So Here's What's Happening (and probably going to happen)

For the last few thousand years (probably since the Neolithic i.e. at least 12,000 years ago) Human society has been structured top-down. This structure, known as "hierarchical", came with a mystical and metaphysical belief system which the Humans who occupied the structure deeply believed in.

Fast-forward to today, and you have economists saying the "zero marginal cost" (Rifkin, Mason) of the information era undermines the entire hierarchical order of today's capitalistic infrastructure. Similarly, economists like Jason S. Moore (2015) believe the "frontier logic" of capitalism has come to an end, which means the 'space' required for Capitalism to work is shrinking. Paul Mason in his book 'Post Capitalism' (2015) also explores what would be needed to keep capitalism going: nothing less than the complete capitalization/commodification of the Human being, turning thoughts and feelings, for example, into products, so that marketers can profit on your desires, and channel your being as much as possible to a profit-making end.

Mason, like other progressives, considers such a world to be a nightmare, where environment and human nature is leveraged and mined for whatever profit some scheming capitalist can make out of it.

Suffice to say, this is an ugly world, yet the powers-that-be want it.

So who are the powers that be? Simple. In the economy, they are international bankers and investors. In the corporate world, they are executives and other investors. And in the military world, they are military people...and, investor.

There are people in this world who profit off of your dysfunction - that profit off of your not-understanding the nature of your existence.

Of course, and quite justifiably, climate change poses a big "stop-sign", yet the powers-that-be don't really care to stop. Quite the contrary, like studious little viruses, they are going for the jugular - of the planet, of the Human species, and all other living creatures.

The Logic of Forward Movement:

Wars. The only way to keep democracy from working, and to keep alive a progressive spirit of improving the Human condition, is through wars. As the eminent grey Russian political-theorist/occultist Aleksander Dugin has said "all-out war" needs to be started to "precipitate the endtimes" - whatever that is supposed to mean.

Yet the logic is simple. Wars keep the attention of people riveted on things OTHER THAN the way and manner the domestic economy is set-up to benefit the rich at the expense of the vast majority of people (the so-called "99%"). Wars in the world activate and stimulate peoples emotional/affective dynamics, inclining them with excitement/rhetoric to demonize and oppose anyone who seeks to undermine the efficacy of the war-effort.

Nationalism becomes an internal "gate" that focuses the minds of Humans on egotistical ends. And with war - the need/imperative to "support the troops" becomes intense, and if the world at large appears to be "teetering on the edge" of chaos, religious fundamentalism - Christian evangelicalism - will be recruited to up-the-ante - that is, to fully engage, if the wars devolve into a world-war situation, in a religious fantasy, perhaps the "ultimate fantasy", where "America the good", representing Christiandom, perepares to fight against the Muslim world (and also North Korea, Russia, and China - who have strategic interests that align with Islamic countries like Syria, Iran, and Pakistan).

How will things work domestically in such an environment? Not very well, I imagine.

Oversea distractions which sweep up a large chunk of the population into an emotional fervor, necessarily puts the breaks on - or reduces "societies" tolerance for, civil disobedience, protesting, or anything which would be vulnerable to being cast as "undermining America", and making "America weak". When feelings change, and peoples tolerance for abuse increases, it is because trauma/fear/anxiety as well as the machismo fantasies of "fighting" - despite the probability of simply making the world much worse - grows out of control.

It's an ancient method, and well known. Divide and conquer. Divide them in their feelings of camaraderie, and channel the fear/anger that emerges in the desired direction.

None of this will ever end unless Humans recognize how important - and necessary - awareness of self is.

a reply to: Astrocyte

I applaud you.

It's interesting, isn't it that the "pyramid" hierarchy of power (those few on the top taking the power and fighting amongst themselves for it while others attempt to crawl up from underneath in a massive competition of "king of the hill") and the economic situation is exactly inverted to serve those power-hungry folks punching it out for the sweet spot on top.

Now that we are realizing the pain of the situation, and how unjust it is for the power pyramid to have an inverted economic pyramid, with all the goodies owned by the powerful greedy ones, they have to DO SOMETHING to control us so we don't use our vast numbers to simply destroy both pyramids. Of course, when we do, they just start the game over somehow, rebuilding their pyramid within whatever new structure gets laid down... It's depressing really.

War is such a profitable and patriotic distraction, as you so aptly describe. I, too, hear the pounding of distant drums and the ethos of "Over There!" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

*sigh*

a reply to: AboveBoard

War is such a profitable and patriotic distraction, as you so aptly describe. I, too, hear the pounding of distant drums and the ethos of "Over There!" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Do you find it odd who's leading the choir? Despite the rhetoric...was there ever, really any doubt?

a reply to: Astrocyte

Very well written and insightful post

And it constantly bothers me how so many people are just so oblivious or simply just don't care about the machinations of the power structure, I don't fully agree with the 'end times' idea, but I do think that eventually, something will give at some point.

a reply to: Astrocyte

You make a lot of good points in your post but I'm not sure what conclusion you are reaching. The pyramidal power structure has been in place since we went from hunter-gatherers to an agrarian culture and actually began having "culture". It was theorized, I think by Joseph Campbell, that it was at this time too that we went from shamanism to a professional priestly caste, where we went from a personal spiritual connection with whatever deity we worshipped, to needing an intermediary.

