Imagine that you could turn the tables on mainstream media for a week, so that normally-blacklisted news reporting and analysis was all you got on cable and network news, whereas the type of content found CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News only reached niche demographics through Facebook and YouTube. I believe that most people, if they realized what they're missing, would step up and demand that mass media get its act together. Most Americans' values are compassionate and progressive, when you poll them on specific issues rather than on polarized labels like Left/Right or Liberal/Conservative. The problem isn't that people suck, but that society is in many ways designed to bring out the worst in people while stifling their better angels.
American mass media doesn't tell the "whole story:" it's a la-la land of lies, half-truths, and spin engineered by warmongering sociopaths. The most brilliant thing about this, especially when compared to political models where the dominant media organizations *openly* collude with state actors, is that America's "Velvet Curtain" is so well-camouflaged in partial truth and allowed press freedoms that most people don't see it right in front of them. This doesn't totally absolve individuals of the responsibility to think for themselves, but the pervasive influence of social engineering in media makes this very difficult. Ego differentiation—learning to think outside of a tribalistic mindset and question common social assumptions—is an arduous uphill battle, filled with disillusionment and cognitive dissonance. It's also a lonely road, generally being the one less traveled.
Why is the dark side so good at winning? The short answer is that those who are aligned with the more compassionate and logical aspects of human nature are always trying out new ways of doing things. They are always moving forward, adapting, and changing, which requires a lot of voices coming to the table and can leave progressive movements scattered and undirected at times. The dark side, on the other hand, has a single, ancient system of social control best summed up in the word fascism: their overarching purpose is dominion by the fewest people. To achieve this, they must continually ensure that the most morally compromised people co-opt media, government, and economy and merge them into ever-more-centralized autocracies.
The Dark Forces on Earth don't waste time arguing over methods or ethics, because they are an unchanging hive mind. They just do the same tried-and-true method over and over, which invariably produces increases in poverty, war, and social divisions along with lawlessness, totalitarianism, mob rule, and an overall breakdown of infrastructure and civil society. They know that they have this effect on human civilization, too; the messes they leave all over the world suggest something more sinister than ordinary incompetence. In the upper echelons, it is often their actual intent to make things worse for millions of human beings, in order to benefit a tiny few. One of the greatest long cons in history is Western media's default position of assuming that politicians are moral people. The line is "They're moral people just like you, who want what's best for the public. They just disagree on how to get there." No, no, no... when people act like straight-up sociopaths, we should call a spade a fuckin' spade.
In terms of the balance of good and evil, fascists ascend the ladders of power by hiding the fact that they don't represent status quo morality in the slightest. That said, I find it quite encouraging that they need to hide, because they know that they are actually outsiders who don't share most people's policy views or ethical values. They HAVE to dress in sheep's clothing, misrepresenting their actual agendas and ethical codes (or lack thereof) in order to garner enough public support to stay in power. They never stop influencing society in hopes of turning good people into cruel monsters like themselves (it's the only way to justify their depraved existence), as seen in MSNBC trying to make the Democrats over as an openly pro-war party. A lot of it doesn't take, because the human heart is magic.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Democrats: Musings on Losing [time-dated archive]
When you get down to it, the leading Democrats in Congress no longer have a message, a unified strategy, or even a point. Republicans recognize this, and they are gleefully capitalizing on their opponents' weaknesses, because they're ruthless Social Darwinist playas.
The GOP is snatching up up every talking point that ever gave Democrats an edge in the polls. They've already rebranded themselves as the Pro-Union party (see: NAFTA, TPP, labor leaders' press statements on Trump meetings), and after Obama's 6 wars of aggression, they even have a slight edge as the *more* Anti-War party (see also: Trump's "America Can't Afford More Regime Change" platform in the 2016 campaign, along with nearly everything that Ron/Rand Paul have ever said against U.S. wars of aggression).
In terms of labor alone, consider the chilling implications of a recent statement by Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa, on President Donald Trump signing an executive order to formally withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
“Today, President Trump made good on his campaign promise to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. With this decision, the president has taken the first step toward fixing 30 years of bad trade policies that have cost working Americans millions of good-paying jobs. The Teamsters Union has been on the frontline of the fight to stop destructive trade deals like the TPP, China PNTR, CAFTA and NAFTA for decades. Millions of working men and women saw their jobs leave the country as free trade policies undermined our manufacturing industry. We hope that President Trump’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Jan. 31 opens a real dialogue about fixing the flawed NAFTA.
