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Generational Dynamics World View - Printable Version +- Generational Theory Forum: The Fourth Turning Forum: A message board discussing generations and the Strauss Howe generational theory (http://generational-theory.com/forum) +-- Forum: Fourth Turning Forums (http://generational-theory.com/forum/forum-1.html) +--- Forum: Theories Of History (http://generational-theory.com/forum/forum-7.html) +--- Thread: Generational Dynamics World View (/thread-51.html) Pages:
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RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-05-2020 ** 03-Sep-2020 World View: Mental illness John, you said, Quote:> This man is certifiably crazy, and I really mean Cool Breeze" Wrote:> You should know from the Orthodox faith that what they suffer from The point I'm trying to make is that this has nothing to do with ideology or religion. Religion is about whether you go to church on Sunday. Ideology is about whether you support a 22 or 28 percent tax rate. So when you blame something on a man's ideology or religion, you're absolving him. Everyone's entitled to their own ideology, so you can't blame him for his ideology. Same with religion. Or, if the person's religion is some "enemy" religion, whether Christianity or Islam, then you can blame the actual religion, rather then the person. So the man is absolved either way. There is no ideology or religion that supports a man beating up his wife, or lynching a black, or destroying a city, or destroying a country, or committing genocide (unless you're at war). So these crimes have nothing to do with either ideology or religion. Every day I see the worst of human behavior. I don't write about it every day, but I see it every day. A politician destroying a city, country or population, or torturing someone for saying the wrong thing, or killing someone for no reason, and then defending it with the usual crap that comes out of the mouths of politicians. I've developed very strong negative feelings about the mental sickness of humans, to the extent that I sometimes question my own sanity. This is in the DNA, and is irrespective of religion or ideology. I do not agree that mental illness absolves someone of a crime. It's true that "insanity" is a defense for some crimes, but that just means that he's locked up in a mental institution instead of prison. So when the Nazis kill the Jews or when Maduro destroys Venezuela or when Lori Lightfoot destroys Chicao or Ted Wheeler destroys Portland, I'm not willing to attach a religion or ideology in any way, because every religion and ideology is the same. To me, it's a mental illness. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-05-2020 ** 05-Sep-2020 World View: King Solomon and Generational Dynamics (09-03-2020, 09:40 PM)beechnut79 Wrote: > Most of the traditional conservative mindset will tell you that Ah yes, Ecclesiastes, my favorite book of the Bible, and Turn, Turn, Turn, one of my favorite songs. King Solomon was the first Prophet to understand Generational Dynamics, and he reflected that understanding in his writings. "There is nothing new under the sun." The Byrds apparently understood as well. "To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven." RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-05-2020 (09-05-2020, 08:54 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: So when the Nazis kill the Jews or when Maduro destroys Venezuela or when Lori Lightfoot destroys Chicao or Ted Wheeler destroys Portland, I'm not willing to attach a religion or ideology in any way, because every religion and ideology is the same. To me, it's a mental From my perspective, an ideology is a more formalized version of values. Humans in their youth often create a shortcut way of understanding the world and pursuing particular goals. These are world views and values. Some of them have been formalized. If you call yourself a Republican or a Christian this should in theory be a suggestion as to how you understand things and what goals you pursue. Of course this is an approximation. There are often personal quirks or hidden goals. Everyone is different. But hopefully there is some correlation between a chosen ideology and how you perceive and solve problems. My own system which has been labeled here as ‘whig’ values democracy, equality, human rights and justice. In a given fourth turning, the side aligned with these whig values tends to triumph, and the opposite faction has its values suppressed. Man is a hunter gatherer. During the time he evolved, it was cost effective to suppress local tribes, to use violence to divide between us and them and suppress them to gain land and resources. It worked. In many ways in hunter gatherer, agricultural and even industrial times it was cost prudent. War is a racket. It was profitable to work oneself into xenophobia and with our without idealistic reasons justify sticking it to the other guy. I would argue that in a day of insurgent proxy wars and nukes, this mode of thought is turning sour. This does not prevent some people and some ideologies from embracing it. It is part of what we are. It is not whig. In every crisis the major problems confronting a culture are removed. They have moved for some time in the whig direction. Which makes the bad guy the one who is dividing people between us and them, oppressing them, and using violence and force to do this. Very human, but no longer cost effective. Now if you call yourself a Christian, you are theoretically in tune with whiggish values. You are supposed to love your neighbor, and the point of the Good Samaritan parable is that everybody should be your neighbor. If you are American, you are supposedly a whig too. All men are created equal. One strives for democracy, equality, human rights and justice. If you are an S&H fan you are theoretically a whig too. In any recent crisis, the winning side transforms the culture in such a way to advance democracy, equality, human rights and justice. But we are still humans. We are still fighting an urge to divide between us and them, favor us, suppress them, and use violence if necessary to do so. So when I see non violent protesters being attacked it dovetails. Violent racist police and militia groups think the racial oppression should continue and are willing to instigate violence to achieve that end. I get a feeling for how this 4T is going to go. I tend to agree that ideology does not absolve one. In a few cases it may make the difference between a prison and an asylum. That is not the problem here. The problem is how ideologies are often used to mask motivations. I can make a case that the good guys are those that bring together. The bad guys are those that divide between us and them and respond to them violently. Ideologies are too often used to justify oppression. One can join the armed forces, nurture xenophobia, and go forth and kill them. One can call minorities or women excessively ambitious when they work to make the good jobs match the population, but somehow the white males who have traditionally held these jobs are not ambitious? One can work yourself up about how you need to separate us and them and oppress, and somehow consider yourself a good Christian, a good Republican, a good American, a good fan of turning theory. Love thy neighbor. All men are created equal. The greatest problems confronting a culture are addressed in a 4T. You can create bad propaganda strawmen about people like Lori Lightfoot or Ted Wheeler. You can try to justify remaining privilege over minorities and females. You can continue trying to find excuses for the prejudice, violence and oppression. Ideologies are good for that. Ideologues do that sort of thing all the time. Love thy neighbor. All men are created equal. The greatest problems confronting a culture is addressed in a 4T. