Prologue

ON THE MAP OF ANTI-UTOPIA
Do Not Give Up on Your Mind

As early as 1948, the creator of contemporary cybernetics Norbert Wiener determined it as managing systems by information through processes. One hundred years before him, Ampere used the same term to describe political science. In the present time, what they were speaking about has been brought to the final stage of cynicism and absurdity.
There are no more classic media. The romantic story about fighters for the truth and anonymous heroes who die for news became pointless a long time ago. The most powerful media of the postindustrial era, perceived almost exclusively from the theory and practice of management point of view, represent today only a powerful cybernetic instrument. They no longer exist to note events and pass on information, but to produce and pump them into the System according to the needs of the market, according to the requests of those ruling the society (System). They are turned into input-machines used for premeditated insertion of information exactly as needed to provoke desirable behavior of the System or part of the System. Information is there, as well as the stimulation and agitation and hidden managing command. If there is no suitable event, produce it, make it up.
Such a media system does not allow the shades of ”complicated information”. Everything has to be simplified, schematized, understandable along the way, in accordance with the banal comic-book psychology. The System must not be baffled. It is exactly identified, according to the recipe of the managing and news-dramaturgy, when and how many kitsch emotions should be added, sugar water, vulgarity, glamour, smiles, optimism, guilty conscience. How much horror, fear, catastrophe, suffering, blood, tears. The trained strokes of the media hammer will be repeated until the lobotomy is successfully completed.
That is how ”pressure is made” on the most powerful ones to do exactly what they want to do. Then, unwillingly, they ”yield to the pressure” followed by a sigh of relief of the stupefied mass. That is how the ”invisible hand” manages the System. It is not a conspiracy, it is a way of ruling; it is not ethics, it is abusing science; it is not a video game, it is our anti-utopian reality.
And where is our place there? Us who continuously repeat in a dozen world languages: ”They are lying to you! This is a beautiful and good country! Beautiful, kind and talented people live in it!” Us who invite you not to give up on your eyes and your mind. Are we ridiculous and naive? Pathetic and tragicomical?
As long as so many of you, our readers and companions, and in such a high-quality structure are with us, we do not need more convincing answers. As long as this is the case, there is both reason and hope.