“We take this development as a positive sign that President Trump will continue to fulfill his campaign promises in regard to trade policy reform and instruct the USTR to negotiate future agreements that protect American workers and industry."
And last but not least, we have the formerly leftist narrative during the Cold War, the height of GOP saber-tattling against the Kremlin: "We can't afford to escalate military tensions with Russia," and it seems like the Right has learned all the lessons about populist electoral mobilization that the Left should have learned by the late 1970s. Looks like the GOP has appropriated this Leftist platform too; Trump is all of a sudden the grownup in the room on military escalation with Russia, at least compared to MSNBC and half of the Democratic leadership... because these clowns have set the bar THAT low!
What happened, Democrats? I keep asking this of friends who seem to trust most politicians with a [D] after their name, but all I get back is people saying "Dude, you're killing The Resistance by questioning the need to have faith in corporatists and centrists who are basically 1980s Republicans. They are the leaders of The Resistance. They won't say how they plan to lead, but they're quite clear that Trump is really bad."
My response: "Umm... yeah, no shit. What's your point? What policies? What ironclad values? Any resistance to mass surveillance? How about Obama signing off on indefinite detention for anyone in the 2012 NDAA that he promised to veto if it included those exact previsions?" Sometimes, it almost seems as if there is just one authoritarian party, which comes in "hard" and "soft" flavors...
Please tell me, Democratic Party policymakers: WHAT'S THE PLAN?! If you hold public office and these questions send chills down you spine, it's quite possible that you are a sellout. Seriously, is anyone in the party going to stand up to these crony-capitalist clowns? Call me a hypocrite, since I'm out with the DemExit and can't even influence the [D] primaries any more. Like that loathsome Vermont Indpendent Bernie Sanders, who's broadly despised within The Party for "not being a Real Democrat," I no longer have street cred. if I did, I'd be sure to spearhead a doomed attempt at a Progressive insurgency against corporatist millionaire Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
I'm not sure how. but I bet that given a week, the overlords controlling the Republican Hive Mind could get millions of people to associate building oil pipelines with the idea that "Climate change is real, and the Democrats are responsible." Republicans have vile ethics, but the Left could learn a lot from their amazingly successful strategies for turning out votes. Or it may just be that the competition doesn't even rank in terms of persuasive messages, decisive "I will do A, B, and C" platforms, or the projection of strength, all of which play well with American voters across the board.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Looming Threat(s) of American Fascism
The downward spiral into totalitarianism goes something like this:
1. "We are the most exceptional society on Earth. What makes us so great is that our citizens and government uphold moral values such as compassion, mercy, innovation, equal opportunity, and human rights. This ethical code makes us who we are, and so we must perennially defend against any threats to it. A society only runs smoothly when people are free and prosperous; by really getting it right, we are modeling a better way of life for other societies. Working with our elected leaders, we will eventually convince more and more foreign societies to follow our example, which we hope will usher in a Golden Age of morality for the whole planet."
2. "Our society's moral code is so exceptional, compared to most others, that we must occasionally make small compromises in order to make sure that our core values are still here tomorrow. Most citizens aren't up to the job (bless 'em), so we need to elect strong leaders who are willing to make these kinds of tough decisions on everyone's behalf."
3. "As a society, we must always hold onto and defend the idea of our values, but that doesn't mean we need to follow them to the letter. Just so long as we remember the moral code that made us so exceptional before these looming threats made our situation more complex, we're good. When the major threats have passed, our leaders will voluntarily relinquish the semi-authoritarian powers society has granted them, ushering in a Second Golden Age!"
4. "Most people hold on to the antiquated idea of an absolute moral code; this is a sweet sentiment, but it is unrealistic. Absolute morality is a weakness which could potentially expose our society to Looming Threats. Because of the dire nature of these Threats, we must elect leaders who are strong enough to set aside certain ethical considerations, as well as shadowy unelected overlords with even fewer moral compunctions."
