I hadn't planned to be back on the web for a while - mainly because I've become driven to do my rabble-rousing on the streets of Israel where the people gather. Circumstances have brought me back for the time being, however, so I've decided to run with it. One of these circumstances is that a major Israeli television show is planning a feature on the populist movement which Flaming Sword called for before we suspended operations there. This necessitates a little effort on my part to help set it up from home. The producers are interested in the content of our web sites and the thrust of our message. To this end, they'd like to give us a push forward on their program. Israel is a small enough country that such exposure will contribute significantly to gaining the public support I look for here. Michael Netzer: Rabble-Rouser picks up where Flaming Sword Productions left off several months ago. One of its major goals is to bring a wider audience into our fold. This means there's likely to be a wider array of subject matter covered here than before. I'm counting on the presence I've nurtured in the comics community to highlight the primary role this indusry plays in our cultrual awareness and evolution. I'll try to post pertinent updates and commentaries on developments here in Israel to help bridge the gap between us. For now, suffice it to say that Flaming Sword Productions has served its declared purpose of speaking out on the plight of the comics creators and the part we play on the world stage. Its entire site archives will remain available through the links menu at Rabble-Rouser.
In choosing the name of this latest weblog, I'm reaching for a stronger definition of what it is that I'm hoping to accomplish with it. Though aware of the negative connotations to the term, I've never been one to accept such perception at face value. Rabble is generally associated with the disenfranchised lower class which more and more people are inadvertantly discovering they belong to today. The term often raises connotations of agitation and contemp - usually defined by the empowered upper class which tries to keep the trodden and persectued in check through this negative perception. I choose to cast my lot in with the rabble and hope to raise our audience's passion and concern for the goings on around us. Not with hatred or violence, naturally, but through a courageous stand to nurture a deeper truth about the difficult state of affairs we're all witness to on a daily basis.
I found the Merriem-Webster Online dictionary entry for Rabble-Rouser to be a little curious:
: one that stirs up (as to hatred or violence) the masses of the people :
The Dictionary.com entries from Lexico Publishing Group, LLC, were however, a little more gracious:
n : A leader or speaker who stirs up the passions of the masses; a demagogue.
n : an orator who appeals to the passions and prejudices of his audience [syn: demagogue, demagog]
While I've always shunned hatred and violence, I find it curious that an established literary institution such as Merriem-Webster had only one entry and chose to adhere this tag to the term "rabble-rouser". Quite short-sighted, actually, considering that one doesn't need to employ hatred or violence in order to raise the passion and concern of the people. Lexico is a far smaller institution with less credentials, which chose a definition that allows for a more positive perception of the term - adorning it with the qualities of leadership and public appeal. This certainly fits well with the notion that the established hierarchies are putting forth a consolidated effort to subvert the public's passion and concern. The little guys here, namely Lexico, maintain a greater integrity and help open a door to the legitimate rise of populist empathy, though this may ferment dissatisfaction with the established order.
Additionally, the term extremist individualism, used in the header, is being coined by Pope Benedict XVI, who calls to abolish such individualism in the name of religious piety. Well, it's not clear to me where from in the Bible the Pope draws this notion. Just the opposite, actually. The primary message of Jesus and the prophets is to nurture free and independant thought, wisdom and intelligence. Isn't that what the first commandment to love God with all your heart and soul and mind implies?
Sadly, it appears that the misguided religious zealots of the world are being led astray by their leaders who don't really want us to think for ourselves anymore - or be passionate about anything at all. They appear to be attempting to disenfranchize us of our greatest God given gift, our individualism and freedom of choice. Seems that the present hierarchial construct is more interested in numbing us into a stupor, as the socio-political-economic bulldozers clear the rubble (and rabble) away, on their way to enslaving humanity - both mentally and physically. The pompous manner with which they espouse their false creeds, exposes many of today's religious institutions for the morally bankrupt entities they've become.
Michael Netzer: Rabble-Rouser persists on raising the passion of the people in an effort to prevent our continued downfall. We've survived more than 30 years of slings, arrows and ridicule. We stand poised today, stronger than ever, for the last leg of the glorious events to unfold in the years ahead. The rebirth of truth, hope, salvation and the spirit of healing into our troubled world.
I can't attest now to the longevity or regularity of the postings here. I'll play it by ear and do my best to persevere. So, kick back and enjoy the reading. Help spread the word and network material of interest by mentioning it on blogs and forums. I'll do my best to provide a wide range of rabble-rousing content that fits loose pieces together into the big puzzle we're all putting together here. We have a lot of work to do and the clock is ticking.
Let the passions rise, my friends. The revolution draws near.
