THERE is a widespread, collective confusion and it has distorted reality and created a system of inauthenticity and spectacle. As a society, we have become so deeply enthralled by the spectacle that we have lost sight of what is real and what is an illusion. Simply put, our perceived reality is not as it seems, the enemy is everywhere and nowhere.
Back then, we had clear-cut enemies. Fascism was bad and democracy was good. The world generally made sense, and you could understand it. Everyone knew the balance of power. It appeared to be a much simpler world. Now, there is a global mass confusion. With ambiguous wars, technological advances, global capitalism, and globalization, the balance of power is thrown off. The enemy is unknown. In war, the enemy is unclear. Is the enemy rebel forces? Is it the Nigeria military? Is it suicide bombers? Is it the IPOBs? Is it the Niger Delta Militants? Or is it the terrorist group? The lines of war are blurred in the 21st century. There is no clear enemy in war and in peace. Lines are no longer drawn in the sand.
Mass confusion is an effective way to maintain control over the masses, whether it is intended or not; confusion causes instability and insecurity in a world full of illusion and manipulation.
If you turn on the news, the level of misery is simply unprecedented. Despite the misery, we still fail to take action. Our hearts ache for the tragedies we witness, but only temporarily. For if we were to absorb the misery, then we would no longer be able to function in everyday life. Compassion fatigue sets in while our guilt devours us.
All the same, it is unclear of what to get upset about, and who to get upset with. What were once universal truths are now questioned due to the increasing rise of pseudo-events and pseudo-science. It seems we are entering a retrograde phase, where education is no longer a necessity and the ability to think critically is discouraged.
We are constantly inundated with information, saturated with stimulation in our physical and digital surroundings. But much of this information is superficial. As many critics have declared, we are constantly ‘plugged in’ without any real form of escape available. The constant influx of information can cause fatigue, apathy, and mass confusion.
Much of the news is contradictory, illusory, and depressing. In response we have become defeatist regarding the complex issues, yet we jump on to the more trivial causes to deliver equally trivial solutions. We take actions that have little or no effect and where “raising awareness” has become the primary end goal for such trivial causes. What else can be done to disrupt the dominant and confusing narratives in society?
Our perceptions have been so undermined that the most pertinent issues remain as they are whereas the bulk of activism that gains mass attention and hype focus on the superficial, they do not dig deeper, nor do they invite critical thought or perspective.
This mass confusion, according to Adam Curtis, can be attributed to Vladislov Surkov’s “Non-Linear War” where people’s perceptions of the world are undermined so they are never aware of what is really happening. There is a battle of ideas, rather than geopolitical and concrete battle lines drawn. This battle is between perceptions, visions, and non-measurable perspectives.
On the other hand, the media provides ridiculous distractions, which the public excitedly responds to. The real issues are being whisked under the rug because they are too complex and they require some critical analysis. The mainstream media avoids tackling the complex because it is simply too boring and puzzling for audience viewing. It does not provide entertainment and entertainment, or spectacle, is absolutely necessary when reporting events. The authentic is hidden away and must be discovered by those who are critical enough to seek it out. There is a collective mass confusion that is occurring today.
We are constantly inundated with illusions and pretense, in front of the curtain is entertainment, distraction, and superficiality, while behind the curtain lurks the truth, the critical voice that is often silenced by the corporate and political elite. It is our duty to sift through the illusions and think critically regardless of what society is telling us what to think and how to think. Everyone and no one is the enemy. So who is there to blame?
The real enemy is the institutionalized system that enables the disintegration of society, it is the system that masks the real and upholds the spectacle. They set the agenda, they tell us what to think about, how to feel, they employ the divide and conquer tactics.
Bonano have personally seen how grassroots organizations and political ideologies create more friction and separation between people who would otherwise be united in solidarity, but somehow, we have lost ourselves and each other along the way. We not only view the opposition as the enemy, but we have begun to view each other as the enemy as well.
In reality, mass confusion was made possible under the current unstable climate that has been caused by neoliberal policies around the globe. This combination paired with corporate and government influence allowed for the enemy to be hidden in clear view. The enemy is the system itself. The enemy cannot be seen, it cannot be attacked, because it is everywhere and nowhere. The only way to fight back against this mass confusion and spectacle is to develop a critical mind and to seek out the truth beyond the veil. It is to unite in solidary with others who have developed an equally rational and critical mind. It is to nurture our faculties of the mind, and question the dominant hegemonic narratives.
