Better Call Saw

Our country has had its share of tragic events; we have been traumatized so many times that we tend to either see it as the norm or we see it as a reason to walk around in fear. Even Barack Obama, the man who promised “Change and Hope” once stated that tragedies are becoming the new norm in America.

I have said that for some reason, I am beginning to feel the enormous tension, sadness, fear and anger in America. Another thing I also feel is complacency and hearing people defend complacency as if it is something that is acceptable in society.

There is a way to tear down a society without destroying mankind.

We now seem to be living in a somewhat advanced world where we are losing or even surrendering individual freedoms, and the state uses fear to manipulate and control people to conform to their proposed agendas.

They water-down speech in order to avoid fear mongering and utilize what Orwell called, “Double Speak” in his book, 1984 to keep people complacent. We take for granted that everything is under control because of how we are spoken to.

If my topic tonight was, “Do you think stealing from someone is a horrible thing?” it would hopefully be a given the majority of the phone calls into my show would agree that stealing is wrong and the perpetrators should be jailed for their crimes.

However, all that changes when I mention a political official who may be stealing, or may be abusing financing or making off with millions of dollars with tax payers money.

The discussion then turns to what political party he is affiliated with. Then, if the politician happens to be Latino, or Black, there seems to be a hint of accusations and a suspicion of racism being brought up. Then comes religious affiliation – if the religion does not meet the approval of the consensus, then it becomes an argument of religious values and what religion of the day can be vilified.

What we don’t do is simply say that he is a criminal. When people say that 9/11 was an inside job, they generalize that the government did it. What should be said is that while the government is an indefinite scapegoat, it would be better if we were to refer to a criminal element in government that were complacent or that conspired to bring it about.

Those who don’t want to believe there is a criminal element in government are always shocked at the idea of something that terrifying could be carried out through an organized conspiracy.

Then, there are messengers who try to convey information about these events and they are suddenly called conspiracy theorists or fear mongers.

Global warming advocates claim to be “saving the planet” because government appointed scientists are reporting the planet is doomed. They have pumped us full of fears about catastrophic storms, ice caps melting, drowning polar bears and resource scarcity. They do this so people will hand over their land, their money and their sovereignty, in order to establish a new government that will reverse all of the damage.

Meanwhile, we forget that while we are told that science is actionable, the argument is settled. They tell us that new rules, and treaties need to be made, and they need to be implemented. The President expects everyone to comply – he expects everyone including the Supreme Court to approve actions to change constitutional law for their selfish gain.

However, there is no evidence the new policies and treaties they want us to agree to will do anything to reverse the situation. They ignore speaking about resiliency, because if the planet changes course (which it eventually does) they can take the credit for averting disaster.

The truth is they have no evidence that their policies will change anything. Those who doubt their claims are called “deniers.” Others who blindly follow become complacent and think that whatever happens, the government has control of the situation.

There is also a bit of complacency when it comes to the threat of war. The United Sates is threatened from all angles, all because of faulty foreign policy.

But to say this, or to demand accountability for the continued war footing, we get told to not be so alarmed. While ISIS are still killing and putting our soldiers in harm’s way, we now call the global war on terror an “Overseas Contingency Operation.”

Kind of takes the sting out of the harsh reality now does it?

There is a very critical problem facing America. There is a large wound on our mass consciousness and everyone wants to blame someone for their pain. Arguments between the right and left have polarized the entire country from healing this wound. What the wounded fail to realize is that in their panic, as they feel the hemorrhaging from their souls, just who is responsible for pouring salt in the wound?

The blame game runs the gamut; from the Jews to the terrorists, from the gays to the immigrants and from the blacks to the staunch conservative to the politically correct white liberal. Everyone is screaming and wanting their victimhood acknowledged. They project their fears and their spiritual debt on everything and look to politics to father them into safety and to deliver them to some promised land.

When Republicans were in power, the uneducated masses took delight and cheered on all kinds of unconstitutional legislation and executive abuses signed into law by George W. Bush. Now, the Democrats are happy with the extended policies of the Bush Administration under the direction of Barack Obama. The Democrats have acclimated to the fascist policies of Bush under the direction of Obama and now conservatives are blaming Obama for the injustices the previous administration implemented.

In our complacency, we don’t want to admit that soon there will be a cashless society and that as wealth becomes equally distributed, our personal possessions will be only what the state allows us to have.

People fear that if they oppose the government’s attempt at technocracy, they could be brutalized or harassed by their friends and colleagues or worse, be stripped of what few things the government allows them to have.

Just try to be a naysayer about what is happening, just try to stand up for your rights, get a group of people to stand with you and it will end up being a talking point for those who wish to see you and your supporters eliminated by any means necessary. You better hope that you can get the majority of people to sympathize with you or you will labeled a terrorist by the media and find yourself being a target for termination.

Rational discussions on issues are increasingly harder to achieve. We just can’t seem to have a coherent debate in person or on social media without people using emotional arguments, complete with unsupported allegations, ad hominem and threats.

