Work within the system

If you beat them at their own game, you lose.

So... you're in a band with a really important message and you want to get it out to as many people as possible - so you're trying to get really known and sell lots and lots of records. Or maybe you're a political activist and you believe it's essential to use mainstream media to educate people about certain issues. It seems to make sense to use these tools to reach people - who else will notice you? Yes, you have realized that you are compromising with the very system you are trying to fight, but it will be worth it in the end...and don't we all have to compromise?

It's worth considering whether we're actually doing this after all, just as it's worth questioning whether getting ahead in their cutthroat competition and mass marketing can ever help us change the world. What would happen if we stopped compromising, stopped playing their game in general, and focused all our efforts on creating our own channels to spread ideas in new ways?

The Revolution cannot be televised.

Of course they want you on their TV show, radio program, rock festival and major label. They don't care if they sell mouthwash or the anarchist revolution - as long as they keep people gawking and buying. They know that sooner or later people will get bored and annoyed with the mindless and passionless drivel they usually have to offer, and they count on you for new ideas and styles to exploit; Without that, they wouldn't have anything new to sell to people. They know that if they can sell your expression of anger back to you, they can make money off the frustration that their system creates that they have then beaten you. They know that no message you can spread through their channels is more powerful than the message your use of their medium sends: stay tuned!

No awareness that you could possibly raise through television appearances or CD sales is more important than the individual power of self-determination. Television and supermarket shopping keep people passive: watching things they will never partake in and people they will never meet buying what is marketed to them by companies instead of pursuing their own music, ideas, and lives. To motivate people to act for themselves, you have to connect with them much more directly.

I make love on stage with ten thousand people, then I go home alone

– Janis Joplin

The values ​​of mass production

We're taught to talk about our success in terms of numbers, aren't we? If touching one person's life is a good thing, then touching a thousand people's lives must be a great thing. It's easy to see where we learned to think like this: our entire society revolves around mass production. The more units we move, the more customers we serve, the more votes we get, the more money and stuff we have, the better, right?

But perhaps it is not possible to touch a thousand people as deeply or powerfully as one or ten people. And maybe in the end it's not really that revolutionary to have one person or group telling everyone else what's right. Wouldn't it be better to try a decentralized approach where everyone works closely with those around them; rather than having a few people leading an anonymous crowd? Do you, or your band, or your label have to save the world all by yourself? Why don't you trust everyone else to do it with you? (And have you noticed how much you have to stomp on everyone to get the success you need to spread your message?)

A political band playing a concert in front of nine hundred people can recite revolutionary slogans for everyone present and listening, but they remain out of reach of most of the people there, up on the stage, as “musicians,” “artists,” “heroes.” On the other hand, a band playing a similarly passionate concert in front of forty people, in a more intimate setting, can interact on a personal level with everyone in attendance, making it clear that everyone is capable of doing what they do. As a result, it has the potential to spark four more bands (or similar revolutionary projects), increasing its impact exponentially. The same goes for labels, writers, speakers and artists and of course for organizers and “leaders” of all kinds.

Work within the system

Most of us don't find much fulfillment in the things we have to do when we're working "within the system." We would rather read books ourselves than do homework for school, would rather apply our skills, energy and time to work on projects of our choice than sell ourselves to entrepreneurs. But we feel like we have to work for them, whether we like it or not. We rarely realize how much more fun and effective it might be if we took our time out of their hands and did something else with it. Sure it would be hard at first, but what could be worse than having to put up with this shit for the rest of our lives? It's better that we dedicate ourselves to changing this than just deal with it.

But, you protest, you're still going to fight the status quo, you're going to change things from within, right? At least that's what they tell you. Of course, the system has “corresponding procedures” for the protesting and do-gooder people to go through; this is the safety valve through which pressure can be released if people get too upset. Do you really think that the existing powers will let anyone use their own laws and methods to depose them? If this system offered opportunities for real change, people would have taken advantage of them a long time ago. Countless generations have moved out, convinced that they will succeed where others have failed - that's where the lawyers and reporters come from. They are the cynical carcasses of idealistic young men and women who thought the system could be reformed.

Besides, can you trust yourself to work “within the system” for the right things? We are all programmed to want “success,” to measure ourselves by possessions and social status, whether we like it or not. Could it be that you want to be a journalist, a political science professor, or a rock star because you can't think of any other serious option because you're afraid to try to cut the safety cord that binds you to the security of a mainstream lifestyle. And how can you be sure that it's not that dark corner of your heart that's pushing you to seek success, loving some of the attention and feelings of awesomeness that come with your popularity and social status. Sure, it feels great to be able to tell your parents what your goals are and have them applaud your decisions...but what kind of way is that to decide how to proceed to change the world? Let us listen to our hearts, trust our instincts, and refuse to participate in anything that bores or upsets us. We must teach our idealism and our willingness to take risks; and not devise new ways to integrate our frustration and our despair into the system that created them. Remember that every day we spend “using the system” will add another day to the time we have to wait until new networks and better ways of living replace the old ones.

How do we get out of here?

Yes, it often seems as if there is no alternative to working “in the system” if we want to get things done and not keep our ideas locked up in the narrow confines of the scene. But why leave the scene locked within narrow confines? Surely if we put all our energy into expanding the spaces in which we can interact as free, equal human beings - rather than trying to fix the burning engine of this damned society - we could achieve something like a nudge. Imagine what we could accomplish if we held all of our potential in our own hands and refused to waste it ever again, even for a minute, on work in their system. There is no excuse for spending even a fraction of our lives doing things we don't like or using any of our talents or thoughts to support a world order to which we are hostile. Instead, let's fight so hard and live so hard that others within mainstream life can see us and be inspired to join us in our complete rejection of the old world and all its bullshit. And let’s make our communities bigger than they are; Let's make it more open and capable and provide support for living so that others really have the opportunity to join us.

The system we live in only offers games for losers: economic competition instead of cooperation, popularity contests instead of community, the struggle to live up to social norms instead of striving for individual dreams. The reason we're working for something better in the first place is because everyone loses in these games, so why play? It is up to us to create new games, more joyful and exciting games to replace the old ones. Let's not try to beat them at their own games, let's get them to play in ours.