Generational Dynamics World View

[Bob Butler 54]

(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
illness.

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.