Over the past decade, it has become clear that a concerted, multi-pronged war on consciousness is advancing ‘full steam ahead.’ In addition, a simultaneous war on human responsibility (and response-ability) is also ramping up. Together, these two ongoing ‘wars’ are rapidly undermining our societies and civilization itself.
However, truly ‘getting’ the full scope of these attacks is difficult. Sifting through all the noise, endless ‘news,’ and rampant disinformation — what some term the multi-media ‘firehose to the face’ — to get to the truth is a never-ending, daunting challenge. In this essay, I’ll sort through the noise and nonsense and identify the essential, dark realities emerging in the U.S. and around the world.
The horrendous saga of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
First, a disturbing personal/political story. I live in the great (backward) state of Texas, which is one of the epicenters of the war on consciousness and accountability. For many years, Texas has been subjected to massive corruption and deception emanating from our top ‘law enforcement’ official, our Attorney General: Ken Paxton.
He has been at the very forefront of the MAGA and ‘Stop the Steal’ movements. He supported and expanded Trump’s election conspiracy BS, was the subject of several criminal investigations, and was impeached by the Texas House by a wide margin — only to be found ‘not guilty’ by the Paxton-loving Texas Senate.
This corrupt and lawless man has been re-elected Attorney General, again and again, and now operates with total impunity. Against that backdrop, he decided to shift gears and run for the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, an extra-marital affair has come to light — which led his wife of 38 years to file for divorce. This is a man who abuses his office to promote Trump and the MAGA agenda, does favors for his wealthy friends and donors, and works overtime to strip rights and power from liberals, minorities, and women. Plus, he’s a known and unrepentant adulterer.
But despite his terrible personal baggage and endless lies and manipulations, he is by far the favored GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate. He is seeking to unseat the current long-time Senator, John Cornyn, who is a bit more moderate — and thus not ‘Trumpy’ enough for the MAGA crowd, which wants someone more extreme and ruthlessly ‘anti-woke.’
Scarily, in today’s ruby-red Texas, Ken ‘Shithead’ Paxton is quite likely to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Right-leaning Texans always seem willing to overlook his many flaws, corruption, and overt self-dealing — as long as he is ‘their’ culture warrior and keeps oppressing and taking down the ‘libtards,’ illegals, and ‘socialists.’ Hell, to them, his flaws may actually be strengths — and his cunning amorality may be his top selling point.
The main ‘fronts’ in the war on consciousness and accountability
I’ve recounted this sordid spectacle because it encapsulates ALL the features of the intensifying war on consciousness and accountability. The dark Paxton saga unfolding in Texas reflects a much broader and super-destructive social pattern — one that’s playing out across the U.S. and, increasingly, the entire world. This emerging, accelerating pattern includes several immensely destructive trends:
1) Endorsing and ‘acting out’ increasing amorality, rage, and vengefulness — while hiding behind a veneer of ‘Christian morality.’ Evading and successfully avoiding all personal and moral accountability/responsibility.
2) Attacking and undermining all ‘woke’ policies and social programs (DEI, etc.) that try to increase racial, ethnic, economic, and sexual equality.
3) Sustained attacks on the free press and the judiciary — the two crucial elements of society that work to hold bad actors to account and bring them to justice.
4) Attacking and undermining the validity of science, public health efforts, vaccines, climate science, expert knowledge, and the usefulness of experienced public servants. Rejecting and repealing most of the ecological and ‘green energy’ advances of the past 50 years.
5) Insisting on a rapid return to a ‘better’ past society where White heterosexual men ruled and everyone else was subservient or mere second-class citizens. This desired ‘return’ requires the total re-subjugation of non-whites, LGBTQ+ folks, and women in general.
The nationwide war on consciousness and human responsibility
The grim ‘Paxton saga’ features or even celebrates most of the above amoral, anti-knowledge, or antisocial trends. But wait! (as they say in those obnoxious infomercials). We can extend this ‘local’ state problem to the entire United States, since ‘he who shall not be named’ (henceforth referred to as DJT) was re-elected last November — horrifically — and is now wreaking sustained, intentional havoc across the nation and the global economy. Not to mention our (former) global alliances.
