We Won’t Get Fooled Again

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution... Take a bow for the new revolution...

Won't Get Fooled Again

(as sung by The Who, written by Peter Townshend)

We'll be fighting in the streets

With our children at our feet

And the morals that they worship will be gone

And the men who spurred us on

Sit in judgement of all wrong

They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution

Take up my art for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come

We knew it all along

We were liberated from the fold, that's all

And the world looks just the same

And history ain't changed

'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution

Take up my art for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

We don't get fooled again, no, no

I'll move myself and my family aside

If we happen to be left half alive

I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky

Though I know that the hypnotized never lie

Do ya?

Yeah

There's nothing in the streets

Looks any different to me

And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye

And the parting on the left

Is now parting on the right

And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution

Take a bow for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

We don't get fooled again

Don't get fooled again, no, no

Yeah

Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss

We Won’t Get Fooled Again

by C.A. Matthews

There’s always a little light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Perhaps this is it.

I’ve actually seen ordinary persons making remarks online (and in-person) in very ordinary, non-political spaces stating that they’re not buying into the status quo’s narrative spin anymore. They actually express opinions that the two biggest political parties in the US are (gasp!) just two factions of the same party. They see no real difference between them, nothing that really matters to the health and safety of ordinary people. Both the “Red and Blue Teams” take plentiful money from billionaires, billionaires who don’t give a damn about how they’re ruining the lives of the ordinary people worldwide.

Whenever I hear folks express these kinds of views, I want to cry tears of joy!

The people are at last catching on to what I’ve been writing about for almost a decade now. They’re finally getting it that the members of the US duopoly are not their friends. They understand how the billionaires aren’t working for them and that they actually have had their labor stolen. They’re actually realizing that they’ve been had all along. They’re not buying into the propagandists’ lies any longer.

They’re saying, to paraphrase the 1971 classic rock anthem by The Who, “We won’t get fooled again.”

Now, that is a ray of hope in these dark days. If ordinary people (who are probably burned out from the political process for the most part) express their distaste for the oligarchy/billionaires running things behind—and with Musk in front of—the scenes, then perhaps now we’ll start seeing some significant protests and non-cooperative actions such as boycotts, strikes, sit-ins, street theater, etc., in the near future. (More ideas on Pursuing Political Defiance at this link.)

I’m writing this before the February 28^th Economic Blackout is over and summarized, so I can’t tell you whether it was a “success” or not. What I will state it that anyone who took part in the blackout and shared information about it with others acted in a successful manner. They’ve made their voices heard no matter what the outcome. (The next scheduled E.B. event is to boycott Amazon, March 7-14.)

The best thing about the blackout, I feel, is that it indicates that We the People are willing and able to come together and work hard to bring down the corrupt status quo. Together we are shouting, “We won’t get fooled again!”

After we’ve pat ourselves on the back, we need to start focusing on what to do next. Sure, another blackout or boycott is good, but what about a general strike as well to bring attention to the plight of the many billions of low paid workers worldwide? What about protests to demonstrate how the US billionaires don’t pay their fair share of taxes? Why not stage even larger peace marches to stop the flow of arms to the genocidal state of Israel? We shouldn’t hold back on telling the Military-Congressional-Industrial-Complex that we don’t want our children fighting in the billionaires’ wars for oil. And we sure as hell don’t want our kids committing genocide just to give Trump an excuse to build a new casino-hotel complex in Gaza—complete with a golden idol, no less.

If you think that we can all just sit back and take our time driving home our next point of contention with the oligarchy, then listen to the wisdom of Pete Townshend once again:

There's nothing in the streets

Looks any different to me

And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye

And the parting on the left

Is now parting on the right

And the beards have all grown longer overnight

My interpretation of this verse is as follows:

If we don’t take it to the streets and keep those streets occupied with our strikes, protests, and marches, loudly and frequently demonstrating our righteous anger at all that’s going on, then the momentum will fade away like neglected protest posters blowing away in the wind. What our politicians once called “the left” (“the parting” of the same party, the duopoly) will be called “the right” and the old men (Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Trump, Biden and the rest of the geriatrics in US politics) will remain in power, no matter what party they call themselves, gladly serving their billionaire masters instead of the people.

The Who put their thoughts much more succinctly into song, don’t you think?

Over fifty years ago, The Who wisely predicted what would become of us if we decided to “Tip our hat to the new Constitution.” In Americans’ case, this means that Americans readily give in to the current method of the corrupt status quo, one that allows the president to write unconstitutional and immoral executive orders. In Pete Townshend’s words: “We’ll be fighting in the streets, with our children at our feet. And the morals that they worship will be gone.”

It might even be too late for the “morals” we support as a people. Our billionaire rulers seem to be without any. Worse yet, the billionaires/ oligarchs want to tear down the barriers to their further wealth accumulation that our expressions of empathy might cause, such as social welfare programs.

Whatever billionaires want, they tend to get. They take and take with no compassion expressed toward the old, the sick, or the disabled. They have no empathy for our children or grandchildren. Our children’s future is in jeopardy as these capitatlist exploiters continue to drill, frack, strip mine, and pollute our precious planet with abandon in order to maintain their comfortable lifestyles—while avoiding paying taxes!

