This Is My Rifle: How To Save the Selfie Generation (Part 2) Posted by Jason James on 04/30/14 | Filed under Opinion, This is My Rifle

This article is a continuation of another article I wrote last week. Click here to read part 1.

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The finance capitalist's one worded answer hit me like an anvil. For the first time ever since the financial collapse of 2008, I had direct confirmation from an insider and I now knew that what I believed to be true actually was. I had read hundreds of articles and watched countless documentaries on the topic but the discussion had always felt one sided. There were experts, economics professors and even A-list actors that would all lend their expertise and voices to the issue, but what nearly every writer and director failed to disclose was the level of their subject's bias as well as the narrative being written by their own. But now, sitting in seat 14E, I had a living, breathing witness to just how far down the rabbit hole we've fallen.

"As much as I dislike Obama, I have to give him credit. He made the best decision he could have in that position. However, I can't help but think he was put in that position because Wall Street knew the end was coming" the finance capitalist says as he pushes his glasses back up his nose.

The doors of conspiracy have now flung wide open. Back in 2004, what most of us failed to acknowledge or completely ignored (myself included), was that State Senator Barack Obama received more contributions from the financial sector than any other presidential candidate in America's history. If the bottom was indeed about to fall out from beneath Wall Street, then Barack Obama would serve as a prime pillar to prop it back up again.

The 3 minds in row 14 are now deadlocked in conspiratorial synergy. The British doctor next to me leans forward and says, "The only person that can save your generation is you. Our time is done. The future of the world is dependent upon your actions".

By this he means the 20 and 30 something’s who are now inheriting the responsibility of cultural continuity. A generation that could once and for all end the evils of American and British hegemony.

"I think we're on our way. Every day I go onto the Internet and I find more and more people sharing the information necessary to spark significant change. It took time, but now people my age are starting to feel the ramifications of student loans, low wages and an inflated cost of living. People are starting to fight back" I reply.

The doctor now pulls his tablet out from the seat pocket in front of him and says, "I look at this thing every bloody day and do you know what I see? Not a damned thing. All of your information is inaccurate. These writers are simplifying the truth, which is very dangerous. Remember, propaganda isn't only representative of the other side. It goes both ways and applies to everybody- despite their intentions. If you are going to explain a complicated matter, all complexities have to be explored. Withholding valuable information for the sake of selling a story is a trademark of oppression".

Another anvil to the head. He's completely right and I know- both as a writer and as a reader- that 90% of what we consider information on the Internet is little more than a light brush of a heavily biased opinion.

"But doesn't that apply to yourselves as well? Surely you don't believe that the pre-internet media was honest or accurate in it's reporting. Is it not more beneficial to have an alternative media, independent of the 6 major corporations that own 90% of the mainstream outlets, providing us with information as well?"

My voice has now risen surprisingly. I don't know exactly what I'm defending but the doctor's statement has struck a chord with me.

The doctor pauses for a moment and then laughs deeply as he says; "You've stumped me there. I suppose you have a good point. My only argument would be that in my day we knew who was passing us the information and we held them accountable. If we discovered that they had lied to us we simply stopped watching their channels or buying their newspapers. They were required to be truthful. But on the Internet it's impossible to have any accountability because you cannot see these people or challenge their perspective. If they decide that they do not agree with you they do not have to debate you".

His argument is a good one. I myself have been guilty of this at times. In the comment sections of my articles or on Facebook and Twitter I have sometimes disengaged from an intelligent debate mainly because the person on the other end of it had a knockout punch that I could not counter. On other occasions, I have simplified a complicated subject so that it would be easier to digest for the reader. Furthermore, I have watched as these same subjects have been stripped down to a tweet or a meme without any detailed explanation given or references cited. I have also read articles or watched YouTube videos with hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of views that are so wildly off the mark that they should be stricken from public record altogether.

I’m now ready to throw a haymaker of my own.

“Do you think that maybe the reason for all of this misinformed chaos is because the flood gates have opened and no secret is safe? Is it possible that perhaps your generation was just as misinformed as ours, but instead of an overload of information yours didn’t have enough? I don’t think the world has gotten any worse since the end of the 1990’s, I just think that now everything that was hidden before the Internet has been exposed. Politicians, banks and corporations have always been corrupt- the Internet just took them to task”.

The finance capitalist leans forward and says, “Yes, but who’s putting the information out there? Who are these people? Have you ever considered that much of this stuff could be counterintelligence? The American government can track everything you do and can follow every digital footprint you leave behind. Could it be that they’re just trying to figure out who’s thinking inside of the box and who isn’t?”

WHOA. This guy just blew my fucking mind. We have officially hit conspiracy level 99 on the JFK meter. I have no rebuttal- in fact, for the first time ever I’m speechless.

The doctor looks over at me again and jokingly says, “Don’t answer that. You might regret it.”

As the plane lands on the tarmac and arrives at the gate I have one last question for the finance capitalist:

“So what do you think about bitcoin?”

The finance capitalist reaches into the overhead compartment and pulls out a small suitcase then looks down at me and says, “Bitcoin is the last stop. If you can make it work, you’ve won”.

We then walk off of the plane, shake hands and bid one another farewell. There is no exchanging of email addresses or business cards, just three people with very different lives moving in our own unique directions. I personally wish I had a few more hours with these wise old men but the exhausted expressions on their faces tells me they’re ready to call it a night.

Upon my departure from the airport I replay the 5 hours of conversation in my head many times over- mostly thinking about the final statement from the finance capitalist. Could bitcoin be our saving grace? Will it irreversibly change the world as we know it?

Much to the dismay of my altruistic socialist-leaning best friend (he absolutely HATES being called a socialist, but whatever), I believe that pure capitalism is what we will rebuild upon once the old system has been destroyed and bitcoin will be it’s foundation. We will learn from our past mistakes and we will reintroduce a free market that is truly free because bitcoin eliminates all possibilities of secrecy. Every bitcoin transaction is recorded on a public ledger, therefore large financial donations to politicians will be common knowledge and we will be able to determine who is corrupt long before they ever reach the Senate or Congressional floor. We will be able to watch over corporations and banks, and we will have a bird’s eye view of their daily operations. Additionally, war could very well become obsolete since society as a whole will have the power to openly guide the free market and dispose of its toxic elements, and with limited coins in existence, prolonged international conflicts would be totally unaffordable.

I guess maybe now I’m being altruistic myself. But what I see ahead of us is an opportunity to seize the future and reverse the damage done by 100 years of central banking, greed, excess, war and corruption. As disconnected as I feel my generation has become, I do believe that we are all worth saving. The apathetic, self-involved narcissists of today just might be the leaders of tomorrow. It is the responsibility of people like you and me, the hungry minds of the early 21st century, to shake the world until even the most Kardashian-esque of us is jolted out of their slumber and motivated to dig below the surface into the depths of their own hearts and imaginations. If we can accomplish this, we can slowly back away from the brick wall we’re currently flying towards at light speed. The harsh reality of it all is that without them it can’t be done and vice versa.

Oh snap. A hamburger. Hold up, I gotta Instagram this shit….

(Jason James is an artist, freelance columnist and writer for RefinedHype.com. You can read/download his free eBook, "This Is My Rifle" and listen/download his most recent album, "Pyramids in Stereo". You can also contact him here and here.)