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."
I can offer an alternative: Woke is the belief that all outcomes should be equal irrespective of abilities, talents, or efforts. Woke takes all people to the lowest common denominator and tries to instill "preset" and always changing "religious" narratives into the masses. Woke is essentially the polar opposite of our Constitution.. in small words, it is socialism and fascism combined and in its worst form the dehumanization of humans. FJB
Belief in/adhesion to whatever ideas are being promoted and financed at the moment by the rich in order to split society and transform vertical tensions (have nots v have yachts) into horizontal tensions (woman against men, black against white, straight against gay...).
Spot on. Lets shame by calling them religious, cuz we know they hate religion. With all respect, I think your big blind spot is perhaps envisioning a world in which we can all change our stripes and become elite liberal individualists (cats). By elite (in this case), I mean fully self-sufficient, no need for God. By individualists, I mean independent-minded, comfortable standing alone, no need for organized group involvement (collectives). You're spot on in your assessment of wokeness having the characteristics of some all-to-human religious behaviors. It is certainly not "faith", as faith is only possible if coupled with humility. Otherwise it become irrefutable "fact", which is a lie, and lies require some degree of violence or aggression to maintain.
I think the answer lies in promoting a vision of the world that takes into account the needs of those "wired" differently. The greatest threat is atheist/humanist "religious" collectivism that rises to hysteria or chronic anxiety. The "power" in such religion is full compliance. If everyone believes and conforms, that's when the magic happens. It doesn't take too many logical dominoes to fall before they begin to rationalize "eliminating" infidels (individualists). To save the world! Or at least relieve their anxiety.
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."
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!
Don't forget James Lindsay's definition https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-woke-wokeness/
James is the zenmaster of Critical Theory and its subunits and their histories.
I can offer an alternative: Woke is the belief that all outcomes should be equal irrespective of abilities, talents, or efforts. Woke takes all people to the lowest common denominator and tries to instill "preset" and always changing "religious" narratives into the masses. Woke is essentially the polar opposite of our Constitution.. in small words, it is socialism and fascism combined and in its worst form the dehumanization of humans. FJB
Wokism:
Belief in/adhesion to whatever ideas are being promoted and financed at the moment by the rich in order to split society and transform vertical tensions (have nots v have yachts) into horizontal tensions (woman against men, black against white, straight against gay...).
Spot on. Lets shame by calling them religious, cuz we know they hate religion. With all respect, I think your big blind spot is perhaps envisioning a world in which we can all change our stripes and become elite liberal individualists (cats). By elite (in this case), I mean fully self-sufficient, no need for God. By individualists, I mean independent-minded, comfortable standing alone, no need for organized group involvement (collectives). You're spot on in your assessment of wokeness having the characteristics of some all-to-human religious behaviors. It is certainly not "faith", as faith is only possible if coupled with humility. Otherwise it become irrefutable "fact", which is a lie, and lies require some degree of violence or aggression to maintain.
I think the answer lies in promoting a vision of the world that takes into account the needs of those "wired" differently. The greatest threat is atheist/humanist "religious" collectivism that rises to hysteria or chronic anxiety. The "power" in such religion is full compliance. If everyone believes and conforms, that's when the magic happens. It doesn't take too many logical dominoes to fall before they begin to rationalize "eliminating" infidels (individualists). To save the world! Or at least relieve their anxiety.
Ok, now do it in 25 words or less.
How big can the words be? I bet he could do it in Pawnee!
National Socialist Democrats do believe in their own religion but the problem with Democrat Socialism is it MAWA or "Makes America Worse Again."