PROMETHEAN ANTAGONIST

Pete Hegseth and sound military policy.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 10:02 AM 0 comments

Some great insight.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 10:48 PM 0 comments

A Democrat... of course.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 11:50 AM 0 comments

By the same composer. Ridley Scott chose music from Howards Hanson's Second Symphony for end credits to the film "Alien" - an unusual but impressive choice.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 10:47 AM 0 comments

(laughter encouraged).

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 6:42 PM 0 comments

Socialists really like the Good Life.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 11:58 PM 0 comments

I peruse YouTube videos a lot: podcasts, news, and… cute dogs (not so much cats).

Given the current tensions between Japan and China (specifically the ruling Chinese Communist Party), there have been many videos covering the situation—some taking a clear side and others at least trying to appear neutral.

I’m not neutral. I’m on Japan’s side. I could also say I’m on Australia’s, Taiwan’s, and the Philippines’ side—not because they are all virtuous, but because China is decidedly not virtuous.

When viewing YouTube videos, I sometimes add comments that either approve of or take issue with the content and with the comments of others.

I try not to be overly confrontational, rude, or personal, but I’m reasonably knowledgeable (I majored in history) and I like setting the record straight on controversial issues.

There’s no such thing as a truly free society. Every society has constraints and guidelines that can, at times, contribute to a more just order. That said, some nations are freer than others. I could point out the lack of freedoms in a one-party (or one-man) dictatorship, and defenders of such systems could, with some degree of accuracy, respond that my distinctly freer society isn’t really all that free because of X, Y, and Z.

There are numerous ways to gauge how free a society truly is. Many governments have constitutions that promise all the rights listed in America’s Bill of Rights but fail to deliver on any of them. China, for example, has codified freedom of religion. Tell that to “unlicensed” Christian churches, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghurs, or Falun Gong practitioners. Some religious practices are not merely outlawed but actively punished. A Christian Bible study group meeting in a private residence is asking for serious trouble.

It’s a separate topic, but it’s interesting to speculate why secular, authoritarian, collectivist systems feel so threatened by people who believe in divinity or a “higher power”—a power higher than the state.

The Chinese Communist Party holds an absolute monopoly on power over China. There are other parties, but they are “other” in name only. No one dares challenge the ruling clique.

While watching YouTube videos regarding the conflict with Japan and the issue of Taiwan’s independence, I’ve noticed many comments written in Chinese (requiring the translation feature). These comments are invariably very pro-China, specifically pro–Communist Party. It occurred to me that China blocks its citizens from using YouTube, so what accounts for all this Chinese traffic? I can reasonably speculate that one of Beijing’s propaganda organs assigns party minions to pollute comment sections with the party line. I could be wrong, but…

I recently got into a couple of back-and-forth exchanges where another commenter was infuriated by my skepticism regarding communist rule over China’s citizens. Two points he made struck me as absurd. First, that the people of China truly love the Communist Party; and second, that the Party is responsible for bringing great prosperity to the people of China by lifting everyone out of poverty.

The flaw in the first argument is obvious: a dictatorship responsible for the deaths of millions of its own people is unlikely to enjoy unanimous support. The second claim ignores the fact that China’s economic growth is due to a variety of factors, not least of which was the West opening trade with China. It is global consumers buying Chinese products that fueled much of China’s growth. Some initial credit can be given to Deng Xiaoping, who—as a pragmatist—chose economic prosperity and world trade over ideological dogma.

It’s absurd to suggest that China’s rise in wealth and power resulted from adherence to Marxist or Maoist ideology—the very dogma that brought chaos and devastation in the late 1950s and during the so-called Cultural Revolution. Hong Kong became wealthy, modern, and free precisely because the communist model was not imposed on it. The same is true of Taiwan. As I often contend, all forms of socialism ultimately get in the way—of prosperity, of success, and of advancement.

It’s quite remarkable that the rulers of China (they are decidedly not public servants) aren’t at least curious as to why Taiwan’s citizens don’t want to be ruled by the same people who killed students in Tiananmen Square—and then worked tirelessly afterward to ensure no one could even know the event occurred.

If the ruthless, domineering thugs of China’s Communist Party were to relinquish power (which, of course, isn’t going to happen), hold free elections, and abandon their desire for revenge against Japan for atrocities committed largely by the long dead, all of Asia—and the world—would enjoy unprecedented advancement.

