134 lines
7.7 KiB
Groff
134 lines
7.7 KiB
Groff
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September 25, 1994
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Sunday e-sermon #2
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Today I would like to share a little secret with all of you. Some of you may
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have suspected it. To others it will come as a surprise. My friends, today we
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are at war, and not just at war, but besieged. Each one of us here today is
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under attack, right here in our own homes. Who or what is attacking us?
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Surely not the Evil Empire again? Or is Saddam Hussein sneaking around in the
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back yard? No, my friends, the enemy we face today is more fearsome than any
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nation, and more powerful than any individual. In Walt Kelly's immortal words,
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Today we face the American world-view.
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In 1992 a pamphlet called "Seizing the Media" was published by a group known as
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the Immediasts. The pamphlet's first page deserves to be quoted here at
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length:
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<<<
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We can each see how extended exposure to television and mass media dulls people
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with a sense of numbness and nausea. From every public space a monologue of
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coercion penetrates our senses and rapes our attention. Wherever we look,
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wherever we listen, wherever we go: the pornography of billboards, bus side
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placards, subway cards, glaring storefront signs and displays, the glut of junk
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mail, stupid fly-by beach planes and blimps, coupons, obnoxious bumper stickers
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and breast pins, embarrassing service uniforms, plastic banners and ribbons,
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absurd parades, street-corner handouts, windshield wiper flyers, matchbook ads,
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business cards, screaming radios, the daily papers, every nanosecond of
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television, the package wrapped around everything we buy--from the label in our
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underwear to the robot computer that calls our homes--only the upper atmosphere
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and the ocean floor offer any sanctuary from America's ecology of coercion.
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And at every turn the monologues drone on, imbedding the psychological mutagens
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that coax us to become pathetic customers and unquestioning flag wavers. At
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every turn, we are under attack.
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>>>
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What can we as individuals do to defend ourselves from this ceaseless attack?
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Well, my friends, I have been pondering this very question for many years now,
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and I have arrived at some definite conclusions. Right now, I'm going to
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present a series of CONCRETE STEPS that each one of us can take to insulate
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ourselves from the American world-view. Taken together, these ideas comprise
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what might be called the "Immediast School of Self-Defense."
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Avoid watching television. No other single change you can make will have a
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greater long-term effect on your well-being. Remember, what you see on
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television is NOT REAL, even the news, ESPECIALLY the news. Television is
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colored lights on a glass screen, nothing more. Now I know that many of you
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have "favorite programs" that you can't imagine living without. A gradual
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approach is best, but keep in mind that television advertisements are EXTREMELY
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DANGEROUS. They are filled with powerful subliminal messages that reinforce
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the dominant world-view. If you have a VCR, and a particular program interests
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you, videotape it; this way you can fast-forward through the advertisements.
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If you absolutely must watch live television, at least turn the sound off
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during the advertisements!
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Use computers as little as possible. I know this is difficult, especially for
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you Internet users out there, but it makes a big difference. Like televisions,
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computers emit substantial amounts of ELF radiation, but more important, they
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encourage certain types of thinking at the expense of others. Excessive
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computer use can lead to serious imbalances, of which headaches, eye strain and
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carpal tunnel syndrome are merely symptoms. In Chinese medicine, the condition
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is generally described as excess fire in the liver. The liver nourishes the
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eyes and is associated with analytical reasoning and verbalization. Note that
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the liver's "time" is from 1:00 to 3:00am. If you're usually awake then, your
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liver is not being recharged properly. In other words, if you must hack, try
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not to do it late at night. If you develop symptoms, see an acupuncturist as
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soon as possible. In my experience, acupuncture and certain crystals
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(especially malachite) are the only things that work, other than not using
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computers.
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The octopus is strongest in the cities. There are a variety of physical
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factors, and most of them are obvious. Here are some less obvious ones: 1.
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Not only is the air poisonous, it is also literally humming with
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electromagnetic energy of every imaginable frequency. 2. The high
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concentration of concrete adds to an already extreme level of background
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radiation. 3. The constant sharing of space with cars leads to a false sense
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of equality with or even inferiority to machines. 4. Paradoxically, the
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higher the population density, the greater the feeling of alienation.
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Aggression is another common side effect. Picture yourself in the middle of a
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crowded street, pressed up against on all sides, unable to move, with people
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bumping into you. Now examine your feelings. Do you feel like screaming?
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Punching someone? It happens all the time. For you city-dwellers, this means
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getting away periodically. Just walking on something other than concrete or
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asphalt is VERY beneficial, especially with bare feet.
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Nowhere is pollution less recognized than in the audio spectrum. Try to
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remember the last time you were somewhere "quiet" outdoors. Could you hear the
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sound of cars? If so, then it wasn't really quiet, was it? No other sound
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more completely symbolizes the "post-modern" generation than the sound of cars.
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We take it for granted and scarcely hear it, yet parents born in the thirties
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grew up without this sound. What sounds did they hear instead? The best
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remedy for audio pollution is earplugs. The little foam cylinders are the
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best; they are usually rated for at least 25dB of noise reduction. Riding the
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subway without earplugs is folly! Studies have consistently linked urban life
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and subways in particular with hearing loss. Do not use "portable stereos" or
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walkmen! They ADD to the noise, and worse, they reinforce the dominant
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world-view of separateness, by cutting you off from the few organic sounds that
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remain.
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Avoid animal flesh. There are many reasons for this, and I won't bother with
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the ordinary ones like pesticide levels and clogged arteries. In the 1940's
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America had enormous grain surpluses. Rather than stockpiling the grain or
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reducing production, the federal government engaged in a massive campaign to
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promote meat consumption. The result was the factory farm system we know
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today, which has made us one of the world's leading IMPORTERS of grain. The
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factory farm system has serious consequences beyond mere wasteful use of
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resources. The animals that are raised in these "farms," be they cows, pigs,
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or chickens, suffer terribly. Their feelings are present in their flesh. By
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eating these animals, you absorb their misery, and contribute to your own
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suffering. This weakens your immune system, which in turn makes you more
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susceptible to media attack. Truly, you are what you eat.
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I sincerely hope that these suggestions help each and every one of you as much
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as they've helped me. Remember, we are at war! The war will end when EVERYONE
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wants it to. The more of you who resist the media onslaught, the more hope
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there is for the Earth. Nothing can last forever; the Spectacle's days are
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numbered. Wear your media condom at all times! Don't leave your house without
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it! Until next time...
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P.S. Contact the Immediasts via:
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OPEN MEDIA, PO BOX 2726, WESTFIELD, NJ 07091
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Rev. Chris Korda The Church of Euthanasia
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ftp: ftp.etext.org pub/Zines/Snuffit
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gopher: gopher.etext.org Zines/Snuffit
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