Violence & Socio-Cultural Shifts - Project World Peace

Violence & Socio-Cultural Shifts

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Violence & Socio-Cultural Shifts Falling Human

To reduce violence, the basic action needed at a socio-cultural level is systemic change. Here are many ways to enact this, of which the most important concern the start of life.

"If we hope to create a non-violent world where respect and kindness replace fear and hatred, we must begin with how we treat each other at the beginning of life for that is where our deepest patterns are set. From these roots grow fear and alienation - or love and trust." (Suzanne Arms)

Violence is often ingrained into us from our earliest life, prenatally and perinatally. For example, cesarean section with its scalpel (Nancy Wainer, Midwife, 2001, accessed 3 December 2020): "We must remember that cesareans are just one more reminder that we live in a misogynistic world - they are a form of violence and abuse and they are symptoms of fear, hatred, greed, misuse of power, and sexual dysfunction." Birth and early life needs to be demedicalised and returned to women. Read more about Violence & Birth...
Unmet Childhood Needs. We need to build babies not jails. To transform society, we need to attachment parent. Also see: (1) James Prescott article The Origins of Human Love and Violence and interview. (2) The Origins of Violence by Ronald Goldman, Ph.D.
Connected to this is that we need Birth without Violence (a book by Frederick Leboyer), and yet we continue to birth violently. Also consider: 'The pioneering work of Stanislav Grof has showed me the importance and the possibility of transforming the roots of violence that lie subconsciously within all of us. These are often associated with suppressed memories of birth, either vaginal or caesarean. In his work, survivors of concentration camps found that memories of the physical and psychological agonies they experienced in the camps were less intense than memories of what they had experienced in birth. According to Grof, the intensity of the pressure, pain, fear, suffocation, helplessness and rage, and the physical pleasure, excitement and ecstasy experienced in vaginal birth is the most intense thing a human ever experiences.' (Jane Butterfield English, PhD, Physicist, Artist, Different Doorway, p.18)
Connected to this and championed by Alice Miller, we need to avoid beating, humiliating and abusing children in their first few years of life, when their brains are being formed. Otherwise we produce an adult society of self-harmers, addicts, the depressed or mentally ill, delinquents, terrorists and warlike people. See here.
Corporal punishment, defined as physical punishment, needs to stop. Smacking of children as a form of discipline is included in this and must stop. These methods are associated with increased childhood and adult aggression, antisocial behaviour, sexual violence, depression, low self-esteem, etc. - see here and here. When dealing with misbehaviour, rather use the Three C's of Alfie Kohn, to get to the roots of the issue! Also see Instead of Spanking and End Corporal Punishment by Peggy O'Mara. However, adults still need to maintain a calm, assertive presence. I might still use physical methods during an incident, if appropriate. This is not to punish, but rather to control or regain control, and/or even protect other vulnerable people. Physical restraint and methods sometimes have to be used for out-of-control and/or asocial adults. Cesar Millan (dated 2015, accessed 24 April 2016) shows this in action in dogs: ‘It’s exactly what a mother dog will do to correct her pups when they’re out of line — roll them on their backs and hold them down until they submit. She isn’t trying to intimidate or coerce them, though. She’s making a simple statement of fact: “I’m the one in charge here”... a true leader will use whatever technique is necessary to maintain control, but always from a place of love.’
Inheriting Violence. All this lack of parenting without empathy not only produces a damaged society, but there is the danger of it being continually passed from generation to generation (see Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, '12 - The Family Crucible'). This is why I suggest attachment parenting. We have to get to the root.
Family/Mother Centred World. A nurturing society reduces violence. In such a society, babies are highly valued. However, in our current society, babies at best are tolerated and exist on the periphery. But what if we create a family-centred world? Babies have a huge power in their cuteness, encouraging a nurturing instinct in humans. The power of cuteness is so great that painting babies on London shopfront shutters had a huge effect on curbing aggression and antisocial behaviour (The Power of Cute, BBC, 2016, 10m47s).