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Warren Dew - 09-05-2020 (08-28-2020, 08:42 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: So if you have any evidence of any kind of fascist violence by the Don't hold your breath. That's just an excuse the leftists use to try to salve their conscience when "Antifa" engages in the same kinds of things the brown shirts did in the 1930s. Nor is it just Fox News. The police are saying the Antifa murder in Portland was actually a targeted killing: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/09/arrest-warrant-against-michael-reinoehl-for-2nd-degree-murder-unlawful-use-of-a-firearm-unsealed.html Quote:"Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-described anti-fascist who provided security for Portland racial justice protests, appears to have targeted a participant in a pro-Trump rally, emerging from an alcove of a parking garage before firing two gunshots, one that hit the man’s bear spray can and the other that proved fatal, according to a police affidavit unsealed Friday." RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-05-2020 (09-05-2020, 12:29 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: Don't hold your breath. That's just an excuse the leftists use to try to salve their conscience when "Antifa" engages in the same kinds of things the brown shirts did in the 1930s. The brown shirts were anti fascists who would show up where fascists were apt to demonstrate to counter demonstrate and provide a opposition should the fascists prefer violence? News to me. But I guess ideologues will get original in their telling of history. This is a whopper. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-05-2020 *** 6-Sep-20 World View -- India scores tactical victory in Ladakh border conflict, causing fury in China This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
**** **** India scores tactical victory in Ladakh border conflict, causing fury in China **** ![]() Chinese cartoon blaming China-India conflict on incitement by the US (Global Times) Readers may recall that in June hostilities broke out between Chinese and Indian troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the unmarked boundary between the two countries. On June 15, Chinese forces ambushed Indian forces in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, using barbaric weapons consisting of bayonets, poles studded with steel nails, and wooden clubs wrapped with barbed wire, killing 20 unarmed Indian soldiers. ( "25-Jun-20 World View -- Both India and China reinforce armies in Ladakh, as China makes new claim" ) Now, almost three months later, there are still many unanswered questions about what happened on June 15, since neither side has issued a statement providing a full narrative. The Indians have said that 20 Indian soldiers were killed, but the Chinese have not even revealed how many Chinese soldiers were killed, leading to some speculation. Various reports indicate that 40-45 Chinese soldiers were killed, even though the Chinese were armed and the Indians were unarmed. Furthermore, according to some unconfirmed reports, the reason that the Chinese needed weapons and lost anyway is because Indian soldiers are taller and stronger than the Chinese soldiers, and so India soldiers defeat Chinese soldiers in hand to hand combat. If any of this is true, then it would be huge embarrassment for the Chinese military to admit it, and could lead to popular unrest and a desire for revenge in China, and so they won't even admit how many soldiers were killed. The Chinese and Indian military have been having peace talks, most recently at the ministerial level on Friday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers’ meeting, with the meeting lasting over two hours. The peace talks have not gone well, and they belie what's actually happening on the ground. What's happening on the ground is that Indians apparently scored a major tactical victory two days ago. Both China and India have been building up troops. But India last week executed a stealth night-time operation to claim strategic outposts. Thousands of soldiers climbed up mountain peaks for about six hours during the night to claim the vantage points along the south bank of Pangong Tso, a glacial lake under dispute. According to the Indians, this tactical move gives them the high ground and a clear view of enemy troop movements in disputed territory. According to Chinese state media: "India bears full responsibility for the current China-India border tensions and China's military is fully determined, capable and confident to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, expects the Indians to have to give up without a fight: <QUOTE>"By the end of September, winter will have arrived in the Ladakh region where temperatures could fall to minus 25 degrees, and India has deployed about 40,000 troops in the region. This is far beyond its logistics capability, and if the tension remained unresolved, the Indian military could see non-combat casualties."<END QUOTE> The conflict has spilled over into the economic area. India has limited Chinese investments, is tightening scrutiny on vasas, is blocking Huawei Technologies Co. out of 5G networks, and is banning numerous Chinese mobile phone apps. Some analysts are calling the current India-China relations in Ladakh the most dangerous in decades. Both sides are massing troops, and if it's really true that the Indian troops cannot tolerate the low winter temperatures, then they'll have to either strike or retreat. The winter months may bring a turning point. **** **** Comments by Chinese analysts in the media **** The Chinese communists have not admitted either their plans or intentions in their mass military buildup in Ladakh. However, Antara Ghosal Singh, a Chinese strategy expert at the Delhi Policy Group, has done an analysis of commentary by the Chinese strategic community on the situation. They all blame the Indians for the hostilities, and give various reasons for they think that the Indians are doing this. The following are some of the main points:
Many in China are fuming over India's tactical victory, and for its "audacity" to wave a Tibetan "Snow Mountan Lion Flag" at the confrontation site, the video of which went viral in the Chinese social media. Chinese social media space has been buzzing with calls for an "appropriate counterattack." Sources:
