Читать книгу Blind.Faith 2.0.50 - Tomasz Tatum - Страница 6

WE BE ONE NOW

Almost overnight, it seemed the entire worldmonde.Planet had virtually reorganized itself and, as one might expect in the aftermath of any such helter-skelter situation, it had resulted in an incredibly enormous amount of confusion and, at least from the perspective of those hapless souls less than enthralled by this new development, yet another sorry state of affairs to be lamented as loudly as possible.

What had actually happened was, on the face of it, quite simple. Major portions of the civilized worldmonde.Planet as everyone had known it had, for any one of any number of reasons, elected to transform their respective societies by fast-forwarding at something approaching breakneck pace for fear of finding themselves shut out of the many blessings of modernity if they continued to drag their feet while so many others welcomed the liberating spirit of progress without reservation. The cumulative result of such an endeavor was bound to initially be what resembled a huge incomprehensible mess to a significant number of the worldmonde.Planet’s somewhat less enlightened–or privileged–citizens. Seen after the fact, this whirlwind culmination of the globalization.bliss process had asserted itself in the manifestation of a relatively sudden cultural and economic revolution that was not entirely unlike the big bang theory regularly purveyed by legions of ostensibly educated heretics to describe the origins of the universe. The Clash of Civilizations and Crash of Currencies phase of history appeared to have finally sputtered to a halt and had in the meantime given way to largely rhetorical skirmishes staged to obscure an uncomfortable truth: that not many people were willing to admit or even consider the logical tendency of economies of scale to quickly run out of steam when they elect to tailor them to fit the needs of rapidly shrinking entities.

As a result of this minor oversight, and within the span of just a few short years, immense numbers of people found themselves plunged into unbelievably deep crises of identity and otherwise. Almost everything that people had managed to take for granted in the former, and very conventional, political order of the traditional worldmonde.Planet was, with one fell swoop, suddenly murky and awash or no longer valid at all. Who was now going to uphold those icons and idiosyncrasies, prides and prejudices which had given such cohesion and comfort to so many societies for such long periods of historical time? What would become of all of the ordering principles that had enabled some nations, some races, or some faiths to loom large or to sometimes prevail over others? Or which at least successfully deluded them into sleeping quietly in the smug assumption that they were doing so.

The worldmonde.Planet had become so damned confusing. It was full of friends now.

In theory, this was a fantastic development.

But few people were really willing and able to consider the wider ramifications of such a superficially positive development upon that club of nations and societies that derived some or all of their identity through the perception that they were hapless underdogs. That there were some who actually fared quite well or, if this wasn’t exactly the truth, at least derived some well-earned comfort from the fact that they were hopeless basket cases, capable of surviving the onslaught of a civilization whose ideals cloaked some incestuous uniformity only if they succeeded in distilling their own exclusive witches’ brew of cohesive elitist identity. There were some societies, or segments thereof, that took pride in the fact that they were subject to persecution or even eradication if they allowed their vigilance to drop for even a fleeting instant. Or that they were simply the wretched victims of insults, injuries and injustice forced upon them by the hands of others who were bent on dominating or even destroying their most deeply ingrained values.

Some people who were otherwise probably quite astute were apparently not willing to fathom the extent of the problem while no small number of others simply had little or no interest in coming to terms with it. And, for whatever reasons, even as many people eagerly embraced this change without the slightest hint of reservation, a vast number of people were still equally determined to simply sit it out and wait for a return to what they had grown accustomed to regarding as normalcy.

But like it or not, nearly everyone had gone global in recent times, whether deliberately or not. Ironically, even those doggedly against this development embraced globalization.bliss eagerly, recognizing it to be the most expedient way to organize the resistance.

And, in hindsight, it truly did seem as though a global revolution had happened overnight. The old worldmonde.Planet order, based on its various constellations of nation-states, quickly and permanently evaporated as it became clear to all that the concept of the custom-tailored so-called domain.state was here to stay.

With easily discernible identities then suddenly in short supply, it was hardly surprising that a sharp rise in ideology soon made itself evident.

The real irony behind this development was that this tendency was accelerated, or even largely made possible, through the emergence of an obviously irredeemable, but tantalizing, promise of collective virtual identity: those erdenburgers who suddenly perceived themselves adrift in a worldmonde.Planet suddenly fragmented through its rush to unification through globalization.bliss once more had ideals toward which they could strive when they were not too distracted through work or busy with shopping or just idling before the telly.tube.

And they could employ the virtues of this very same globalization.bliss to make their dream of cultural downsizing efficient as well as fun and enjoyable. Technological advances meant that it was no longer necessary to watch helplessly as good, solid, virtuous identities were swamped by those surging tides which were said to be nudging the whole of humanity toward an ideal vaguely defined as a universal, worldwide community of enlightened, and ostensibly democratic, consumerism–unified in spirit as they sat and chilled or steered their eco-friendly minivans and buena.Vistas to the nearest mall, virtual or not.