This, of course, occurred many thousands of years before the development of capitalism, or free-market capitalism at least. Capitalism and the pyramidal structure, I submit, are not necessarily intertwined. However, if we are ever to obtain a post-capitalistic society, what will/should that look like?

I believe the top down power structure is a necessary thing given the massive conglomeration of people that exist today. Even a relatively small nation is far to unwieldy. How else would these societies be run?

I too decry the jingoism and tribalism that is the mainstay of today's Western political culture. However, I think the underlying human need that tribalism represents is the way to a post-capitalistic society. Even if we are to remain capitalistic, in order for the "leaders" to have any real accountability to the populace of the governed, the group of governed must be smaller.

As the US exists at this time, the power structure must be decentralized back to the states. I believe this is the first step in being rid of the ruling class. Of course there will still be rich people trying to tilt the scales but there will be far more scales that need to be tipped and the populace is more likely to see the tipping going on. Of course these smaller governmental sectors could lead to much of the tribalism we both decry. Any type of overarching control mechanism would again lead us back to a omnipotent federal government.

I personally think tribalism is inherent to some degree. I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing when confined to small groups. If south (enter name of any city here) and north (enter name of any city here) get into some sort of tribal feud, a few rocks may be thrown, or even bullets shot, and there may be the loss of a life or two. That is a bad thing. But it is unlikely to result in a nuclear conflagration and extinction level event.

Just my musings. Nice thought provoking OP. Thanks.

a reply to: Astrocyte

I don't really agree with much of what you wrote. You try to present problems, but don't really offer any alternatives. For the most part you are simply taking the B.S. from liberal classrooms on college campuses and spewing it out in your OP. The fact is there is no proof of any of what you saying being true or actually coming to fruition. It is all just theory and Woo.

a reply to: Astrocyte

Your way of looking at the world is very cerebral. Take a look at this Ted talk which will give you insight into the human condition:

www.ted.com...

Pay close attention to 14th minute to the end. But especially pay close attention to the 17th minute on. Once you think beyond the obvious, you will understand what we need to do to save ourselves.

If we are able to branch off into outer space successfully, the "frontier logic" should hold for capitalists. Good O.P. I enjoyed reading it.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Read "Racing Toward Armageddon" by Michael Baigent. It explains a lot.
Racing

No matter the form of government, there will be a pecking order. There will be a ruling class and the rest of the pyramid all lined up. It matters not the "type" or "form" of any government...the powerful and wealthy will control the masses. This is just fact, and at least a capitalist society is mostly a republic rule, not unchecked power and unwavering corruption....

You have to read between the lines and study world History, namely the periods before and between WWI to WII, it paints a similar cycle to what we are experiencing today, but dont stop there, go all the way to the cold war period until the fall of th e berlin wall.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: Astrocyte

I don't really agree with much of what you wrote. You try to present problems, but don't really offer any alternatives. For the most part you are simply taking the B.S. from liberal classrooms on college campuses and spewing it out in your OP. The fact is there is no proof of any of what you saying being true or actually coming to fruition. It is all just theory and Woo.

I really do understand why you see it this way.......but just concentrate on the insurance firms....their effect on the world, representative governments, people, laws ect. their presumptuousness and flat out misrepresentation of themselves and effect on you, Joe policy holder.

originally posted by: teslahowitzer
No matter the form of government, there will be a pecking order. There will be a ruling class and the rest of the pyramid all lined up. It matters not the "type" or "form" of any government...the powerful and wealthy will control the masses. This is just fact, and at least a capitalist society is mostly a republic rule, not unchecked power and unwavering corruption....

Agreed, just look at any socialist or communist country out there and there is a ruling elite class and the rest are peasants. At least with capitalism there is a middle class and one can gain wealth and power. The problem is that I do not think we have had true free market capitalism in a long time, we have corporatism coupled with a crony form of government and the people get screwed over, which is why our middle class is disappearing.

originally posted by: Astrocyte
For the last few thousand years (probably since the Neolithic i.e. at least 12,000 years ago) Human society has been structured top-down. This structure, known as "hierarchical", came with a mystical and metaphysical belief system which the Humans who occupied the structure deeply believed in.

Fast-forward to today, and you have economists saying the "zero marginal cost" (Rifkin, Mason) of the information era undermines the entire hierarchical order of today's capitalistic infrastructure. Similarly, economists like Jason S. Moore (2015) believe the "frontier logic" of capitalism has come to an end, which means the 'space' required for Capitalism to work is shrinking. Paul Mason in his book 'Post Capitalism' (2015) also explores what would be needed to keep capitalism going: nothing less than the complete capitalization/commodification of the Human being, turning thoughts and feelings, for example, into products, so that marketers can profit on your desires, and channel your being as much as possible to a profit-making end.