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KEYS: Generational Dynamics, China, India, Ladakh, Galwan Valley, Line of Actual Control, LAC, Pangong Tso, Hu Zhiyong, Antara Ghosal Singh Permanent web link to this article Receive daily World View columns by e-mail Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal John J. Xenakis 100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A Cambridge, MA 02142 Phone: 617-864-0010 E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-06-2020 ** 06-Sep-2020 World View: Brian Stelter and Fox News (08-28-2020, 08:42 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: > So if you have any evidence of any kind of fascist violence by the (09-05-2020, 12:29 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: > Don't hold your breath. That's just an excuse the leftists use to I specifically asked Butler to provide evidence of his accusations about the Boobaloo Bois, but he ignored that request. He provided no evidence but repeated the unsupported accusations. This is the way the left always works. I vaguely recall that Butler once referred to Brian Stelter as an "expert" at CNN. Stelter is a political hack. I used to watch him, but stopped during the 2016 political campaign, when Stelter started saying on his show that Trump was so bad that journalists had a duty not to be fair and balanced, but actually were required to lie and make things up, anything to get Trump defeated. This is what CNN and the others do every day. This was starkly obvious during the impeachment hearings. I've mentioned that I heard all the hearings, since I was sitting at home, working on my computer with the TV on. Every day, the witnesses would make some claim about Trump, and then the Republicans would cross-examine the witness, and the witness had to admit he had no evidence whatsoever, but was just doing as told by Adam Schiff. The worst was that it came out that one of the witnesses had been forced to lie because the Democrats threatened his family with violence unless he did as he was told. All this came out in the hearings under Republican cross-examination. But at the end of every day, the news report was that the witnesses gave "explosive testimony" that proved Trump's guilt, when in fact the opposite was true. This was a stark example of the mainstream media purposely lying, following Brian Stelter's dictum. My point is that the mainstream media has gone completely over to Brian Stelter's advice -- lie and make things up -- anything to defeat Donald Trump. It's an actual policy of lying, with Fox News being the only honest news channel. And the other point is that Bob Butler is also a Brian Stelter acolyte, and can't be trusted to say anything except lies and Adam Schiff - Nanci Pelosi talking points. (09-05-2020, 12:29 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: > Nor is it just Fox News. The police are saying the Antifa murder There's an interesting split going on. The mainstream media has been suppressing all the violence by antifa-blm fascist thug mobs. The one bright star of national news reporting is Fox News, which has been showing videos of the antifa-blm violence from the beginning, and is the only news channel where you can actually find out what's going on, which is why it typically has better ratings than all the others put together. But the split has to do with local news reporting. If the fascist antifa-blm thugs burn down a building or kill someone, then the local media have no choice but to report it whether they want to or not. So a media source like Oregon Live will really have to report on that the killing was an antifa-blm targeted killing, even if the mainstream national media will suppress those facts, following Stelter's policy. The news suppression situation is becoming very bad. Google particularly has gone totally over to the dark side. For example, if you do a search, it's almost impossible for Breitbart or any conservative voices to be displayed in the results. In my recent article on Microsoft, I explained how Google does this. They use AI algorithms based on rules written by their employees, and all their employees are far left-wingers. So the rules are hidden from the public, and the results can only be determined by data analysis. When Google was launched in 1998, its official slogan was "Don't be evil." It was a corporate principle that "you can make money without doing evil," and "Don't be evil" was part of the company's official code of conduct until Trump became president. But in 2018, Google mysteriously removed "Don't be evil" from its web site, and indeed the company has become totally evil, using its monopoly power to influence the election, to defeat the hated Tea Partiers and Trump supporters. Twitter and Facebook have the same policies, but it's much more difficult for them to implement. They'd like to take down all the tweets and posts of Trump supporters, but there's no way to do without it being noticed. Google's bias can be hidden, but Twitter and Facebook can't hide their bias so easily. As far as the broadcast media are concerned, they're all in lockstep, filtering the news, according to Brian Stelter's policy. They don't do any actual reporting, but just say whatever Adam Schiff and Nanci Pelosi tell them to say. This includes the BBC, which gets a great deal of money from the Democrats for broadcasting on NPR. The BBC are far left anyway, but even if they wanted to, they couldn't go against what Adam Schiff tells them to say anyway. The good news, for anyone who wants to know what's going on in the world, is Fox News, which is wiping out the mainstream media competition. People are increasingly sick and tired of the crap coming out of the mouths of the Bob Butlers and Brian Stelters of the world, and want to know what's really going on, which is why they're watching Fox News in increasing numbers, especially the evening lineup, with Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham focusing on the news that the mainstream media are suppressing. -- Boycotted. Criticized. But Fox News Leads the Pack in Prime Time. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/business/media/fox-news-ratings.html (NY Times, 9-Aug-2020) -- Fox News finishes August as most-watched primetime network, 'Hannity' has best month ever https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-august-ratings-most-watched-primetime (Fox News, 6-Sep-2020) RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-06-2020 (09-06-2020, 11:16 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote:(08-28-2020, 08:42 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: So if you have any evidence of any kind of fascist violence by the Boogaloo Bois that comes anywhere close to the massive multi-city fascist violence by antifa-blm, let me know. I'll take a look at it. I don't believe Boogaloo Bois are into fascist violence. Marxist violence, sort of. Both the BB and classic marxists believe the capitalistic democratic system is broken beyond repair by means short of violence and worked / work towards revolution / boogaloo. However, marxism has an elaborate ideology where I have seen no evidence of BB ideology beyond stating their beliefs. Many people consider the Boogaloo Bois right wing, but I consider them akin to marxists and thus maybe properly left. However, they are outside the usual red / blue divide. While the left - right language works well enough within the limits established under the assumption the system has not yet broken down beyond repair, it breaks down if you go beyond that point. I'm not sure the BB should be properly described as left or right. Classic fascists, on the other hand, were political