In the Matrix

Too often,I think I live in a sort of matrix, enveloped by something alien that's trying to force-feed me its version of current events--while my common sense is telling me otherwise. In the United States, there are two big propaganda machines, each grinding out its own version of The Truth: the one promoted by rabid conservatives and the one favored by the Biden crowd. Their propaganda machines are the Mainstream Media, the pundits on TV, talk radio and the print outlets who widely disseminate views on either side. There's Fox on the extreme right, MSNBC (supposedly) on the left. There's the New York Post on the right and the New York Times on the left. And so on, down the line. Sane consumers reject rabid conservative Republican views, but find little comfort in modern Democratic attitudes. That's because both Republicans and Democrats are in the pockets of the rich. The Democrats in charge are really corporate conservatives, more interested in keeping their donors happy than in meeting the needs of the little people who voted them in. They'll say things that sound progressive, then do nothing to promote true liberal goals: affordable housing and education, decent laboral conditions, fair pricing, fair wages, reproductive choice, voting freedom, gun control and health care for all. Democrats in power say that they are "centrists", and that centrism is the only way to pacify Republicans and dissuade them from trying to destroy the Democratic Party. They claim "extreme" liberalism--or what's needed to right socioeconomic injustices in this country--will only frighten Republicans into further hostility. And so, their main struggle has been to foil progressives within the Democratic party, instead of battling the Republican thrust to take over this country. Except for senators Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachussetts), the stars of the progressive movement are people of color, most notably, representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Ayana Pressley (Massachussetts) and Rashida Tlalib (Michigan). These women, known as The Squad, have been effectively silenced by centrist Democratic heavyweights the likes of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. So "Centrist" becomes just another word for "conservative", make no mistare. And when you hear the term "both sides", you are really listening to a camouflaged conservative argument because we all know that there's only one side, the side of truth and justice. And the truth is that there's no justice for average Americans struggling to survive on many fronts while the current Democratic leadership does nothing about it. There's no profit in it for our "leaders" ; it's been that way for decades, Clinton was Republican Lite, and Obama was all flash and no substance. And supposedly liberal mainstream media only parrots the corporate Democrat view, so forget THEM. If you want the truth unvarnished by politics, you have to resort to the independent YouTubers who freely voice their indignation at what's going on. And if you want solutions to the popular plight, don't look to Washington. Start building a liberal movement from the ground up. Start mobilizing to elect true liberals to state and local office. There's some indication it's already happening. In the recent primaries, true progressive candidates swept by corporate Democrats with much larger war chests. Of course, the mainstream media didn't mention it, but there are stirrings of a mass movement that's trying to break out of the informational matrix we've been dozing in for so long.Let's hope the trend continues.