Mason, like other progressives, considers such a world to be a nightmare, where environment and human nature is leveraged and mined for whatever profit some scheming capitalist can make out of it.

Suffice to say, this is an ugly world, yet the powers-that-be want it.

So who are the powers that be? Simple. In the economy, they are international bankers and investors. In the corporate world, they are executives and other investors. And in the military world, they are military people...and, investor.

There are people in this world who profit off of your dysfunction - that profit off of your not-understanding the nature of your existence.

Of course, and quite justifiably, climate change poses a big "stop-sign", yet the powers-that-be don't really care to stop. Quite the contrary, like studious little viruses, they are going for the jugular - of the planet, of the Human species, and all other living creatures.

The Logic of Forward Movement:

Wars. The only way to keep democracy from working, and to keep alive a progressive spirit of improving the Human condition, is through wars. As the eminent grey Russian political-theorist/occultist Aleksander Dugin has said "all-out war" needs to be started to "precipitate the endtimes" - whatever that is supposed to mean.

Yet the logic is simple. Wars keep the attention of people riveted on things OTHER THAN the way and manner the domestic economy is set-up to benefit the rich at the expense of the vast majority of people (the so-called "99%"). Wars in the world activate and stimulate peoples emotional/affective dynamics, inclining them with excitement/rhetoric to demonize and oppose anyone who seeks to undermine the efficacy of the war-effort.

Nationalism becomes an internal "gate" that focuses the minds of Humans on egotistical ends. And with war - the need/imperative to "support the troops" becomes intense, and if the world at large appears to be "teetering on the edge" of chaos, religious fundamentalism - Christian evangelicalism - will be recruited to up-the-ante - that is, to fully engage, if the wars devolve into a world-war situation, in a religious fantasy, perhaps the "ultimate fantasy", where "America the good", representing Christiandom, perepares to fight against the Muslim world (and also North Korea, Russia, and China - who have strategic interests that align with Islamic countries like Syria, Iran, and Pakistan).

How will things work domestically in such an environment? Not very well, I imagine.

Oversea distractions which sweep up a large chunk of the population into an emotional fervor, necessarily puts the breaks on - or reduces "societies" tolerance for, civil disobedience, protesting, or anything which would be vulnerable to being cast as "undermining America", and making "America weak". When feelings change, and peoples tolerance for abuse increases, it is because trauma/fear/anxiety as well as the machismo fantasies of "fighting" - despite the probability of simply making the world much worse - grows out of control.

It's an ancient method, and well known. Divide and conquer. Divide them in their feelings of camaraderie, and channel the fear/anger that emerges in the desired direction.

None of this will ever end unless Humans recognize how important - and necessary - awareness of self is.

TRUTH....but ultimately, i think its safe to say that a lot of us are onto them and their little game. it will not be long now, we will RESCIND OUR PERMISSION. we figured it out, so according to their very own Belief System, they MUST step aside or DIE.

originally posted by: AstrocyteNone of this will ever end unless Humans recognize how important - and necessary - awareness of self is.

You could have started your OP with this sentence and ended there.

soulwaxer

a reply to: Astrocyte

Top down so the people crave to put the bottoms up and end up alcoholics... why, because they want to escape
from grind of their life, eat, sleep, work, repeat..... and the reason muhahahaha, i know 2 reasons, but nobody gives a f@@@.
i realised 2 reasons for a fact, for one i taught myself how to have a photographic memory, ancient teachings of the loci system doesn't get taught in schools, yet the ancients used it to remember "BOOKS" of information.... WHY dont they teach this to the paupers, FFS if they taught that in schools nobody would want to leave school and work a machine "eh me work for the man, i have a photographic memory, i wanna be an astronaut"...... yes well there's not enough jobs for all the geniuses, and we at the top need money and power..
number 2........ They are fu**ing killing us, and they know it..... well someone is, and i have scientific evidence.
someone is deliberately putting nocebo inducing stimuli out there, and that sh@t effects up to 80% of respondents in psychological experiments, thats right cancer warnings and all that negative # is killing you, Big pharma must be in bed with tobacco companies...... but what can we do, i dont know...... just try not get angry, our day is coming.
www.psychologytoday.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

two things that show us, that people are not only keep us in the pit, but they are also slowly killing us, there's no way i know this and more powerful people dont, and they are oblivous to the plights of the litto guy, they know and they are F88king killing us......

Limits to growth:

www.theguardian.com...

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

History repeats and they know this, a modern revolution is due......... maybe that's the real reason for an arms race.

but the 1% only have the 1% at the end of the day..... we ARE the army... and everything else!

they should be afraid, because more than 1% know the truth, want blood, and retribution!

the snowball is tumbling

That, sir, is as precise a description of life on earth as we know it as I have read today or yesterday and the day before for that matter..

dp