The time is right for major step forward -- how exactly it will play out I don't know. But the stage is set for renewal. The question remains, how many people will join together in a bold move forward to release our democracy from the firm grip of laissez-faire, no holds barred, capitalism. How many people understand that our democracy is being held hostage, that we don't have to live this way?
The revolution of the 60s was unique and the same elements are not in play today. We are, after all, the group who warned not to trust anyone over 30. While we created the conditions for change, we began the serious ageism that continues today. One of the reasons why McCain became intolerable as a candidate, is because at 72, he chose a successor who simply could not measure up. A combination of his age, and her experience caused a great number of people who might have voted republican, to turn away not just because of the cynicism that her candidacy uncovered, but because she proved to be an unlikely pick for the highest office. His age was blamed -- not just because he might not make it through the next four years, but as proof he was too old to govern. In any case, I have high hopes for the next administration. We have a wonderful teaching moment in front of us -- presented just this week- end. Millions to save jobs on Wall Street (Citibank employees) couched in terms of a "bank" too big to fail and whether Congress and this president will spend millions to save blue-collar workers in the auto industry. Will people realize that we're choosing white collar over blue and green collar jobs? Will they understand that the thieves who put us in this condition are the people who will walk away with bonuses for the year, while millions more will be standing in food lines because we don't have the money to save everyone? Will the arrogance of the manager class in the auto industry, wreck their unions and all the businesses surrounding the auto industry with a plan that no one will be able to abide? The managers in the auto industry are speaking for EVERYONE in the auto industry. Can we say with confidence that their their concerns are for the broader economy and the people who work for them? Are they the best spokespersons even for their industry (while at the same time they have plants in other countries prepared to compete with American workers?) These are the questions we have to ask ourselves? These are NOT the questions Americans are thinking about. The revolution is on hold -- we're all waiting to see what Obama will do and how he will measure up? Will his 6 month honeymoon take all of the fight out of the people who want to see him grab this moment and change the premises under which we've operated for the last 30 years. Can he, will he pick up where FDR and Johnson left off? We don't know. On Nov 23, 11:31 am, Morpheal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > OVER 30 YEARS OF RISING DESPOTISM IN AMERICA > > A good leader always strives to make it possible for others to exceed > the leader’s own self, to the maximum of their abilities. This is as > true in politics as it is in education. A good teacher always strives > to have the students excel beyond the teacher’s own abilities and > knowledge. > > This is the opposite of despotism. Despotism strives instead to > prevent anyone rising up and exceeding its leadership. Despotism is > often clever in its using isolated instances, examples, that appear to > excel, to evade criticism of what it is itself guilty of. That is the > obstructing of excellence. A very few are chosen and made into > examples, as if anyone can achieve the same, when in fact despotism > stops all others dead in their every effort. That tokenism obscures > the fact of despotism, and that despotism often remains undetected and > unchallenged. > > The dangers of despotism in leadership, particularly prevalent in > insecure leadership uncertain of itself, in any enterprise, in > politics, wherever leadership is necessary, are a continual threat to > real progress. It favors mediocrity, resignation to despair, and > defeatism. It uses the modern psychological tricks represented by > catch phrases such as “let it go”, “finish” with it, and “give it up” > as if that is the healthy choice. The very definition of health, > under despotism, changes from favoring exceptional accomplishment to > one favoring acceptance of defeat. The very meaning of realistic, and > in touch with reality, changes. Wisdom becomes the wisdom of not > trying to excel, and not trying to accomplish the exceptional, > nurturing only the idea that it cannot be done, and that it is foolish > to make the attempt. This becomes a socially engineered pattern, > prevailing in society, under despotism. Psychology, social > engineering, and medicine become the handmaidens of despotism. > > The human potential movement of the 1960s has largely perished, and > what remains of it has been radically, albeit negatively, transformed. > It has been constrained by despotism because it was a movement among > the scientists applying the new psychological and sociological > knowledge in a way that does not favor despotism. Despotism > annihilated that movement as readily as it annihilated most of > political activism and drove it completely underground. Even > demonstrations under a despotic regime differ in character and purpose > to those not constrained and manipulated by despotism, but again token > protests and demonstrations are certainly part of the smoke and > mirrors act that despotism so cleverly conceals itself behind. If you > know the history, and are old enough to remember it, or have studied > its largely discredited and banned writings, you know how it has > changed. Those remaining radicals and activists, who knew the 1960s > and early 1970s in America, know how it has changed and we must > resurrect their voices, wisdom, and experience. Those who knew the > human potential movement then, need to give voice to what happened to > that incredibly insightful and powerful force for positive change. > Those who knew the world of science and invention then, need to come > forward as to how that too has changed, because the changes were not > for the better. Despotism has prevailed in every area, and the truth > has fallen victim to that despotism. Cultural workers, artists, > playwrights, poets in particular, need to be heard as to what > despotism has done to them. > > There is nothing right, moral or true about having the power to make > others fail, to prove yourself right. That