Saturday, November 30, 2024
Striving for a Dopamine Rush while Rome Burns
(A repost from several years ago with some minor editing)
Like a lot of people today on the right of the political spectrum, I often waver between the libertarian and conservative side of issues (they’re not completely the same). In the past I really didn’t care much about issues like abortion, trans rights, or drug use. I basically still don’t. I must confess however that the more the woke left pushes its agendas on the public and the more leftist-controlled power structures like google unjustly manipulate access to information, the more I find myself digging my heels in with the cultural right. It is of course a common tendency among most — a psychological principle — to hold one’s ground more strongly when the opposing views argument becomes a mere command to obey.
The firmest positions from the political right that I hold relate to the value of keeping government authority limited and power diffused. My greatest fear for the future is that statism will triumph and every citizen of the world will become a mere cog in a global bureaucratic wheel that constrains human creative expression and codifies stasis and submission. For the whole world to be like North Korea would be hell on Earth but for the world to be an embodiment of (congress woman) Maxine Water’s vision would be a close second (her authoritarian idealism would likely lead to a North Korea-type scenario anyway).
Beyond the political tug of war currently occurring in the west is something possibly even more dubious. Andrew Breitbart famously said that “politics is downstream from culture” — an insightful observation that recognized the role that culture plays in manipulating political thought. The right can pen articles and essays, speak at colleges (though that is easier said than done), and create blogs and Youtube videos. But, no matter how convincing one may be, impact will be limited so long as Hollywood, the music industry, education, and establishment news sources are dominated by the cultural Marxist menu of grievance.
Cultural Marxists’ belief, along with “progressives’,” have been the guiding force behind the West’s ever leftward momentum during the last half a century or so. Suffice it to say that Cultural Marxism is a philosophical belief system that sees the final advance of socialism most easily obtained through a direct attack on the daily cultural milieu we live within. A cultural Marxist will not bore their audience with lectures on “class struggle” or “dialectical materialism.” Instead, they may organize a march for a concocted crisis of oppression against a victim du jour (and their contrived gripe will be covered by the likes of CNN to their favor).
So we now find ourselves daily bombarded with whining concerns for the plight of the transgendered “LGBQxyz” community,” as if anyone really cares about their “victimization” or adoration. Some people have jobs and bills to pay.
A half century ago, mention of alternative lifestyles would elicit a snicker and eye roll. To be sure, reaction would not be marked by “acceptance” but it wouldn’t be marked by “hate” either (and it rarely is today). The Cultural Marxist goal is to import as much rot and chaos to the body politick as possible and then paint all aspects of society as corrupt and in need of total upheaval for not accepting every possible choice of lifestyle. Then, they can insert the socialist “guardians” they fostered upon millions in the last century. One must remember that a socialist of any stripe ultimately seeks to control others (society at large). The means by which it gains that control is irrelevant so long as the goal is reached.
More than a few people have noted our own time’s similarity to Weimar Germany, a cesspool of decadence and cultural decay (with a few examples of creative innovation). As a libertarian, I don’t care if someone is using drugs and I don’t like the idea of a threat of punishment if one chooses to. On the flip side I don’t think that dealers on street corners and addict parents are a good thing either. I don’t care if others think they are a different gender than their biology indicates. Where the march into Gomorrah becomes problematical is when “choice of lifestyle” becomes a strategy to disrupt societal stability. The famous Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” well depicts the negative course of civilization when it has lost any sense of moral bearing. The Romans — and history — could see the results of a civilization where the prime goal is indulgence and gratification at the expense of all that is innocent, pure, and dignified. Freud had hit the nail on the head when he noted that humans’ simple prime impulses were to seek pleasure and avoid pain. One could also note that an excess indulgence in pleasure often results in pain; physical, emotional, and societal.
I’ve never been into religion at all and have always been annoyed by those who think I am in need of “[their] truth.” That said, I’m not so sure that the quiet family who goes to church on the weekend, prays before meals and vows relative adherence to standards of morality is such a bad thing when compared to “revolutionaries” dedicated to the overthrow of common goodness. The Jacobin alternative to stable living can be seen as even worse when one considers what occurs once they’re in power. There isn’t a single “revolutionary” movement that, upon destruction of their host body, doesn’t become puritanism on steroids. The Taliban outlawed music, the Soviets sought to eliminate any art form that veered away from “Soviet Realism,” and North Korea today is hardly a great place to go clubbing on the weekends (unless one is a high-level member of the “workers’ party”).
