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el bicho palo's avatar

have your bad cat fingers pried open Eric Hoffer's 'The True Believer' 'thoughts on the nature of mass movements' published in 1951? I only started it this morning and already mind blown. Describes what is happening right now so well.

just as a teaser...

"Chapter 9

The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready is he to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause."

that's it, the whole chapter.

"Chapter 10

A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind of his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business.

This minding of other people's business expresses itself in gossip, snooping and meddling. and also in feverish interest in communal, national and racial affairs. In running away from ourselves we either fall on our neighbour's shoulder or fly at his throat."

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SnowInTheWind's avatar

It looks like we have three different definitions now for 'woke', all of them fertile:

1) (el gato) linguistic interrogation to dissolve and discredit all paradigms but the weaponized payload that must not be interrogated; [tactics]

2) (American Dissident) demand for equality of outcome, regardless of human input; [payload]

3) (Bartolo) a device used by the rich to deflect vertical tension into horizonal division and conflict. [functionality]

Three wise men (?) grabbing hold of one woke elephant. I really love this intellectual circle!

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