It all started in the not-so-distant past with CNN and the AFL-CIO. And IBM and MTV. OSCE, HIV, UNESCO and NAFTA.

People learned how to spell HTTP and RDA and MPG.

Then there was a Poppy Generation.

Reality TV quickly followed, proving that truth can be more disgusting than fiction.

There were Mad Hatters and pot parties, party caucuses, royal weddings and divorces and pot luck caribou roasts peppered with petty Palinisms.

A gazillion times each day, an informed but mostly clueless tweety population popped their messages around the globe: Where did you, um, kind of, you know, want to be today?

Tupperware and Tea parties raged everywhere, reigning supreme around the worldmonde.Planet.

Think Global Act Local, many of the ads proclaimed loudly.

Half of the planet seemed to rise at once to the thrill and challenge of modern media-enhanced grass-roots democracy. Daily referendums exhorting the virtues of an active and empowered citizenry swamped the airwaves and networks, demanding instantaneous participation.

“Got a gripe? Say HELL, NO! to something today to make your voice count!”

It was Vancouver that led the charge into the future.time. It simply declared itself to be independent one fine day. Almost overnight, everything changed. Vancouver went west and soon found its roots and soul in the Far East. There were pot-bellied golden Buddhas smiling in every shop window on every street. Feng shui counselors eagerly purveyed their services on every corner.

In response to the Middle Kingdom’s acquisition through incorporation, the remainder of British Columbia was quickly annexed by faraway Quebec. Eager to exploit their inherent recognition value, and the potential commercial worth as well, Canada’s red and white maple leaf flags and banners were brazenly declared to be Québécoise. An ecstatic citizenry bellowed: “Let Ontario eat quiche and design its own flag!”

From that crystallizing moment onward, national downsizing was all the rage. The word was out now that states possessing a vision had to be small and lean and mean to be adequately responsive to the rapidly changing requirements of their ever more discriminating populaces.

Following its race to independence not long thereafter, the proud denizens of Florida began stamping out tin license plates proclaiming their young nation to be the SeniorCitizenNation. Meanwhile, the proud enclave of West Palm Beach County resolved to celebrate its achievement of independence by ritualizing the recounting of its votes over and over again–and, observing a tradition anchored within their new constitution, hanging a handful of chads now and then in respectful acknowledgement of this important holiday. Bingo reigned supreme everywhere south of Tallahassee, not even stopping the proverbial ninety miles short of Havana. For the first time in recent history, the heirs of the Máximo Lider, who continued making a limited number of dignified public appearances despite the emblematic awkwardness of the dolly cart required to transport him to and from his appointments, had a valid reason to feel truly besieged.

Nevada, never a slouch in the past.time, quickly countered with Keno. And a hostile takeover of Colorado.

Silicon Valley–famous now for its vast breast implant industry as well as its microchips–declared a merger among equals with a number of nearby or adjoining maquiladoras and faraway Bangalore.

The result was world-class bintis and boobs. It was absolutely citron!

The remainder of California collectively declared itself to be the Litigation Nation. On the opposite side of the continent, the citizens of Manhattan, D.C. predictably took issue with such a preposterous claim and collectively sued.

Queens followed Jamaica Bay’s lead and seceded. Scotland and Wales shut their borders to the English.

Even further afield, the New Hanseatics began kicking ass–especially those of immigrants under suspicion of what could be construed to be negligent or malicious non-integration.

Newly independent entities like Martinique, Catalonia, Aden and Corsica established diplomatic ties with a plethora of mini-states around the globe–and among themselves–to underscore their determination to prevail and succeed in the emerging new and improved worldmonde.Planet order.

Mindanao and the Spratlys confederated with the Kuril Islands.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation defiantly dissolved all ties to the traditionally geriatric leadership further north. Getting the reprisal entirely wrong, the greater Beijing-Xi’an collective metropolitan government inadvertently acknowledged Taipei’s claim to nationhood. Taiwan was finally free to seek an attractive partner to merge with.

The greater Phoenix metropolitan area voted nearly unanimously to move northward.

And last, but not least, New Orleans blew up a bridge, literally severing the last remaining link with Baton Rouge that had been painstakingly re-established post-Katrina. That night, even long before the smoke and the smell of gunpowder had cleared, da.Republic.O’Nawlins had declared itself to be independent and partied savagely for years.

Soon after the dawn of the second Millennia then, new nations were emerging everywhere and by the dozens. As soon as they set out on their own, many of these proud entities were often quickly awash in oceans of murky indifference or heartfelt animosity toward any number of the other similar states or, indeed, sometimes even the entire rest of the worldmonde.Planet. To make matters more complicated, emotions such as envy and antipathy, or sometimes both, often contributed an additional and particularly worrisome element to the mix. Irrespective of where all these nations found themselves in the aftermath of this process, this novel development effectively and unambiguously heralded in the age in which the nominally orderly worldmonde.Planet that was still intact in the picturesque but long obsolete hardcopy schoolbooks of young Charles’ childhood evaporated once and for all.