5. "We have to do whatever it takes to ensure that we can defend against all future threats to the idea of our values, or else our society will perish. Our rulers can't afford to be moral most of the time, given all the looming threats out there, but we can still romanticize the bygone days when we were a morality-based society... and this memory of the glorious Golden Age is what makes us so exceptional."
6. "We must do whatever it takes in the face of these looming threats. If this means following oligarchical rulers who constantly push the envelope on human rights abuse, then so be it. If it means establishing repressive policies regardless of whether there is currently a need for them, we will not raise our voices in protest, because we trust our rulers and know that silence is patriotic. We recall a simpler and gentler time before the Endless Threats fell upon us, but we also recognize the need to leave the past behind. It is this very fortitude—this patriotic, forward-thinking—outlook which make us so exceptional, especially when compared with societies that are holding on to idealistic notions like universal human rights."
7. "The only societal model that makes any sense is one in which people stand by whenever their government commits atrocities in the name of a vaguely-defined 'security.' Nothing should be off the table: torture, bioterrorism, sexual humiliation, wars of choice, corruption, collusion, coups, rampant inequality, undue process, assassinations, suppression of speech, brutalizing peaceful protesters, taking political prisoners... hey, whatever it takes. It is unfortunate that we've had to sacrifice so many of our original moral values, but these compromises have made us stronger as a people."
8. "We must persevere in the face of all threats. This means endless war, because when you get down to it, the Social Darwinists got it right: the world is just a bunch of sinister forces out to get us, and so we must unite and become an even bigger threat than those we face daily. It's a brave new world and we will do whatever it takes to protect our interests. Oh, right... freedom, democracy, exceptionalism, beacon of hope, terror, bla bla bla."
9. "Wake up, people; morality is for the gullible. Most of you are doe-eyed chumps with no self-control. Deep down, you know that everyone is innately selfish and mean. Like children, we all crave a strong parent figure to curb these impulses—a Stern Father with the godlike power it takes to keep us in line. You should really be grateful—if you think that all the casual violence and cruelty is bad now, just imagine what it would be like without Stern Father maintaining order.
10. Questioning the State/Corporate Complex in any way is unpatriotic, because a society only runs smoothly when most people live in abject terror of being punished by their overlords. It's a dog-eat-dog world we live in, and those people or societies which cling to moral codes deserve to suffer for their insolence. The weakness of conscience threatens the founding principle of our society ("whatever it takes to dominate"), and must never be tolerated lest we all return to the chaos of the past. We, your Supreme Rulers, are the biggest threat that humankind has ever faced... and that's what makes us so exceptional."
11. [EPILOGUE] "Please have mercy on us, society. As your self-appointed rulers, we have committed heinous crimes, but remember the bygone days when you were still moral? No? Damn... off to the gallows, then."
1. "We are the most exceptional society on Earth. What makes us so great is that our citizens and government uphold moral values such as compassion, mercy, innovation, equal opportunity, and human rights. This ethical code makes us who we are, and so we must perennially defend against any threats to it. A society only runs smoothly when people are free and prosperous; by really getting it right, we are modeling a better way of life for other societies. Working with our elected leaders, we will eventually convince more and more foreign societies to follow our example, which we hope will usher in a Golden Age of morality for the whole planet."
2. "Our society's moral code is so exceptional, compared to most others, that we must occasionally make small compromises in order to make sure that our core values are still here tomorrow. Most citizens aren't up to the job (bless 'em), so we need to elect strong leaders who are willing to make these kinds of tough decisions on everyone's behalf."
3. "As a society, we must always hold onto and defend the idea of our values, but that doesn't mean we need to follow them to the letter. Just so long as we remember the moral code that made us so exceptional before these looming threats made our situation more complex, we're good. When the major threats have passed, our leaders will voluntarily relinquish the semi-authoritarian powers society has granted them, ushering in a Second Golden Age!"
4. "Most people hold on to the antiquated idea of an absolute moral code; this is a sweet sentiment, but it is unrealistic. Absolute morality is a weakness which could potentially expose our society to Looming Threats. Because of the dire nature of these Threats, we must elect leaders who are strong enough to set aside certain ethical considerations, as well as shadowy unelected overlords with even fewer moral compunctions."