too is despotism. That is > as true in the cultural sphere, as it is in the political sphere, and > certainly in the economic sphere. Disguised as normal competition, > despotism remains more often undiscerned and unchallenged. Despotism > uses “competition”, redefining it across a span of time, for its own > purpose. When negative changes come across a longer span of time > people fail to notice, fail to respond, and tend to accept, often > failing to remember how it was. That failure is a tool of despotism. > That is why despotism also favors ageism. The memories, wisdom, > experiences, of elders are discredited in favor of youth. Despotism > triumphs when its handmaidens of psychology and social engineering > enforce ageist principles and destroy respect and consideration among > youth for those who have been in this world long enough to know the > difference between despotism and true human freedoms. Despotism > triumphs among naive ignorance, not among experienced wisdom, but it > knows how to silence and discredit that experience and wisdom. That is > part of its weaponry of attack. > > Creativity , innovation, invention, social, economic, cultural, > political, individual and particularly collective progress cannot > truly and genuinely thrive under despotism. Despotism divides and > conquers against collectivism enforcing a solipsist, narcisist, self > involvement as the primary focus of the individual’s cultural, and > socio-political existence. This is also promoted as a new standard of > health, and reflects in the cultural products and their means of > production, most strongly. Often the problem of money is interposed as > the rational for this phenomenon, but despotism knows how to decrease > the means, increase the cost and put a price tag on everything, to > prevent itself from being challenged by those who are trying to rise > up, and to achieve. Alone they have little, or at best much less, > chance. Collectivism is made too expensive. Cooperation is nearly > unheard of. Only those chosen as examples, as tokens, and having more > fiscal means, can buy that cooperation, and that too is part of the > illusion that despotism hides behind. In the 1960s and early 1970s > that was not how it was. There were far greater chances for > cooperation and collectivism as an alternative without a high price > imposed by despotism. Times have changed and despotism is counting its > triumphs against humanity. > > Despotism also does something else worthy of note. It is often first > to place an irrational idea, an unreasonable principle, that must be > unquestioningly upheld, above all else. It often attempts to vindicate > by a twisted, anxiety producing, highly conflicted, variant of > religion. Its illegitimacy in that regard is scarce questioned because > it requires immense expertise in order to discern the difference and > to challenge what is happening. Despotism uses the powerful concepts > of “spirituality”, “faith”, “belief”, “trust”, “grace”, “salvation”, > and “god” in new ways, for its own political purpose. Despotism would > have been considered the devil, but now it is a pretender to being god > and that blasphemy, if you are religiously minded gradually tends to > hold sway. Those concepts become the irrational justifications for all > manner of despotic oppression, and are increasingly accepted by many, > who lack the discernment. Again the expertise is coopted to being > handmaidens of despotism. Psychology, sociology, social engineering, > medicine, become coopted in support of the redefining of what we might > term the “spiritual” dimension of life. The despotic destruction of > other purposes, goals, achievements, attempts at succeeding, in any > sphere of life become subordinated to a false spirituality, a false > religion, which is made increasingly convincing of its “rightness”. > The very word “right” and “religion” become concatenated under > despotism. The ability to question effectively and to act outside of > that constraint of unquestioning irrational belief as a necessary, > sometimes made into a sufficient, condition for imposed mediocrity to > triumph, becomes completely destroyed under despotism. Even the > experts are silenced on that subject. They are neither promoted, nor > discussed openly. They are pushed down and ignored as being ignorant > themselves, as a result of despotism. > > I myself studied the world’s religions,.and its philosophies, eastern > and western, more than 25 years ago, and I know how it has changed. I > read the radicals, coming a little late, and having been a little too > young in the latter half of the 1960s, but I remember the atmosphere, > and what went on. I remember how things were done. I read the accounts > of others. I know the difference. > Later I witnessed the effects of the worsening Cold War, and the > parallel rise of despotism in America, spilling over its borders, and > changing my own country of Canada, and its socio-political > environment, affecting its differing ideals, manipulating its culture, > simply as the wake, the spillover wash, of an overwhelming flood of > American despotism. We can scarce recognize ourselves, across the > border from America, being so affected by its despotism. We watch the > changes in America across a span of more than 30 years in largely > silenced horror, and most have fallen victim to resigned despair and > socio-political, even cultural, impotency in consequence of the tidal > wave crossing the borders from America and spilling across the whole > world. How much worse the effects of its own despotism, on America > itself. We are the witnesses of that too. We, who have lived through > that time, experienced it, and who remember the difference. > > Despotism has also persisted in using its failed economics, more often > deliberately failed, also becoming a form of social engineering and > manipulation, in shock waves of brutal ups and down cyclical economic > apocalypses, timed to destroy progress, and beak it down, before > anything rises up and establishes against despotism. Tangling people > up in ceaseless and increasing economic struggle for existence > destroys their ability to achieve and destroys their ability to fight > despotism. Another weapon of despotism. I have seen the city destroyed > by repeated attacks from a despotic system, pursuing despotic ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World-thread" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/world-thread?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