parties which for a time competed in elections as a step towards power. They become the state, the establishment. There was a reason the Nazi and the Communists disliked each other. I don't blame them, really. I don't much care for Nazi or Communists either. But the two are quite different, as the BB are quite different. I am not particular an expert on your redefinition of fascist. It seems that 'fascist violence' is any violence you don't care for. You use 'fascist' like another cuss word, a sign of something dirty you don't care for. No real political meaning at all. That being said, you might look over this bit from the Department of Justice. The DOJ Wrote:“This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend,’” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the National Security Division. “As alleged in the complaint, these defendants sought to use violence against the police, other government officials and government property as part of their desire to overthrow the government. While planning these activities, the defendants met individuals whom they believed to be members of the foreign terrorist group Hamas. Thinking that they shared the same desire to harm the United States, they sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories, to Hamas. They failed. No matter what witch’s brew of ideological motivations inspire those who seek to engage in terrorist activity and harm our country and our fellow citizens, the National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding them accountable. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this case and ensuring that these defendants could not carry out their deadly plans.” This is quite consistent with my understanding of the Boogaloo Bois, willing to use violence to overthrow the government, a desire to start the boogaloo, a specific case where they worked with traditional foreign enemies to achieve that end. To some extent both they and Antifa have reasons not to proclaim their motivations openly. Both use violence. Both have run afoul of common terms of use of social media. Both have reasons to try to hide their immediate plans from law enforcement. (The above DoJ quote clearly illustrates why. If you do not keep your plans to yourself, there is a good chance the plans will fall into the hands of a government informer.) What one believes is not necessarily what everyone believes within such organizations. Individual groups can vary widely. For example, the above example shows two members of a militia movement got arrested as armed felons. They represent many Trump supporters traveling to black neighborhoods to provoke and commit violence. While they call themselves militia, and as they are adult males of military age they actually are part of the militia, their beliefs are not that of all others who call themselves militia. (Edit: Or maybe not. As felons unable to legally carry arms, they may not be welcome as members of the true militia as defined by the US Code.). This does not mean all Trump supporters or 'militia' members are members of the Boogaloo Bois. I would not expect a Trump supporter to want to start a boogaloo against Trump. Is the DoJ going to arrest all males of military age as a result of those two men? I kind of doubt it. You can't assume the motives and actions of one group applies to a wide groups of others. (09-06-2020, 11:16 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: I vaguely recall that Butler once referred to Brian Stelter as an "expert" at CNN. I haven't made a study of Brian Stelter in particular. I have no desire to review particular journalists. I will comment on the 'how they all think' extended to 'how they all act' characterization you use. That is common for an ideologue. Smear them wholesale. If you cannot deal well with their real and oft stated motivations, make something up that makes them look bad. Me, if their real and oft stated motivations are more believable than the ideologues lies, I'll go with the stated motivations, especially if they are consistent with their actions. You have proven yourself so poor at understanding motivations that I have no reason to take any motivation you claim seriously. No one who lives outside your bubble will. You are not taken seriously for a reason. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - pbrower2a - 09-07-2020 (09-05-2020, 08:54 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 03-Sep-2020 World View: Mental illness In the last twenty years two former clergy have been executed in the United States due to crimes associated with their beliefs. Paul Jennings Hill, a former Presbyterian minister, murdered an abortion provider in the alleged defense of unborn children was executed in Florida. Another, Jeffrey Lundgren, a self-proclaimed Mormon pastor (the well-recognized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does not recognize splinter group and especially not him, was executed in Ohio for killing some dissidents in his weird cult Action in accordance with an interpretation of one's religious beliefs is not excusable in American law, especially if it results in murder.Anyone who kills in the name of his religion violates the tenets of his religion. Before someone brings up the Israeli government executing Adolf Eichmann, Eichmann was executed for homicidal crimes against Humanity, and that is no different from the Soviet Union killing Nazi perpetrators of mass murder during World War II. Quote:Every day I see the worst of human behavior. I don't write about it Normal politicians -- or tyrants? I am well aware of the absurd things that people say in defense of a sick cause. It is not enough to believe that one serves a noble end, like winning heretics to Jesus, 'building (Marxist-Leninist) socialism', or 'freeing' the world from the Jewish 'plague'. I am fully satisfied that the Nazis generally thought (at times after going through mental contortions to convince themselves) that by exterminating the Jews they were doing a great service to Humanity. I remember reading an article in a history magazine that made clear that slave-owning planters saw themselves as benefactors to "their people" (in a literally-possessive sense, as if the slaves were property in the sense that a wagon is). Quote:I do not agree that mental illness absolves someone of a crime. It's In practice, insanity defenses rarely work. Mental insufficiency might work as a mitigating factor with someone certifiably below the standard suited for a determination of mental inadequacy. This said, political leaders rarely have IQ's below 80. Insanity as a defense typically implies that one has no ability to discern reality because one cannot conform to rational norms. Even though being drunk or on psycho-active drugs may create some form of psychosis... well, one chose to get drunk or stoned, so that takes away any exculpation. Irresistible urge? One must then get oneself away from the possibility of doing something horrible, as in getting away from the person against whom one has an irresistible urge to do great bodily harm. This said, the world has had horrible leaders who showed serious signs of mental illness. Perhaps some of them become crazy while rulers. Maintaining sanity when being in charge of a political apparatus that includes law enforcement, the military, and