My house is on its 5th generation so as the saying goes, "one man's trash is another's treasure". There is a C-64 Mahjongg game that calms my spirit versus the PC version plus I just may tackle some of that adventure/quest software where I was cast out in the first few moves. I have tossed the 128 software as the hardware expired except for the faster disk drive. Anyway, I am a patient soul. :-) But not a very good bridge player...
On Feb 13, 9:38 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > The idea of replacing democracy with something else is interesting Vam > - but what would get to the heart of the ineducable demos problem > without a vile and elitist aristocracy (as I suspect we have now)? > You keep some junk rigsy! I play bridge on my PC. An autocrat, > methinks you ain't. They lack humour and irony. At some point Gabby > you have to be reflexive on whatever stings you to sting. Pretty much > anything is up for attack as tyranny, from chronic political > correctness to tolerance that tolerates everything. > > I suspect out current situation is defined by a moment in 1906 (ish) > when British, US, French, Russian and Japanese (built in UK) warships > were queuing up at China's door to put down the Boxer revolt (done > with extreme prejudice) and the Blue Book at the UK treasury listed > heroin profits with no shame. Imperialism has merely shifted to a > more US base, largely because the planned British, French and Russian > "invasion" to support the Confederacy in 1861 didn't get financed > (there were meetings in Berlin to divide the world). > > My own view takes the main issue as providing systems in which no one > lives in want. This is no simple matter and inevitably raises control > issues, including population control and wealth distribution control. > We have to do some conceptually with what we allow as bureaucracy and > how we think of freedom and power. Those granted control have to be > granted it in a manner that can be controlled by the rest of us. I > suspect that to get to the rub of any of this requires we understand > that this is a world of plenty ruined by much of what we currently > do. A key component would be for leaders to be more randomly selected > (from a qualified list) for temporary service and living ordinary > lives for most of their span - thus being of the society they help > create (Max Weber's 'iron cage of bureaucracy' helps a bit here as > something to avoid). > > A key behavioural component in need of debunking is 'identity > conflated with world-view' - broadly people being so dumb they don't > realise they have merely copied Idols rather than found > individuality. We mimic thinking we have actually found something > individual. This probably prevents us having a decently rational > fellowship. Religion is a bete noir here and yet a possible > solution. > > On Feb 13, 2:38 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > No- to your last question- but it's tough sledding to be an autocrat. > > I guess I am an independent conservative with senses of humor and > > despair. By the way, you were right about attempts to modernize > > Afghanistan in the 30's- which failed- so thank you. There was a good > > article in my 1958 Enclyclopaedia Britannica which led to my moving > > the furniture around in the den so I could get to the volumes along > > with Ridpath's history volumes and then- sit down- I lugged up the old > > Commodore 64 so I could play a bridge program, etc. having lost the > > art of finesse along the way. > > > On Feb 12, 11:04 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I don't believe in democracy as standardly dreamed up. The problem is > > > an idiot demos. But my contention is that I believe in the rights of > > > this demos more than most who claim to be democrats. Most situations > > > in everyday life contain no true democracy - work being the classic. > > > We rarely believe social groups can work without a chain of command. > > > > There are alternatives to "strong leadership" (which gives us goons > > > like Blair, Bush, Putin, hitler - etc. the list is almost endless) and > > > the farce of the current GOP list. The Dutch polder system is an > > > example. But we generally shy away from collective decision making as > > > too slow. > > > > Anti-democracy is built in to our systems. Think about our likely > > > collective reluctance to pay me 90% of our resources if we had a > > > business - yet we might not understand how those few doing such taking > > > in the general economy take in the same way from us through ideology > > > of the deserving rich. We would easily be able to vote against 'my > > > 90%' - but how do we vote against Apple's sweatshops and cash held > > > offshore? > > > > Are you a democrat?- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
