Avatar Meher Baba famously said, “stay out of politics”. It’s not at all clear exactly what he meant by this, and there are divergent explanations. One comment by him on the utter insincerity of party politics- that it becomes impossible for an individual to retain integrity given the inevitable compromises involved, is perhaps a good place to begin in discussing the problem.
“What is politics but fraud? Whatever your own, honest, candid opinion might be, you have to act according to the creed of the party, [at times] against the voice of your conscience, and thus be dependent upon others for your actions, which is quite opposed to the fundamental principles of Truth.” Meher Baba
Now, in today’s world, from the perspective of America, this statement could not be more obvious and true. Party politics is a snarling dogs’ breakfast of furious dishonesty and insincerity. And the problem becomes yet more complicated as politics is completely dependent on media for accurate reporting of facts and vetting of facts. What results if media refuses to honestly play the role required for a vibrant democracy? And what if media is actively dishonest in its putative role? Moreover, what if media becomes a shill for partisan snarling? How is the public to be truly informed? Finally, what if the very notion of political parties as representative of the public, let alone an individual, is itself a complete farce?
It should be said, right away, that politics is about power. Indeed, it is nothing but the acquisition and wielding of power. What is the nature of power here in the US? Who wields power, and how did they get the power by which they govern?
It is emphatically not by the consent of the governed. Electoral politics is rigged in so many ways, where to begin? Of course, it’s about money, and the capacity of money to subvert the entire electoral process. And of course, this references corporations and their lobbyists above all else; corporations rule America.
This is not news, of course. But then, at the same time, it is continuously ignored. It is both acknowledged and denied at one and the same time- in the same breath. Everyone knows it’s true, but no one can do anything about it, and so it becomes normalized.
The two political parties- and the US will not allow a third party to emerge and upset the status quo, are both owned and ruled by corporate money and their lobbyists. The differences between the parties are insignificant relative to what they have in common, i.e. corporate hegemony. And this is by design. The politicians can argue about identity politics and culture wars, but they will never argue about the Spy and War Machine promoting militarized corporate empire. No matter how insane the foreign policy promoting prolonged war and carnage, no matter how insane the support of authoritarian governments licking the US corporate boot, no matter how destructive of the civil, human and environmental rights the world over, both parties are in complete and perpetual agreement.
But not only are the two parties in complete and perpetual agreement, but so is corporate media. Corporate hegemony over the electoral process, government and media is perfect and complete. Politics in America is defined by corporate power distributed between two parties wholly owned by and subservient to militarized oligarchy.
Politics in America is defined by the fascist corporate state devoted to empire.
No wonder, Avatar Meher Baba said, “stay out of politics”.