foreign policy... and the dominant or exclusive Party as well might cause someone who might be kept from doing monstrous things if not wielding absolute power. It is arguable that democracy ordinarily does far better by weeding out abnormal people following any failure at any level of politics, including the failure to maintain a solid grip on reality. Erratic behavior in public office or while running for public office is one way to prove that one is unfit not only for the role that one has (let us say Senator Joseph R. McCarthy or Sarah Palin). History has shown plenty of examples of people who did not rise through the ranks as a leader who subsequently showed themselves unfit for high office once they got there. Ideally one gets to be President or Prime Minister after starting as a city councilman or county commissioner, then perhaps small-town mayor or some elected official (let us say alderman) in a larger city, followed by State Representative, State Senator, US Representative, US Senator/big-city mayor/State governor before going for the Big One. Occasionally we get someone who short-circuits that career path and gets elected after being a superb general (Dwight Eisenhower) who shows little sign of a desire to shake things up, and we get away with it. Donald Trump won people over on his alleged expertise in running a business. Still he had no voting record and no record of public statements. We know him all too well, but perhaps too late. Getting into high power by being born a price and being elevated King, Caesar, Tsar, or Sultan is no guarantee of competence or sanity. Thus Nero, Caligula, Commodus, Ivan the Terrible, Henry VIII, and Wilhelm II. (Almost as bad is being weak-willed enough to fall under the influence of others due to poor judgment, as with Henry Pu-Yi). We have seen plenty of cases in which one Royal waged war against another for some slight that mattered only to the Royal offended. See also the two emperors-in-all-but-name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a self-description of a monstrous regime misnamed terribly except for locating itself in at least a part of Korea. But Kim il-Sung fits in a different category. Achieving power, even if nominally dictatorial, through connivance with a foreign power (most infamously the arch-traitor Vidkun Quisling) almost invariably ends badly. I would be suspicious of any leader who created his reputation first as a sports hero, actor, physician, writer, or businessman without having ever showed himself as suitable for public office. That makes a huge difference between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. See also Silvio Berlusconi. Then come those who seize power in a coup (they owe nothing to anyone and give only to the rich-and-powerful). Josip Broz Tito, Agosto Pinochet and Idi Amurderin' seized power much the same way if with very different results but having murderous secret police to enforce their will. The worst are often Party Bosses who are heads of a party that stages a coup or makes a sordid deal to get power: Lenin, Mussolini, Stalin, Rakosi, Bierut, Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro, and of course Kim il-Sung. Quote:So when the Nazis kill the Jews or when Maduro destroys Venezuela or I do not deny that Maduro is a nasty dictator, and I would welcome his departure from office in Venezuela so that the country could rediscover democracy.. As for Mayors Wheeler and Lightfoot, mayors in America are not subordinates of the President. There is no prerogative for the President of the United States to take over a city whose leadership runs afoul of him or his Party. We have a federal system, and that ensures that there will be safe havens for dissidents. That's federalism and it allows some local responsibility. If things go really bad for the local authorities, then they can turn to State and in turn Federal authorities to solve some problems that overwhelm the resources of the local pols, as after a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or volcanic eruption. Oddly, we have not had a former big-city mayor become President for a very long time. They Mayor of Los Angeles is responsible to far more people than the Governor of a small State (Bill Clinton, Arkansas). I need say little more about Donald Trump. You well know what I think of him. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-07-2020 (09-05-2020, 08:54 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: So when the Nazis kill the Jews or when Maduro destroys Venezuela or when Lori Lightfoot destroys Chicao or Ted Wheeler destroys Portland I'm not willing to attach a religion or ideology in any way, because every religion and ideology is the same. To me, it's a mental Where as I have every human having pretty unique set of worldview and values, while some such sets have been formalized into ideologies. You can call yourself Nazi, Christian, Republican or many other things. Often the ideology you proclaim does reflect what you see and what your goals are. It may be that if you are a Nazi, you actually do want living space and to kill Jews. It may be you are truly Christian and will love others as yourself. It could be you are Republican and are for huge division of wealth and using violence against people who are different. You are correct, having an ideology does not make you immune from judgement. Some worldviews, values and ideologies are contemptible. You are wrong and fail to understand that many humans do have worldviews, values and ideologies. You are just closing your eyes to the way things are. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-07-2020 ** 07-Sep-2020 World View: Violent outcomes (09-07-2020, 03:38 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: > It may be that if you are a Nazi, you actually do want living My point is that they all want the violent outcomes. The Nazis want to kill the hated Jews,and Lori Lightfoot and Ted Wheeler and Bill deBlasio want to see the homes and businesses of the hated Tea Partiers and Trump supporters destroyed. De Blasio, in particular, appears to me to be certifiably insane. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-08-2020 (09-07-2020, 09:58 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote:(09-07-2020, 03:38 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: It may be that if you are a Nazi, you actually do want living space and to kill Jews. I wouldn't say all. At a high level, you can see the difference. You can see the old hunter gatherer approach. Divide us and them, vilify them, and use violence to keep them in their place. Then there is the Information Age approach. Unify, allow non violent expression of the will of the people, and use legislation to implement what the people want. Some ideologies are using the divisive approach. Trump is using a divisive approach. Minorities are them. You send escalating troops into black controlled areas to instigate violence. Trump supporters go in and instigate violence. The Boogaloo Bois are also attempting to start provoking violence. The racist violent cops use violence to keep minorities oppressed. I see this as much akin the the Nazi of the last crisis. You use violence to acquire living space while oppressing or killing the Jew or the Slav. The level of violence is different, and