5. "We have to do whatever it takes to ensure that we can defend against all future threats to the idea of our values, or else our society will perish. Our rulers can't afford to be moral most of the time, given all the looming threats out there, but we can still romanticize the bygone days when we were a morality-based society... and this memory of the glorious Golden Age is what makes us so exceptional."
6. "We must do whatever it takes in the face of these looming threats. If this means following oligarchical rulers who constantly push the envelope on human rights abuse, then so be it. If it means establishing repressive policies regardless of whether there is currently a need for them, we will not raise our voices in protest, because we trust our rulers and know that silence is patriotic. We recall a simpler and gentler time before the Endless Threats fell upon us, but we also recognize the need to leave the past behind. It is this very fortitude—this patriotic, forward-thinking—outlook which make us so exceptional, especially when compared with societies that are holding on to idealistic notions like universal human rights."
7. "The only societal model that makes any sense is one in which people stand by whenever their government commits atrocities in the name of a vaguely-defined 'security.' Nothing should be off the table: torture, bioterrorism, sexual humiliation, wars of choice, corruption, collusion, coups, rampant inequality, undue process, assassinations, suppression of speech, brutalizing peaceful protesters, taking political prisoners... hey, whatever it takes. It is unfortunate that we've had to sacrifice so many of our original moral values, but these compromises have made us stronger as a people."
8. "We must persevere in the face of all threats. This means endless war, because when you get down to it, the Social Darwinists got it right: the world is just a bunch of sinister forces out to get us, and so we must unite and become an even bigger threat than those we face daily. It's a brave new world and we will do whatever it takes to protect our interests. Oh, right... freedom, democracy, exceptionalism, beacon of hope, terror, bla bla bla."
9. "Wake up, people; morality is for the gullible. Most of you are doe-eyed chumps with no self-control. Deep down, you know that everyone is innately selfish and mean. Like children, we all crave a strong parent figure to curb these impulses—a Stern Father with the godlike power it takes to keep us in line. You should really be grateful—if you think that all the casual violence and cruelty is bad now, just imagine what it would be like without Stern Father maintaining order.
10. Questioning the State/Corporate Complex in any way is unpatriotic, because a society only runs smoothly when most people live in abject terror of being punished by their overlords. It's a dog-eat-dog world we live in, and those people or societies which cling to moral codes deserve to suffer for their insolence. The weakness of conscience threatens the founding principle of our society ("whatever it takes to dominate"), and must never be tolerated lest we all return to the chaos of the past. We, your Supreme Rulers, are the biggest threat that humankind has ever faced... and that's what makes us so exceptional."
11. [EPILOGUE] "Please have mercy on us, society. As your self-appointed rulers, we have committed heinous crimes, but remember the bygone days when you were still moral? No? Damn... off to the gallows, then."
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Mammals and Reptiles
Many of the evolutionary adaptations which we enjoy, as mammals, are often closely aligned with the common wisdom on virtuous behavior. Even from a scientific rationalist perspective, there is such a thing as "kindness:" an instinctive range of highly constructive maternal and paternal nurturing patterns that are built into our very DNA. Most reptiles lack this altogether, due to the lack of the neocortex, a sheath around the reptile brain which developed in mammals hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Most lizards are basically survivalistic bastards, though some are just really lazy. In stark contrast are human beings, who are at the top of the mammalian cognitive complexity range.* The problem with human awareness, which has caused so many global problems in turn, is that we all still have a reptile brain, lurking beneath the neocortex like a Social Darwinism-spouting tumor. Our logical centers have a kind of genetic romance with this ugly character, since they dated before the Neocortex came along and swept Reason off its feet. But for most people, reason is mostly dating the neocortex, a bit of cheating notwithstanding. It loves love; love illuminates out rational processes like nothing else. Hell, even the ego can get into it, because keener reason allows for more survivability, and the ego is basically an agglomeration of primal instinct and reason (another reptilian throwback).
PS: yes, Mr. Alligator is so ornery because of the medula oblongata.
