Brave New Militarism
Soldiers are now being given Ecstacy -- the drug of choice in dance clubs and hip-hop raves, known in the '80s briefly as the Love Drug-- or technically, MDMA. Psychiatrists are now legally prescribing this to soldiers for PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome, formerly known as shell-shock) during therapy. See link above.
Love from a pill for warriors lost in hell.
As my previous blog noted ("Asocial Insecurity"), and as confirmed later by a Bush speech, prescription drugs to elevate mood, lessen depression, and control anxiety will be subsidized and pushed by this Administration. They are not part of the massive cuts in health insurance and Medicare. The Administration of control relies largely on a pacified population, snowed under by chemical restraint. Civilians are prescribed anti-depressants and "mood elevators", while military personnel are prescribed Ecstacy -- except during battles when they are given amphetamines -- sometimes even "meth"!
Those of you inclined toward the literary tribe will recognize the allusion to Huxley's novel, Brave New World. Seventy years ago, Huxley smartly saw the very beginnings of a trend toward a controlled society via an array of new techniques. Aside from genetic engineering and censorship, the most effective techniques proved to be pleasurable distractions, seductive consumerism, sensational mass media, and state-sponsored drugs. We now have all of these in place, and their controlling influence is set to increase. In Huxley's novel, the State supplied an addictive drug named "Soma" to soothe people's anxiety.
In 2005, this is "post-contemporary" because the general public has not yet realized that it isn't sci-fi futuristic speculation, but rather that it is indeed contemporary. The unconsciousness that pervades our sleepy republic finds it extremely difficult to bring into conscious awareness the consequences of these now daily realities. The irony, of course, is that those same techniques of control will preclude bringing into awareness this social unconsciousness.
This is the 1st installment of a new series of posts on the Brave New Military.
Come back again to read more about how the new robot-soldier costs the same as one dead human soldier; about microwave burners used for crowd control; about why sexual abuse does not gain information from prisoners, but rather cultivates sadistic tendencies in the military; and about other bizarre post-contemporary realizations that you send in to me.
posted by E. Heroux @ 1:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home