Letter from Valerie, Slovenia
In the post-modern and post-truth world, in terms of symbolic speech, is the pen still mightier than the sword? Is peace still possible in the context of geopolitical turmoil at the beginning of 2020?
With unjust persecution of high-profile alternative media editors and journalists, blocking free press, implementing totalitarian censorship, neoliberal lousy jobs, corporate governments and media, various wildfires and fake-green agenda in progress, things seem awful. With rising military conflicts in the Middle East, the world is going back and forth, on the brink of WW3 and new imposed economic sanctions. This moment in history could hardly be more critical.
Intentionally, I won't bring up any names, because later on, I’m going to swtich to a personal theme, so it wouldn't be appropriate.
In a geopolitical perspective, I want to mention the role of media and discuss the part of smaller countries in this context.
Also, I would like to speak more particular about how it’s difficult to even comment on global geopolitics in a small country, such as Slovenia, that is shaped in accordance with its spirit and intern politics.
Mainstream media - between warmongering and justification of sanctions
Have you watched the movie Special Correspondents? It is based on a fictitious but geopolitically symptomatic story, about the structure of international politics around conflicts in a particular country. The film also brings stong and critical notes on US foreign policy and mainstream journalism, at least regarding the warmongering part of "pure" corporate journalism. To paraphrase a line from the movie’s theme song "I’m a Wanted Man" by artist Royal Deluxe: you should never ever trust their kind.
If we mention recent history, from the beginning of the century, the military conflict in the Middle East was based mainly on political lies, and that destructive fire was fueled by mainstream media's often deceitful and warmongering coverage.
Remember Iraq, Libya, and Siria? What is the story with Iran?
I’m not saying that all MSM reporting is fake. Still, when it comes to "pure and uncompromised" corporate journalism, we should always check if presented facts resonate with actual reality when we talk about military operations or sanctions.
It could be a direct result of biased and compromised corporate and politically influenced reporting. It seems that manipulated masses are probably more scared or even thrilled by militant force, that concerned and critical towards modern arms-race even on a nuclear level.
Reality is not a computer game, nor is it a movie like Star Wars. We have only one planet: Earth. The other recently discovered and presumably habitable planet is 100 light-years away, and we don’t have a spaceship, so there is no way to get there. It would be good to keep that in mind.
The role of smaller countries?
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. ”
All political analysts probably agree that world balance is gravely destabilised. In this perspective, it would be wise to re-think multiculturalism in terms of melting civilisations. Of course, tolerance, respect and acceptance of other cultures and nations are ideals; I’m only pointing out the possible loss of originality and core roles of smaller counties in terms of melting with more dominant and stronger geopolitical forces.
My homeland Slovenia, for example, is a part of the NATO pact. But this is absurd if we take into consideration the proportional part in decision making in that the nation actually has in terms of manoeuvers of leading forces. This small country should have military neutrality, like Switzerland or Austria.
Our political representatives should respect national traditions and seek a more proper and original political way. It would suit our national character better if Slovenian leaders sent out a strong message for diplomacy and peace. This is just a theory, because in practice, they would probably rather promote flu shots or something alike.
Unfortunately, the only political message from Slovenia till now has been the burning of the wooden statue of Donald Trump by unknown arsonists.
The world would be more balanced if we evolve beyond exclusively worshipping the power of one or another geopolitical power-state. I’m not saying they are necessarily bad; I’m just saying that smaller countries may have a different voice and they should be heard.
Its paradoxical that with all democracy and human rights, we are living in a world where only superpowers with advanced arms have a voice. Where exactly can we find the print of women’s emancipation in this kind of geopolitical structure? Also, smaller countries, if they are not wealthy, have been robbed of their personalities and voices. We should see through tricky political agendas and the tricky politics of identity, and in this light, it would be essential to call for denuclearisation and peace.
“Mini-me”
I wanted to write about a correlation between “mini-me” and not having much perspective in Slovenia. I also realize this is global and perhaps even psychological warfare.
