Voices: Neo World Order
"Neo" words are the latest linguistic rage.
I'm not talking about "Neo" as in the Matrix. I'm referring to "neo" the prefix. As in "neoconservative" or "neofascist."
"Neo" means new and the new world order we're living under in post 9-11 America is obvious. What's not so obvious is that the majority of informed Americans are getting nervous and are losing patience. Many of those who had the faith to sit back and trust their appointed officials to represent them are wisely suspicious that their interests were never being represented at all.
The political chasm between schools of thought in this country is not new. The United States of America has always been ironically divided. What is new, or at least deju vu, is the rate at which that chasm is growing. Right-wing, die-hards and corporate kings are feeling more empowered than ever and those leaning to the left have been demonized for simply speaking their minds. Those who were once afraid to rock the boat are growing more afraid of the consequences they might face for not taking sides.
People are scared and the majority have good reason to be. The best gauge of one's power in the U.S. is the size of his wallet, so let's make the example a financial one. As the gap between the rich and the poor widens, the number of rich grows smaller and the number of poor increases. Chances are that if you're not a wealthy, white Republican male, you're feeling threatened. For a while it was looking pretty good. Too good. With every step that America has taken toward egalitarianism, those that held more than their fair share of power have had to give some of it up. How far did you expect them to let the underdogs rise?
Fear has always been a favored tool of those in society's penthouses and those in command of neo-America love the classics. One of the reasons fear is such an effective a tool of repression is because it serves to paralyze. People feel afraid because they feel helpless, unable to help themselves. Together, they can perhaps help each other -- those without power are often able to find it in numbers -- but far too many people haven't yet seen a potential for numbers. They feel alone, because unless they are Internet savvy or have access to international or alternative media, they aren't hearing others echo their suspicions and concerns.
In recent weeks, I've received an increased amount of feedback from readers thanking me for columns that have "voiced" their own, so-called alternative thoughts, opinions and concerns. These readers have been relieved and in some instances even comforted, because they say, they aren't seeing or hearing such viewpoints elsewhere.
In the near future, at least, it could be even more difficult to find alternative voices in the media. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to relax what some would already call too-lenient restrictions on media ownership. Media giants will be sanctioned to grow even larger and smaller, non-corporate media outlets will face a greater struggle to survive. Dissension, already noticeably rare in mainstream media, may appear to disappear altogether.
I've warned you, now let me attempt to reassure you. Alternative voices have always existed and no matter how silent they might become in this neo-journalistic era we appear to have entered, there will always be an underground in which they are free to whisper if not scream.
As the aforementioned political chasm widens, there will be less and less middle ground on which to stand. And with fewer people in the middle, there's a greater chance for both the left as well as the right side to be heard.
So no matter what the mega channel-esque corporations that walk hand-in-hand with the Bush administration try to tell you, you will not be the only one having nightmares. I can't promise that the scary neofascist boogeymen aren't going to get us, but I remain optimistic. Because for every lazy, troubled Jayson Blair or sensationalist Bill O'Reilly, there are 100 idealistic journalists committed to telling both sides of story and they won't sell out to the might of the right.
Because that would be wrong.
--alicia grega-pikul, 22 May 2003
