“… My own view is that incompetence is the huge problem and I believe this is mostly what we are teaching and encouraging…” – archy
…a notion at least 2 score year old… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle On Dec 15, 12:09 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't go directly for the 'Ivory Tower' argument Molly, though I > have a lot of direct feeling for what you say and would not be in > dispute with it. Foucault once addressed this via the notion of the > universal and concrete intellectual, but frankly that was flim-flam. > It is all too easy to end up in a kind of impotent rage. My own view > is that incompetence is the huge problem and I believe this is mostly > what we are teaching and encouraging. Academe is now something of a > dead-weight. What I see is the double-bind of agreeing what you say > and knowing the words are part of the problem. Indeed, we could > dismiss them as just another failed set of managerial words, but this > is to miss the potential. > > On 15 Dec, 18:00, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I think we are only politically impotent when we do not involve > > ourselves in politics in a way direct enough to allow our influence on > > the political matters that effect our lives. We are all presented > > with myriad opportunities to become directly involved with grass roots > > politics, and from there, our sphere of influence expands in direct > > relationship to our unifiying efforts. Staying in our ivory towers > > complaining about what we think is wrong in the world leads to > > impotence. Participation leads to empowerment. A reality check of > > our expectations may be in order. > > > On Dec 14, 5:43 am, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I think those of us that care will try Neil, and the othyers will just > > > carry on as normal. How do you make somebody care? I guess you > > > can't. > > > > On 11 Dec, 22:57, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > That seems to be the case Lee. I don't know how we beat it, just that > > > > we should try. Yet trying hurts because they are so smarmy. > > > > > On 11 Dec, 14:29, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Good question man. > > > > > > Voter apathy? Personaly I feel this impotentance myself. I can feel > > > > > the rage building every time I see one of the smarmy little sods on > > > > > TV, yep I mean politicians. > > > > > > What angers me the most is the aviodance of answering the question put > > > > > to you. Instead they take the question as an oppertunity to slag off > > > > > the opposition(okay I can expect a certian amount of this with a > > > > > general election due) or answer a question they really wish to answer, > > > > > but not the one asked. > > > > > > Why do I feel impotent? Because I know no matter which way I vote, > > > > > due to the ammount of people that just wont bother, and the ammount of > > > > > people that will vote not according to their conciounse, but in line > > > > > with what the media portrays, well I fear we'll have no more than a > > > > > repeat of what has been going on for as long as I can remember. > > > > > > People get fed up with fed up with the sleaze of present goverment as > > > > > portayed in the media, and just vote the opposition in, no matter who > > > > > that opposition is. Then perhaps 8, or 10, or 12 years later people > > > > > get pissed off with the sleaze of goverement and vote the opposition > > > > > in. Round and round we go again and again. > > > > > > On 11 Dec, 13:48, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Most people I've known anywhere in the world have had little time > > > > > > for > > > > > > politics. The basic reason given is that politicians feather their > > > > > > own nests. Fear and ingroup hatreds often lead to tribal or > > > > > > sectarian > > > > > > voting. Perhaps, underneath this, is that many just want to get on > > > > > > with their own lives - something most people see as harmless. Most > > > > > > people also feel their efforts would be useless a kind of impotence > > > > > > seems involved. I have never found it possible to vote for changes > > > > > > I > > > > > > really want, though I usually turn out at the ballot. Whips were > > > > > > originally slaves used to whip in recalcitrant citizens - a double > > > > > > shame of not carrying out civic duties and the mark of the slave's > > > > > > lash was involved. Before the Iraq war I protested on the streets, > > > > > > but could not find anyone to vote for who would definitely have kept > > > > > > us out of the war, though the Liberals, who I did vote for, remained > > > > > > against it in opposition. > > > > > > Our own MP should be deselected on the basis of his lack of help and > > > > > > nastiness over neighbour problems that were very severe, but in fact > > > > > > it's difficult to get heard anywhere. > > > > > > If we can believe global warming and related issues (to some extent > > > > > > we > > > > > > still cannot), the planet could only host 1.5 billion US-style > > > > > > consumers or 15 billion Rwandan ones. War is still everywhere > > > > > > (obviously subject to limits). Criminality, bent professions and > > > > > > dismal business practices all lead to a lack of personal security > > > > > > unless one conforms by exploiting one's intelligence or 'birth- > > > > > > rights'. The press remains largely self-interested and poodle. > > > > > > Education is increasingly about being successful gaining > > > > > > qualifications for business as usual. Even to protest can be simply > > > > > > to join another set of businesses doing little other than support > > > > > > lead > > > > > > protesters in that 'success' or to assuage conscience. My guess is > > > > > > that war escalation is not far away. > > > > > > Over the years, I've read most of the material on social change, > > > > > > pathologies in capitalism and the Sino-Soviet experiments, the great > > > > > > myths of democratic, liberal capitalism and a whole wad of quasi- > > > > > > philosophical organisation theories and social psychology - all of > > > > > > which seem doomed to failure as one reads them - they rest on an > > > > > > impossible dream of an educated, rational 'voting force' that can > > > > > > put > > > > > > its own interests aside under some form of a 'cloak of objectivity' > > > > > > (a > > > > > > term from Rawls). Many stress 'leadership', yet we know power tends > > > > > > to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I have been > > > > > > filled > > > > > > with Bildung from literature, myth and science, yet feel this is > > > > > > merely a burden in a moral climate that (unlike the planet) has > > > > > > remained frozen - not least because the Bildung itself is a path to > > > > > > 'success' as an erudite critic. It's almost like market > > > > > > segmentation, > > > > > > a matter of finding that section of the market in which one's views > > > > > > are saleable. > > > > > > I want a situation in which politics and government are largely > > > > > > unnecessary, yet I also want responsible population control and > > > > > > lives > > > > > > that are more about being than having, protection from bandits and > > > > > > anti-social scum, genuine representation for my interests and those > > > > > > of > > > > > > others on an individual basis so that big power, wealth and so on > > > > > > are > > > > > > on an equal footing - clearly, if I'm honest, I'm still interested > > > > > > in > > > > > > control. > > > > > > The planet probably sits back knowing (Lovelock) it can survive > > > > > > humanity and I can probably 'survive to death' in reasonable comfort > > > > > > until it's all over (fatalism). What's on offer is hardly a hill of > > > > > > beans. > > > > > > My own take on this situation is that the control and impotence are > > > > > > set in evolution, much in the way a wolf pack organises. What we > > > > > > have > > > > > > is forced on us to maintain a libidinal economy in which a few > > > > > > exploit > > > > > > the excess. There is merely a nagging glimmer of what else might > > > > > > be. > > > > > > Our politicians are mostly just cunning idiots and our media much > > > > > > the > > > > > > same. There is little we can do, unless we can work out why > > > > > > thinking > > > > > > of doing makes us scared, perhaps so scared we avoid standing up.- > > > > > > Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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