Time Bomb:Lets Pretend And Other Games

During the Cold War, the United States engaged in a great game of Let's Pretend. The committees and think tanks and task forces said to themselves, "The Soviet Union is a major threat to the United States. Let's pretend that we are 'containing Soviet aggression' when we are actually engaged in imperialist wars for control of global resources." Now that the Evil Empire is dead and gone, we've begun a new game of Let's Pretend, and it goes something like this: "Let's pretend that we're 'fighting the war on dr ugs' while we're really keeping the black population at or below poverty levels as well as invading sovereign nations and dictating their internal affairs. Let's pretend that we're 'fighting the epidemics of child abuse and terrorism' while we're really censoring legitimate but dangerous expression, and destroying independent groups that won't toe the line. Let's pretend that we're 'standing up to murderous dictators' while we're really ensuring that Middle Eastern oil reserves will remain under US control for several more de cades. Let's pretend that we're 'combatting the crime wave' or 'stopping computer crimes' when in fact we're working hard to shut down young, intelligent radicals and their groups. Let's pretend that we 'advocate family values' when in fact we've been work ing against family-related programs and projects for years."

Pretexts are the new tool of the police state. If they can't get you on actual "thoughtcrimes", they'll get you for drugs, porn, or child abuse (see Koresh, David; Waco Incident). Because we live in a nominally free country and because the population won't stand for outright repression, 'disappearances' and political murder, such pretexts are handy tools for the State to intimidate or shut down anyone who dares to attempt to upset the current order -- or at the very least anyone whose ideas make our leaders uncomfortable.

As Peter McWilliams points out in his fantastic book Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do (Prelude Press, 1993), the government will never completely legalize drugs, pornography, gambling, prostitution or other so-called vice crimes because they provide the police with leverage. For instance, suppose that your best friend is a political activi st and the government dislikes him. One day, the police stop you for speeding and quite by chance discover less than an ounce of marijuana in your car. Your name is taken, you are arrested, and perhaps you go directly to jail. At some point during the interminable legal procedures, your name is connected with that of your friend the activist. You are put under pressure to sell out your friend -- perhaps the government offers to drop the charges, allow a lenient plea bargain, or permit you to perform communi ty service, as long as you rat on your friend. Maybe you can't afford to keep silent. Maybe the police are putting more than just emotional pressure on you. Whatever the case may be, you are likely to eventually hand your friend over to the cops, and all b ecause of this utterly harmless little plant found in your car.

The police will never, ever give up this type of leverage. An excellent real-life example is that of Ana and Dave Christy, who were subjected to a police raid of their New Hope, PA home on November 26, 1993 on the pretext of searching for illegal drugs and weapons. As soon as the police entered with guns drawn and presented their warrant, the Christys handed over the 19 grams of pot they had in their possession. Of course, this wasn't at all why the police had shown up. For over 3 hours, the police videotaped the interior of the Christy home, particularly the various flyers and posters around the house. They searched the masses of manuscripts, poetry books and zines that the Christys had amassed. Personal photos and mailing lists (!) were confiscated. When they finally left, the police explicitly warned Dave and Ana to keep silent about this incident.

So what can you do in the face of all this? Well, we're going to keep complaining for as long as we possibly can. Who knows, we might even play a tiny role in expanding the current level of political debate in this country. We're cheap car insurance trying to avoid playing Le t's Pretend, but we're also trying to avoid playing the other little games foisted off on the average American. For example, do you have to have a car? That's a pretty expensive commodity, you know. The public transportation system is sorely inadequate in your area, you say? Why is that, what happened? Yes, just about everyone in your neighborhood is expected to already have a car. The society has been planned around the sales and consumption of automobiles (as well as other commodities), so you are forced to play the Car Game. Even the insurance industries have gotten in on the act, since it is illegal in almost every state to operate an uninsured motor vehicle; the more corrupt the state, the more strict these laws tend to be. Has anyone else noticed this? Just do it. Just keep consuming. (It is amazing how quickly talk of a consumption tax was squashed.)

Do you fear the young black men who resemble the "criminals" represented in the media? Ever wonder why half of the stories on the nightly news are tales of ultraviolence? Are you in favor of reducing your Constitutional right to freedom from unreasonable s earch and seizure? Do you think the police should have more power? Are you afraid of leaving your home late at night? Ask us about an escapade involving the Memphis, Tennessee police. (The short version is that Jamie was blockaded by police cars, frisked and "interviewed" for a half-hour, all because he was walking home from work at 9 PM.) Welcome to the Crime Game -- if the crooks won't get you, the cops will.

We'd bet you're working fifty hours every week; to pay for your children, a car, hospital bills from a long-forgotten illness, college education, spending every dollar you can find to take care of business. You're probably in debt as well. Some people gross $100,000 per annum and still can't make ends meet. They can't make use of that money to increase their personal worth: not only in the eyes of the banks, but in the general society as well. Congratulations, you're playing the Money Game.

All the people whose personal worth and income go toward the Abrupt projects are barely above poverty level -- and yet we tend to operate outside all of these games. We use public transportation (when possible), walk a lot, ride uninsured bicycles, buy cheaper shoes, pay a little more money to live in the center of town so we can more easily get to the grocery, the laundromat, etc. We pool our knowledge and incomes to acquire better technology than any of us could afford on our own. We pool our resources, and network extensively to get the maximum use of the only power mere individuals have in this society: the almighty dollar. See -- it is possible.

We also avoid the appearance of suspicious behavior. If you were to run into any of the Abrupticons at the local coffee house, or at, say, the Underground Press Conference, you would probably wonder what this straight-laced nerd is doing there. But honestl y, what advantage is there in being provocatively attired? We don't want to play the Fashion Game -- we have more chance of revolutionizing society if the police aren't hot on the trial of tripped-out, weird-looking, Chicago-Seven-esque political radicals. It'll be a long time before an all-points-bulletin is placed upon anyone wearing a button-down collar. We've been doing this long enough that we don't feel obliged to dress in a certain way anymore.

Don't open yourself up to investigation. Do be paranoid. It helps in the long-run. Not only for your own projects, but also in terms of the way you are perceived by the general public and the law-enforcement communities. "Look at that guy, will ya? Just begging for trouble. That's gotta be illegal." Remember, vague laws are passed in the interest of keeping things the way they are. Such laws may not specifically name your brand of thoughtcrime, but you can bet that they will be used against you anyway.

"Well, your honor, we're just expressing a different opinion."

"Fine. 20 years."

What are you into? What should you be doing? Get involved. What is important to your community, your county, your state, your nation? At this point, most rants or editorials would say that as long as you're doing something , you can rest easy, but Time Bomb doesn't buy that. You can produce all the radical poetry, subversive art, and rebellious music that you want, but it isn't going to change a fucking thing. You can preach to the converted until they all die of boredom, and what have you accomplished? Don' t take the easy way out. Inform others. Take action. Spread the word. Be prepared. Commit yourself. We all know that over half the people who now claim to be enlightened and involved will just give up and become investment bankers, advertising executives, or some kind of cop. Therefore it's up to the ones who really mean it. Get involved. Cut expenses. Invest in your future. Cover your ass. Don't be fashionable, be sincere. That's all we're saying.