Controlling elites? Which film are you in, Francis?
On 31 Dez., 17:33, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote:
> The conventional wisdom in our western societies is that we are
> basically free agents, living in a world which offers us a myriad of
> choices, which we then make according to our needs and preferences.
> Based on these preferences and choices we develop our individual
> worlds of communities within the wider society in which we find
> ourselves.
>
> There is a lot about this which is questionable. We are all also
> conditioned in the communities, societies and worlds in which we live
> in manifold ways and this conditioning circumscribes and often
> emasculates our (theoretical) freedom. There are mechanisms here which
> are essential to the functioning of the (what Neil would describe as
> consumer-fetish) societies in which we live - to give but one example,
> it is the basis of the whole advertising industry, so essential for
> processes based on continuous (growing) consumption; one of the
> economic essentials for neo-liberal defined free-market structures.
>
> Intellectual elites (such as the members and readers of this worthy
> forum :-)), may feel that their propensity for introspection and
> reflection has helped free them from a lot of the conditioning
> pervasive in their environment - and this may be true ... but mostly
> only to a certain extent. From our birth we are in a constant dialogue
> with the societal environments in which we find ourselves and the
> conditioning which results from these processes is deep, varied and
> often difficult to recognise and ackowledge. Freedom is a
> prerequisite, but also a goal, something dynamic, developing and
> growing. On this journey from freedom to freedom, our self-image also
> develops and grows (or decays).
>
> And, before we all become too self-congratualtory, we should also
> realise that people within deeply restraining systems are also capable
> of developing the free space they need to develop according to the
> needs they perceive. One good example of this is the way that large
> sections of the youth in Iran, while not fundamentally attacking the
> narrow, religious, clerical-dominated value-system in which they live,
> still manage to create spaces for their own freedom and development of
> self-identity. I spent my teenage years in a small town in the west of
> Ireland in the 70s - in retrospect, under a very strong, (stifling?)
> traditional Catholic ethos. That was the way it was - you didn't
> really question it. Instead, you created your free space within it
> and, in the end, and in various ways, a lot of us developed the
> capacities to grow out of it.
>
> Elegant as it seems to be, I have grave doubts about the real
> advantages of a society ruled by enlightened philosopher-kings à la
> Plato. Dividing society between enlightened elites and the sheep-like
> masses is too easy. Life is a ferment, happening everywhere and
> controlling elites may be spectacularly blind and unfree. Just look at
> the elites running the world financial systems in the past year!
>
> Francis
>
> On 31 Dez., 07:24, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I would refer you to professor Nietzsche on war Chris. War is the
> > proper theartre of the warrior. Women are for the recreation of the
> > warrior. Postmodernists have long suggested that language is now so
> > impossible we cannot speak without dredging up self-delusion. One
> > might suggest that peace is merely the plotting phase of further war,
> > or self-development the hardening of illusions amongst soldiers of
> > human resource management. Typically, I find myself teaching young
> > men and women who hate the firms they work for to "love them in new
> > ways". I rather think the first has it right and the latter immoral.
> > Some students point out that it is better to work for companies that
> > at least pretend to want to develop them. Still waters no doubt, yet
> > who can deny war is peace, given that war is ever-present? The
> > presence of a draft makes one think a little more deeply about war and
> > the possibilities of peace. The Greeks had many debates about such
> > dunnage - the winners all turn out to have had control of the means of
> > producing the written scripts!
> > Hegel had it that Man would eventually emerge from war between South
> > and North America. One might, of course, choose to allow people to
> > work out who is doing what to whom in an honest fashion.
> > Yours, Protagoras.
>
> > On 31 Dec, 05:39, "Chris Jenkins" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > War is Peace, Neil. Do you deny this?
>
> > > On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 12:07 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > Self-image has fallen apart big style of late. Our reaction appears
> > > > to be that of putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again, using the
> > > > resources (all the King's horses and all the King's men) that failed
> > > > to do so in the past. The techniques of self are all around us.
> > > > Chronic market segmentation advertising and all sorts of quasi-
> > > > governmental Doublespeak. The idea is to produce docile bodies and
> > > > governmentality. What of truth in self development? What of the
> > > > creativity of the liars' tales in which our self is spun? What of the
> > > > repeated Machiavellian rebirths of our "management fashions"? I would
> > > > sense that Molly has something here about greater truth following a
> > > > collapse of world-view, but what are we to take as truth and does one
> > > > want to take truth at a moment of collapse? Great narratives have
> > > > been shown, repeatedly to be mythical and we are supposed to stand in
> > > > incredulity towards them. What might an acceptable metanarrative for
> > > > rebirth be? What evidential-basing criteria would we use? How might
> > > > we withstand attempts to rebirth us as merely a smiling brotherhood of
> > > > shiny success at the expense of others or as learners of the litany of
> > > > new management that is merely the old management with new hymns? We
> > > > should try to structure new communities - self has social context.
> > > > I'm a believer in Molly's positive messages, but believers can be
> > > > doubting thomases. Political rhetoric has hardly changed at all in
> > > > the last 40 years, and neither has literature on "self-improvement".
> > > > There is much more to collapse than we might initially think.
>
> > > > On 30 Dec, 23:25, Molly Brogan <[email protected]>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > > Self-image is the personal view we have of ourselves. It is our
> > > > > mental image or self portrait. Self-image is an internal dictionary
> > > > > that describes the characteristics of the self, including concepts
> > > > > like intelligence, beauty, kindness, selfishness or insensitivity.
> > > > > These characteristics form a collective representation of our assets
> > > > > and liabilities as we see them. Relationships reinforce what we think
> > > > > and feel about ourselves. Self-image is important because how we
> > > > > think about ourselves directly affects how we feel about ourselves and
> > > > > how we respond to life.
>
> > > > > How we think and feel about ourselves influences the way we react or
> > > > > respond to life stressors. A hopeless self-image can lead to
> > > > > suicide. Self-image possessing body strength and health can lead to
> > > > > wellness. A loving self-image can lead to a life full of loving
> > > > > relationships. An angry self-image can lead to a life of isolation.
> > > > > A fearful self-image can lead to a life of suffering. In these ways,
> > > > > self-image can determine the quality of our relationships with others.
>
> > > > > How we imagine ourselves to be can be different from how we witness
> > > > > ourselves to be, but ultimately the two will become the same if our
> > > > > desire to be as we imagine is unwavering. Depending on the beliefs we
> > > > > gather throughout our life, our self-image can bring us success and
> > > > > happiness, or, on the other hand, failure and misery. But this image
> > > > > can change, if we start questioning our beliefs about our selves and
> > > > > our lives. When our belief system falls apart, we are ready to
> > > > > receive a greater truth, and resurrect belief, born anew with
> > > > > possibility.
>
> > > > > What do YOU think?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
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