it is the blacks and Latinos that are the oppressed minorities, but it is much the same. The difference is between gas chambers full of minorities as opposed to one minority at a time, face to the asphalt, and a knee to the neck. Biden and most blues are attempting to resolve the differences using non violence. Biden has explicitly denounced the violence, as have most blues. Now, the ideological difference between reds and blues is not universal. There are individual variations. On the whole. though, the blues would prefer the demonstrate and legislate approach. the reds the divide and use violence approach. Continued violence, oppression, destruction. Now I am not one to say the last crisis is just like this one. Hitler is not Trump or vice versa. It is not difficult to tell the difference between the Nazi of the last crisis and the Republicans of today. But on the bottom line, the bad guys, the Nazi and the Republicans, are provoking violence and advocating racism. I would include the Trump's federal secret police, the Trump 'militia' supporters going into neighborhoods with paint ball guns and real guns, and the racist cops murdering people on whim due to skin pigmentation. The Boogaloo Bois attempting to start their boogaloo also are bad guys seeking division and violence, but they are not acting out of similar motives. The two arrested men calling themselves both Boogaloo Bois and militia do not quite bring the two violent factions seeking a violent resolution together. The good guys at least today are bringing together and seeking to resolve things through legislation. This step doesn't seem to be advancing pending control of the senate and White House. Most try to save violence as a last resort. I'm not sure four more years of Trump would encourage patience by those trying to avoid violence. Last resorts are known to become the remaining resort. But we'll wait on the November election and the Trump reaction before guessing what will happen. It is a little early to count chickens or to guess which of Trump's options he will take, though not too early to consider what steps might become necessary. So, where do you stand on this? Do you support continued racist violence and division as the Nazi did? You seem to be coming down on the hunter gatherer rather than Information Age side and determined not to understand the motives of the good guys. I suppose that is necessary if you are going to be a bad guy determined to advocate division, racism, oppression, violence. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-08-2020 ** 08-Sep-2020 World View: China's plans for war DaKardii Wrote:> Two articles on China that are MUST-reads: These articles are several years old, and that's important because they show low long China has been actively preparing for war. Guest Wrote:> Gordon Chang said on a TV interview on FOX that China is planning It's certainly possible. In just the last 24 hours:
This doesn't necessarily mean war next week, but it could mean war next year. China is known to favor Biden over Trump in the election, and so, either way, the election may be some sort of trigger point for the Chinese. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - pbrower2a - 09-08-2020 (09-08-2020, 03:07 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:(09-07-2020, 09:58 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote:(09-07-2020, 03:38 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: It may be that if you are a Nazi, you actually do want living space and to kill Jews. There were some brilliant, wise figures in the Agricultural Age and the early industrial age who chose to tolerate non-violent expressions of dissent and allow the political system to bend without breaking. It is telling that the American system was founded a few decades before the Industrial Revolution took off in America. Cause and effect are not obvious. Quote:Some ideologies are using the divisive approach. Trump is using a divisive approach. Minorities are them. You send escalating troops into black controlled areas to instigate violence. Trump supporters go in and instigate violence. The Boogaloo Bois are also attempting to start provoking violence. The racist violent cops use violence to keep minorities oppressed. I see this as much akin the the Nazi of the last crisis. You use violence to acquire living space while oppressing or killing the Jew or the Slav. The level of violence is different, and it is the blacks and Latinos that are the oppressed minorities, but it is much the same. The difference is between gas chambers full of minorities as opposed to one minority at a time, face to the asphalt, and a knee to the neck. If there is one reliable lesson from totalitarian movements it is not so much the ideological content but instead the warning "You're next!" Any degradation of human rights for one set of pariahs is a warning to everyone else. Nobility, then people of faith, then kulaks, then people with subtle differences from Stalin on policy. Violent crime is where the demonization rightly stops. I see nothing particularly avant-garde about America's successful minorities in values or culture except as contributions to the mainstream. No identifiable ethnic or religious group offers 'cultural Bolshevism'; they all have very different traditions that each consider equally valid. Quote:Biden and most blues are attempting to resolve the differences using non violence. Biden has explicitly denounced the violence, as have most blues. Now, the ideological difference between reds and blues is not universal. There are individual variations. On the whole. though, the blues would prefer the demonstrate and legislate approach. the reds the divide and use violence approach. Continued violence, oppression, destruction. ...and the ultimate futility of violence and criminality. The only defense from the eyes of a camcorder from exposure for wrongdoing is to avoid wrongdoing. Quote:Now I am not one to say the last crisis is just like this one. Hitler is not Trump or vice versa. It is not difficult to tell the difference between the Nazi of the last crisis and the Republicans of today. But on the bottom line, the bad guys, the Nazi and the Republicans, are provoking violence and advocating racism. I would include the Trump's federal secret police, the Trump 'militia' supporters going into neighborhoods with paint ball guns and real guns, and the racist cops murdering people on whim due to skin pigmentation. The Boogaloo Bois attempting to start their boogaloo also are bad guys seeking division and violence, but they are not acting out of similar motives. The two arrested men calling themselves both Boogaloo Bois and militia do not quite bring the two violent factions seeking a violent resolution together. Hitler seized absolute power in Germany because of a terribly-flawed political system, one that created a vacuum in the absence of the Kaiser. In 1918 the Kaiser fled and the Weimar Republic formed without any change in structure except to declare that there was no longer a Kaiser. Germany had been a federation of kingdoms. Maybe had it not been for the vindictive treatment of the German Republic (hey, democrats everywhere -- the Weimar Republic was no more militaristic than your victorious societies!) but everyone kissing up to the Antichrist incarnate