Becoming myself since 2013…

Dear Michael Moore, Please Save Me From These Idiots!

Okay, so I am half way through Michael Moore’s book, Stupid white Men, and I decided to write to this man who bravely spoke out again corporate America. My letter was as follows:

Michael, I don’t know if you will read this personally, but I am a new admirer of your work. I am in the middle of reading, Stupid White Men, and man oh man does it speak to me.  I am a 26 year old British woman, a primary school teacher, a traveler of the world, a follower of politics (although sometimes I hate it so much I have to turn my mind away from it) and a decent human being, I like to think.

I feel the need to express my admiration for your work and determination in trying to open up the world’s mind to modern politics, which are not so different to historical politics when you think about it… you give me a piece of your pie and you can have some of mine…

It’s scary to think that your book was published 12 years ago and I have only just discovered it, although I was 14 when it came out and never had much of a mind for politics at that age.  I knew my own mind though and the difference between right and wrong, especially when it came to equality of race, gender and social classes etc.  But what I find very scary is that your predictions of the UK turning more and more towards the American way have manifested. We have more private schools, more businessmen running our health system and more cuts to the programmes that are there to assist those living in poverty, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

For a long time I have felt like there needs to be a movement of sorts, a coming together of minds that see the government for what it is… corrupt! I believe there are plenty of us that see this, but how do we change things? How do we come together and speak our minds within a ‘democracy’, or rather within an elected dictatorship? I know in your book that you say that the best way to provoke change is to become involved in politics, but I could never spend my life arguing with ‘Stupid White Men’ in a forum that favors them.  And when I look at some of those that have influenced change on a world wide scale, be it in politics or simple a way of thinking, they are not all politicians. Let’s take a look at Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Ghandi,  Leonard Percival Howell (The First Rasta – A documentary I think you would like), they provoked change in a different way, a way that stuck, just as I think you are trying to do.

A movement with an inspirational leader needs to surface.  Someone who stands for the rights of men, women and children.  Someone who calls the politicians on their s*** and wants real answers. Someone who points out the corruption and protests peacefully until something is done about it, like our parliamentary expenses scandal. Many were suspended and asked to repay what they STOLE from us! So if I rob someone can I pay it off like a loan too? Six politicians were sentenced to jail time… and I wonder how much they were paid for being the scape-goats after this show of justice?

The Government are very good at promoting a ‘common enemy’ for us common people to blame for the way our country has gone, be it black people, Indian people, and now the poor victims, the Muslim communities.  When, let’s face it, the only ones to blame for the state of our country is the politicians themselves. How many of them have got a dirty little finger in that privatization pie? How many of those in the Education Committee have taught in a school or have a degree relating to education? How many politicians actually know what they are talking about?

So many questions and I’m sure some answers lie out there waiting to be found. So I guess my question is… can you help me find these answers? Can you kick British politicians butts just like you bruised the backsides of those American idiot men?

Can you find someone in this world I can follow and believe in?

Best wishes and best of luck in your endeavor to change the world one word at a time. Thank you for writing the truth. I will continue to follow the arse-kicking legacy that you are leaving behind for us to follow.

Kind regards…

A.M. Becoming…

Politics, Schmolitics!

Within Western society there is a common found view, mostly a subtly expressed view by politicians and the like, that our countries are superior to those that are not as developed as our own and that we owe them our help. Certainly, we do owe them our help, especially when you consider that it is through the use of (or maybe I should use the word theft of) these country’s natural resources, the employment of cheap laborers and the high income from pricey wars that the leaders of our capitalist nations have been able to rise to the top, amongst many other ethically questionable actions.

We do not live in a fair world or a just world. We do not live in a fair country or a just country. We live in a country run by idiots, a world run by idiots (very clever, very greedy idiots), so how can it be just or fair? (Obviously there are some okay people involved with the running of our country, I think, maybe). How many times have you sat there with your friends or family discussing the woes of the world or your own country and thought, yes, simple, we should be running the country?!!  The truth is, you are probably just as qualified, maybe even more so, than those that are actually sitting in parliament arguing like children. I know I am!

Being a qualified and experienced primary school teacher, the best comparison that I can make is between myself and the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove. Let the games begin…

Round 1, Education – Michael Gove vs. A.M. Becoming

Gove – Former English student at Oxford, graduating with a 2:1.

A.M.B. – Student of Primary Education, graduating with a First.

I think it’s safe to say I win the first round!

