vont probablement amener un effondrement rapide et catastrophique de la civilisation au cours du 21è siècle.
Il est possible de provoquer l’effritement progressif de la civilisation, réduisant ainsi son impact sur l’humanité et, les dommages à l’environnement seront d’autant amoindris que nous agirons rapidement.
Voici ce que nous devons faire:
1) Nous joindre à la réalité du monde vivant, afin que nous puissions comprendre notre étroite relation avec lui dans tout ce que nous faisons. Plus nous sommes en affinité avec la nature, plus nous réalisons combien irréelle est la civilisation.
2) Vivre de telle manière que l’on cesse de contribuer à la croissance économique, et par le fait même, réduire notre impact sur l’environnement naturel. Devenir conscient que les figures d’autorité dans ce système, tels les dirigeants politiques ou les corporations, vont tenter de nous proposer des solutions “vertes” opportunistes : ces conseils restent axés sur l’idée d’une continuation de la civilisation et devraient êtres ignorés.
3) Créer, par l’éducation, des conditions favorables afin que les autres puissent aussi changer et, plus important encore, miner les outils dont se sert la civilisation pour nous maintenir dans ce système. Ne perdons pas de temps à manifester : cela ne change rien, c’est d’ailleurs pour cette raison que c’est permis!
Un avenir en dehors de la civilisation induit une vie meilleure: une existence dans laquelle nous pouvons décider par nous-même de notre manière de vivre.
(Thank you to Claude for the French translation / Merci à Claude pour la traduction en français)
Un Mensaje Simple Para La Humanidad
La actividad humana está destruyendo los sistemas naturales de los cuales dependemos para nuestra supervivencia. Nuestro instinto más básico como humanos es el de sobrevivir; pero continuamos destruyendo el sistema que nos mantiene vivos. Los humans que están conectados entienden esta terrible contradicción; los desconectados no.
No todos los seres humanos son responsables: solo aquellos que forman parte de la Civilización Industrial. La Civilización Industrial depende del crecimiento económico y el uso no sostenible de los recursos naturales, de tal forma que se ha desarrollado un juego complejo de herramientas que mantienen a la gente desconectada del mundo real y viviendo de una forma que mantiene funcionando a la civilización. Los humanos han sido manipulados para ser parte de un sistema destructivo.
La única forma de evitar un colapso ecológico global y asegurar la supervivencia de la humanidad es librar al mundo de la Civilización Industrial.
La Civilización es compleja y delicada: depende de que todo opere de manera estable y tambien, de que la gente siga teniendo fé que la civilización es algo positivo. Los sistemas ecológicos globales están cambiando de distintas maneras, importantes e impredecibles; los recursos naturales se están agotando rápidamente; la población está creciendo, sobre todo en zonas urbanas; se están produciendo considerables inestabilidades políticas y civiles por todo el mundo: cualquier combinación de estos factores podría llevar a un colapso repentino y catastrofico de la civilización durante el siglo 21.
Es posible crear una situación donde la civilización se desmorone gradualmente, reduciendo el impacto en la humanidad, y cuanto antes se realice, menor sera el daño al medio ambiente global. Las cosas que podemos hacer principalmente son:
1) Reconectarnos con el mundo real, para comprender nuestra relación con él en todo lo que hacemos. Cuánto más conectados, más conscientes seremos de lo irreal que resulta la civilización.
2) Vivir de una manera que no contribuya a la expansión de la economía global, que también reduzca nuestro impacto en el medio ambiente. Recordar que las figuras de autoridad que pertenecen al sistema, como líderes políticos y corporaciones, intentarán proporcionarte consejos “ecológicos”: estos consejos estan diseñados para asegurar que la civilización continúe, y deberíamos ignorarlos.
3) Crear las condiciones necesarias para que otros cambien a través de la educación e, incluso más importante, debilitando las herramientas que utiliza la civilización para que sigamos formando parte de la máquina. No desperdicies tiempo protestando: esto no cambia nada – por eso es legal.
El futuro fuera de la civilización es una vida mejor; una en la que podamos realmente decidir por nosotros mismos como vamos a vivir.
(Thank you to Joel Montes and Sara Hammond for the Spanish translation)
This statement first appeared in the online book A Matter Of Scale (www.amatterofscale.com) and also appears in the book “Time’s Up! An Uncivilized Solution To A Global Crisis.” (www.timesupbook.com). This statement has been written in such a way that it can be easily understood by a large number of people, and passed on intact so that as many people as possible can read it and act upon it.
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