Facebook doesn’t make it easy to share things so I’ll put the rest of this below.
Such pessimism seems warranted if you define the cultural battlefield in terms of *existing institutions.* After all, evidence of decadence and decline is pervasive within our political, economic, educational, entertainment, and social institutions. Most have become captives or accomplices of the left-nihilists.
But is that really the battlefield?
History reveals to me different lessons. Such as: how a Renaissance and Enlightenment can emerge from the tribalism and mysticism of the Dark Ages, in which all institutions were hopelessly corrupt and coercive. Or how America itself could emerge from the historic swamp of universal despotism.
We can learn from our enemies, too. The so-called “Frankfurt School” started as a mere school of thought — a bunch of Marxist professors in Germany. Ditto, the Fabian Socialists in the UK. We should study how they accomplished what they did, and take notes.
We also should take lessons from what the military calls “asymmetrical warfare”: how a small group of insurgents can fight a much larger, better equipped and supplied force to a stalemate — and even eventually beat them. (Study George Washington and Francis Marion, for examples.) No, I’m not being literal; I’m arguing that the military analogy applies to the cultural battlefield, too: the battle over ideas and values.
But creating new ideas, arguments, perspectives, and inspiring *visions* is not a numbers game. The creators of new ideas are always few, and usually solitary. Yet those few can eventually serve as navigators for an entire society. It was that truth that led Percy Shelley to say that “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” The same can be said of an influential religious leader, philosopher, or narrative artist: think Jesus, Aristotle, Homer. Throughout history, these visionaries have been the de facto “asymmetrical culture warriors” of the world.
Today, would-be asymmetrical culture warriors have access to technology, even at the individual level, that those earlier purveyors of ideas and values couldn’t have dreamed of — technological innovations that the military would call “force multipliers.” So, rather than gnash our teeth at the reach of mainstream- and social-media giants, or the influence of big corporations, schools, and governmental bodies, we “outsiders” can use technology to “hit them where they ain’t” — to spread our ideas and values in new forms, among receptive target audiences
This is way too big a topic for a Facebook post. But those of you with individualist perspectives in our collectivist era — especially, those of you in the storytelling arts — ought to think creatively about this. Above all, remember the unstoppable power of a captivating idea or perspective — and the fact that it takes only a single creative visionary to give it life in the world.
So basically, 99% of all links on SDA are You Tube, Twitter, or Facebook? What diverse and interesting viewpoints.
Yeah, I studied what they did and took notes, seems they unleashed an army of trained killers to remove any productive forces from society and built a huge prison where the inmates accepted their lot because they heard a bunch of lies day after day and lived according to envy and a lack of belief in God. Not to mention censorship and groupthink on a vast scale.
So I don’t think there’s much we want to copy there. But apparently some of my fellow citizens think otherwise.
“the inmates accepted their lot because they heard a bunch of lies day after day ”
They didn’t just “hear the lies”. It seems to me that we are living in an era where many people HUNGER for lies.
They literally want to believe in dystopic falsehoods. If it weren’t for faith in God, I would be drowning in despair.
One must conclude that most humans are easily led, not very bright, lack analytical skills, and are lazy, mentally and physically. Everything I read and hear and see on the blogs, TV etc … leads me to that conclusion. It’s not new, but it’s now more serious than ever before.
It will be difficult to overcome what the left is attempting and largely succeeding in destroying freedom and decency along with prosperity and peace. Forget about the vote that has been taken away by the Democrats. We can no longer win on a level playing field.
If we don’t arm-up and take action, we will become slaves or corpses. No shit! We are being led by the worst of humanity at this time in our history. The left is the epitome of a political movement gone mad.
The thousands of military troops currently in Washington DC on the orders of the Democrats is evidence that the left Is fully expecting an armed revolution. I say, laughingly, don’t hold your breath …. you are in fear of a toothless tiger, the right is complacent and naive .. not all of course, but enough to allow the left to win.
The left Would never put up with the bullshit we are fed all day long. Look how they never stopped trying to destroy trump for about five years solid and it’s on-going …. and not only Trump … his supporters. Jesus … what a fucking mess we are in.
Two thumbs up!
Jesus? Aristotle? You are aware that both were murdered by the state?
The ballot box has proven itself corrupted, and I’m sure you know that you must counter six decades of voter brain washing by educational and “informational” institutions. Pro tip…it ain’t gonna happen.
