The Bayat Beat Unknown

Poor old Trump entering into his most anxiety producing indictment as he whines "I did everything right and they indicted me!" As much fun as it is to see the orange man squirm, we can't help but wonder how the radicals in this country will react. Will the fascistic elements in this country fizzle out or will they feel more emboldened to take action? A cornered and frightened animal tends to strike as if it were its last breath. How has the cultural angst shifted since January 6th? What does Barbie and Oppenheimer tell us about ourselves? And are we all morally culpable and ethically compromised living in Western capitalist society? Join us in the philosophical tradition of predicting the unpredictable!

In the wake of several deadly mass shootings across the United States the American people once again seek hope. The society with more guns than people, a society which seemingly prioritizes its guns over its children, is hurting. And where we seek hope, we only find sorrow as greedy politicians put on a Shakespearean drama upon the floors of Congress. It seems there will be no change, but even so we must ask ourselves: how will such change affect the oppressed? If guns are restricted, how will minorities protect themselves from the growing threat of fascist white nationalist militias? What is the history of armed self-defense and Civil Rights in this country? Why does the political Right keep fanning the flames of genocide? Is gun control racist? Let’s take a step back from our opinions and look at the situation with a practical lens, in this thought provoking episode!

Say it isn't so! Our billionaire overlords are at it again. With Bezos and his Amazon cracking down on union organizing and Elon Musk trying to buy up Twitter, we are slowly getting the rug pulled out from under us. How much longer will it take for people to realize they simply don't care. They don't care for free speech, they don't care for the common people, and they don't care for that which is sacred. But are we any different? In a society that prides itself on individualism, are they just products of our own delusions? Are our ethics bound by our environment, or a reflection of an internal courage? If governments did not serve to regulate morality, what chaos would ensue? Money is the machine of power, and power corrupts absolutely. It's too bad you can't take all that with you when you die.

Somehow a singular violent act has taken the world by storm and sparked political discourse about the thresholds of acceptable violence, but the hypocrisy is apparent. While "The Slap" was an unnecessary violent outburst it is minuscule in comparison to the violence these institutions produce and promote. Remember when the Oscars booed an Indigenous woman (and that same woman was almost assaulted by John Wayne), when they booed Michael Moore for being against the Iraq War, or literally anytime they gave an award to a rapist or pedophile? Worse things have happened at the Oscars than two men who have known each other for 35 years having a disagreement. People saying "violence is never the answer" have never been slapped before and are blind to history and the violence these institutions produce. From Hollywood being at the forefront of spreading Islamophobia and anti-Blackness, to workers being forced to work 80+ hours a week with no end in sight, to the culturally imposed beauty standards, the discussion should be about how to fix the systemic issues not to create new ones.

The raising of gas prices oftentimes feels manipulative, cunning, and disingenuous. Our basic logic factors kick in as we see those price tags raise one dollar, then two dollars, then three! We can't help but ask why the the world's largest oil producer is raising the national average price of gas. For reference the United States produces 18 million barrels per day and almost 15 billion barrels annually. We hold 20% of the world's total oil production with Saudi Arabia only producing 12%. In short, we are being manipulated. Since oil production is not nationalized these private companies feel the need to exploit us during a traumatic time in human history. On top of that for years their greed has encroached on the natural world, poisoning water supplies and killing wildlife. So how do we fight back? Why hasn't our leadership done anything? And, ultimately, how do we get the money out of politics once and for all?

The first episode of Season 3 is finally out! But it comes during such a dark time in history. It seems like war never ends. The "war to end all wars" was a fallacy to make us feel safe under our heavy handed overlords. When we think we have transcended beyond our base instincts we fall back down. What is the point then? In 1994 the great powers of the world promised to protect Ukraine, but it was a lie. The devious nature of imperialist powers, fascist regimes, and power hungry oligarchs shows itself clearly, like a fish caught out of water. Yet, those blind to their own opinions look away. And in a world ripe with hypocrisy we see the double standards, why so quick to help a refugee "similar" in skin tone and culture? The "what aboutism" of our era overlays a bitterness in the impoverished, a bitterness in the minority. Despite this we cannot turn away from the suffering of a people. With reports of 2 million Ukrainians fleeing their homes, the deaths of civilians, and the deaths of soldiers, we can't help, but fear the precedent being set. How do we adapt in this new world? What will happen in this uncertain future? And is the world finally coming to an end?