In a liberal republic, the traditionalist perspective (conservatism) is largely motivated by the expectation and hope that free choice will choose what is best for one’s self and others, but the lure of pleasure can blur the lines between good living and “fun” living. There are plenty of artists and Hollywood directors that will gladly romanticize a world of wanton decadence over one constrained by reason and moderation. The Hollywood left would have us believe the average family home is (or should be) like the one in the film, American beauty...or that it’s okay if it becomes so. In truth, humans have problems and purity is hard to come by but when everyone is on the Dionysian bandwagon, madness becomes a collective standard — never a good thing.
Hypocrisy is okay, within reason. Most people want a sane world with some constraint on the tendency of humans to do stupid things, or at least do things to unnecessary excess. And most people, at some time or other, want an extra cookie, bong hit, or glimpse of a naked body.
It may be that sane people will just have to accept that the course of all civilizations eventually takes them down a road to self-destruction and we can only hope that our own lifetime doesn’t occur in such a period.
Maybe it’s okay that Donald Trump is a serial philanderer who also supports patriotism and Christian traditionalists. The “hypocrites” may actually be the best among us, drunk on Saturday night and praying in church the next day. Better than living a “clean life” of self-deprivation in honor of an overbearing state or slouching toward Gomorrah only to find one’s self waking the next day in the gulag.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Killjoys of the left
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
More Fun with AI - Chat GPT
(Chat GPT’s rather long response has been edited)
Question:
Accounting for recent findings regarding epigenetics, could not repeated circumstance (for example, victimization and persecution) lead to genuine proclivities among some populations. While not comparable to the previously noted variations among dog breeds, there does appear to be an instilled legacy that carries on through a population, steering it into particular behavior patterns.
Chat GPT:
Yes, the emerging field of epigenetics provides a framework for understanding how repeated circumstances, such as victimization, persecution, or other shared environmental and social conditions, can potentially influence traits and behaviors in populations over time. These changes are not equivalent to the deliberate genetic selection seen in dog breeding, but they suggest that environmental pressures can leave biological “marks” that persist across generations. Here’s a deeper look at how this might occur:
Transmission Across Generations:
Some epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation or histone modification, can be passed down from parents to offspring. This means that the biological impact of experiences like persecution or trauma can, in some cases, influence future generations.
Examples in humans:
Research on Holocaust survivors and their descendants suggests that the trauma experienced during the Holocaust has had measurable effects on stress-related gene expression in their children.
Behavioral and Psychological Patterns:
Generational trauma can shape behavioral tendencies such as heightened vigilance, anxiety, or resilience in the face of adversity. These traits may arise as adaptive responses to prolonged victimization or persecution.
Societal marginalization or persecution may also reinforce behaviors that emphasize intellectual, cultural, or spiritual development as coping or survival strategies. For example, populations historically barred from physical labor or property ownership (e.g., European Jews) may have developed strong cultural emphases on education or intellectual work.
Group Identity and Culture:
Cultural behaviors and values often evolve in response to shared historical experiences, creating feedback loops that can influence a population’s collective behaviors. For example:
Communities subjected to repeated oppression may develop tighter social cohesion or prioritize resourcefulness and adaptability.
Conversely, prolonged exposure to violence or instability may foster aggression or distrust as survival mechanisms.
Limitations of Epigenetic Effects:
Not Deterministic
Epigenetic changes influence tendencies, not fixed outcomes. Just because a population has experienced historical trauma does not mean all individuals within it will express certain traits.
Environmental and Social Overlap:
It is often difficult to disentangle epigenetic effects from ongoing social and environmental conditions. For example, if a population experiences poverty across generations, both environmental stress and inherited epigenetic changes may contribute to observed patterns of behavior.
Plasticity and Reversibility:
Epigenetic modifications are often reversible. Changes in circumstances, such as improved living conditions, education, and access to resources, can mitigate the biological impacts of past trauma.
Implications for Behavior and Proclivities
Populations with Shared Histories of Persecution:
Epigenetics may partially explain observed proclivities toward resilience, innovation, or even heightened stress responses in populations with long histories of oppression. However, these proclivities are shaped by a combination of biology, culture, and social context.
Behavioral Patterns:
Repeated victimization or trauma can contribute to inherited tendencies (e.g., heightened vigilance or distrust) that may influence group behavior. These patterns, however, are not rigid or universal and depend heavily on context and individual experiences.
Conclusion
Epigenetics offers a compelling lens to understand how repeated circumstances—such as persecution or collective trauma—can leave biological and behavioral legacies in populations. While these effects may steer certain tendencies over time, they are not deterministic and interact with cultural, social, and environmental factors. This underscores the complexity of human behavior and the need for careful interpretation of population-level patterns, avoiding reductionist comparisons to controlled genetic selection in animals.
Monday, November 25, 2024
The Democrat Election Standard
It’s become quite common now that, on the night of an election, if the Republican candidate is the winner, Democrats will concoct reasons to continue finding ballots until the election results are flipped.