I’ll invest in popcorn futures. I love a good war, and I’ve got a feeling the next one will be within close proximity.
All that wishy-washy positive crap is what got us here in the first place…
Academia used to run on the lines that science proceeded one funeral at a time as the devotees of a particular model died off and were replaced by a new generation but this process has been disrupted by the interpolation of professional and international bodies, incestuously tied to the source of research funding favouring a particular direction and very effective at excluding the maverick and independent thinker, the medical industrial complex and the climate change industry being but two examples.
We’ve reached that stage of intellectual constipation where only a physical bloody revolution will loosen things up. And fans….
I followed where the science I was studying took me to which is extremely more complicated and complex that I could imagine.
Our politicians and governments bought today’s science with the media deceptive reporting on anything that doesn’t fit this narrative. Attacking anyone not conforming rather that actually doing journalism and expanding our knowledge, they confined it into a box with boarders around this box.
Far too many special interests would be harmed including the Universities themselves.
“Such as: how a Renaissance and Enlightenment can emerge from the tribalism and mysticism of the Dark Ages, in which all institutions were hopelessly corrupt and coercive. ”
True. But there’s another part to that:
Such as: how long it took before the Renaissance and Enlightenment emerged from the tribalism and mysticism of the Dark Ages, in which all institutions were hopelessly corrupt and coercive.
Besides, there is a requisite precondition which in this Country is nowhere to be found: good people with the courage and will to stand up and speak out. Ninety eight percent of the electorate won’t do that. Hell, they’re too scared shitless to applaud when somebody does.
The Dark Ages ended when the West became successful in pushing back against Islam. It took a long time. Islam had shut off the Mediterranean Sea and had invaded Europe in the 8th century. Islam caused the Dark Ages.
The Dark Ages ended with the Protestant Reformation and the printing press being used to print the Bible into the common language of the people.
Bullshit people you’re dead…. Bore them you’re deader….
Tim Pool, who has a significant audience of young viewers, urges an effort to change the narrative and change the culture with a more positive slant. In many ways, that is just what Trump did. There should be some awareness, by now, that facts, patient reasoning, sarcasm, pointing out hypocrisy, and calling people “commies”, has little effect. I refer you to the bungled Senate campaigns in Georgia. The Georgia Rs, dominated by dinosaurs, totally disregarded American populism and opted for the Cold War memes. They managed to sound stupid, out of touch, and tone deaf. The real battle is against the powers who advocate for “Der Staat uber Alles”, the top down coercive, “sciency” regulatory state, characterized by, one size fits all central planning, concentrating wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands, representing the interests of the Bureaucracy and the Globalists to the detriment of everyone else. In other words they support the antithesis of the Enlightenment and the Constitution, by any means necessary.
The Deplorables are not powerless. You can use cash, you can avoid corrupt social media, you can avoid doing business with people who mean you harm and demonize you, you can support like minded individuals socially and monetarily, and you can throw sand into the gears of the surveillance state by searching on nonsense and diluting the value of their products. Just my opinion, I’m hopeful that reducing their revenues just might get their attention like nothing else will. Finally, James Lindsay, has pointed out that what, at long last, undermined the Soviet Nomenklatura was ridicule and mockery; they became the butt of the joke. Humor is a powerful weapon, but it has to be smart, incisive, and on target, the thing that makes you snort before you can stop yourself. The good news is that they are dominated by Mediocrity. The bad news is that they are terrified of their fellow travelers turning on them. Yes, this is what Irish Democracy looks like in the 21st century. I’ve barely scratched the surface and invite more ideas.
“History reveals to me different lessons. Such as: how a Renaissance and Enlightenment can emerge from the tribalism and mysticism of the Dark Ages, in which all institutions were hopelessly corrupt and coercive.”
This man’s understanding of European history is deeply flawed.
“would-be asymmetrical culture warriors have access to technology, even at the individual level, that those earlier purveyors of ideas and values couldn’t have dreamed of — technological innovations that the military would call “force multipliers.””
Which soi-disant conservatives refuse to understand or learn how to use. Not that it would matter if they did, because the other side informally controls the ecosystem of the web.
Hahahaha, the author is using nice words, writing about storytelling arts, creative visionary, the use technology to spread our ideas, creating new ideas, arguments, perspectives, and inspiring *visions*, the battle over ideas and values. Meanwhile, the left, being more realistic and realizing that we are past niceties, is into breaking bones and bashing skulls and using the deep state (FBI, military, police/RCMP, kangaroo courts) to threaten and imprison people. I think we should come to our senses, abandon any form of nice and bash and break back, literally. Also, sabotage and non-cooperation is required.
“Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.” Prentiss (?) Not hard to guess where we’re at… Sad.
I agree with the author of this post, and disagree with the “all is lost” crowd on this thread. It’s easy to run up the white flag, and give up. But that is like dying. It is better to fight a guerrilla war, as described in the article, and live. I notice that Catholics and evangelical Christians set up their own universities. Better to support these, or for conservatives to ser up their own universities, than to whine about the moral and intellectual rot at the leftist ones. The same hols for the other cultural institutions.
We Christians are called to be IN the world, but not OF the world. It’s not hard to avoid watching lesbians mud wrestle to the catchy melodies of Wet Ass Pussy on the TV set. Separating oneself from the degenerate Bread and Circus being fed to the masses is easy. And no, I won’t be watching the Academy Awards (again) either. Yet, my absence isn’t slowing the cultural slouch toward Gomorrah.
I’m old enough to remember when only twin beds could be depicted on TV shows … it was not acceptable to depict a ‘marital’ bed on TV. Now … titties are freely televised without need of a wardrobe malfunction. And, of course, our preteen daughters are encouraged to celebrate their own Wet ass pussies. 1) dress like a slut. 2) Gyrate and Twerk like a sistah 3) rub one out on your Wet ass pussy. Why am I so repetitive in reference to our new cultural low point? Because one needs to confront the degeneration … head on. Name it and shame it. I won’t look away … but will not participate.
Nothing will stop or even stall the decline. The degeneration is accelerating. Our culture and society are dividing into camps. US (normals) and THEM (degenerates). All I can do is live by example, and teach my own extended family. We should continue to (properly) educate ourselves, work hard at meaningful tasks, become productive and positive influences in our community, and never shy away from speaking TRUTH to POWERful degenerates.
We’ve totally LOST the culture WAR … it’s over … however we cannot afford to lose the coming Civil War.
I had to do a double take when I saw that bit on the Tucker Carlson YouTube video that was linked to in another thread (and now, apparently, deleted).
And to think that people rioted in the streets of Paris when Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Rite of Spring was premiered more than 100 years ago.
The Black Death came right before the Renaissance, maybe the stress on society unleashes creative potential. Not saying COVID19 is any parallel to the Black Death (30 to 60 per cent mortality rates across Europe) but people think it is a big deal even if some of us don’t.
A new renaissance would probably involve coming to terms with challenges to what we used to call “good government” which is something that we probably haven’t had for several decades now, instead we’ve had pandering government based on social divisions exploited by a liberal upper class mainly to cement their positions rather than to help the defined oppressed who remain oppressed anyway (funny thing that, planned obsolescence comes to mind). It has gradually dragged us into the mud because part of that deal is to slow down the economy to the point where it becomes more or less a service-only economy, outsourcing manufacturing to where we don’t have to see or hear it being done.
So what we have now is an almost inevitable election of idiots, the chief idiots who are only answerable to their idiot class of support, and who treat the rest of us as contemptibles. When the the contemptibles manage to gain power, the answer apparently lies in vote manipulation and fraud. But Donald Trump was unable to do much more than express the distaste and outrage of the other half of society for this state of affairs. We are going to have to move past this in order to survive at all, otherwise the predictable result is that we will flood our countries with unsuitable and dysfunctional third worlders who by sheer force of numbers will bring us down to the levels of the societies they left behind in the false hope that just being here would solve those problems case by case. Of course it takes a lot more than just being here, you have to understand here, and here isn’t here much longer to be understood.
Some will call that racist and tough cheese if so, it doesn’t apply to all immigrants and not all unsuitable immigrants are people of colour. I could say that most of the draft dodgers we got in the 70s were not all that helpful either. They just swung the needle further to the left here, which is really the last thing we actually need. If Stephen Harper had been who he said he was, that would have been fine and maybe would have led to sustained change in the right direction but (a) he wasn’t and (b) to the extent that he was, his culture change never took hold, people flocked back to the dog and pony show of Sincere Prince Justin who Feels Your Pain (for a price).
Its certainly a black pill that people here do not recognize that the Enlightenment was the Frankfurt School of its day.
You guys are literally fighting to preserve the old left from the new, and you’re losing because the seeds of the new left were present in the old.