Barry, 

 

Add to your list the following:  It is a psychological fact that fortunate 
people attribute their good fortune to their own talent and the misfortunes of 
others to their lack thereof.  Unfortunate people tend to attribute their 
misfortune (and the fortunes of others) to luck.  Thus fortunate people not 
only have the financial resources to carry on, they have the sense of agency 
that leads them to carry on, while unfortunate people are led to hunker down 
and quit.  

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> 
https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

 

 

From: Friam <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Barry MacKichan
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 10:00 AM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Fallback in barbarism

 

My suggestions:

A party of the plutocracy which would not win any elections without exploiting 
social differences and dog-whistle racism. The system of primaries and the 
gerrymandering of congressional districts has allowed a minority of a minority 
to control who gets to run for public office.

A media subculture that amplifies those grievances — Fox News and its wannabe 
imitators.

Movement conservatism, an infrastructure of think tanks, journals, etc. which 
is now over fifty years old, with plenty of money (Koch brothers, Sheldon 
Adelson, etc), which exerts constant pressure on the elites and provides 
lucrative backup employment for out-of-office conservative politicians.

A outrage machine which favors engagement of any type, but which rewards anger 
and outrageousness above all. See  
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ofYEfewNE> 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ofYEfewNE

In the final analysis, I can’t answer your question: I really don’t understand 
how we have gotten to this point, and I don’t understand how many politicians 
can look in the mirror every day.

—Barry 

On 7 Jan 2021, at 17:00, Jochen Fromm wrote:

I must say the images from CNN which we receive here in Europe are a bit 
disturbing. The mob that stormed the heart of American democracy felt like 
anarchy, like a fallback in barbaric ancient times - the time of Barbarians vs 
Romans or even the stone age. It is like Neanderthals found a way to use a time 
machine to travel into the 21st century: one guy was dressed in fur pelts and 
was holding a wooden stick like a wizard from Lord of the Rings, and one 
half-naked guy was wearing furs and horns (the one known as "Q shaman"). 
Long-haired bearded guys have been looting stuff like cavemen - in the center 
of Washington D.C.! 
<https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION/PROTESTS/qmyvmqewmvr/How> 
https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION/PROTESTS/qmyvmqewmvr/How is this 
possible in the oldest democracy of the world? -J.- .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. 
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