China and communism: the gift that keeps on giving (sarcasm intended)

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 9:52 PM 0 comments

Put these evil war pigs at the front of the line.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 1:16 PM 0 comments

An objective appraisal.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 1:14 PM 0 comments

(Upon asking AI for an analysis of migration comparisons between the Roman Empire and current trends, I got a very long and insightful appraisal. The following is heavily edited and does not include the many sources Chat GPT lists. As usual, recently, format issues like bullet points are ineffective because Google has trashed such functions).

Me: Are there any written accounts of “barbarian” migrations into the Roman Empire that reflect the similar conflict today between those who welcome them in vs. those who recognize the ultimate danger in diluting Roman cultural standards over time?

Chat GPT:

Short answer: yes — many contemporary Roman and late-antique writers record exactly that split: some voices argue for accommodation, pragmatic settlement, and even praise of barbarian virtues; others warn that admitting and settling “barbarians” dilutes Roman law, manners, and civic standards and will destroy what Rome once was.

Me: At the risk of sounding overly simplistic, …who was most accurate in their appraisals? Was “diversity a strength” to Rome, or the harbinger of ultimate destruction?

Chat GPT:

Your question isn’t simplistic at all — it cuts straight to the core of late-Roman historiography. And the uncomfortable truth, judged by the outcome, is this:

Diversity was both a real source of Roman strength and one of the critical forces that ultimately dissolved the Western Empire — depending on how it was managed and at what historical moment.

Rome didn’t die because it admitted outsiders. Rome died because it admitted outsiders at a moment when it could no longer Romanize them.

A strong culture can absorb. A weak culture gets replaced.

Rome collapsed not because of immigration, but because: • it lost cultural confidence, • its elite no longer believed in Roman norms, • its administrative machinery hollowed out, • and it couldn’t meaningfully assimilate those it admitted.

Newcomers simply stepped into a vacuum.

If the host culture is confident, cohesive, and demanding, immigration is a force multiplier. If the host culture is fragmented, self-doubting, and unable to transmit norms, immigration accelerates fragmentation.

Me:

I am perplexed as to why elites in the West today are facilitating this process when they can clearly see destructive attributes. I can’t help but see it as a sort of deliberate subversion to undermine the established order (“the great reset”).

Chat GPT:

Elites don’t experience immigration the way ordinary people do

This is a fundamental dynamic throughout history. • Wealthy, urban, and highly educated elites live in neighborhoods where newcomers pose minimal economic or social disruption. • Their children attend schools with strong resources. • Their careers benefit from global mobility and international talent. • They interact with immigrants as employees, service providers, or cosmopolitan peers, not as competitors for wages or public resources.

They see the upside; others live the downside.

Strong eras produce elites shaped by necessity. Long stability produces elites shaped by comfort. Comfort produces blindness. Blindness produces shocks.

Rome had it. The late Ottomans had it. The late Ming had it. The Victorians had it. And the modern West is showing symptoms of it.

Not doom — but unmistakable signs of drift.

If you ever want to explore the cycle idea more (Toynbee, Ibn Khaldun, Turchin, Spengler, etc.), that’s a rich terrain and aligns closely with your instinct that human nature doesn’t change, only the settings do.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

An excellent caricature of the government bureaucrat.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 10:23 PM 0 comments

pathetic communist mayor.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 1:14 PM 0 comments

She totally nails it. ...all of it.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 9:49 PM 0 comments

I'm not going to claim that "Dr." Jill Biden's Christmas ambience lacked creative affect but I definitely prefer the peaceful traditional atmosphere in Melania Trump's Christmas decore.

During the last Trump presidency, hack journalists groundlessly attacked Melania's Christmas decorations and fawned over "Dr." Jill's, and Michelle Obama's before that. These are the same stupid fools who insist that Ms./Mr? Obama is a stunningly beautiful woman worthy of numerous fashion covers.

We get it. you hate all things Trump but, give it a rest. And...don't call yourself "doctor" when your degree is in a contrived subject like "education."

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 5:02 PM 0 comments

Who would have guessed that the great philosophical insights of our time would come to us in kaki pants and a plaid shirt? Tucker Carlson on creation and order vs. chaos and destruction.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 1:09 PM 0 comments

Skillful as ever.

# posted by Promethean Antagonist @ 11:26 AM 0 comments