Tuesday 30 November 2010

Wikileaks and the national interests

Wikileaks: big hullabaloo about secrets of state, gone public. Thank you. We are being entertained by the US government, free of charge and at prime time. And not only this: many secondary choirs and solo singers give their best .

Sure, not everybody likes it. Some shit green or yellow. They stand there naked and exposed when - a moment before - everything looked so wonderful.

About 150 years ago, the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nitzsche said this: "State is the name of the coldest of all monsters. Coldly it tells lies and this crawls out of his mouth: I, the State, am the people".

Those in power, everywhere or nearly everywhere, tell us they are busy for the common good and acting in the national interest. That might be partly true but only partly.

When I hear the word "State" I am thinking not about a cold monster but about a huge bureaucracy that never sticks its head out but its members most certainly have interests. Permanent interests. Interests for soft life, money coming their way, influence and power and all this with as little responsibility as possible for their doings hence the need for secrecy, anonymity and hypocrisy to make it happen.

There is no such thing as an abstract body called STATE. There are only people who have chosen to hide their actions behind this word.

When we hear the "national entertainers" from here and there, let's think about this a moment before applauding those brilliant and convincing speeches.

6 comments:

  1. Here in the "States", no one really sees this as a big deal, except the media and the government. It just puts into print, what everyone assumed was going on already. It like discovering your partner masturbating int he bathroom.....they all do it, but then seldom speak of it.

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  2. Hi Lotus,

    As far as I can judge, it is the same over here. But I can't help thinking there is more to it. Goings on that shy the light.

    Georg

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  3. Tout le monde se doute qu'il y a des secrets dans les "états" et pourtant tout le monde crie au scandale!
    Il a tout de même un peu raison Nietzche, la démocratie est un leurre, elle n'existe nulle part, elle a tellement de "plus et plus" pour pouvoir dévier du bon chemin qu'à l'arrivée elle est méconnaissable!
    Essaie de demander à un "jeune" ce que veut dire le mot démocratie, tu vas être surpris!
    Passe une bonne fin de soirée et une bonne fin de semaine.
    Un bisou amical
    Viviane

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  4. Bonjour Georg,

    I'm laughing at the comment left by Lotus.

    I really don't see the big deal. I think the leaks should be allowed- FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!

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  5. Hi Princess,

    Yes, Lotus' comment IS funny. I am not convinced "they all do it". There have always been a certain number of honest people and their number decides in what kind of country you are living in. As the saying goes "every country has the government it deserves".

    Georg

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  6. Anything labeled 'secret' cannot also be 'national/ state', and therefore may be 'leaked' : )

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