Emotional Wisdom. Much of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman teaches the huge value to society of emotional competence. It is ignored by education. So, we need to thoroughly infuse growing humans with practical emotional skills: how to handle anger, to resolve conflicts positively, to recognise emotions, to manage impulses and to cultivate empathy. This life skill = less violence, more world peace.
Privilege. Privilege can make us oblivious to the suffering of the less fortunate. Opening your heart to the plight of others will make for a less violent world, as we take steps to create a fair world. So, be aware of your privileges. Read more here!
Alliance. Women are some of the most abused creatures on Earth. So, become an ally of women. For example: 5 Tips For Being An Ally, V-Day/One Billion Rising, 101 Everyday Ways for Men to Be Allies to Women.
Patriarchy must be dismantled. The gender war must stop. Guys, learn how to connect to women. Not to be replaced by feminism, but by a fairer society, which would undoubtedly embrace much of what feminism offers.
Sexism, bullying, hate speech, rape must become unacceptable.
Curiosity and critical thinking must not be suppressed. Allow them! But we don't need hate speech.
Cultures need to be purified of certain practices. Cultures can claim certain acts to be cultural and therefore untouchable, e.g.: bullfighting in Spanish culture; female genital mutilation ('FGM'; see here, here); circumcision ('male genital mutilation'; see here, here, here, here, here) [also see PWP's Circumcision/FGM]. But surely we need to reframe these acts as violence and not culture??
Religions need to be purged of violent foundations. For example, if you read a book like Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, you can see how pervasive violence is as part of the deep structure of Islam. It is so evident in family life and particularly affects females and children. As I write elsewhere, this required cleansing of religion implicates all religions. Also see Alice Miller above. I see that violence can allow any ideological structure to survive, but I also see that only Love will win...
Role models must be positive. Consider the words of Meryl Streep in reference to Donald Trump: "This instinct to humiliate when it's modelled by someone in the public platform by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody's life. Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence." (BBC, posted and accessed 9 January 2017) Also see here.

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Stand up for those less fortunate. For example: Mentors in Violence Protection.
Silence = Violence ...which basically means the best way to address an issue is to speak about it - and staying quiet means you agree with what's going on... (BBC, posted and accessed 10 June 2020) [This doesn’t need to be confrontational, nor on social media. It can be with friends and family.] Thus:-

Speak out!
Speak out against injustice - whilst staying safe if possible.
Speak out - especially if you wield much power in the situation.

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." (Elie Wiesel)

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends." (Martin Luther King Jr.)

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
(Martin Luther King Jr.)

"Silence equals complicity." (Feidin Santana cited at BBC, posted and accessed 10 June 2020)

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
(Edmund Burke)

"There comes a time when silence is betrayal." (Martin Luther King Jr.)

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and powerless
means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral." (Paolo Freire)

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people
but the silence over that by the good people." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing." (Albert Einstein)

Fantasy of giant man's head with chainmail mask as an island

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War needs to stop. War needs to be regarded as a last resort, to be avoided. So many people suffer in war: innocent children, the rape of women, the exploitation of refugees. Let us practise tolerance and respect!
Stop Weaponising the World. The USA is the world's leading weapons dealer. It is arming the planet: ‘More of these sales have taken place in the globe’s most volatile region, the Middle East, than in any other region of the world. The so-called peace deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which were brokered by the United States, were business deals designed to expand U.S. arms sales in the Persian Gulf. The Trump administration has made arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Middle East countries the focus of its foreign policy in the region.’ (Melvin Goodman, CounterPunch, posted and accessed 23 September 2020). Stop Militarising the World. Stop the Culture of War!
Cooperation, NOT Competition! War and violence are partly rooted in competition for resources like food and territory - see here (posted and accessed 18 September 2014). We need to create a world that minimises competition for resources. One way forward is prioritising GNH over GDP.
Emphasise Cooperation, NOT Individuality! Ownership and property rights are closely associated with violence. Human laws allow enforcement of these rights. Read more here. Can we rather see ourselves as joint custodians of planet Earth?; where we lead simpler lives rather than fight for material things?; and where there is enough space and stuff for everyone as we are not greedy?; where we are fair and we share? This is natural to many tribal cultures. 'Civilised' humans highlight divisive individual rights, whereas the natural way is far more collaborative, creating unity. This is a very deep and important issue...
Listen more. The two ears, but only one mouth truism. ‘When we are interrupted the brain registers a physical assault... interrupting is a violent act.’ (Nancy Kline, The Guardian, posted and accessed 24 October 2020) Be present more.
Listen to the people more. We need Citizens' Assemblies, as current 'democracy' is basically violent rulership by the selfish superrich and immoral big business. Learn more here, here, here.
Guns surely need to be somehow restricted? Good guys with guns is a fantasy, and the macabre USA truth is that toddlers kill more than terrorists! (The Guardian, posted 13 March 2016, accessed 7 January 2017) If your country allows them, then surely there needs to be extensive background checks? And a licence that needs to be regularly renewed? Surely avoid the militarisation of the police and the resultant arms race between police and criminals? Japan does this and has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world. Read more: Gun Control; Strong Gun Laws Save Lives.