When in doubt, we watch politicians at debates deter the conversation, by destroying another’s credibility, assassinating someone’s character or seizing upon an outrageous contrarian posture to take the power from someone who saying things that are uncomfortable.

Is there anyone out there anymore who fights fair? Are we all becoming amoral? Is our mind numbing over from all of the day-to-day problems? Is it fear mongering to warn people how unsafe our behavior is becoming?

Your mind is indeed your most important safety “device.” But here’s the catch: We don’t always think about what risks are involved when we tune out important information because it sounds scary or frightening.

Conditions may change and clear and present moments that terrify you can be the most effective ways to motivate you.

I know that I have talked about my health and after I turned 40, it all went downhill.

From heart problems to cancer – my body was telling me not to be complacent. However, you escape one close call and you start to pay attention. Soon though, you again become complacent and sedentary. After a few more close brushes with death, you must realize that you should not be so complacent and change your life in order to save your life.

This I realized, was something that is in my control.

Every day, little by little, I have stopped being so cavalier about life. I have discussed this with many people who have committed to changing their lives after close brushes with death.

They tell me that the biggest frustration in their lives is trying to tell friends and loved ones how important it is to cherish life, and that you should not wait for a dangerous situation to push you into being more thoughtful about what you are feeling and how you are being treated by others.

There is a comic book convention coming to Portland and I am always given the opportunity to interview some of the celebrity guests that arrive at the show. I got a phone call from my producer and he told me that I would be interviewing Tobin Bell, a character actor who many people remember was in a Seinfeld episode – he played a used record store owner that both Kramer and Newman get in a fight with because they want to sell some old records and the store owner offers them a low bid.

Now you may say well, how significant is that? Why would you want to interview him? Well it is because Bell is famous for another character from the movies. He played the Jigsaw killer, John Kramer in the SAW franchise.

The SAW movie franchise revolves around the Jigsaw killer, John Kramer, who tortures victims he believes are complacent or guilty, in order to make them appreciate their time on Earth.

Jigsaw never murders anyone with his own hands, opting instead to force his victims to play “games” by placing them in brutal situations that can only be escaped after a tremendous amount of physical and/or psychological pain. The “inspiration” for Jigsaw’s killings came as a result of being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, the loss of an unborn child, as well as a failed suicide attempt, which led Kramer to test other people’s will to live.

While many people avoid gory movies and while some see this genre of film as torture porn, there is a complexity about how a psychotic killer can use various booby traps to scare people into valuing their lives and the lives of others.

Kramer and the little clown doll, Jigsaw, play the part of the cosmic trickster, a character that by metaphor alone is the devil that teaches you a lesson, by either punishing you or exploiting your desires.

This metaphor can also be seen in the latest television show based on a Vertigo Comics character named, Lucifer.

Much of what happens in these fictional life lessons are great metaphors for the, “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” social traps that bureaucracies and modern life generally can subject people to.

People get so caught up in their own problems they often neglect what means the most to them. They often want to give up something to save their own skins.

It’s like in the SAW films, Jigsaw will ask you to play a dangerous game, and you will be more than happy to cut off your arm in order to avoid death.

There’s a lot of “glad it’s not me” tied into horror movie watching, coupled with the feeling of relief that comes with not actually dying. There is also a little “schadenfreude” involved as well. Some people take delight in seeing the misery of others, especially people who aren’t that nice to each other.

The Saw movies, more than most, invite active speculation regarding what you would do personally if caught in a no-win situation. It forces you to not to be complacent and hopeful the characters learn from their harrowing experiences.

It is here that complacency can become a silent killer. The idea of not valuing life or even your own life can lead you on a meeting with fate.

The Jigsaw killer nudges it along.

When you take the gore away from the films, you have a story in which one person embodies a harsh trickster character that forces various people wake up, take action and choose between two options that are both awful. That is of course, if you don’t figure out the game being played. The fact is, the characters are being played.

The SAW films are open about the fact that they are meant to teach the viewer about the value of human life. Through tragedy and horror, there is a moralizing message and that is, are we to appreciate our lives and our loved ones only when there is a threat to them and their safety? And do we feel the same way about ourselves — are we really worth it? Does it take an almost no-win situation for us to finally admit we are people whose lives have value?

We have been told there are certain lives that matter, and there are some lives that matter more. However, we give up so much of our value and our freedom, because deep down we wonder if we should continue living.

Why should we allow for our own personal will to be sacrificed for the political will?

We must not surrender our empowerment to anyone that is willfully destroying our way of life and anyone that is putting us in harm’s way.

Shocks to the system create cognitive crisis and pain. Those who control pain control the populace. You see, pain is what is controlling us and those who have the power to relieve the pain are also those who have the power to inflict it. Those who say they are protecting you can also be the same individuals that can exploit your fears and use them against you, giving you choices that are really not choices at all.

This is a form of betrayal, which to me, is the definition of true evil.

Text – Check out Ground Zero Radio with Clyde Lewis Live Nightly @ http://www.groundzeromedia.org