Bloomberg News reported that de Blasio’s event was planned to corral 60,000 people in Central Park for a stick-and-carrot vaccine inducement. Where Morrissey cajoled audiences to think for themselves, de Blasio’s pop stars participate in a reeducation concert — Bloomberg News also noted that “the celebratory tone contrasts with a harsher scolding.” De Blasio added, “We are doing this in an intentional way to keep creating more positive pressure for vaccinations. It is purposefully moving steps aggressively one after another.” Do the vaunted liberals Bruce, Paul, Patti, et al. agree with pressure? Are they secretly fond of aristocratic coercion? They turn their success into opportunities to lull listeners into partisan politics. Politicizing their fans’ affection is nothing less than a betrayal of trust and good will.
De Blasio’s music-for-the-masses project comes terribly close to other progressive notions for making American life more socialist; urging people to think of themselves as masses is simple bread and circuses. New York City’s municipal ability to quickly pull together events of public persuasion — from Juneteenth to the Canyon of Heroes parade for the seditious female Olympic soccer team to the parade for the COVID first responders during the current economic stress — smacks of tyrannical mass brainwashing. It exploits culture to reward obedience while pretending to celebrate humanity.
But the phrase “bread and circuses,” coined by Juvenal in the first century a.d. (from the Latin panis et circenses), described how politicians use diversion and distraction to satisfy a docile populace. Morrissey’s sneeze comes from his political-artistic soul, giving us back our humanity along with our vulnerability and our unique, if not always “common,” sensibilities.
Morrissey is the pop artist with the strongest record of opposing fascist presumptions (despite controversies wrought by journalists who misunderstand his complex observation of politics and society, whether in such superb recordings as “Bengali in Platforms” and “The National Front Disco” or in provocative interview statements).
By choosing “End of the World” (the epitome of pop music simple and deep enough to crush the childhood innocence of Morrissey’s generation), Morrissey half-kidded about civilization’s collapse in response to political plagues and government overreach. As a segue to the Smiths’ song “London,” Morrissey swiftly moved from nostalgic sentiment to full-on alarm about present-day fears. Howling at the end of “London” to match its rollicking terror about violent life change and the rupture of social, familial, and cultural ties, Morrissey laid out the large question: “Do you think you’ve made the right decision this time?”
I don't alwayss agree with what Morrissey has to say, but he does have a way of putting two fingers up at the establishment. We used to expect this from many musicians of the day. Not so much in these days of conformity and subservience as displyed by former rock legends Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Journey, LL Cool J.
"All those former rock-and-roll rebels enlisted for Mayor de Blasio’s Bread and Circuses event demonstrate their support for the new political compliance.".
You certainly do have hand it to Morrissey...
"Music for the Masses: The Debut of Pop Fascism."
Aug. 21, 2021
"Nothing at New York’s “Homecoming” vaccination concerts this weekend will match the March 17, 2020, jest where Morrissey began his London concert with an a capella rendition of the Skeeter Davis hit “End of the World.” He crooned the timely lament — then sneezed. At that point, the backdrop projection flashed a mock album cover photo of Morrissey wearing a COVID mask alongside a satirical title “You Are the Quarantined” (riffing on Morrissey’s 2004 comeback album You Are the Quarry).
Morrissey’s effrontery contrasts with the compliance of the “Homecoming” performers Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Journey, LL Cool J. They don’t share Morrissey’s iconoclastic pith. All those former rock-and-roll rebels enlisted for Mayor de Blasio’s Bread and Circuses event demonstrate their support for the new political compliance — somehow their participation conflates New York citizenship with their personal millionaire comfort, the easy life achieved through success and detachment from mundane subsistence.
The excuse that these stars celebrate New York City’s “return to normalcy” doesn’t jibe with Morrissey’s awareness of political threat and passive submission to ruling-class commands. Instead, de Blasio’s stars use their celebrity to convince the common folk to follow political fiat.
Springsteen, Simon, Smith, et al. backpedal from their former artistic stances on individual freedom — a quantifiably different approach from Morrissey’s belief in personal, idiosyncratic freedom. That “You Are the Vaccinated” joke parallels with You Are the Quarry as a warning against totalitarian efforts by insensitive, heartless citizens and egotistic politicians who would force their dictates upon you.
The good thing about this meditation is it's available to all, regardless of their spiritual or religious belief, or even the lack of it.....
"Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. It comes from the Buddhist tradition, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation; loving-kindness meditation is essentially about cultivating love."
That is one of the stages in Buddhist loving kindness (Metta Bhavana) meditation. One part of it is as follows....
"Now move to someone you have difficulty with--hostile feelings, resentments. Repeat the phrases for this person. If you have difficulty doing this, you can say before the phrases, "To the best of my ability I wish that you be...." If you begin to feel ill will toward this person, return to the benefactor and let the loving kindness arise again. Then return to this person.
Let the phrases spread through your whole body, mind, and heart."
For instructions on the full loving kindness meditation......
Haha, I've stopped trying to get my head around quantum mechanics....it makes my brain hurt. .... Yes Charles is doing a great job, he has inspired hundreds to do the same all over Greater Manchester. Me and my two psychiatrist friends, Sarah and Lucy have been helping Charles litter pick for a couple of years, even through the lockdown. Charles has be doing it for longer than that and through social media recruited quite a few others. Since then word spread and a group was started on F-book. The group is now 1700 strong and has split into splinter groups for different areas of Gtr Manchester. Most of the councils have come on board and provide bags and suggest collection points where the bags can be left for collection. The results have been beneficial in many ways such as, creating community spirit, educating the many children who join in not to drop litter, getting people out into the fresh air and of course making an enormous difference by clearing so many areas of the unsightly mess of litter. And what Charles said in the video is true, the more litter is collected, the less people drop litter.
First discovered around 2010 i think. Whats interesting about it is through neuroplasticity its been discovered the brain isnt hard-wired as was commonly thought, but can be re-wired through a different way of thinking. It proves in many ways that a leopard can change its spots.....
That was part of his mo to fool us into thinking he was genuine. I seem to remember one of his profiles was a woman from Ireland. Given that he was supposed to be in CA I dont know how he set that up. But like I said earlier he and other trolls were no fools, very smart people in fact. I'm sure know all that Conrad anyway.
bodleing2 Forum Posts (6,132)
"You Are the Quarantined”
I did start off with a few lines of my own..