Racism. “Institutional racism breeds poverty! Poverty breeds crime! Crime breeds violence!” (Protest chant cited at BBC, posted 11, accessed 12 June 2020) End it!
We need to avoid the ghettoisation of society - and more. We must realise it is abhorrent to punish those who have been born into an underclass, if the privileged and powerful [indeed all of us] take no responsibility for the system that creates the underclass. See here and here. "People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other." (Martin Luther King Jr.)
Invest in Disadvantaged Communities. We must invest in young people now - if we want them to be useful and positive in society. The money is there, e.g. a posh UK boarding school costs £30,000/year whilst UK Young Offender's Institute costs £75,000/year. These young people are not inadequate. They are bright and powerful. Give them skills and self-belief. Turn these blighted communities into thriving communities (see BBC, 8m26s onwards, posted and accessed 27 February 2019). Also see here.
Gang violence needs to be treated as a community health issue rather than a crime problem. "What if we were to invest in people rather than just mindlessly try and incarcerate our way out of this problem?" Violence is "...the language of the despondent, of the traumatized, of the mentally ill". "Nothing stops a bullet like a job" handles about 80% of what needs to be handled. The real work is in creating community, and transforming the pain so you no longer need to transmit it. "If love is the answer, community is the context, and tenderness is the methodology" (Father Greg Boyle adaptation, posted 25 September 2015, accessed 24 January 2018). Examples: Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles; Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit [BBC video].
Understand Media Violence deeper. Portrayals of violence can be a plea for help or even act as a path out of real-world violence. (1) Where a dystopian unjust world exists, music such as drill, hiphop and gangsta rap can highlight to the rest of us what is really happening in society. We need to listen, to act and heal (e.g. see points above). However our tendency is to say how bad an influence the music is. What about addressing inequality, people? (2) For those emerging from that dystopia and living with PTSD, the normalisation of violence through media is "the first step in the process of reconciling the events of what happened to you and finding a way to move on" (Rapper Reveal, BBC, posted and accessed 17 June 2020).
Teachable Moment & Violent Areas. People who live in violent areas can be greatly helped with the likes of San Francisco's The Wraparound Project. It reduced the rate of violent re-injury by 72%. They talk of a 'teachable moment' for 48 hours after a person is hospitalised due to being shot, stabbed or assaulted. It is a critical time when support and lifestyle change can be embraced. For example, one man who had been shot on three separate occasions changed his lifestyle and moved out of the violent area (BBC posted 18 July 2017). It is also being introduced to the UK (BBC, posted and accessed 3 November 2017). We need more...

Lead is a potent neurotoxin that is linked to crime, especially violent crime. It damages areas of the brain that control our impulses. In the 20th century, when lead was removed from petrol and our environment, crime levels dropped too. This phasing out of lead continues, which is the socio-cultural shift required. But some countries continue to use leaded petrol: Iraq, Yemen, Burma, North Korea. And many countries still need to reduce lead smelting pollution, including India and China (BBC & BBC, posted 21 April & 12 October 2014, both accessed 16 October 2014). In the USA, 95% of baby foods contain lead, arsenic, mercury or cadmium, with 25% containing all four toxins (HuffPost, posted 20, accessed 29 October 2019; petition). Canada 2019 water supply is contaminated by lead pipes. Why do we allow all this??...
Pornography. Porn is linked to increased sexual violence. It puts people at increased risk for commiting sexual offences and accepting rape myths (Washington Examiner, posted 28 September 2017, accessed 4 October 2017). Let us teach (young) men how to relate to real-life women (not to digital women) - see Inner Game. Also see Male Sexual Problems.
Drug Usage. (1) Demedicalise society. We need to demedicalise society, avoid drugs, especially those known to increase violence. For example, modern widely-used antidepressant use is linked to increases in violent behaviour (Healy et al., 2006, 'Antidepressants and violence: problems at the interface of medicine and law', PLoS Medicine, vol. 3, pp. 1478-83). (2) Stop the war on drugs. It fuels violence - see here. It has created more drug users, more organised crime, more death, more prisoners, and it funds terrorism. The money saved can then rehabilitate drug users. [Also see here, here, here.] (3) See 'Spiritualise' below.
Alcohol is a common drug. Excessive consumption of alcohol is associated with violent crime. In over half of all violent crime incidents in England and Wales 2013-2014, the victim believed the perpetrator was drunk (Office for National Statistics cited by BBC, posted and accessed 26 March 2016). Can we make this planet a happier place, so we don't have to resort to alcohol to block our pain and displace it onto others? We must build babies, not jails.

