Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pandoras Box;


 pithos from Crete, ca. 675 BC. Louvre

The original Greek word used was pithos, which is a large jar, sometimes as large as a small person. It was used for storage of wine, oil, grain or other provisions.
In the case of Pandora, this jar may have been made of clay for use as storage. 
The mistranslation of pithos is usually attributed to the 16th century humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam who translated Hesiod's tale of Pandora into Latin. Erasmus rendered pithos as the Greek pyxis, meaning box.

Pandora's Box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation in Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora  which contained all the evils of the world.
When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item were released into the world. 
The one remaining item was Hope. Today, to open Pandora's box means to create evil that cannot be undone. 
Pandoras box has been opened there is so much evil that has been done  and is continuing in a very fast pace.
HOPE is still in the box. People of the world might come to their senses and recognize what is done to them in the name of  “terror”! Governments have no sense of right and wrong anymore. They are slaves to the oligarchy and Plutocracy. Democracy is nothing but a catch phrase. Nothing is democratic in our system, it is a make believe system. Governments do not work for the people but against them to the  advantage of the elites of the world.. Hope  means for all the people of the world NO more wars.

An oligarchy is a form of government in which most of the political power effectively rests with a small segment of society, typically the people who have the most wealth, military strength, ruthlessness or political influence. The word "oligarchy" from the Greek words olígos, which means "few," and archo, which means "to rule". Arguably all societies are inevitably oligarchies, regardless of their supposed political system.


How Oligarchies Form

Oligarchies are often controlled by a few powerful families whose children are raised and mentored to become inheritors of power, often at some sort of expense to those governed. In contrast with aristocracy — or government by the "best" — this power might not always be exercised openly, with some oligarchs preferring to remain "the power behind the throne," exerting their control through economic means. Unlike plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, either, because oligarchs can simply be a privileged cadre. 





Plutocracy

Plutocracy ,from Ancient Greek ploutos, meaning "wealth", and kratos, meaning "power, rule" is rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth. The combination of both plutocracy and oligarchy is called plutarchy


The term plutocracy is generally used to describe these two distinct concepts: one of a historical nature and one of a modern political nature. The former indicates the political control of the state by an oligarchy of the wealthy. 

The wealthy minority may exert influence over the political arena via many methods. Most western democracies permit partisan organizations per example to raise funds for politicians, and political parties frequently accept significant donations from various individuals either directly or through corporations or advocacy groups. These donations may be part of a cronyist or patronage system, in which major contributors and fund-raisers are rewarded with high-ranking government appointments. Politicians have a personal interest in serving the needs of their campaign contributors: if they fail to do so, those contributors will likely give their money to candidates who do support their interests in the future. Unless a quid pro quo agreement exists, it is generally legal for politicians to advocate policies favorable to their contributors, or grant appointed government positions to them. In some systems there are also mechanisms of patronage. The UK, for example, uses a variety of means to reward individuals that hold the same values or interests. These include honours such as medals and honorary titles.
In some instances, extremely wealthy individuals have financed their own political campaigns. Many corporations and business interest groups pay lobbyists to maintain constant contact with elected officials, and press them for favorable legislation. Owners of mass media outlets, and the advertisement buyers which financially support them can shape public perception of political issues by controlling the information available to the population and the manner in which it is presented

In modern times, as today we are rooted in state-corporate capitalism and the prioritization of endless accumulation of wealth and warfare over other interests, like public health, education, or the environment. Western governments are plutocracies,  a fusion of money 
and government.  


©Ts  (some excerpts from Wikipedia)










1 comment:

Stephanie said...

That's true... but let's keep hoping/praying for a better tomorrow ;-)