once he asserted an aggressive nationalism there might have been no rise of Hitler. Maybe had the strong right-wing German Nationalist Party morphed into a responsible conservative party instead of becoming fascism-lite there might have been solutions other than to give some slimeball the power that the Kaiser had and then some. America is not Weimar Germany, but I see the Republican Party acting irresponsibly, perhaps with a dissident wing recognizing that Donald Trump is an unmitigated disaster as a leader as well as a person. Note well, though, that Donald Trump exploited the irresponsible tendencies in the Right that many of us thought entirely of the past, like racism and religious bigotry and the tendency (not exclusive to the Right) to hold that rational thought is something to abandon should rationality become inconvenient. Quote:The good guys at least today are bringing together and seeking to resolve things through legislation. This step doesn't seem to be advancing pending control of the senate and White House. Most try to save violence as a last resort. I'm not sure four more years of Trump would encourage patience by those trying to avoid violence. Last resorts are known to become the remaining resort. But we'll wait on the November election and the Trump reaction before guessing what will happen. It is a little early to count chickens or to guess which of Trump's options he will take, though not too early to consider what steps might become necessary.[/quote] And such is essential for a successful resolution of much that has careened into a fraudulent dichotomy of anarchy and despotism. Trump gave us the whirlwind. We must divest ourselves of him the old-fashioned way, which means in a free election. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-08-2020 ** 08-Sep-2020 World View: Excusing violence (09-08-2020, 03:07 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: > So, where do you stand on this? Do you support continued racist What are you talking about? If you think that I support racist violence and division, then you are really screwed up. You support and condone fascist antifa-blm thug violence, and you seem to have applied some screwed up logic to conclude that therefore I support and condone violence. No, I do not support racist violence and division, and neither does Donald Trump or William Barr or any Republican that I've heard. I "stand against" such violence. Period. You still haven't found any reports of violence by the Boogaloo Bois, but if you did, then I would condemn it thoroughly, and the DOJ would have the perpetrators in jail right away. In fact, I believe that the DOJ has arrested hundreds of antifa-blm thugs in the last couple of weeks for committing federal crimes. All you've done with the Boogaloo Bois is point to a report that they're advocating violent overthrow of the government. "Advocating" is not the same as violence. Nutjobs like AOC, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris are all advocating revolutionary violence. According to your criteria, then all these Democrats are all terrorists, white supremacists, black supremacists, fascists, and so forth. There's a very good reason why all the violence is occurring in cities run by Democrats. It's because Democrats are encouraging and excusing it. It's because Democrats are saying: commit any crime you want, and you won't be prosecuted. Commit any crime you want, and we'll call it a summer of love. And if you do get arrested, we'll make sure you're out on the street right away. So go ahead and burn down some buildings, or have fun and rape some girls, or kill someone you don't like. Boys will be boys. But that kind of stuff doesn't happen in cities run by Republicans (and, indeed, in most cities run by Democrats). That's because people committing crimes in those cities are thrown in jail. So you approve of, forgive, excuse and condone widespread violence by fascist antifa-blm thugs. That does not mean that I approve of, forgive, excuse or condone violence by any right-wing groups. Nor does it mean that Donald Trump or William Barr approve, forgive, excuse or condone violence by any right-wing groups. If you believe otherwise, then you're totally delusional. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-09-2020 (09-08-2020, 10:31 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote:(09-08-2020, 03:07 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: So, where do you stand on this? Do you support continued racist violence and division as the Nazi did? In the last week or so, the great revelation among many media has been how Trump lacks military values. Roughy, these are honor, duty, sacrifice and loyalty to the country. They are not just weak in Trump, they are missing. He cannot understand or value an argument based on these values. They elude him. They seem stupid. Trump assumes those holding military values are idiots. To some degree values are taught. If you believe Mary Trump, Trump's father just did not have these values, and thus did not teach them to the Donald. Trump could fake them. He could visit cemeteries a lot, salute snappily when leaving Marine One, etc…. But it is a little late for him to really absorb them. His spine will not automatically straighten at the sight of the flag. His hair will not stand on end when he sees a disabled veteran who has made a visible sacrifice. There is just a hole where the military values should be. They simply do not exist. This is a flaw in a Republican politician. Oh, Democrats too. While it is a point of honor not to show too much partisanship in uniform, and while the Republicans since Mao won have been the strong on defense party, there are people both red and blue that consider the military values important to have. But if they are not taught in your youth, they can be missing. If your family does not have a strong tradition of service, these values may be weaker, still there, but not as strong as among, say, the McCain family. Now I have been into what I call the arrow of progress. This centers on another set of values: democracy, human rights, equality and justice. I associate these with the enlightenment. I will note that since the enlightenment the new values will generally triumph come the 4T heart. But like the military values, they have to be taught. They can be missing. Many consider them necessary and appropriate, especially among the New England roundhead culture, those that live in the City on a Hill. If these values are missing, the person who has a hole where the values ought to be might be considered flawed. The family that doesn’t teach them to one’s children lacks something critical. What happens if you try to turn them around? What is the arrow of stagnation? If the roundhead culture triumphs in the 4T, how would one follow an arrow pointing to the failed culture which is abandoned in the crisis and stomped on in the high? Well, the opposite of favoring democracy is leaning towards autocracy. If you have a bunch of autocratic friends, want to become dictator for life too, and try to bypass the constitution’s checks and balances, that would be a clue. The opposites of the other three - human rights, equality, and justice - seem to have a shared opposite in racism. People of a different skin pigmentation are not valued as