Great post. I loved the panoramic overview of the problem. Too often articles get bogged down in detail.
For anyone like me who hadn't yet read the previous post, VB remained a mystery. I scanned up and down but couldn't find what the initials stood for. Only when I thought to refer back to a previous post did I find what it meant.
Spot on. Anyone who calls for violence to overthrow the current system without articulating a meaningful plan for what should follow is conjuring forces he or she cannot begin to fathom. Civil order is far more delicate than most realize, and vastly more difficult to restore once it collapses. History is full of evidence demonstrating that whatever system arises to restore order is, most times, far worse than the order that was destroyed.
One of the great ironies of our present troubles is that those who agitate for upending our present system are the ones who actually benefit the most from said system. I’m not wholly opposed to dismantling the current order, given how intrusive, exploitative, and tyrannical it is becoming. However, I would prefer this be done without bloodshed. I have seen no plan for how to accomplish such a goal without bloodshed, so I’m not inclined to subscribe to any of the proposals currently on the menu.
People such as you and I (and many other people of goodwill I know and have seen here and other platforms) must continue to wield the pen relentlessly to help others understand the stakes, and to help one another exhaust all possible avenues of reform so as to avoid the inevitable bloodbath the “revolutionaries” would unleash.
"One of the great ironies of our present troubles is that those who agitate for upending our present system are the ones who actually benefit the most from said system".
You're right, that is peculiar. Usually people are quite sensitive to things likely to benefit them. Either we are dealing with people who unlike the rest of humanity don't care about themselves, or they benefit in some way that is less obvious.
"I’m not wholly opposed to dismantling the current order, given how intrusive, exploitative, and tyrannical it is becoming".
The things you list are, I suspect, the bits of the present system the VB would like to keep. It's the nice, harmless, civilised, middle-class things that they want to dismantle.
Thanks for your response. Honestly, a significant portion of the explanation for why those benefiting are agitating for revolutionary changes is that most of them just aren’t that smart and lack critical thinking skills. As education has become more and more of a credentialing factory (and less intellectual inquiry and development) that system selects for those who are best at playing the game, not the best and the brightest. (Anecdotally at this point, we are beginning to see very smart students choose state schools over elite schools for this reason). Because the game is what many of these people are good at (and thinking for themselves is something they are not good at) they essentially LARP as revolutionaries, never comprehending what it is they would see changed, or having any coherent thoughts about what they would implement given the opportunity. Simply put, these people are morons with a credential. (Hollywood’s recent productions seem to confirm this).
The optimist in me sees in this opportunity. As more and more people recognize just how inept these people are the fewer and fewer who will care what they have to say. My favorite little tidbit to help wake people up to this reality is the fact that someone who gets paid extremely well and has access to the resources of Hollywood decided it was a good idea to remake Roadhouse. I’ve yet to meet anyone who can fathom how anyone thought this was a good idea. When I point out it’s because they’re all midwits, it clicks for them. Feel free to use this anecdote.
I realise it's a bit like the person who asked, 'The Beatles? Who are they?', but I've got to tell you, the movie 'Road House' means nothing to me. I therefore wouldn't be able to usefully use your anecdote.
It’s nothing like not knowing who the Beatles are. It was an unremarkable and ridiculous movie when it was originally released in the 80s. Whoever thought it was a good idea to remake it clearly lacks any creativity.
Fucking brilliant. I agree with every word. Thanks for this.
Great post. I loved the panoramic overview of the problem. Too often articles get bogged down in detail.
For anyone like me who hadn't yet read the previous post, VB remained a mystery. I scanned up and down but couldn't find what the initials stood for. Only when I thought to refer back to a previous post did I find what it meant.
Spot on. Anyone who calls for violence to overthrow the current system without articulating a meaningful plan for what should follow is conjuring forces he or she cannot begin to fathom. Civil order is far more delicate than most realize, and vastly more difficult to restore once it collapses. History is full of evidence demonstrating that whatever system arises to restore order is, most times, far worse than the order that was destroyed.
One of the great ironies of our present troubles is that those who agitate for upending our present system are the ones who actually benefit the most from said system. I’m not wholly opposed to dismantling the current order, given how intrusive, exploitative, and tyrannical it is becoming. However, I would prefer this be done without bloodshed. I have seen no plan for how to accomplish such a goal without bloodshed, so I’m not inclined to subscribe to any of the proposals currently on the menu.
People such as you and I (and many other people of goodwill I know and have seen here and other platforms) must continue to wield the pen relentlessly to help others understand the stakes, and to help one another exhaust all possible avenues of reform so as to avoid the inevitable bloodbath the “revolutionaries” would unleash.
"One of the great ironies of our present troubles is that those who agitate for upending our present system are the ones who actually benefit the most from said system".
You're right, that is peculiar. Usually people are quite sensitive to things likely to benefit them. Either we are dealing with people who unlike the rest of humanity don't care about themselves, or they benefit in some way that is less obvious.
"I’m not wholly opposed to dismantling the current order, given how intrusive, exploitative, and tyrannical it is becoming".
The things you list are, I suspect, the bits of the present system the VB would like to keep. It's the nice, harmless, civilised, middle-class things that they want to dismantle.
Thanks for your response. Honestly, a significant portion of the explanation for why those benefiting are agitating for revolutionary changes is that most of them just aren’t that smart and lack critical thinking skills. As education has become more and more of a credentialing factory (and less intellectual inquiry and development) that system selects for those who are best at playing the game, not the best and the brightest. (Anecdotally at this point, we are beginning to see very smart students choose state schools over elite schools for this reason). Because the game is what many of these people are good at (and thinking for themselves is something they are not good at) they essentially LARP as revolutionaries, never comprehending what it is they would see changed, or having any coherent thoughts about what they would implement given the opportunity. Simply put, these people are morons with a credential. (Hollywood’s recent productions seem to confirm this).
Yep, totally agree.
The optimist in me sees in this opportunity. As more and more people recognize just how inept these people are the fewer and fewer who will care what they have to say. My favorite little tidbit to help wake people up to this reality is the fact that someone who gets paid extremely well and has access to the resources of Hollywood decided it was a good idea to remake Roadhouse. I’ve yet to meet anyone who can fathom how anyone thought this was a good idea. When I point out it’s because they’re all midwits, it clicks for them. Feel free to use this anecdote.
I realise it's a bit like the person who asked, 'The Beatles? Who are they?', but I've got to tell you, the movie 'Road House' means nothing to me. I therefore wouldn't be able to usefully use your anecdote.
It’s nothing like not knowing who the Beatles are. It was an unremarkable and ridiculous movie when it was originally released in the 80s. Whoever thought it was a good idea to remake it clearly lacks any creativity.