we are doing it

[RALthaDon]

still love this.

[pennilesscripple]

yeah it's a good reminder

very strengthening

i love being reminded that the machine is 'fragile and fleeting'

*you* certainly are doing it!

[ReliableInsider]

Farmers make the walk to the slaughterhouse easy.

You might even call it "The Path of Least Resistance."

[RizN2OKshun]

thanx for that penni

[8rf]

hen people know that we have problem what they should do? Ha? What? To strike on the government? To kill the loggers? To Bomb corporations? That will only make them stronger. They need to invent way of life that do not need all these institutions so they no longer exist. You know, corporations exist just because WE need oil, plastics, processed food etc....

[pennilesscripple]

we don't need those things

we are terrorized into buying them

[ItsTime2Fly]

Its reasuring to meet people in this community who know that "what we do is urgent". I live in a small town where we are so closed off from the rest of the world that it is easy to forget that we too are a part of it. People are naturally heavy sleepers but something about the pace of like out here makes people comatose.

[andysnadden]

Well "relatively new" is a "relative concept", but capitalism is well established. We wont evolve back into the simplicity we came from. Alternatives to capitalism have produced the most horrific regimes, while capitalism has produced a huge standard of living for a huge amount of people. It's the most efficient system and the least open to dictatorial abuse. I don't see it going anywhere soon, and I an relived about that.

[andysnadden]

Well if you consider capitalism to have started when humans invented money and begun to use it in place of pure barter ( ie my beef for your vegetables ) then it's been around for a hell of a long time actually. It's kept developing in complexity though. It's not perfect, but alternatives have not come close to working. Communisim produced nightmarish dictatorships full of suffering.

[andysnadden]

I agree that this world leaves a lot to be desired and we have not reached our potential as humans yet. Capitalism is not the problem, and it's not going to go away.

[pennilesscripple]

capitalism is an idea, a concept

it has only been with us a comparatively very short time

interesting that you see it as so permanent

[washboard1997]

capitalism can be natural--ie. i produce fruit and i go down to the local market and sell it for a pound of beef. this is how sane societies operate. but i see a great problem in the complexity of our capitalist state. it's so huge that id de-moralizes the individual. ei. i produce fruit for five dollars an hour and go down too taco bell and pay ten for a chalupa. all i really gave was my time in exchange for the gov'ts money. i am less human in our capitlist system.

[pennilesscripple]

what's natural and sane, washboard, is that i share my beef with you, and you share your fruit with me. what is insane is to subvert our natural generosity and urge to share to the fear, violence, distrust, and hoarding that are at the foundation of our current system.

[pennilesscripple]

humans lived for hundreds of thousands of years with neither system. they are relatively new concepts, and far from permanent.

[IXGertXI]

Eloquently put, my dear. Thank you. Sometimes I think my own art is...well... superficial. Thank you for posting this!

Gert

[rebeccalarsen]

Every time I need galvanizing I come to this video. Inspiring. We are doing it. I'm helping. Go tube revolution!

[pennilesscripple]

i'm glad you find it valuable, rebecca

[musosf]

I watched this before, but didn't comment. Not sure why. But I believe wholeheartedly in this message. I feel like what I'm doing on YouTube isn't a diversion; a lark. It's expression, interaction, influencing and being influenced. The general public doesn't view media like this in that way. But seeing all the creativity that's been freed and is being fed, watered and nourished here keeps me coming back again and again. Glad you posted this as a response, pc.

[pennilesscripple]

what a great comment muso. thank you so much. and thank anne waldman (and zzz33333 and advicetomyclones) for keeping us on track. yes media has degenerated into 'entertainment,' not unlike food has degenerated into big macs. (and hey did you notice the little shoutout to you in the sidebar?)

[musosf]

Yes I did - and I LOVE to see the word "frodie-licious" used in its proper context. :)

[U2bianSynic]

I'm just getting to the point where I'm seeing myself as an artist (writer). This is a message I needed to hear. Thanks for it.

[pennilesscripple]

yay

[Hisautumnrain]

Bravo! His autumnrain @-->---- ::skips off::

[stukeck]

What trace we bequeath,

What vestige bestowed,

Over each shoulder glance,

Yet forward lay our path.

Each from adolescent beginnings,

Ignorant of our Transgressions,

In time, choice ours to acquiesce,

Election of course our plentiful menu.

[pennilesscripple]

of course. plentiful. thanks.

[stukeck]

No the thanks are all yours Compadre...

[AdviceToMyClones]

Everytime I watch one of your videos I haven't seen, I feel angry I haven't found these before. But its a good anger.

[pennilesscripple]

it's okay be mad. we're just glad you're here. wait til you see all the zzz videos you've missed. you'll be furious. but a good furious.

[mrmjdinosaur]

Anne Waldman has such an amazing voice,she is an inspiration,just wish my writing was as good!Wonderful to see Vajrayana poetics in action.Thankyou Scripple.

