Thank you, Niall, a brilliant exposition. Your conclusion about the guillotine, is probably meant metaphorically, and I would like you to answer plainly: how do you think the plutocracy can be defeated? There was a time when the ruling class needed the serfs for their labour, so that was a power the people had, but that will not be the case for much longer. The middle class had their place too in administrative work, again, that is not going to last. In those terms, how can the people overthrow the 1%?
This is the seed of a long discussion, we can start the ball rolling next week. There is, however, one thing we can do now, which is to let them know we're awake to them.
Absolutely brilliant. Only thing I could add is that I hope the peoples if Russia and China are inspired enough by Iran's courage to force their nearly mouthed leaders to also confront the hegemonic monster and liberate the oppressed.
The point that concerns me is this: How are these people so stupid they can't see the holes in their own case? Are they so accustomed to fooling the great mass of people that now they aren't even bothering to tidy their statements before they release them? It's as Hitler said:
"The aim of propaganda is not to try to pass judgment on conflicting rights, giving each its due, but exclusively to emphasize the right which we are asserting. Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively… The broad masses of the people are not made up of diplomats or professors of public jurisprudence nor simply of persons who are able to form reasoned judgment in given cases, but a vacillating crowd of human children who are constantly wavering between one idea and another." (p121 Mein Kampf)
Finding holes is an ongoing exercise... individually we only know a limited number of things. And the more we know, the less we know for sure. As any knowledge comes with holes. As everything is pre-crippled with propaganda.
Now that every aspect of life is poisoned with bullshit we know that the holes are bigger then before.
As some point things will collapse.
The kampf quote is interesting on several levels. I looked it up in the original german version and there I feel even more the way he thought about people as children.
With Trump we see the wavering manipulation manifest in a different way. Not as a broad narrative, but in a plethora of conflicting signals.
He appears to look at who is asking, if CNN. Then say what CNN viewers want to hear.
NBC, then say what they want to hear.
Etc. This way most people think he is on their side.
That appears to be enough to have power over them.
As every one of us runs on knowledge with holes, all we can do is communicate and reason. BUT it is clear that communication skills are in decline.
Like calculators damaged your math skills, social media appears to do similar damage to communication skills.
I feel myself struggle while i cant really figure out why I find it ever more difficult to communicate the actual information I try to get accross.
Well, there'll be no essay in reply today, for the simple reason I cannot find a single word to disagree with in there, Professor McLaren.
In the words of Blackadder; "You.... BASTARD!!!" 🤣
Not really lol. If only, ONLY we had you and people like you in the aforementioned "Corridors of power", what a different world we could build together!
Speak from the heart, and the heart's wisdom speaks though you. <3
Bastard suits me better than professor, that's for sure.
One of the big reasons I'm not in politics is I can't stand the people who are already there but I suppose that attidue will have to change or they'll just stay there.
Don't know your academic credentials, but to me you'd make a fantastic teacher at that level, so professor fits even if you officially aren't. :)
The justified common loathing of politicians on the other hand, stretching as far back as we know, and certainly as far back as the highly amusing 'Devil's Dictionary' by Ambrose Bierce, is precisely because most of us let the worst of us become representatives. It's a hard job to do well, and an easy job to do badly and personally profit.
I've always liked the Plains Indians style of politics - the chiefs have to give away all their wealth during their tenure, so by the end they are the poorest people in the community.
That would certainly deter the Trumps of this world.
The problem is that ordinary people are repelled by the political scene so we vacate it and leave it open to scoundrels and crooks of various shapes and calibres. Lord Acton put it precisely:
"I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than the fact that the office sanctifies the holder of it.... And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control.”
The style and intent reminds me greatly of Adam Smith... western societies have lost a great deal of gravitas since the 20th century, largely not our credit.
If Blackadder never made to Down Under TV sets, just imagine Mr Bean being able to express his thoughts at the end of the skits. Rowan Atkinson just has that right face and delivery. It's strangely endearing... at least to Gen X who were teens during the shows. Obviously, I hope, no offense actually intended. :)
Glad to hear that, and I joined the no-TV club several years ago too, never looked back. From observation, watching corporate TV today is the single biggest source of psychosis - or any kind of corporate media, incl the press. BBC definitely included, sadly.
One can only be professionally lied to for so long before it affects the psyche.
Used to be just the tabloids with this effect, now it's the entire range. :shudders:
Aaaand, it's turning into an essays worth again! Oh lordy, lol. You're too easy to talk with!!
Niall, what can you tell us about trauma in this Narcisso-Fascism context?
It took me hours to figure out that this is what I'd like to know more about. As many many people are being traumatised as we speak. In different ways, at different levels.
This kind of inflicted trauma seems to have unique characteristics.
Thank you, Niall, a brilliant exposition. Your conclusion about the guillotine, is probably meant metaphorically, and I would like you to answer plainly: how do you think the plutocracy can be defeated? There was a time when the ruling class needed the serfs for their labour, so that was a power the people had, but that will not be the case for much longer. The middle class had their place too in administrative work, again, that is not going to last. In those terms, how can the people overthrow the 1%?
