The Dying Days of Liberalism

Suggested reading: The Dying Days of Liberalism:How Orthodoxy, Professionalism, and Unresponsive Politics Finally Doomed a 19th-century Project

I think decadence is ultimately killing political liberalism.  However, social liberalism is still kicking, but its time will come.  It has become too reactive in terms of economics for anything else.  Economic insecurity is the bane of social justice.

At the same time, ravaged by the same decadence, social conservatism appears to be largely extinct.  Political conservatism is still a force, but will meet its final reckoning as well.  It's reactionary impulses cause it to ignore basic economic realities.  Economic insecurity is the bane of tradition.

Donald Trump, a thoroughly decadent public figure, embodies this overall downward trajectory.

Blowing Off Steam

From How to criticize the government on Chinese social media:

The blog Tea Leaf Nation has written about a fascinating Harvard study that shows what posts get censored in Chinese cyberspace and why. The blog post (and the study itself) are worth reading in full, but, briefly, the study postulates that while censorship attempts to obfuscate it also "exposes an extraordinarily rich source of information about the Chinese governmen's interests, intentions, and goals" (italics in the original), and that the government doesn't necessarily censor posts with "negative, even vitriolic criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies," but rather focuses on "comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content."

The second point especially seems to be a more nuanced understanding of Chinese censorship: someone blowing off steam is fine, even if it's "unambiguously against the state and its leaders," as long as it doesn't encourage destabilizing action.

The only difference is that in the US you are not censored; the police just plant evidence.  You can talk all the smack you want as long as it doesn't mean anything.

Leadership Is Dead

From Americans’ Confidence in Its Leaders Hits New Low:

The 2011 National Leadership Index indicates that Americans’ confidence in its leaders has hit new low points: the overall index has fallen from 101.4 in 2005 to 89.4 in this month’s survey, even below the 2008 level in the midst of the financial meltdown. (100 is the normative level of confidence.)

The index is highly reliable as it is based on interviews of 1,065 Americans and conducted by the Center for Public Leadership, headed by Professor David Gergen at Harvard Kennedy School. These results are very worrisome to me, as without trust and confidence in our leaders, America cannot recover the energy and optimism required to restore its domestic economy and global leadership.

The survey indicates that 77% of Americans believe the U.S. has a leadership crisis. Without better leaders, America will decline as a nation, according to 77% of those interviewed. Seventy-six percent disagree with the proposition that our country’s leaders are effective and do a good job.

Among leadership categories, military and medical leaders continue to top the list, scoring at 112 and 105, respectively. At the very bottom are Congressional and Wall Street leaders, with ratings of 73 and 71, both down sharply from the upper 90’s in 2005. Business leaders fare slightly better at 87, with the White House at 84.5 and media at 84.

Although the results are not unexpected (what the hell is wrong with the other 23%?!?), the editorializing about the results is the typical tripe one has grown accustomed to the last few years.  (It gets worse than the above quote.)  For one thing, the angst about the decline of America fails to take into account that supposed better "leaders" in the past, since World War II, ran the country into the ground by supporting the domination of the military-industrial complex, allowing infrastructure to decay, sent jobs overseas, debased public eduction, nurtured the financial system to become a blood-sucking parasite, etc.  The current crop of "leaders" is the end result, not the cause of these policies.  It also fails to ask the one question that cannot be answered: where are the supposed better "leaders" to be found?  The answer, of course, is that they do not exist.  The climate will not allow their development, and only a complete idiot would think otherwise.  Hence, anyone who is not a craven coward pining away for someone to come and tell them what to do, and has given it some thought, will conclude that people will need to do things for themselves.  This thought scares the weak and feeble minded.

One of the reasons the OWS movement is viewed with trepidation is its rejection of "leaders" and demands of "leaders".  This is an example of true cultural evolution, and should not be taken lightly as the inevitable backlash is authoritarianism.  Thankfully, there are no "leaders" who are in a position to take advantage of it, but, like any decadent instinct, it can still be destructive as it degenerates into nihilism.

Facts

If one is not entitled to one's own facts, then are we really free?

Grandstanding

Amongst the decadent, grandstanding passes for wisdom.

Periodic Maintenance

Absent periodic maintenance even the strongest link will fail.

Is Life Necessary

Is life necessary for the perception of time?

Does entropy happen?

Is entropy experienced?

Will a rock know itself?

Can concrete be abstract?

Discovery may abound, but do you really want to know?

Did you really think it would not be exploited?

Are the depths really worth the price?

Do all great things have a hollow core?

Sometimes a revolution is not worth the price?

Then again, what is?

Unity?  Please.

(I'll be moving and without internet for a time.)

Propaganda: On Decadence

On Decadence

i. Decadence is the exhibition of cultural and social decline. It may be considered a manifestation of disorder turned inward. As progress destroys the ordered life, decline is inevitable. The past is idealized and romanticized. Essentially, a symptom of increased isolation from the base physical world, decadence has many shapes and faces sometimes mistaken for something else. Rather than as an expression of apathy, a skilled propagandist may portray decadence as a sign of increased freedom and tolerance. The present social order is maintained at the expense of it culture. Once the decay sets, legitimacy is the next casualty. The idle need something to occupy their time. Mental pursuits simply fall short in a materialistic culture. The isolated feel a need to be part of something. Oppositional solidarity may be divided and conquered through enabling decadent pursuits. The spectacle becomes a need. Some would rather participate than spectate, but all are products.

ii. As long as vested interests profit, cultural decadence represents a safety valve. What happens when the party is over? No matter the effort, the organized opposition will never satisfactorily channel decadent energy. The walking dead do not answer serious questions. The decadent are mostly lost. Some are awaiting something new. One needs to pass the time. Opportunists note failure. Associations are easily exploited.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Seven.20

20. Degeneration is a social and cultural phenomenon that imprints itself upon psychological products. The environment may not affect and determine everything, but is likely the greatest contributing factor into primary psychological development. Yet at a certain point, the level of determinative effect diverges and ceases to correlate. A dying civilization does not mean death for everyone. Some will rise; others will sink as roles are inverted or suppressed. Albeit extremely harsh and cruel, in such times, social and cultural orders revert toward more natural directions. Civilizations rise as a counter weight, and the cycle continues.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.10.0

10. When everyone is a deviant, then no one is.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.24

The unthinking are fodder for state power, and therefore the bane of liberty. Their prominence is an indicator of degeneration. While denying the possibility of succession, the status quo marches toward its doom. Despite claims to the contrary, any system that promotes vapidity is wearing down. Passing over is no aberration. Corruption has its consequences.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.20

9r. In a stagnant environment, degenerated elites will begin to view chasms as peaks. Deliberate self-deception becomes common among those stake holders with the most to lose. If enough mass believes its civilization is worth defending, it will stand a far greater chance of survival. If few have vested interests, then upset will far more likely lead to irreversible chaos. Gravity always pulls down.