Paxton and DJT are just the most obvious and glaring examples of the current right-wing ‘war’ on consciousness and human responsibility. It’s clear that right-wingers want the total freedom to do, say, or deny whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want. Their amoral, unaccountable ‘freedom’ revolves around suppressing any information or knowledge that offends them or limits their actions. Their ‘freedom’ also fosters the overt oppression of non-whites, gays, and women.
Thus, DJT and his administration have gleefully assumed the role of persistent ‘social arsonists.’ They are eagerly attacking or burning down such ‘woke’ policies or institutions as foreign aid, the Department of Education, any acknowledgement or investigation of climate change, increased voting rights, abortion rights, FEMA, and the EPA. They are even rejecting and attacking ‘green’ technologies and cleaner energy systems — and are again promoting dirty, dangerous fossil fuels instead!
Today, even our desire for clean air and a healthy natural environment is seen as ‘too woke’ and as hostile to our (the elites’) economic ‘success.’ To call this absurd enmity and rejection ‘short-sighted’ is far too kind. It is willful, greedy ignorance, and its dire effects amount to widespread willful destruction.
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The endgame: willful social and ecological destruction
To me, that phrase ‘willful destruction’ sums up the essence of the war on consciousness and accountability. Our willful ignorance leads inevitably to willful social and ecological destruction, and the common denominator is our extreme human willfulness. Over the past decade, especially, our all-too-human, willful desires for supremacy and more power, more amoral ‘freedom,’ and far less responsibility and accountability have exploded and in effect taken over.
Today, the worst of the worst are getting away with their self-aggrandizing manipulations and power plays. Many have been installed in positions of immense public power — DJT, Putin, and Netanyahu being the foremost examples. Their war on consciousness and accountability has one primary objective: to ruthlessly suppress the awareness and ‘woke’ opposition of the majority of the people and clear the way for outright oppression and tyranny.
The so-called ‘leaders’ fomenting and constantly intensifying this vast ‘war’ are self-centered and dangerous egomaniacs — yet they’ve grabbed center stage and are expanding their toxic influence and societal control. And partly due to the public suppression/denial of consciousness and personal responsibility, we’re passively enabling their ascent and allowing them to steal our essential awareness and power.
We’re allowing them to willfully deceive us and ‘dumb us down,’ and are surrendering in advance to the complete destruction of liberal democracy and most other social advances of our ‘modern’ societies.
What will it take to ‘save ourselves’?
What, if anything, can ‘save us’? I’d say that the only effective antidote to the war on consciousness and accountability is increased awareness and active social conscience and consciousness — in combination with demanding and getting a full public accounting for all the bad actors, criminals, and devious manipulators who currently ‘rule’ our world.
However, we are nowhere near that point yet. Public outrage and disgust over all the maniacal, destructive ‘policies’ of these powerful, hateful politicians have not yet reached a boiling point — but the social pressure is building relentlessly. And that explosive pressure point is key — because only by joining forces and working together in a vast, persistent social movement can we possibly overcome this ‘war’ and these amoral aggressors.
It will take ALL of us — or at least a large minority — banding together and doing whatever it takes to overcome the rampant forces of oppression, amorality, and ignorance. Most likely, the only path forward that has any chance of success is the path of sustained social resistance and widespread, ongoing public strikes. We’ll have to bring the ‘business as usual’ world to a standstill and demand accountability and a return to social sanity.
We’ll have to be both brave and determined, because the forces of darkness, ignorance, and oppression are quite powerful now — and they do NOT put up with interference or opposition. They don’t play around. They will soon have their backs against the wall and will pull out all the stops to paralyze or destroy any opposition. It will all get very ugly and dangerous. But I don’t see any other ‘way out’ left to us.
We who support consciousness, accountability, and social responsibility are in for the fight of our lives.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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