Carolyn
This is the seed of a long discussion, we can start the ball rolling next week. There is, however, one thing we can do now, which is to let them know we're awake to them.
They have money, we. If we manage to join forces in a peaceful manner have numbers.
As 99% of peace mongers we dwarf the 1% of war mongers.
But to heal the divides created by the1% that's a challenge.
Im sure we can do it. But the longer it takes the harder it will be. And we already lost a number of years.
Well that's my opinion. Im open for any solution.
Absolutely brilliant. Only thing I could add is that I hope the peoples if Russia and China are inspired enough by Iran's courage to force their nearly mouthed leaders to also confront the hegemonic monster and liberate the oppressed.
This i should print and carry around with me so i can refresh my memory every so often.
The point that concerns me is this: How are these people so stupid they can't see the holes in their own case? Are they so accustomed to fooling the great mass of people that now they aren't even bothering to tidy their statements before they release them? It's as Hitler said:
"The aim of propaganda is not to try to pass judgment on conflicting rights, giving each its due, but exclusively to emphasize the right which we are asserting. Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively… The broad masses of the people are not made up of diplomats or professors of public jurisprudence nor simply of persons who are able to form reasoned judgment in given cases, but a vacillating crowd of human children who are constantly wavering between one idea and another." (p121 Mein Kampf)
Finding holes is an ongoing exercise... individually we only know a limited number of things. And the more we know, the less we know for sure. As any knowledge comes with holes. As everything is pre-crippled with propaganda.
Now that every aspect of life is poisoned with bullshit we know that the holes are bigger then before.
As some point things will collapse.
The kampf quote is interesting on several levels. I looked it up in the original german version and there I feel even more the way he thought about people as children.
With Trump we see the wavering manipulation manifest in a different way. Not as a broad narrative, but in a plethora of conflicting signals.
He appears to look at who is asking, if CNN. Then say what CNN viewers want to hear.
NBC, then say what they want to hear.
Etc. This way most people think he is on their side.
That appears to be enough to have power over them.
As every one of us runs on knowledge with holes, all we can do is communicate and reason. BUT it is clear that communication skills are in decline.
Like calculators damaged your math skills, social media appears to do similar damage to communication skills.
I feel myself struggle while i cant really figure out why I find it ever more difficult to communicate the actual information I try to get accross.
....that sentence alone is cooking my neurons.
Well, there'll be no essay in reply today, for the simple reason I cannot find a single word to disagree with in there, Professor McLaren.
In the words of Blackadder; "You.... BASTARD!!!" 🤣
Not really lol. If only, ONLY we had you and people like you in the aforementioned "Corridors of power", what a different world we could build together!
Speak from the heart, and the heart's wisdom speaks though you. <3
Bastard suits me better than professor, that's for sure.
One of the big reasons I'm not in politics is I can't stand the people who are already there but I suppose that attidue will have to change or they'll just stay there.
Don't know your academic credentials, but to me you'd make a fantastic teacher at that level, so professor fits even if you officially aren't. :)
The justified common loathing of politicians on the other hand, stretching as far back as we know, and certainly as far back as the highly amusing 'Devil's Dictionary' by Ambrose Bierce, is precisely because most of us let the worst of us become representatives. It's a hard job to do well, and an easy job to do badly and personally profit.
I've always liked the Plains Indians style of politics - the chiefs have to give away all their wealth during their tenure, so by the end they are the poorest people in the community.
That would be a good filter.
That would certainly deter the Trumps of this world.
The problem is that ordinary people are repelled by the political scene so we vacate it and leave it open to scoundrels and crooks of various shapes and calibres. Lord Acton put it precisely:
"I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than the fact that the office sanctifies the holder of it.... And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control.”
That was in 1887.
The style and intent reminds me greatly of Adam Smith... western societies have lost a great deal of gravitas since the 20th century, largely not our credit.
If Blackadder never made to Down Under TV sets, just imagine Mr Bean being able to express his thoughts at the end of the skits. Rowan Atkinson just has that right face and delivery. It's strangely endearing... at least to Gen X who were teens during the shows. Obviously, I hope, no offense actually intended. :)
I never watched it, I was in the bush and no TV but I still never watch TV. No offence meant and none taken.
Glad to hear that, and I joined the no-TV club several years ago too, never looked back. From observation, watching corporate TV today is the single biggest source of psychosis - or any kind of corporate media, incl the press. BBC definitely included, sadly.
One can only be professionally lied to for so long before it affects the psyche.
Used to be just the tabloids with this effect, now it's the entire range. :shudders:
Aaaand, it's turning into an essays worth again! Oh lordy, lol. You're too easy to talk with!!
Niall, what can you tell us about trauma in this Narcisso-Fascism context?
It took me hours to figure out that this is what I'd like to know more about. As many many people are being traumatised as we speak. In different ways, at different levels.
This kind of inflicted trauma seems to have unique characteristics.