*Except possibly for cetaceans, who have the good sense to swim around having recreational sex all the time yet maintain a sustainable level of population (think about it for a second.. wait for it.. wait for it... makes sense, right?) In any event, one could argue that humans have the most opportunities to combine those mammalian warm fuzzies with hard logic in novel ways.
Most lizards are basically survivalistic bastards, though some are just really lazy. In stark contrast are human beings, who are at the top of the mammalian cognitive complexity range.* The problem with human awareness, which has caused so many global problems in turn, is that we all still have a reptile brain, lurking beneath the neocortex like a Social Darwinism-spouting tumor. Our logical centers have a kind of genetic romance with this ugly character, since they dated before the Neocortex came along and swept Reason off its feet. But for most people, reason is mostly dating the neocortex, a bit of cheating notwithstanding. It loves love; love illuminates out rational processes like nothing else. Hell, even the ego can get into it, because keener reason allows for more survivability, and the ego is basically an agglomeration of primal instinct and reason (another reptilian throwback).
PS: yes, Mr. Alligator is so ornery because of the medula oblongata.
*Except possibly for cetaceans, who have the good sense to swim around having recreational sex all the time yet maintain a sustainable level of population (think about it for a second.. wait for it.. wait for it... makes sense, right?) In any event, one could argue that humans have the most opportunities to combine those mammalian warm fuzzies with hard logic in novel ways.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Donald Trump is a Shameless Fascist
The countdown to revolution will no doubt slow its pace under a president such as Hillary Clinton, who is effectively a continuation of a long Neoliberal/Neoconservative legacy. That being said, please hear my plea, ye of the much-coddled Swing States... before you vote, consider that the alternative to this year's Corporatist Democrat is a true Fascist demagogue.
Donald Trump takes shit far beyond the usual racist or sexist dog whistles; the guy literally quotes Mussolini in Twitter posts, and re-tweets Hillary-bashing memes featuring a "Sheriff's" Star of David (the Nazi identifier for Jewish people en route to Auschwitz and other concentration camps). With every week exposing new horrors from the Trump campaign, the parallels to late-1930s Germany are piling up. At this point, anyone who denies a certain uncanny resemblance to Adolph Hitler's rise to power either lacks a basic grasp of world history, or is a party loyalist who will say anything to get another Republican elected. (I'm looking at you, six-figure earners. Ye know exactly what ye do, just like those times you voted for Dubya because he promised to cut your taxes in half).
For the record: if Donald Trump was a potential spoiler along the lines of Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, Jill Stein or Ron Paul, I'd vote for him (in a blue state, mind you). I'd love to elect a president who offers specific constructive, outside-the-box suggestions for reform, even if s/he actually couldn't get a whole lot done due to the incumbent-driven, gerrymandered, pay-to-play culture in Washington politics. Even if the corporatist firewall rendered such a president politically impotent, as they did with Jimmy Carter, I would consider it a fair trade-off if it means electing a national leader who challenges Business-as-Usual Politics in key areas that the corporatocracy refuses to address.
Sad to say, Trump is hitting on a lot of those key issues as the most authentic voice in the room, rightly criticizing a "rigged" two-party system run by special interests. In doing so, he has drawn the ire of both party establishments, which has worked almost entirely in his favor. I'm not saying that Donald Trump is "honest" or has good intentions for the United States or the world, but sometimes, he is spot-on in his candid observations about systemic failures. This is the ace up his sleeve, and he is clever enough to use it to full advantage. Leftist pundits are making a grave error when they portray both Trump and all of his supporters as either the ruling class, or bigoted white working class morons.
Yes, Trump has galvanized a large mob-like constituency of racists, which is funded by the rich folks who rule the world, but he is also appealing to a huge number of people who are sick of hearing the same party lines and find his brash statements on the Iraq war or Wall Street domination of the political process quite refreshing. In Trump's world view, the Democratic National Committee is one arm of a single Corporatist Party which spans the center-right and center-left of American politics... is this less true than the conventional wisdom in which Democrats are supposedly anti-corporate bleeding hearts who protect civil rights at all costs? The Iraq Military Authorization, Patriot Act, and many other 21st Century pieces of "bipartisan" legislation beg to differ, as do the bipartisan attacks on regulations and antitrust laws.
