One of my closest friends believes that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are causing harm to this country in equal measure. He believes that voting blue is an absolute line he cannot cross, though, as they’ll take away the things he truly believes in. To that end, and for that friend, here’s an argument that I know he wouldn’t be able to refute and so he’ll look away and say “You’re right” but keep voting Red anyway. He’s a good man, and i love him for who he is, but he has a tendency to avoid the things that are actually scary. Things like long held views, long held beliefs, and the idea that we have actively or passively participated in some way to build the things we disagree with most. In this idea (which I’m not arguing as truth, just posing an idea for you to play with), we have to accept a few premises. 1. America functions as a corporation, and all American corporations answer to it as a “parent corp” 2. Freedom of Speech functions like voting, and corporations within the US exercise it the same way that we do 3. Anyone living in the Empire is complicit 4. “team blue” is a less difficult regime to disarm and reshape The first premise here is that the American government isn’t actually divided, it works together for most major issues and becomes partisan on things that will eventually become major issues. Individual players attempt to get what they want, not because it might be beneficial long term, but because it will eventually serve as proof of power. Our Government functions like any other business. It has different products to sell (in a basic way this means profit), different means of leverage to capitalize on those products. Freedom of speech, or the second premise, is as available to corporations as it is to an individual. The Bill of Rights and Constitution are not laws to be obeyed, they are a rulebook for organizational behavior. Different marketing campaigns are required to sell a product, and the only leverage that the public had against this was our ability to vote. For better or worse, the 2024 election has brought that little sliver of power into question in such a way that we don’t know if we have an elected President, or if a new form of Coup d’état has been enacted. Not here to argue that. What I am here to point out requires these preface arguments, because it’s a very specific understanding of current events. When we need to believe in certain ideas, these are sold to us consistently, efficiently, and subliminally most of all, through the products we buy. Design philosophy, theory, even utilization are all sold to us in media and product placement. We might not be aware of it, but that is propaganda’s best kept secret. It should never feel like someone else’s idea. The third premise, includes an implied argument i want to clarify for you. You are complicit in your Empire, always. Yes you live under an Empire. Once you step into U.S. territory, you step onto Empire soil. Imperialism is just as alive and well as it has always been, and they have used premise 1 & 2 to guarantee you think of it as something else. Viridian, Emerald, Jade, any name you can try to use is still Green by more specific naming. Maybe it’s not imperialism as it once was, but it is a more specific form of the same game. If you are within the Empire and not working to actively change how that Empire behaves, locally, nationally, globally, you are a servant of the empire. You serve their interests with every fast food burger, every bullet bought, every country song queued, every ticket for a summer blockbuster, etc. Watch their movies once they’re free or included in a separate service you already pay for. Listen to independent or self-publishing artists and give them direct support. Stop buying corporate and lobby-funded products like major ammunition and arms. And for the love of god do not buy another major fast food chain product so long as you live. Last, but not least, if the controlling force of the empire is to be our only choice (Elected officials), it is much easier to reshape and rehabilitate this diseased and rotting house with people aware of the crumbling foundation. “team blue” is easier to shaper than “team red”. Why? Because team blue doesn’t have the righteous zealots that team red does. Team blue doesn’t abuse religion and the kindness of unassuming folk, they just continue war profiteering and prison-pumping. Team red on the other hand leans into their faith a sa means of control, which historically leads to far more oppressive means of control than blue. While this isn’t to say that team blue is not oppressive, this isn’t saying that team blue doesn’t ALSO commit atrocities. I need to clarify because your favorite defense is that I’m trying to lean blue, i want more blue, if it’s not blue it’s not true, blue, blue, blue. You fail to see how well your team has indoctrinated you to their means, and to ensure you keep thinking of only blue as your enemy when they both are. Enough so that you can agree “both are monsters” in speech, but never actually take action because you’ll ”never vote blue, but i will vote red”. To this end, friend, i want you to understand the idea I’m presenting. You voted for someone that you thought would be a better choice, but both sides needed control. It is very apparent from the past year that whatever team blue would like to do, stopping major international action and the majority of what is occurring within our Empire’s borders is not top of the list. To that point, you might have voted with the idea that you were making the country safer, showing the world we’re strong, showing that these colors aren’t just for show. Unfortunately, since team red and team blue are playing on the same team they only need one more color to show up and work for them. While this is just an idea I’m asking you to play with, not to accept, I think you’ll likely bury your head and make a joke about it so you don’t have to confront yourself. The best way to ensure that this nation keeps serving elites and has little to no chance of serving the average person, is to keep pushing ahead as you have. The belief that a controlling authority is going to take care of things without you being involved is similar to believing your parents will find you a better job and know the best partner for you. For all the individualism and self-thinking you claim to hold, you are choosing the exact puppets and stuffed animals that Dad wants you to play with. You subscribe to the same roles set out for you, sign up for the same job picked out for you, and even watch the same shows, listen to the same songs, and eat the same foods as anyone under the empire’s control might. You conform, for all your show of rebellion, in the uniform they taught you rebellion should wear. There is no “free-thinking” in the thoughts that they gave you. That is subscription. That is out-sourcing thought. That’s doing what you‘YT told, with extra steps to arrive at your orders. I believed you to be a model citizen, not a molded one. #fastfood #politics #friend #letter #patriarchy #onctrol #America #business #blue #red #partisan #money #govenment #USA #Empire #imperialism