CONTROL...who exactly is being controlled?
Let’s face facts, the world we live in is controlled by the few. The wealthy elite and corporate bodies control global industries, information and news dissemination, wealth distribution, access to food and resources, which means that the people of this world are controlled by others. These companies are concerned with profit above all else; they are solely focused on increasing their profits through monopolization tactics and capitalism. In order to ensure that corporations remain at least somewhat profitable (and this is a capitalist system), they must constantly keep their customer base interested. To do that in today’s digital world is a challenge. Customers are constantly being bombarded with advertising and marketing messages. Companies must also stay on top of a myriad of technological advances, such as the internet and mobile devices, to ensure that customers continue to purchase products from their business. The rich and powerful companies also have no problem using people for their own purposes, whether it be for mobbing websites to make sure customers are greeted with instant gratification or rigging elections through voter fraud to ensure continued profits. All of this suggests that we are not all in control of our own lives, but in fact do not even have much control over the industry we live in.
Corporations see it this way as well, they see the world as a game, where they must out-smart their competition to continue profits and grow their business. They will use whatever means necessary to ensure overall success, from infiltrating political parties to lobbying officials and governments for favorable laws, to hiring lobbyists for secret organizations like C-PAC (The Coalition for Peace Action) who act as the face of Neocon influence in the United States. All these things support corporate interests and the government’s agenda.
This is all relatively new, as corporations have existed for over a hundred years, but their influence has been greatly expanded with the advent of the internet and speedy communication methods such as cell phones. As the wealth gap continues to increase throughout the world and all nations become more globalized, corporations have begun to use their power both internally as well as externally to maintain profits. The vast majority of people are kept ignorant of these activities, living in blissful ignorance under a false reality created for them by companies and government.
Control has always meant something vital to humans. Whether it be a biological struggle for survival against predators or groups or an economic struggle against those who could not afford your products or services, control is a necessary component in any society. The corporations that control us are using the internet to expand their power and influence. Whether it be by influencing what we read, watch and listen to, whether by hiring many of the leaders in the alternative media movement to spread propaganda, or with their advertising options they have created a world where everyone is searching for cool products or are either giving or taking information to those who have access to them.
The corporations that control us are also influencing elections through their buying of candidates and election campaigns. When was the most expensive election in history? You guessed it: 2008 (US) - US$2billion. But that is nothing compared to the amount of money spent by corporations to influence elections, they invest millions of dollars in candidates and on political parties. What would you do with unlimited resources? Imagine if you could not control an election through bribery or coercion, well you can’t unless you are a corporation, because voters are not bribed with the same kind of money that politicians are.
As we see this unfold we can expect much more control in the future. It is only natural for those who have power to expand it and gain more power. This brings up many questions about our future as a society. Do we continue to allow these large corporations to control our lives? Do we sit back and accept the way that things are while looking into our crystal ball and hoping for a better future? Do we rally together to stop the powers that be or do we run away, hide and hope they don’t find us?
Implications of letting this continue are very grim. It is said that “if you give power, you shouldn’t expect to get it back.” I have been told recently that without corporate support in today’s world, it is difficult to make a living through alternative media. I see this as a problem, I see this as the corporations controlling our lives and holding power over the freedom of speech. This is a grim situation and I believe it has gotten worse, especially with the recent Megaupload scandal.
I have always been aware that there would be some kind of a war in the future between those who want to control us and those who will fight for our rights. Whether they are against gun rights, or privacy, or basic human freedoms such as freedom of speech or thought, there will be people that rise up to fight these movements. I do not know when this war will begin, but I am very sure that it will be a tipping point in our future.
When this war begins, I hope we will fight on the right side of history. I hope we choose to fight for our freedom and not become slaves to corporate greed and governmental corruption. Whatever side of the fence you stand on, please raise your voices and take a stand, whether it be through social media or grassroots activism, get involved in spreading truth to those who need your voice!
Let us spread freedom together!
Written by Ross Bugden - Owner of 'Bugden Media' (SIC) Based in Ontario Canada. Bugden Media is a professional and ethical alternative media company, producing independent news, articles and updates on all the major topics that affect our society today. We have a fundamental goal of providing well thought out and researched content to help educate and inform people on what is really going on in our world today. We do not only produce material for the alternative media community but also for general public education. The companies' website can be found at: https://www.bugdenmedia.com/ Our blog posts are located here: http://bugdenmedia.blogspot.ca/Our Youtube Channel is located here: https://www.youtube.com/user/bugdengroup Our social media resources are available here:https://www.youtube.com/user/bugdenmedia https://www.facebook.com/bugdengroup https://twitter.com/bugdengroup
Posted by Bugden Media on Monday, June 1, 2012
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Conclusion
As I have said before, it is only a matter of time before the internet becomes controlled by the same people who control our news, entertainment and finance. It is only a matter of time until censorship becomes more and more strict in order to maintain order in society. We are seeing this play out before our very eyes with the recent actions on Megaupload. They have shut down a major file sharing service causing massive amounts of material to be lost for millions of people around the world. With their actions they have undermined the basic human right to freedom of speech and it is only a matter of time until we see this happen again with other sites and services that many rely on today.