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Brain Injury. 'Experts say that any Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can cause a person to experience problems dealing with their emotions, forming and keeping memories and... controlling impulses. Often the individual also becomes more aggressive. By some estimates a TBI will double your risk of ending up in prison, but one respected Swedish study, which collected and analysed data over a 35-year period, found that people with a TBI were four times more likely to be jailed than the rest of the population. Research by neuropsychologist Dr Ivan Pitman for the Disabilities Trust suggests that about half of the UK's adult male prison population may have suffered a brain injury.' TBI's possible impact on aggression must be widely recognised. Brain injury rehabilitation needs to be vastly increased. This not only speeds personal recovery but will also prevent crime and reduce the cost of community care. (BBC, posted and accessed 10 October 2018)
Martial Arts. These are surely better than Street Fighting or War? These sports can channel the intense energies of aggressive or somewhat damaged people - see here or here or here. However, unlike Ronda Rousey, I do NOT think it will solve USA's mass shootings, as disturbed and hardened criminals do NOT want a fair fight, like MMA or Judo - they are into asocial violence, where there are no rules, no referee to step in when injury happens. Where we must make a shift is in preventing the young naturally-loving brain from becoming excessively aggressive or even asocial. Again, surely we must build babies, not jails?
Can we change to a Self-Regulating Society? Linked to the last entry (above), there has been the suggestion that our new MMA-trained generation will lead NOT to excessively violent societies, but rather give rise to a peaceful self-regulating society. I do not see this because: (1) it takes too long to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist, and it is very hard work; (2) of the risk of brain injury, with lifelong consequences for physical and mental health; (3) the asocial psychopath does not play by the rules; (4) it is competitive. What could quickly produce a self-regulating society would be a society that teaches the likes of Target Focus Training: (1) capable of being easily and sufficiently learned in only a few days by almost everyone; (2) which is very safe to learn; (3) that does not play by the rules; (4) where peace is the purpose. However, in the long run, I do feel that only a Culture of Love will produce a self-regulating society.
Understand the Difference between Antisocial and Asocial Violence. By doing so you minimise the chances of violence ever coming into your life. In a peaceful protest, for example, you will know when things are escalating and can withdraw. Learn here and here. Also see Violence & Common Sense.

Police Numbers. Until many of the issues herein are faced, there is no sense reducing the number of police. However, the UK has been cutting police numbers and the PM denies any link between this and increased knife crime. On the other hand, the top UK police officer Cressida Dick said (cited at BBC, posted and accessed 5 March 2019): "I agree that there is some link between violent crime on the streets obviously and police numbers, of course there is, and everybody would see that."
Police Violence. Police brutality is a big issue: Belarus, Nigeria, Chile, USA, UK, etc. White supremacists have infiltrated the US police. Convicted cops keep their jobs. Stop-and-Search powers in the UK are overused and are basically 'systematic sex abuse' where young blacks are stopped on weak or no evidence then stripped and anally searched for drugs. Campaign Zero offers researched policies that can save lives. In the USA, police forces that adopt all eight of its policies would show a 72% reduction in police killings. [Also see here, here, here.]
Police-Free Future. The problem long-term with police is that they exist to maintain systemic inequality by the use of violence, under the guise of 'Law and Order'. As such, they are the largest most powerful gang on Earth. In this brutal system, prisons are excessively used instead of addressing deep social issues. Also, perhaps 90% of calls to police are for things in which they are untrained. Read more at: A World Without Police; Building a Police-Free Future FAQ by MPD 150; Abolitionist Futures (or here); [and here, here, here, here, here, here]. Basically we need to build a system of care and community, not a system of punishment...
Prisons/Punishment Culture → Caring, Fair Culture. "I am convinced that imprisonment is a way of pretending to solve the problem of crime. It does nothing for the victims of crime, but perpetuates the idea of retribution, thus maintaining the endless cycle of violence in our culture. It is a cruel and useless substitute for the elimination of those conditions — poverty, unemployment, homelessness, desperation, racism, greed — which are at the root of most punished crime. The crimes of the rich and powerful go mostly unpunished. It must surely be a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit that even a small number of those men and women in the hell of the prison system survive it and hold on to their humanity." (Howard Zinn, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times) [Also see 'Babies Not Jails', 'Culture of Love', 'A World Without Prisons?'.]