Of course, when viewed from a modern day standpoint, these anachronistic schoolbooks were delightful if for nothing else than their stubborn persistence in portraying both greater and lesser states and their motley collection of political borders in contrasting shades of pale blues, greens, yellows, magentas or oranges to highlight them. Visualized through the innocent eyes of many small schoolchildren eager to impart some kind of logic to each new discovery, though, this perhaps not only made sense from a pedagogic vantage point but also made geography and social studies much more bearable by giving these youngsters a valid reason to fuel their naïve speculations over what an editor’s choice of color utilized to depict a nation actually revealed about that particular country. Even well into his adulthood, Charles would later still occasionally recall Azerbaijan’s pale hue of post-Soviet yellow and reflect momentarily upon what significance, if indeed there was any, it might have possessed and whether any of the traits he associated with this color at the time might have been absorbed in the persona of Niklas Vladimir Bratislav in some insidious manner.

This was many long years before Niklas’ marriage to Jacqueline. In fact, it was many long years prior to his arrival in what was then a still orderly America.

“Was it all about canaries or daffodils or was it all about raincoats?”, children likely fantasized as they pored over the pages intently. Or maybe it was the brand of mellow yellow which the pacifist pipe-dreamers of Haight-Ashbury had propagated only a few generations ago?

Did the people there piss a lot? Was it a telltale sign of paradise or cowardice or jaundice? Did yellow stand for blessings or bile?

Was it about twerps on TARP?

White punks on dope? Wonderbras?

Full-body scans? BSE? XTC? ICBMs? G-strings and Xboxes?

Deforestation and liposuction and pythons and flies?

TSA and customized CO2 footprint catalogues? Emission trading schemes?

Was the worldmonde.Planet really only about GNP and IOUs?

Of course, it was no surprise that some things just had to change quickly and completely if they were ever going to stay the same. In the past.time, any conventional method of forging a national identity often involved long years of arduous deprivation and struggle by the founders. There were conspiracies and inquisitions or Delawares to be crossed, elements to be braved or frontiers to be shoved valiantly aside. To be worthy of any form of serious emulation–and to retain an aura of exclusivity among the ruling elite–it was imperative that these “founding fathers” be sworn among themselves to live as nearly as possible to their profoundly perceived ideological and religious roots and the hardships they were collectively forced to endure.

Things were somewhat different now, however. These days, geography no longer mattered quite so prominently in the start-up phase. In fact, it was actually largely irrelevant. And so, in striking contrast with historical tradition prior to these times, if new entities were to establish and hold their claim to independence, the forging of their exclusive brand of national and cultural identity would ideally have to be a process that was both quick and accessible in a worldmonde.Planet of rapidly emerging ideologies and loyalties, all competing fiercely in a kind of virtual marketplace for legitimacy. It was therefore not really to be viewed as a disadvantage if a newborn nation’s symbols and their content could be absorbed in a time frame shorter than that typically embodied by the average enlightened citizen’s attention span as he or she sat riveted before the telly.tubes educating themselves about telegenic pseudo-celebrities eating millipedes or toasting tropical spiders whilst they awaited rescue or redemption in their respective jungle camps.

What was also, in hindsight, unsurprising was that most or all of the new buzzwords naturally revolved around things like wealth, religion, and race. The true degree of innovation evident in development.MoveyourAss, however, lay in how quickly the messages they contained could be transmitted and how effectively they could be employed to permeate carefully targeted societies or particular segments of them.

Therefore, instead of everyday life becoming progressively simpler, the accelerating fragmentation of the worldmonde.Planet’s societies into ever smaller entities–defined exclusively by their own limited self-interests and emburdened with little or no inclinations toward even the most fleeting expressions of commonality–was rapidly becoming a source of profound confusion and great agitation for many people.

Among them was Charles’ perpetually disgruntled stepfather. There was ultimately emerging, in the eyes of Niklas Vladimir, an intractable and incomprehensible lattice of global news, global warming, global thinking, global markets, global money, global this, global that which, to him, was devoid of any truly comprehensible logic.

Whatever merits all of this globalization.bliss might indeed possess was something which he severely doubted anyhow. For him, it was certainly completely irrelevant to any of his most immediate needs or concerns. Niklas had become a deeply angry and suspicious man in the wake of his appearance in America shortly before it, too, set off on its transition across the threshold of the new and improved worldmonde.Planet order that was emerging everywhere.

“My home is my castle,” had always been Niklas’ credo.

So shortly after he finally painstakingly succeeded in raising the necessary funds required to facilitate his emigration from what was then still known as the Providence of Gyurgyan, Niklas found himself culturally shell-shocked in an America that was rapidly becoming infinitely more confusing than anything he had ever dared to dream of.