highly. There is a separate justice system which oppresses minorities. Minorities endure violence and harsh treatment. Wealth is steered to a handful of people. Women are marginalized, treated as objects. Authoritarianism and racism are values too. Like the military values, you have to be carefully taught* the cavalier values. You can be taught that America has always been for a white protestants. Boys will always be boys. The violence is always going to happen. Racism and elitism can be taught as values to the exclusion of democracy, human rights, equality and justice. The way things have always been is the way they will always be. If you are a true Christian, and love thy neighbor, and you understand that the parable of the good Samaritan indicates everyone equally is your neighbor, your values are likely compatible with the arrow of progress. If you are an American, and your spine goes straight when you hear the words ‘all men are created equal’, and you understand all men should include minorities and women too, your values are apt to line up with the arrow of progress. And I seem to be facing the opposite here. I am attempting to debate someone who just cannot comprehend the arrow of progress values. There is nothing there. Any argument that relies on those values will not only be disregarded. There is a hole were they ought to be. There will be a total inability to comprehend what I am talking about. If I hold highly these values I am considered stupid, an idiot. If you are ideologically blind, if you have ideological lack of certain values, you become unable to comprehend someone who holds these values. On Earth Two, America was created of, by and for white protestants. The other races and religions are not equal. Things being otherwise is incomprehensible. Any argument that involves the arrow of progress values puts an intolerable stress on the Earth Two brain. The holder is unable to comprehend an argument based on those values. I will address the various groups advocating violence in a separate post, but there seems to be enough ground covered for the moment. * Gee. And I have already invoked Happy Talk from the same musical. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Warren Dew - 09-10-2020 (09-09-2020, 12:38 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: In the last week or so, the great revelation among many media has been how Trump lacks military values. It's hilarious that journalists that have no clue about anything military have managed to come up with a theory about it. Naturally, they have come up with a truly hare brained theory. Here's a excellent article about Trump and military values, written by an actual veteran rather than a clueless journalist: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-came-dover-after-my-wife-was-killed-fighting-isis-ncna1239425 Contrast that with Obama's willingness to throw away military lives for policies driven by political correctness. I'm sure you'll manage to be in denial about the whole thing, though. You probably won't even bother to read the link. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - Bob Butler 54 - 09-10-2020 (09-10-2020, 02:16 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:(09-09-2020, 12:38 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: In the last week or so, the great revelation among many media has been how Trump lacks military values. It is one family member's opinion of a single incident. You can't call the opinion unanimous. You have found one dissenter. You have hardly swung the general reporting. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-10-2020 ** 10-Sep-2020 World View: Vietnam book Tom Mazanec" Wrote:> Why did you pick Vietnam? I would be interested in nations that As I've mentioned in the past, there is a company that's interested in investing in Vietnam and who are giving me a small amount of money to write this book. It's a book on Vietnam in the same style as my books on Iran and China. Assuming that I have time to finish, it will be very, very nice to add one more book to my "Generational Theory Book Series." Vietnam is much harder to figure out and write about than either Iran or China because there's no unique Vietnamese culture. Instead, Vietnam is an amalgam of various warring cultures originating from China and India. One example of how crazymaking it is to write about Vietnam is the number of names that historians have for the country: Van Lang, Au Lac, Nam Viet, Giao-Chi, Giao-Chau, Van Xuan, Dai Co Viet, Dai Viet, Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina, Viet Nam, Vietnam, and others. I'm working from about 250 sources that I've collected, many of them entire books, and you wouldn't recognize the same country from one source to the next. They all use different names for Vietnam. Like many countries in southeast Asia, Vietnam is totally unable to govern itself. Its population has 54 ethnic groups that mostly hate each other, many of whom would be only too happy to see some or all of the others exterminated, if that were possible. You say that Vietnam isn't important, but the opposite is true. Because of its powerful geographic position, Vietnam is the guardian of the South China Sea, and has been for millennia. Vietnam is China's enemy, and is allied with India and Russia. It's quite possible that there will soon be a "Naval Battle of the South China Sea," and Vietnam will play a very important part in that. So we may not be expecting a war with Vietnam as an enemy, but we may be in a war with Vietnam as a very important ally. There's also a very interesting bit of history relevant to today. In the late 1700s, a group of rebels engineered a coup and set up a Marxist Socialist society -- decades before Marx was born. Every attempt at Socialism is always an economic disaster, and this was no exception. They stole from the landowners and soon ran out of other people's money, so they linked up with Chinese pirates who attacked Chinese commercial vessels. They gave the pirates safe harbor in Vietnamese ports, and markets to sell their booty. In short, for 30 years, they constructed a plunder-based political economy that relied largely on Chinese pirates for military and financial support. That's similar to what Bernie Sanders et al want to do today. RE: Generational Dynamics World View - John J. Xenakis - 09-10-2020 ** 10-Sep-2020 World View: China and Taiwan Guest Wrote:> Chinese fighter jets buzz Taiwan for a second day as tensions rise It was not so long ago that the official CCP position was that the status quo should be maintained, and sooner or later the Taiwan people would want to become part of China, because China is so wonderful. The model, according to this fantasy, was Hong Kong and the "one nation, two systems" arrangement. That's now completely out the window. No one seriously believes that the Taiwanese people will ever voluntary accept union with China. For the CCP, that means that there's no choice: It will be necessary to annex Taiwan through war. At this point, they may even have a day already planned. And with China becoming visibly more belligerent and nationalistic every day, that day may not be far off. So Chinese jets buzzing Taiwan may just be to annoy the Taiwanese, or it may be testing Taiwan's defenses in preparation for an imminent war. |