It has been 26 years since the movie the Matrix first blew my mind. Obviously then, as a naïve 16 year old, I thought it was peak science-fiction / fantasy, but in the last eighteen months, watching people I thought were kind, courageous and intelligent go about their daily lives as if a genocide, armed and supported by the British government, is something that doesn’t impact them, I’ve come to conclude that maybe it was more of a forecast or prophecy than fiction. Maybe, in the last two decades, with increasing state surveillance, being constantly fed narratives about “good” and “evil” and at a time of so-called abundance (I’m writing this from the global north) we have been conditioned to plug ourselves into The Matrix, and go about our daily lives pretending that our mundane routines and ability to consume at a higher rate than ever before is the true purpose of our existence. People are afraid to unplug and question the status quo because deep down they know that our “democracy” is just an extension of previous systems of oppression masquerading as freedom.

Studying Law in the UK could result in debts between £20,000 and £60,000. It blows my mind that parents still encouraging their children to become lawyers, when we have seen the law weighed, measured and found wanting. The highest court in the World has its hands tied by the politics (and purses) of the richest nations. There is no law or democracy at play here, it is just an updated face to an old colonial project. Lawyers are afraid to speak up against a “probable” genocide because of the consequences it may have on their future careers. We’ve seen students arrested and criminalised at our “elite” (read: those still benefiting from their colonial, slave owning pasts) universities for protesting. Many are now attempting to silence students and academics as concerned human rights groups intervene and challenge these restrictions on our freedom of speech. An education shouldn’t muzzle our future thinkers, the choice should never be their freedom of speech or a promotion.

Our government is making and sending weapons to Israel, the colonial monster they created in 1948 and have proscribed the side of the resistance. Hamas, a political resistance group, born from the occupation and apartheid regime that Israel continues to operate in Gaza, was democratically elected by the Palestinians. But as we’ve seen across the border in Egypt, democracy in the Middle East isn’t valid unless it’s acceptable by the United States and its economic and political ambitions. It’s the White House’s burden to ensure the façade of democracy is only played out in the West! (note: I fully appreciate that America is also a colonial project). I passionately despise the Tories and UKIP (the new face of the BNP) but they are still allowed to participate in our elections even though most of their campaigns are run on a racist and and xenophobic platform. The Tories gave us Winston Churchill and Enoch Powell, figures the party continues to celebrate even knowing their hateful and dangerous rhetoric. The party, currently led by a Black woman, continues to show itself up as an outdated relic of Britain’s colonial legacy, and is a reminder to us that “Black faces in high places are not going to save us” in fact its a classic divide and conquer method employed by the British during their violent rampage of global domination.

It is international law (The Geneva Convention) that tells us that occupied people have a right to resist. However, in the West, where Hamas is proscribed, you’d be forgiven for thinking this law only applies to countries like Ukraine. The blatant hypocrisy of seeing two parallel situations played out before our eyes, and only one afforded the full protection of international law, reminds us that colonialism is alive and well. The UK government benefits from upholding structures of oppression, they literally make the bombs and share intelligence with the Israeli government, whilst trying to convince us that people defending their land from occupation are the bad guys. And as more and more of us see through their lies, they have become increasingly despotic and draconian in their attempts to silence us.

An elementary understanding of justice tells you that our “democracy” is nothing other than smoke and mirrors. 90% of our print media is owned by just three companies and it is even worse online. Google, Meta and their AI tools spread misinformation like a toxic gas. We have sleepwalked into the era of the thought police, mistaking mind control for progress and ease! Anyone who has used Instagram since the beginning of this genocide to share stories from Palestinians will tell you that the devil works hard, but the Zionists at Meta work harder. Just this week, Irish band Kneecap came under intense pressure for supporting Palestine during their Coachella set. They projected three messages at the end of their performance. The first said: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” followed by: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes,” and finally : “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.” They are now being hounded by botoxed fascist and blundering talentless shrew Sharon Osborne, to have their US visa revoked. The UK is also following suit, with counter terrorism police investigating the band. Apparently its legal to fund and arm a genocide, but speaking up against Israel, telling an uncomfortable truth that has been established by international agencies, and telling a colonial project to Fuck Off, is apparently illegal. These are not the benchmarks of a free and democratic society.

Our education system was never intended for us to be critical thinkers, it was literally designed to keep children “institutionalised” so their parents could work. It hasn’t metamorphosised since its initial conception into a beacon of intellectual debate and critical thinking, if anything, its regressed into creating minions working their whole lives for a little spare change, a three bedroom house and nice car, all whilst remining silent and docile, because any challenges to the status quo could result in a knock on the door from the police or social services. Seriously, this is a system were all calling democracy? This is the life we imagine for our children? In “education” from the age of 2 to 21 and then working for the rest of their lives for five weeks of holiday? Are we serious??? What happened to us that THIS became the dream?

I know this is a scary time, but what will make it less frightening is if more people speak up. If more people awoke from their Capitalist slumber and recognised that keeping up with the Jones or the Kardashians isn’t worth the imprisonment of their individualism, their creativity and if like me, you believe in God, your soul. The system is designed to keep you looking up and therefore always thinking about buying and spending, and guess who benefits from that? Its certainly not you or your family. We are literally a nation of depressed people even though we have more today than we have ever had in the past. Consumerism doesn’t equal contentment, regardless of how many times its sold to you from advertisements, movies and popular culture. We are still not happy. And how could we be? In the deepest parts of us, those parts that are constantly silenced by the noise of Capitalism, we know this system is broken and only serves the richest 1% of people. Those imbecilic billionaires currently trying to colonise space, because they’ve successfully destroyed the planet. Those same people whose pockets we keep lining because our lives have become nothing more than consuming the crap they tell us we need. We are supposed to be at the peak of civilisation and yet look around, everyone has a mental health condition, we have zero time for our families and friends, and almost all of our foods contain plastics, so much so that microplastics have been found in the placentas of our unborn babies. We can barely change a tire, wire a plug or darn a sock, but shiny things continue to keep us distracted.

I recently read that it takes 3.5% of a population to start a revolution. This statistic is both incredibly hopeful and yet equally sobering. 3.5%. That’s all. Are we really a nation where less than 5% of the population cares about justice and peace? Researcher Erica Chenoweth found that civil resistance by ordinary members of the public trumped the political elite to achieve radical change. She went on to confirm “that civil disobedience is not only the moral choice; it is also the most powerful way of shaping world politics – by a long way”. I guess my question to you is, are you willing to be part of the 3.5% that impact change, or will you just plug yourself back into the Matrix?

Oh, and FUCK ISRAEL.