In lieu of Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump has filled a populist void which Hillary Clinton and her DNC cronies have left wide open. Though his motives are highly suspect, that is beside the point, because a lot of people will take him at his word. The scary truth is that Trump may just become our next President because Hillary and the Democratic National Committee refuse to stand up to corporatist domination. This sets Trump up to boldly call out the Democrats on issue after issue, from voter disenfranchisement, to Wall Street campaign donations, to her onetime support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is conveniently the next extension of Bill Clinton's support for the job-killing NAFTA initiative. Hillary Clinton officially withdrew her support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as of a February 2016 debate with Bernie Sanders, but it is quite telling that all of her DNC Policy Committee picks voted in favor of the TPP while all of Sanders' picks voted against it. The Democratic National Committee, as a Hillary Clinton proxy, is handing Trump a treasure trove of talking points which will not only solidify his hold among the far right, but will also attract many disenfranchised people in the Bernie-or-Bust movement.
While mass media focuses on Donald Trump's role as a prominent right-wing ideologue (without ever really calling him out on it), the buried lead is that Trump is winning over over thousands of voters from many other ideological constituencies. His messaging actually ranges all across the board, and includes hugely popular vignettes such as "Bring the jobs back," "End corporate corruption of politics," "Stop Wall Street from buying out politicians," "Incumbent career politicians have to go," "U.S. elections are rigged," "Attacking Iraq was a huge mistake that led to more terrorism," and "The mainstream media only works for the interests of the ruling class." All of these messages, on their face, are completely correct, and the two ruling political parties are at Trump's mercy because none of their own leaders have the courage to call out the corrupt pay-to-play system that gets them reelected year after year. It's their funeral: if they continue in the status quo of total obstinacy when it comes to the more oligarchical elements of U.S. government, they will face a sloppy, cataclysmic revolution rather than the more manageable kind where none of them end up in jail.
Donald Trump is now well-positioned to take advantage of his own party's internal resistance and the Democratic leadership's flagrant cronyism, declaring both sides of the aisle hopelessly corrupt. Along with securing a large part of the Independent vote, this seemingly anti-corruption message will be catnip to the more gullible progressive voters who are fed up with a rigged political game run by transnational corporations. Trump has styled himself as an "outsider" who wants to make the system work for everyone, when the plain truth is he is an anti-government nationalist who will serve the interests of the richest and whitest Americans. He is shaping up to be a fascist ruler in the league of Hitler or Pinochet... and with every concession to Corporate America, the DNC is encouraging his rise to power.
Donald Trump takes shit far beyond the usual racist or sexist dog whistles; the guy literally quotes Mussolini in Twitter posts, and re-tweets Hillary-bashing memes featuring a "Sheriff's" Star of David (the Nazi identifier for Jewish people en route to Auschwitz and other concentration camps). With every week exposing new horrors from the Trump campaign, the parallels to late-1930s Germany are piling up. At this point, anyone who denies a certain uncanny resemblance to Adolph Hitler's rise to power either lacks a basic grasp of world history, or is a party loyalist who will say anything to get another Republican elected. (I'm looking at you, six-figure earners. Ye know exactly what ye do, just like those times you voted for Dubya because he promised to cut your taxes in half).
For the record: if Donald Trump was a potential spoiler along the lines of Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, Jill Stein or Ron Paul, I'd vote for him (in a blue state, mind you). I'd love to elect a president who offers specific constructive, outside-the-box suggestions for reform, even if s/he actually couldn't get a whole lot done due to the incumbent-driven, gerrymandered, pay-to-play culture in Washington politics. Even if the corporatist firewall rendered such a president politically impotent, as they did with Jimmy Carter, I would consider it a fair trade-off if it means electing a national leader who challenges Business-as-Usual Politics in key areas that the corporatocracy refuses to address.
Sad to say, Trump is hitting on a lot of those key issues as the most authentic voice in the room, rightly criticizing a "rigged" two-party system run by special interests. In doing so, he has drawn the ire of both party establishments, which has worked almost entirely in his favor. I'm not saying that Donald Trump is "honest" or has good intentions for the United States or the world, but sometimes, he is spot-on in his candid observations about systemic failures. This is the ace up his sleeve, and he is clever enough to use it to full advantage. Leftist pundits are making a grave error when they portray both Trump and all of his supporters as either the ruling class, or bigoted white working class morons.
