I just returned from three days of listening to great music at a four day music festival in Montana. Most aspects of this fantastic festival are quite libertarian, not including some of the performers comments of course.
This is a private concert featuring many, many great artists. It is held on private property for profit and for charitable reasons as well. It is by far the most well done event of this type that I have personally attended. It is almost void of any police whatsoever, there has been virtually no trouble of any kind since its inception three years ago and it is attended by thousands of people. It is clean, well kept and almost always on schedule, even though it is held in the wide open of Montana.
This was private entertainment for people of all types and ages, from all over the country, and with completely different backgrounds, all joining together for four days without incident. There were complete harmony and camaraderie, but there is just one thing that seemed out of place considering the free nature of this event. This was no surprise to me, and in fact was expected, but this group of individuals turned into several thousand sheep in unison literally at the drop of a hat.
I am of course speaking about the singing of the National Anthem at the opening of Saturday’s shows. The announcer came on stage and took the microphone, told everyone to stop what they were doing, and to stand and remove their hats in respect for this most obnoxious ritual, a type of American religious worship, an idolizing of the state.
My first impulse was to remain seated of course, with my hat firmly in place as a sort of resistance to this idiocy, but then I thought I might walk around (with my hat on) to see the reaction of the crowd.
To my disappointment, I found not one single person out of all those thousands I observed who were defiant in any manner whatsoever. They all took their orders faithfully, stood with their hats off, many with their hand over their heart, and paid homage to the United State of tyranny. While expected, it was none the less pathetic.
If the indoctrination of the masses is not complete, it is certainly close to being so. That so many would automatically, and without any hesitation, stand to worship a nation state upon command, is telling beyond description. This event is in no way unique in that the attendees all acted as one in a state worship ceremony, because this is and has been the norm for many decades in this country.
Some of you may find this post over the top or not worthy of the time spent to read it, but I beg to differ. The American masses worship the State (U.S. government) more than they do any god. It is religious in nature, and almost all encompassing. In fact, it is the national religion. The lauding of this empire as if holy exposes the weakness of the individual in favor of the collective nation.
A better recipe for slavery will never be found!
PS: What difference is there in saluting Hitler or the Nazi flag, or the Soviet flag under Stalin, or singing the National Anthem of Germany in the 40s or Russia in the 70s?