We the People can’t stay silent any longer. There’s no time to waste sitting around waiting for a “savior” to come and help us. We are our own saviors. We must help ourselves, stand up for ourselves, and demand a society and government that is moral and just. And the only way for us to meet these goals is by cooperating and coming together as one to make our people power known to the billionaires of the oligarchy.

We the People must make the billionaires fear and respect us—not the other way around.

Remember this quote from last week’s article, Economic Blackout—Just Use It!: "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." —Alice Walker

Whenever I end a post or comment with “Power to the people!” this is what I’m saying: We are the power. We must use our power in a constructive, life-affirming ways to bring about the just and compassionate world we envision for all humankind.

Now is the time for We the People to shout it to the rooftops: “We won’t get fooled again!”

(Above: Those who have been “fooled again” by the United States.)

Articles To Read So You Don’t Get Fooled Agan (and Other Interesting Links)

Boycott: The documentary -- https://justvision.org/boycott

The Power of Empathy: How Understanding Can Change the World https://www.patheos.com/blogs/keithgiles/2025/02/a-time-for-empathy/

What Is #Shutdown315? Nationwide Plan to Shut Down USA for 1 Day https://www.newsweek.com/what-shutdown315-nationwide-plan-shut-down-usa-one-day-2030742

How to Turn an “Economic Blackout” Into an All-Out War on Corporate Power https://theintercept.com/2025/02/28/no-buy-nothing-corporation-boycott-capitalism-degrowth/

Discover How Much the Public is Subsidizing One of the Largest Retailers (Amazon) https://goodjobsfirst.org/amazon-tracker

Israel expands West Bank offensive; Gaza children die of hypothermia https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/25/live-israel-steps-up-west-bank-attacks-gaza-children-die-of-hypothermia

Palestinian Hostage Released With Obvious Torture Scars; Western Press Ignores Him

Israel Begins Choking Gaza Again, Backed By Adelson Stooge Trump https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-begins-choking-gaza-again

Trump plans to make Ukraine a US economic colony, exploiting its critical minerals https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/trump-ukraine-us-economic-colony-minerals

Speaking With Our Enemies II (Matt Hoh on Russia) https://matthewhoh.substack.com/p/speaking-with-our-enemies-ii

All These Israeli Agendas Were Planned Long In Advance https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/all-these-israeli-agendas-were-planned

Silencing Dissent: The arrest of Yves Engler and the criminalization of political speech in Canada https://mondoweiss.net/2025/02/silencing-dissent-the-arrest-of-yves-engler-and-the-criminalization-of-political-speech-in-canada/

Campus Police Are Using Israeli Spy Tech to Crack Down on Student Protest https://truthout.org/articles/campus-police-are-using-israeli-spy-tech-to-crack-down-on-student-protest/

Justin Trudeau: Most Slavish, Superficial, Hypocritical, Pro-U.S. Prime Minister Ever https://www.blackagendareport.com/justin-trudeau-most-slavish-superficial-hypocritical-pro-us-prime-minister-eve

Yes, Ukraine Started the War https://consortiumnews.com/2025/02/23/yes-ukraine-started-the-war/

Jeffrey Sachs "This War Is OVER!" (A great synopsis of a great speech.)

TRANSCRIPT: Jeffrey Sachs on the Geopolitics of Peace in the European Parliament https://singjupost.com/transcript-jeffrey-sachs-on-the-geopolitics-of-peace-in-the-european-parliament/

The Empire At Its Most Honest https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-empire-at-its-most-honest

Palestinians Are the Rightful Owners of Palestine, Says Israeli Prisoner Alexander Turbanov After Release https://orinocotribune.com/palestinians-are-the-rightful-owners-of-palestine-says-israeli-prisoner-alexander-turbanov-after-release/

Western media is more Israeli than Israeli media https://palestinewillbefree.substack.com/p/western-media-is-more-israeli-than-israeli-media

High-Tech Capitalism and Neo-Feudalism https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/02/13/high-tech-capitalism-and-neo-feudalism

Elon Musk Is Not a Renegade Outsider – He’s a Massive Pentagon Contractor https://www.mintpressnews.com/elon-musk-not-renegade-outsider-cia-pentagon-contractor/280972/

Carlos Slim orders to cancel his collaboration with Elon Musk’s Starlink https://monterreydailypost.com/2025/02/24/carlos-slim-orders-to-cancel-his-collaboration-with-elon-musks-starlink/

Burying The CIA's Assange Secrets https://thedissenter.org/burying-the-cias-assange-secrets/?ref=the-dissenter-newsletter

Landlord Convicted in Hate Crime Stabbing of 6-Year-Old Palestinian American Boy https://theintercept.com/2025/02/28/illinois-palestinian-stabbing-convicted/

Report: US Police Killed Someone Every 6.5 Hours on Average in 2024 https://truthout.org/articles/report-us-police-killed-someone-every-6-5-hours-on-average-in-2024/

Police Violence Mapped by State https://www.voronoiapp.com/crime/Mapped-Police-Violence-by-State-3969