Spiritualise. In our materialist society, there develops a spiritual void. Then drugs are taken to compensate. Violence spirals out of control - see 'Drug Usage' above. Rather, we need spiritual or sacred lifestyles.
Animal Cruelty. There is a definite link between animal cruelty and human cruelty (like child abuse and domestic violence). For example: 'Upwards of 86% of the people that abuse animals abuse people! 90% of the abusers already have a criminal record!' (Causes petition, accessed 10 June 2013) When we consider that societies blindly accept this on a huge scale, we can conclude there needs to be massive change. Examples include: Grand National horse race (UK), bullfighting (Spain), Yulin dog meat festival (China), whale research (Japan), meat eating ("civilised" world), animal experimentation (science), etc. We even teach children that animal cruelty is 'fun' with the likes of 'pig scrambles'. Unless we stop animal cruelty at a national and cultural level, how can we expect individuals to see animal cruelty as unacceptable? Its continuance is perpetuating not only animal cruelty, but also human cruelty and violence.
Children & Meditation/Relaxation. "If every eight-year-old in the world is taught meditation, the world will be without violence within one generation." (Dalai Lama) But, as this article warns, it is not a quick fix, it is not a 'Buddha pill'. And meditation can be misused. It needs to be part of right living, like alongside loving a high ideal. The skill of relaxation is rarely taught to children; I believe it is far more important than so-called core subjects; it allows kids to slow down, manage anger, see clearly, make better decisions - see here.
Group Meditation. We need to have specialist peace meditators all around the world. The World Peace Group (accessed 13 April 2017) says: ‘Scientific research shows beyond any shadow of a doubt that certain types of specialist meditators, when grouped together in one place, radiate an influence of peace and tranquility to the surrounding population. When this happens open warfare and fighting stops within a day, terrorism evaporates, crime trends decline, domestic and international harmony improves... The effect is spontaneous, immediate and systematic. Furthermore it does not rely on any form of social, political or diplomatic interaction between the meditating group and the effected community. The influence is created by just a small group of these meditators equivalent to a tiny fraction of the number in the rest of the population. This powerful and invisible effect has been documented dozens of times in fifty research studies (watch video) and is now known as the Super Radiance effect... The aim of the World Peace Group is to create a global Super Radiance effect by collecting together as many of these experts as we can and pay them to meditate in a group on a daily basis.’

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Inequality. Inequality is at a record high on Earth. Inequality in a capitalist system = discontent, as few actually become wealthy = a police state or revolution = violence is inevitable. (See 'The Super-Rich and Us', Part 2 of 2, first aired on BBC, 2015) UK knife crime most linked to poverty (BBC, posted and accessed 12 November 2018). Also see here.
Poverty. (1) Poverty - like inequality - drives violence. For example, on UK knife crime: "It is not a black and minority ethnic [BME] communities problem. It's a societal problem. So whilst it might be impacting on the BME communities the most - when we look at the root causes - poverty drives knife crime and violence. That's what fuels it. Poverty, lack of opportunity and inequality." (Ros Griffiths, Southside Young Leaders Academy, BBC, 0m45s, posted and accessed 27 February 2019) (2) The very existence of poverty is a violent act. It kills people early, damages their mental health, afflicts life opportunities, violently sabotages their whole life. It stems from elitist political decisions. It can be healed. Solutions include: a living wage, strong trade unions, better welfare (e.g. UBI & UBS). "Poverty is violence." (Owen Jones, The Guardian, posted and accessed 1 December 2020)
Self-Help in Education. If we continue with schools, it is essential that self-help systems are prioritised above all academic subjects. For example, when domestic abusers were briefly taught anger and behaviour management skills, subsequent abuse was cut by a third (BBC, posted and accessed 31 October 2017). Now imagine if a nation prioritised these sorts of skills!
Expression. To reduce violence, youth need an outlet to voice and express themselves, says film star Naomie Harris. For example, drama allows children to get on stage and express the feelings they can't express in daily life. Sadly, arts funding seems to continually being slashed.
Educate men on Inner Game and Outer Game. Why? Because violence is linked to sexual frustration. There is a courtship process laid down by evolution of which men are apparently ignorant. These communication skills or tools are more valuable to society than academic work!

