This has been a long time coming and now it has the mass to create itself as the most deplorable fusion of mass ignorance and obscene demonic wealth hell-bent on global servitude and, of course, oblivion. To compete spiritually with the Big Bang.
"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness ... The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance” -- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark , Feb 1996
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge'.” - Isaac Asimov, 1980
I have a different theory about eggs. It's not that Americans can't buy $3 eggs for themselves. It's that they go to the grocery store and see organic, free range, cage-free, brown eggs for $6 and they become enraged that their neighbors are buying them. It's not the idea that people are suffering that offends, it's the idea that someone somewhere might be having fun.
America is now a “shit-hole” country. We have a criminal, dictator-wannabe, addled president elect. A draft-dodger as commander-in-chief elect. A clown show legislature. A corrupt, biased Supreme Court. The corrupt rich & big business bought the election for their enrichment. Fanatics from every faction dictating policy. Flakes & wackos staffing the administration. A gullible, ignorant citizenry. America is now a comedy morphing into a tragedy.
I've seen all the relevant quotes from historic philosophers ever since 2017 about this guy and the complicity of the American people to go along with such a morally and ethically bankrupt individual. My impression back in 2017 were how is it that the greatest generation some of who might have voted for him back then could have seeing the leaders that they put in office during their younger years. It's baffling it really just comes down to Lily White America seeing their dreams die hard and holding on with all their monied might. Simple as that and so it goes.
Thanks James (or do you prefer Jim?) for articulating where I land on assessing the wreckage of the latest election. Rather than many well-meaning dems forming the circular firing squad, I think it's important to do a sober assessment of what a significant portion of the American public is devolving into. No amount of coddling on the cost of groceries is going to flip votes.
Moreover if you look at the percentage difference between Trump and Harris, it was only 1.5%, although they leveraged it well for a solid electoral college win. Not advisable to radically remake the dem party, instead go to full-throated opposition, and let the chips fall where they may as all the GOP show how unable they are at governance.
Exactly right. The Democrats desperately need the kind of muscular leadership found in FDR, Truman and LBJ (and Republican TR). We are witnessing the takeover of the country by reactionary billionaires who are turning into a banana republic for their own selfish gains. It's unbelievable. - Jim
Just view all of the photos out there with Timothy Cardinal Michael Dolan sitting in Trump’s lap. And the hermetically-sealed silence from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, owned by Leonard Leo and Tim Busch. Appalling is insufficient to describe the state we are in. The incoming pro-choice Catholic vice-president, a convert from something, is locked in the Dominicans’ basement in Washington, DC - Griftervania USA.
This has been a long time coming and now it has the mass to create itself as the most deplorable fusion of mass ignorance and obscene demonic wealth hell-bent on global servitude and, of course, oblivion. To compete spiritually with the Big Bang.
"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness ... The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance” -- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark , Feb 1996
Carl Sagan was a prophet. Isaac Asimov’s saying about ignorance is also relevant here.
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge'.” - Isaac Asimov, 1980
That was the quotation I had in mind.
I have a different theory about eggs. It's not that Americans can't buy $3 eggs for themselves. It's that they go to the grocery store and see organic, free range, cage-free, brown eggs for $6 and they become enraged that their neighbors are buying them. It's not the idea that people are suffering that offends, it's the idea that someone somewhere might be having fun.
America is now a “shit-hole” country. We have a criminal, dictator-wannabe, addled president elect. A draft-dodger as commander-in-chief elect. A clown show legislature. A corrupt, biased Supreme Court. The corrupt rich & big business bought the election for their enrichment. Fanatics from every faction dictating policy. Flakes & wackos staffing the administration. A gullible, ignorant citizenry. America is now a comedy morphing into a tragedy.
I've seen all the relevant quotes from historic philosophers ever since 2017 about this guy and the complicity of the American people to go along with such a morally and ethically bankrupt individual. My impression back in 2017 were how is it that the greatest generation some of who might have voted for him back then could have seeing the leaders that they put in office during their younger years. It's baffling it really just comes down to Lily White America seeing their dreams die hard and holding on with all their monied might. Simple as that and so it goes.
Unfortunately, this is true.
Thanks James (or do you prefer Jim?) for articulating where I land on assessing the wreckage of the latest election. Rather than many well-meaning dems forming the circular firing squad, I think it's important to do a sober assessment of what a significant portion of the American public is devolving into. No amount of coddling on the cost of groceries is going to flip votes.
Moreover if you look at the percentage difference between Trump and Harris, it was only 1.5%, although they leveraged it well for a solid electoral college win. Not advisable to radically remake the dem party, instead go to full-throated opposition, and let the chips fall where they may as all the GOP show how unable they are at governance.
Exactly right. The Democrats desperately need the kind of muscular leadership found in FDR, Truman and LBJ (and Republican TR). We are witnessing the takeover of the country by reactionary billionaires who are turning into a banana republic for their own selfish gains. It's unbelievable. - Jim
Thanks. Along the lines of this discussion, I submit this piece on the media environment we find ourselves in.
https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/01/02/americas-right-wing-propaganda-problem-might-be-terminal/
Thanks very much for sending me this. I’ll share this and other spot-on articles by Karl Bode on this platform and others.
Just view all of the photos out there with Timothy Cardinal Michael Dolan sitting in Trump’s lap. And the hermetically-sealed silence from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, owned by Leonard Leo and Tim Busch. Appalling is insufficient to describe the state we are in. The incoming pro-choice Catholic vice-president, a convert from something, is locked in the Dominicans’ basement in Washington, DC - Griftervania USA.
My next piece will be on "obeying in advance." Very disturbing what's happening.
And next we have AI arriving just in time to save us from ourselves. Just stocked up at Costco on wine, TP and Crème Brûlée!!
No lies detected. Both the innocent and guilty will suffer.
Maybe .oral collapse of a group of people. Time for a divorce civl or not so morality can continue.