#329 / Caitlin Johnstone's Discouraged Comments

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Observer Media, based in New York, identifies Caitlin Johnstone as "a reader-supported independent journalist from Melbourne, Australia." Johnstone publishes a Substack newsletter ("Caitlin's Newsletter") in which she regularly attacks the United States Government for all of its many failings, and for all of its affirmatively bad acts. On September 6, 2024, Johnstone titled her commentary as follows: "Revolution Is Now." 

Sometimes, Johnstone identifies the United States Government as "The Empire." I may be engaging in a bit of oversimplification here, because "The Empire" named by Johnstone is probably more than just the United States government. However, our government is certainly right at the center of "The Empire," in Johnstone's analysis - and that is not a good thing! 

An example of how Johnstone employs the term can be seen from the following excerpt from Johnstone's September 6th edition:

People are always asking me what we can do to fight the tyranny and depravity of the empire and create a healthy world. 

“But what can we do?” they ask. “You always talk about the problems, but we need solutions! How do we solve the problems you keep pointing to?” 

It’s especially common during US election season, because I tend to spend a lot of time pointing to the fraudulent nature of western electoral politics and saying Americans will never be able to vote their way out of their problems. 

Which is of course fair. If I’m saying “Not that way, it’s a dead end,” it’s only fair that I should be asked which way actually leads to the exit. 

Trouble is I talk about solutions all the time here, and I’m always practicing what I preach and leading by example; some people just can’t seem to hear what I’m saying. It goes in one ear and out the other, because I don’t have any solutions that are as easy and immediate as “Cast your vote for Donald Trump, he’ll fight the Deep State” or “Cast your vote for Kamala Harris, she’ll stop fascism.” 

The truth of the matter is that in the here and now there are no easy and immediate solutions to the problems we face in our world. The system is far too deeply entrenched, and people are far too deeply indoctrinated with propaganda to be persuaded to fight against it right now (emphasis added).

Not having a specific and positive program to recommend, Johnstone suggests that those concerned should be trying to spread discontent and dissatisfaction as the next best thing: 

An effective solution that we can all begin applying in the here and now is working to foment a revolutionary zeitgeist by spreading awareness of the depravity and deceit of the empire. The primary obstacle to real change is the fact that far too many people are far too brainwashed by propaganda to rise up against our rulers, so our first task is to begin working to wake people up out of that propaganda-induced coma so they can see how desperately real change is needed ... We cultivate a habit of small acts of sedition, trying to do something every day to de-normalize the abuses of the empire in the eyes of the public. Our historically unprecedented ability to share ideas and information around the world in real time makes circulating unauthorized materials much easier than it used to be, and much more democratic. This is something we can all dedicate ourselves to.

For what it's worth, I don't think this is the right approach. The approach Johnstone is recommending is similar, I think, to what "Adbusters" is recommending, cultivating widespread anger and outrage, with the idea that this can, and will, precipitate the kind of positive revolutionary changes we truly do need.

I, personally, think that we need to tell ourselves the absolute opposite of what Johnstone is saying. Instead of telling ourselves how powerless we are to make the changes we need to make - and truly "revolutionary" changes are definitely called for - it's my suggestion that we take seriously the idea that our system of "self-government" will, in fact, allow us to govern ourselves. But let's be candid. As we look around, we can't really say, in fact, that we are directly engaged, most of us, in the governing process. 

We are spectators and critics, and we don't like what's happening. If that's where we leave it, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Let's take Patti Smith seriously when she says, in her wonderful song, "People Have The Power."

We have the power, but we are not using it as we could, and "spreading awareness of the depravity and deceit of the empire" is not a way to motivate the kind of unified (revolutionary) actions that can change the world. Rather, it's a way to convince ourselves that we aren't, and can't be, in charge, which leads to the opposite of the kind of empowerment we need to mobilize. 

It's a Sunday today, so let me quote Jesus: "whoever loses their life will find it." We, in the end, are in charge of "The Empire." But to exercise the power to which we have access, those who choose to undertake a "revolution" will need to "lose" our present lives, and to decide that the purpose of our lives is something else, entirely, from what we are doing today. 

Don't we have positive ideas about how our world should be constructed - how things could be made better? I think we do, and we need to get to work on that. It's a whole new and different life we need, and while criticism can motivate, what we really need to do is not to criticize what exists, but to create what needs to be.

And don't tell me that we can't do that. 

We can.

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