Round 2, Graduate Job – Gove vs. A.M. Becoming

Gove – Political Journalist

A.M.B.  – Primary School Teacher and I’ll add a follower of politics, mostly concerning education

Hmmm… I know I’m biased, but I’ll take round two as well.  Gove’s focus was all over the place, I know my focus is quality education, but did Gove always know that? I’m guessing not as he is a conservative and their views on education don’t seem too preoccupied with true quality education for all! No more needs be said there, especially if you’re a teacher, you understand what I’m getting at!

Round 3, Academies – Gove vs. A.M. Becoming

Gove – Converted schools into academies

A.M.B. – Did not do this

I take round three!!

Round 4, New Schools – Gove vs. A.M. Becoming

Gove – Axed plans for new school builds, illegally I might add

A.M.B. – Did not do this and would never even consider doing this

Round 4 – to A.M. Becoming!

I could go on, I mean I really could, as I find the government’s decisions infuriating, as I am sure many of you do, but you get the picture.

Who in their right mind would cut funding for new school buildings when inner city schools are bursting at the seams? Quite rightly this decision was seen as ‘so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power,’ by the judicial court.  However, there was no reversal of the decision and the Building Schools for the Future programme was cut! This is just one idiotic decision made by our UK government.  And most people with common sense can see what a ridiculous decision it is!

We are in the midst of a privatization reform, not just within the education sector, that is going to leave us looking a lot more like America – you know that place with plenty of school shootings and where people die because they don’t have health insurance? But do we have a chance of gaining an influential position and changing things? Well yes, a slim one, that is unless you attended Eton, Oxford, Cambridge etc, etc. Who knew these scholarly houses could produce such a bunch of idiots that somehow manage to ‘lead’ our country?!? No, seriously, when will we realise that a private education and PPE degree (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) does not make you a qualified leader? As soon as enough people without one make it to ‘the top’, I guess.

Anyway, back to my original point before Gove was knocked out in 4 rounds, our world is not fair and we are not free.  The Western world has been incredibly clever in its portrayal of our own freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of religion.  They would like us to believe that we are more free in the Western world than in countries that are led by dictators, fascists and those that ooze with corruption. When in actual fact, our government is just as corrupt, they are just better at hiding it. They learned a long time ago to provide people with a perception of freedom, a sense that ‘We have it better than those other people living in poverty.’ And well, I know we do, we have opportunities for education, career, travel and more.

But our perceived freedoms are continually influenced by what we see in the media, some may think they are speaking freely when they say, ‘bloody immigrants taking our jobs’, ‘bloody immigrants taking our council houses and benefits’.  But this is not free speech and it is not free thinking. This is reiterating what those in power would have you believe, it’s much easier than saying;

‘We, the politicians, have got us (yes, you people of Britain) all into deep s***. Except, you will feel the stench of this much more than we will, we will carry on holidaying and enjoying our two houses, we will drive in our nice cars and enjoy private health care and education whilst you struggle to feed your families and provide your children with a quality education, not because of bad teachers, but terrible policy made by people who don’t what they are talking about.

We will now make more bad decisions that will greatly affect your lives, but not ours, not one bit. We will continue to make money and see the profits of private company’s increase by huge percentages. Also, because we can see the money coming in from private avenues we will aim to privatize as many of our country’s social systems and programmes within our four-year term. Oh, and we know you didn’t vote the coalition government into power, but who really cares what you, the people, the voters want.  We’re going to do what we want and see how it turns out.’

Thinking freely is thinking critically, question what these news reporters tell you, question the wars that you see on the news (do you remember a war being reported where there is not natural resource to benefit from, I don’t, but they are happening), question every word that oozes out of a politicians mouth and question what you think yourself, for there is a good chance it is a result of constant brainwashing since you were born.

We have been tricked into thinking this is as good as it gets. But those in the Eastern world know that they are living under a corrupt regime and there are many working to change this.  We have forgotten that we are also living under a corrupt regime, yes we can vote, yes we can speak our own minds (to an extent), yes we have a lot of great and incredible things in our lives and we have opportunities that many of those growing up in some Eastern countries AND Western countries will never have.  However, we did not inherit our grandparent’s freedoms, every generation must fight for their own freedom.

Do not be duped into thinking this is as good as it gets for us, the people.  This is as good as it gets for the government, not us. We are living under an elected dictatorship, where SOME people vote in a particular party and then that party goes on to do whatever the hell they want and us, the people, the voters, have no say whatsoever, even if the majority of us are outraged!!!!

Anyone else feel like a change? We are living in a supposed democracy after all, so what can the people of England and people of the world do about it?