Sanitation and Clean Water. Sexual assault and violence on women is very high in areas where there is poor sanitation and difficult access to clean water (e.g. see here). This is a matter for everyone, every country, especially the Rich World. As a matter of immense urgency, we need to ensure these human rights are in place everywhere. Do it already! Build sewage systems not walls!!
Diet. The non-water part of the brain is 60% fat. It is built on fat even if its fuel is glucose. This means healthy fats are crucial for brain health. But since fat was demonised in the early 1970s, fat has been greatly reduced in people's diets. Mental health issues have greatly increased in the same period. This includes violence arising from mental health issues. Maybe we need to reduce the added sugars that substituted for the fat - and return to a diet plentiful in healthy fats?
Architecture. We need to stop high-rise buildings and concrete coldness. We need beautiful places for all humans. Nature connection is so important too...
Nature. Nature creates personal and societal harmony. For example: 'Another study found that watching nature documentaries eased aggression in inmates of a maximum-security prison.' (The Guardian, posted and accessed 26 October 2020)
Space. Humans need space. "We cannot pack a dozen rats in a concrete shoebox without their attacking and killing each other. We cannot pack millions of our young into the concrete boxes of our cities without expecting them to lash out in pain and anger and violence. If I were asked to solve today’s crime, and given the resources to solve it, I would take our children out of the concrete boxes. I would give them space. I would introduce them to open fields where they could roam at will. I would give them mountains and streams and wildflowers and vast prairies. The gift of space, more than any other medicine, would do more to prevent crime than any potion I know. Instead of freeing our children from their concrete boxes, we smash them into smaller concrete boxes called prisons, and upon their release expect that they will have learned how not to be insane." (Gerry Spence, How to Argue and Win Every Time, p.253)
Singing.We need to sing again. Not as professionals, but every day as we go about our lives. Not as performers, but together as humans. It heals divisions, creates unity. "We are forgetting how to sing, and, in so doing, the singing part of our souls becomes atrophied. We wonder about the source of violence in this country. I would guess that a singing country would be a less violent country." (Gerry Spence, How to Argue and Win Every Time, p.158)

Tribe, not the Supertribe of Modern Bureaucracy. Evolutionary science tells us the healthiest size for groups: "As sociologists have proven, tribes that exceed about two hundred members do not function well... Our society in no way resembles the tribal society, to which we are so genetically suited... The principal feature of the tribal society, compared to modern society, was that the tribal society was palpably alive. Its members created a cohesive, living, integrated structure. Each member’s conduct affected the other, and each member was an integral and essential part of the tribal structure... Our society has destroyed the living tribe and replaced it with a leviathan conglomerate, not of two hundred, but of two hundred and fifty million souls [USA]. It rules through rule-bound, nonbreathing, soulless bureaucracies. The bureaucracies do not know the people. The bureaucracies do not know anything. They do not think, or feel or care or love. They do not know pain. They cannot empathize... This bureaucracy is the new dead supertribe... We cannot fight the governmental and corporate oligarchy that exploits us for money, sucks us dry of our resources and our creativity, that destroys our forests and putrefies our prairies and defecates toxic wastes into our rivers for dead money. We are helpless to be heard, for the ears of the dead supertribe hear only the crinkle of money. We live in the myth of freedom, but we are not free of the violence imposed upon us. We live in the myth of love, but we do not feel loved. We live in the myth of peace, but all around us the dead supertribe consumes our resources to wage war against our brothers and sisters both here and abroad." (Gerry Spence, How to Argue and Win Every Time, pp.250-252)

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