In some ways, I would like to leave my country of Slovenia, due to its corruption and nepotism of the local elite and the existential crises that are happening. It’s because of the politics: there is some kind of upside-down and twisted logic that is quite literary lethal to common sense and intellect in general. This is an environment that in general venerates the idea of work, i.e. working hard, but, with few elite exceptions, finds passionate work somehow non-essential, if not even despicable.
Slovenia is a beautiful country, and maybe I'm just too confused or something and I don't see it clearly (though I know how underpaid one can be in this country), so let me continue this thought.
For now, I don’t have opportunities or sufficient funds, and as a single mother to a toddler, I don't have enough energy to pack my bags and go out into the world. But at least I can escape metaphysically with my "magic pen," because I genuinely believe master writers in that sense can go anywhere. Of course, the obvious obstacle that’s been holding me down is the fact that I’m (still) no master, and that I’m barely warming up to the idea of writing in English.
In a global sense, technocratic manufacturing consent and rules are universal. I would say censorship and demagogy in Slovenia don’t stand out, but polarisation definitely does. There is almost no real dialogue. And there are hardly any decent jobs if a person doesn’t have connections. Nearly everything in the state’s ownership was sold; what is left is an industry that causes heavy pollution and a neoliberal free-market with mostly precarious jobs and low wages. It could be worse, that’s true, but it could also be better if people stood out and demanded decent pay and optimal politics.
I’m not even embarrassed anymore about how much I earn in this country. In general, I would say that we are dealing with devaluation and possibly also prostitution of intellectual work. Either one is selling out or facing hard times.
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by a 5 year old.
It’s challenging to write outside official propaganda. I write about technocracy, geopolitics, magic, etc. I also have disclosed the storage of blood samples of newborns in the context of a neonatal screening programme. Still, in Slovenia, there is not sufficient public interest to get to the bottom of the story. (It was similar in California, US; CBS disclosed that story.) I have written critically about vaccines and pollution, etc. Still, there is no decent job for me. (Nevertheless, there are also hardly if any respectable media as well. Raising funds is more challenging due to the size of my country.)
Of course, there is always the question: maybe I’m just not good enough. I believe that my work shows that I would at least be able to be somewhere and report about the weather. It would maybe be good enough, because I have never wanted to be somebody extraordinary. Yeah, weather reporting would do. I have become pretty good at crystal-clear perceptions and at making comments and expressing original thoughts.
I know that censorship is a global problem, and I realise there are many in my generation, also older, younger, intellectuals, and workers who are all struggling in the same way. We should all get together, but it’s easier said than done. In a small environment, one easily becomes an “egoistical mini-me”…
And that has been my modus operandi in the last year or so: "me, me, me." I’m getting sick and tired of "me." But if that is what it takes to write, so be it. There are so many themes I would like to write about. I wouldn’t mind, at least from time to time, to co-work on some themes internationally.
It took me longer to get to this point because I started from a not-so-encouraging environment. Even my wider family intentionally or unintentionally threw a lot of monkey wrenches at me. I wish them all the best, but that’s just the way it was (or it always is if you’re coming from the working class), and luckily we sorted things out. I can’t forget that I had modest options, and hard times during my studing instead of "circling in intellectual circles and making great impressions." I can’t erase some of the messed up things that led up to some other messed up things. But I don’t even want to, because I have learned a lot, even from the troubled relationship with the father of my child. Not so long ago, somebody tried to blackmail me over this, but of course, I didn’t submit to that, and that’s probably the reason I’m bringing this theme up.
I would, for example, gladly work in some urban garden or take any job that is not cold and technocratic. But there just aren't any, especially if you don’t live in a city. We are light years from de-bureaucratization, but it’s probably time to speak out.
Make peace not war
I believe this feeling of being lost could be prevalent in the corporate ruled world. Maybe real geopolitical tensions are on some level as the psychological mirror of technocratic emptiness. We should start to have real dialogues and make changes for the better in the global economic system. Also, it would be nice if nations, especially smaller ones, would begin to work on their individuality without the fear of being crushed by leading global nations.
📷 Shutterstock, BigAlBaloo
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