Tuesday, December 21, 2004

The Stupid and The Rich 6-8

6. Whores are found in all stations. The honest ones may be found in the street. The word so aptly describes so much, not to mention nicely rolls-off the tongue, that I find myself saying it more everyday. Why bother? Only the image matters.

7. Except for a direct creator, an ideological intellectual is an oxymoron. Justification is never intellectual achievement; rather the opposite! The worst offenders are parasites. These ideological jackals prefer to feed on corpses. Their ideals and thoughts are regurgitations of an age that never could (or should) exist. In the West, as religious influences, the impulse to seek paradise still remains.[3] The ideologist inhabits a fantasy realm where everything would be perfect as long as everyone thinks the same. Unity is narrow; its strongest impulses can result in genocide. Ideology is inherently reductionist. As a result, life is debased. The ideologist is not fully living. The world does not long tolerate the anti-natural. Ideology is the metaphorical equivalent of flying into the sun.

8. Only the insane or the stupid would want to be a leader in a technological society. Mass media and the internet ensure that leaders cannot easily do what leaders must do. Hence, real power prefers puppets. Of course, most people would not prefer the constant spotlight–they like to watch; do not aspire to be an historical figure–who wants to be reviled? Only a sociopath would consider the figurehead position as enviable. True power is best unseen. Questions do not focus away from the camera lens.

[3] Although, as we have witnessed, ideology is a mediocre substitute for religion. Religious fanaticism is not even comparable to pure and prolonged ideological fervor. Political revolutions always fail to maintain mass commitment beyond a few years. In a thousand years, present ideologies will be long forgotten, but religion will endure. Ideology is a mediocre substitute for religion.

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