Beautiful-and Deadly-Decadence

Webster sat at the desk and held his hands in front of him, staring at them. Hands that had skill, held knowledge. Hands that could save a life if he could get them to Mars. Hands that could save for the solar system, for mankind, for the Martians an idea-a new idea-that would advance them a hundred thousand years in the next two generations. But hands chained by a phobia that grew out of this quiet life. Decadence-a strangely beautiful-and deadly-decadence.

-Clifford D. Simak
City

Social Conditioning

Social conditioning fosters propaganda susceptibility. Any image must mirror the original for greatest acceptance. New notions or fads are required to overcome societal inertia and inevitable drag forces. Familiarity is the most efficient appeal as it will receive less critical attention, and may be unconsciously absorbed—but only if one has the resources to ensure media saturation (including bad press directed at the effort by its opponents). The herd will rally and defend its flags. Critical thought is not a herd virtue. Cosmetic window dressing and directed semantics are crucial elements in to achieving a successful saturation propaganda campaign. Short attention spans increase the likelihood. Ideally, the idea is regarded eternal. A seed of doubt may be planted to weaken both state and herd. Popular ideals can be vivisected in the same manner the opposition was refuted. Glass may prove more valuable whole than smashing it. Destruction can be satisfying. Decadent Morality smothers. You chose your values.

New God

The new God is not necessarily an improvement.

Systemic Mediocrity

Systemic mediocrity is a trap where nothing is real and everything is the same. Only the determined may overcome its perils. Nobody else has the stamina. The path of least resistance is to go along to get along. Money is made selling crutches.

Limits

Maximum Advantage represents limit upon thought and action. When every action must be justified by efficient gain, very little humanity remains in the process of decision making. Real choices disappear in favor of essentially predetermined response. Humanity is discarded; the culture becomes base and stagnated under general apathy. Society is poisoned by the cultural decadence "Decadence" spawned when the population, as a whole, becomes so disconnected that it no longer cares. Pointlessness rots the spirit all the quicker. Eventually, Things Fall Apart on their Own. Maximum Advantage can only be abandoned by letting go of intangibles. (Of what?)

Shortest Path

Business destroys nations through total reliance on efficiency.  The  race to the bottom always takes the shortest path.

Loyaly

Loyalty is inefficient.

Delusion & Self-deception

1. Delusion is an individual art, and a mass science.
2. Self-deception is an enabler.
3. The gap is bridged by social conditioning.

Self Knowledge

Self knowledge is a distraction.

Business

The business of business is total degradation.

Why the Outrage?

Why the outrage over something already known?

Fait Accompli

Control freaks can never accept anything as fait accompli.

Relative

Hatred is relative and therefore measured by extremes.

Demagogue

For a demagogue, alienation equates to extremism.

Say Stuff

The insecure, the stupid and politicians always seem to feel a need to "say stuff" for its own sake. Which one are you?