[pennilesscripple]

my pleasure. perhaps you could make us a video about vajrayana poetics in action? that would be very valuable.

[nailmouth]

just watched this and was totally refreshed, especially after watching zsoakes's stuff...you are officially my newest subscription

[pennilesscripple]

honored to have provided the antidote to that mindworm

welcome home

[ModderEart]

<3

Thank you for beeing

[liquidmajic]

Constructive video!

[pennilesscripple]

thank you! constructive comment! ;^)

[zzz33333]

wait this is the crucially crucialon video jant

[pennilesscripple]

waiting

[zzz33333]

for what?

[pennilesscripple]

never mind i think it's here now

[Dickens123]

Nice vlog! Important message!

[pennilesscripple]

thank you glad it struck a cord

[MotherReiver]

"Constructing our lives" -- I like that; because that's what we are doing, we leave behind what we are, and what we are is the arts, at least for me :)

[Dickens123]

I like what you said, as usual, you are right on target! We also are how we touch others!!

[MotherReiver]

:-)

[Dickens123]

:-D XXX000000

[MotherReiver]

:-D XXX000000 TIMES INFINITY!

[Dickens123]

8-O (omigod smiley!)

[pennilesscripple]

hee hee

[Dickens123]

It upped your comments!!!!

[MotherReiver]

Me and lil'l miss dickens really have party, don't we??

[al3xgibson]

That's a refreshing position. I like the idea that artists are just doing it regardless - its a bit romantic, but I like it.

I think ideas/ artists are dangerous for the socio-political landscape... dangerous for wars and excess.

[pennilesscripple]

yes that's why the arts aren't funded, why YouTube has eliminated the arts category, why the arts have been confused with entertainment and commerce to discourage artists, and why the arts have been devalued to the point where the idea that an artist can make a difference is seen as a romantic notion. ;^) historically poets have been so dangerous they have been exiled and/or killed.

[rebeccalarsen]

Yeah, it's so interesting to put up a video on youtube with the category limitations...

[Gimmeabreakman]

Crossmack should listen to this. Or... maybe not. Could just fuel his own skewed version of the world... hmm... anyway, it's good to see stuff like this once in a while.

V

[Kedoke]

Amen! I like the connection between artist and activist. So much of our culture teaches/asks us to be passive. And by making art, we are being active. I hadn't thought about it like that quite so explicitly.

[pennilesscripple]

Yes actually art can subvert the dominant culture in ways we don't even see. For example, your (may I say brilliant?) 12 days of Christmas series chose community over fragmentation, heart over production values, etc.---very contrary to the dominant Hollywood form of entertainment, and ultimately, quite subversive. What if everyone watched Kedoke instead of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I'm sure the Dept. of Homeland Security is on your case. ;^)

[Kedoke]

pc - you may say "brilliant", but I don't think anyone will believe you ;-) (Thank you for the complement!) And I've been wondering what the strange buzzing sound on my phone line was.

[pennilesscripple]

pretty sure everyone in YOUR neck of the woods is under surveillance ;^)

[Gimmeabreakman]

I agree, but I'm afraid worthless pop culture -- like the Mickey Mouse you mentioned yesterday -- has more of an impact on the world. HMmm... but wait. At least Mickey has no real message. The problem is most people don't want a message. They want to be entertained.

[pennilesscripple]

that's why the best art can be experienced on multiple levels--e.g. books you enjoyed as a child that you reread as an adult, where you experienced things you didn't know were there. the artist often hooks the participant with entertainment values and then moves deeper. (btw, Mickey has a message. all media has a message.)

[Gimmeabreakman]

Hmm... good point. Actually rereading old kids books with the more critical questioning attitude of an adult is fun. I have a collection of kids encyclopedias that I browse while in the john once in a while...

[pennilesscripple]

ooo that would make a great video! ;^)

[superfrodies]

very cool. thank you

[pennilesscripple]

yes i think it speaks specifically to how youtube could serve as a tool for artists and activists (if there is any difference between the two). the media (and youtube, it seems) wants everyone to think the venue is frivolous, and it will be if we buy into that. there's plenty of room for frivolity, but youtube can also be much more than a place to show pictures of your friends getting drunk. i often wonder what it will look like in five years--it is up to us to shape that future.

[superfrodies]

couldn't agree more

[hippyhillbilly]

Awesome video :) 50 stars if I could :) Peace, Health & hugs to you & yours

[2soon2tell]

wow, man. it's always so refreshing to know that someone, somewhere, has tackled the same problems and come up with some concrete description and answers. thanks!

[pennilesscripple]

oh goody i was hoping you would see this, as it speaks to many of the issues you raise. i keep thinking about how you said you didn't want your little guys to grow up playing reindeer games. oops...there you go...making a difference....