Yes, Trump has galvanized a large mob-like constituency of racists, which is funded by the rich folks who rule the world, but he is also appealing to a huge number of people who are sick of hearing the same party lines and find his brash statements on the Iraq war or Wall Street domination of the political process quite refreshing. In Trump's world view, the Democratic National Committee is one arm of a single Corporatist Party which spans the center-right and center-left of American politics... is this less true than the conventional wisdom in which Democrats are supposedly anti-corporate bleeding hearts who protect civil rights at all costs? The Iraq Military Authorization, Patriot Act, and many other 21st Century pieces of "bipartisan" legislation beg to differ, as do the bipartisan attacks on regulations and antitrust laws.
In lieu of Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump has filled a populist void which Hillary Clinton and her DNC cronies have left wide open. Though his motives are highly suspect, that is beside the point, because a lot of people will take him at his word. The scary truth is that Trump may just become our next President because Hillary and the Democratic National Committee refuse to stand up to corporatist domination. This sets Trump up to boldly call out the Democrats on issue after issue, from voter disenfranchisement, to Wall Street campaign donations, to her onetime support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is conveniently the next extension of Bill Clinton's support for the job-killing NAFTA initiative. Hillary Clinton officially withdrew her support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as of a February 2016 debate with Bernie Sanders, but it is quite telling that all of her DNC Policy Committee picks voted in favor of the TPP while all of Sanders' picks voted against it. The Democratic National Committee, as a Hillary Clinton proxy, is handing Trump a treasure trove of talking points which will not only solidify his hold among the far right, but will also attract many disenfranchised people in the Bernie-or-Bust movement.
While mass media focuses on Donald Trump's role as a prominent right-wing ideologue (without ever really calling him out on it), the buried lead is that Trump is winning over over thousands of voters from many other ideological constituencies. His messaging actually ranges all across the board, and includes hugely popular vignettes such as "Bring the jobs back," "End corporate corruption of politics," "Stop Wall Street from buying out politicians," "Incumbent career politicians have to go," "U.S. elections are rigged," "Attacking Iraq was a huge mistake that led to more terrorism," and "The mainstream media only works for the interests of the ruling class." All of these messages, on their face, are completely correct, and the two ruling political parties are at Trump's mercy because none of their own leaders have the courage to call out the corrupt pay-to-play system that gets them reelected year after year. It's their funeral: if they continue in the status quo of total obstinacy when it comes to the more oligarchical elements of U.S. government, they will face a sloppy, cataclysmic revolution rather than the more manageable kind where none of them end up in jail.
Donald Trump is now well-positioned to take advantage of his own party's internal resistance and the Democratic leadership's flagrant cronyism, declaring both sides of the aisle hopelessly corrupt. Along with securing a large part of the Independent vote, this seemingly anti-corruption message will be catnip to the more gullible progressive voters who are fed up with a rigged political game run by transnational corporations. Trump has styled himself as an "outsider" who wants to make the system work for everyone, when the plain truth is he is an anti-government nationalist who will serve the interests of the richest and whitest Americans. He is shaping up to be a fascist ruler in the league of Hitler or Pinochet... and with every concession to Corporate America, the DNC is encouraging his rise to power.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Hating Together is the New Love
The older I get, the more convinced I am that a great deal of apparent evil is the product of social movements which lionize unified hatred and call it "love." The cult-like rationale, which is categorically fascist in nature, is that if unity is an effective change agent, members of the fascist cult are empowered and therefore morally in the clear, no matter what values, ethical codes, methods, or emotional forces bring them together. The fascists share a hive mind which is indeed a powerful force, whereas their opponents are rendered ineffective by individualistic values and ethical qualms.
Of course, the changes are generally for the worse, but "Whatever gets the job done" is a highly effective mantra in a society where the wheels of government have ground to a halt. Rampant political corruption and calculated right-wing obstructionism are meant to entice the general populace into revolting against the best ideals of government in a unified show of hateful mob mentality. Once everything breaks down into dysfunction and chaos, the proto-fascist demagogues waiting in the wings emerge victorious. Finally, when human rights are no more, they proclaim "Well, at least something changed. Look, we all did something... together! That's real love, and to hell with anyone not on our team, because we have power and they don't. See? The good guys are the ones who get things done. Losers don't deserve this amazing love we share." It's Social Darwinism codified as a national religion, which is exactly the dystopian nightmare that America is becoming.
When basic ethics take a backseat to power-worship, spiritual sickness festers. Case in point: late-1930s Germans were united behind a passionate love of country, and and they got a LOT of things done. Bioterrorism, empire-building, torture, mass incarceration, genocide... but they were definitely things, and they definitely got them done, together. Call it "love," Nazis; that doesn't make it good. Thus does state power subsume notions of true personal agency and democracy which once empowered citizens to effect change for the good of ALL. The only anodyne to this cultural cancer are democratic models of government which encourage free will and adhere to human rights principles. Bottom fuckin' line, no excuses.
#nevertrump
Of course, the changes are generally for the worse, but "Whatever gets the job done" is a highly effective mantra in a society where the wheels of government have ground to a halt. Rampant political corruption and calculated right-wing obstructionism are meant to entice the general populace into revolting against the best ideals of government in a unified show of hateful mob mentality. Once everything breaks down into dysfunction and chaos, the proto-fascist demagogues waiting in the wings emerge victorious. Finally, when human rights are no more, they proclaim "Well, at least something changed. Look, we all did something... together! That's real love, and to hell with anyone not on our team, because we have power and they don't. See? The good guys are the ones who get things done. Losers don't deserve this amazing love we share." It's Social Darwinism codified as a national religion, which is exactly the dystopian nightmare that America is becoming.
When basic ethics take a backseat to power-worship, spiritual sickness festers. Case in point: late-1930s Germans were united behind a passionate love of country, and and they got a LOT of things done. Bioterrorism, empire-building, torture, mass incarceration, genocide... but they were definitely things, and they definitely got them done, together. Call it "love," Nazis; that doesn't make it good. Thus does state power subsume notions of true personal agency and democracy which once empowered citizens to effect change for the good of ALL. The only anodyne to this cultural cancer are democratic models of government which encourage free will and adhere to human rights principles. Bottom fuckin' line, no excuses.
#nevertrump
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
OWS Photo Stays
I won't be posting any new photos of myself for a while. It's not the trans thing; no shame there. The problem is that the mystery affliction which has been attacking my body's connective tissues for the past couple decades has now decided to move my jawbone a quarter-inch to the right, so my face is no longer symmetrical, and it shows. The plates of my skull have also shifted, so that my head now resembles a slightly rotten cantaloupe.
Anyhoo, good thing I got rid of the crew cut; I used to have a great head for it, but since I've been mutated, I'm not sure it would look quite as cool these days. Still undiagnosed. Tentative diagnoses to date: degenerative disc disease, cervical and/or thoracic spine; Ehlers-Danlos, probably type 3 or possibly 5a-5b; Fibromyalgia; Osteoarthritis, spine/joints; cervical stenosis at discs C1-2, C2-3, C3-4, C4-5, and C6-6. Yep, C5-6 hasn't been complaining this week. Anyway, mystery medical conditions: not recommended. #gottalovescience
dot dot dot... that one stays, but for a more up-to-date version I refer you to My Facebook page.
Muhahahaha
Anyhoo, good thing I got rid of the crew cut; I used to have a great head for it, but since I've been mutated, I'm not sure it would look quite as cool these days. Still undiagnosed. Tentative diagnoses to date: degenerative disc disease, cervical and/or thoracic spine; Ehlers-Danlos, probably type 3 or possibly 5a-5b; Fibromyalgia; Osteoarthritis, spine/joints; cervical stenosis at discs C1-2, C2-3, C3-4, C4-5, and C6-6. Yep, C5-6 hasn't been complaining this week. Anyway, mystery medical conditions: not recommended. #gottalovescience
dot dot dot... that one stays, but for a more up-to-date version I refer you to My Facebook page.
Muhahahaha
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