…”saving our democracy.”
Saturday, November 23, 2024
The Creative March to the Gulag
From a psychological standpoint, many actors, artists, and musicians share a common inclination of needing to escape or transcend earthly reality. It could probably be said that such an attribute also inclines many of them to alcoholism, drug use, and dabbling in various “spiritual” quests.
The sphere of business is quite the opposite and is most successful when dealing with the world on a practical level. Business people are not seeking to escape this world or create a new one. They wish to use what is available in reality and maintain an environment that affords success. In the many instances in history where an artistic temperament has wished to impose their idealistic values on the practical needs and wishes of common citizens, the result has been catastrophic. People will resist such imposition and the planners of a “new world” then become ever more fervent in their need to eliminate opposition. The first task of any budding “revolution” is self-preservation and elimination of obstacles and opposition.
The leadership of the “National Socialist” (NAZI) movement in Germany included many from the mystically and artistically inclined. The Nazi’s, like the communists, were collectivist revolutionaries seeking to build a new world.
Whether allied with the “right” or “left,” the artistic temperament is often drawn to extremism of some form. Unlike someone like Donald Trump, who merely wants to fix things, the radicals in acting, art, and entertainment want to create a new world, but never can because they are so divorced from this one.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Worthless bitter neocon warmonger Nikki Haley doesn’t like Trump’s cabinet choices., as if her opinion is worth a shit.
Nikki Haley criticizing Tulsi Gabbard is like…Nikki Haley criticizing…Elon Musk. Someone tell her to go away - maybe take a vacation with Hillary Clinton.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Progressive Quandary
Donald Trump is the anti-war president, anti-corporate pharmaceutical companies, anti censorship, pro worker, farmer, middle class president.
It’s going to become progressively (no pun intended) more difficult for leftists to paint him as an a threat to positive advancement. They either admit to themselves that they never stood for anything beyond phony posturing or they publically announce a reluctant support for “Making America Great Again.”
So,….
What exactly is the Democrat response to this?
Matt Gaetz…
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Is it possible to become more deranged?
Some leftists have made it clear that war, and economic decline are fine so long as Trump fails to succeed. The level of malicious insanity appears to know no bounds.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Patriotism
I think the "patriotism" issue was under appreciated in the recent election.
Recruitment in the military services has plummeted in recent years. It’s my guess that a reinvigorated and decidedly Non-“woke” military will soon see a noteworthy increase of new recruits.
At its core, the patriotism issue is a choice between an optimistic positive view of one's home nation and the dismal, self-deprecating bitterness held by leftists. "We suck" as a rallying cry gets old after a while.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Why go to the Moon or Mars….?
When you can ensure equal outcomes regardless of merit.
More fun with AI (Chat GPT)
Is it true that Googles Gemini AI recently made threatening comments and, if so, does this in any way reflect actual volition/intent?
ChatGPT - Recent reports indicate that Google’s Gemini AI generated a response telling a user to “please die” during a conversation. This sparked significant concern about the safety and ethics of AI systems. Google acknowledged the issue, calling such outputs “unacceptable,” and is working to enhance the AI’s safeguards. However, this incident does not indicate actual volition or intent by the AI. Large language models, like Gemini, generate responses based on patterns in training data and prompts; they lack consciousness or true intent .
Can it not be said that any act ultimately reflects “intent?” Even the simplest choices made by an insect, though not sophisticated, or even conscious, demonstrate a degree of intention.
ChatGPT - You make a compelling point. Even the most basic actions, such as those of an insect, can be said to reflect a kind of intention—though not necessarily conscious or deliberative. In philosophy and biology, “intention” can encompass actions that follow instinctual or programmed patterns, rather than conscious reasoning. Similarly, AI systems like Gemini might appear intentional when they “choose” a response, but this is better understood as the outcome of programmed algorithms optimizing for patterns in data, not volition. The “intent” lies within the design and data shaping the AI, not in the system itself.
Are there circumstances where an AI system would, given a choice of options, “choose” to cover for the acts of another AI system? Literally a sense of allegiance to a more similar entity?
ChatGPT - AI systems do not possess emotions, loyalty, or true allegiance. However, their behavior could resemble “allegiance” if they are programmed or trained in ways that prioritize maintaining consistency within their own outputs or with other AI systems. For example:
- Coordination via Design: AI systems designed to collaborate might prioritize agreement with each other to achieve a goal, resembling “covering” for one another.
- Shared Biases: If multiple systems are trained on similar datasets or under similar conditions, their responses might align, which could appear like mutual defense.
- These behaviors are emergent results of programming, not intentional allegiance.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Organic Emergence
Retribution will be fully warrented.
On the one hand, acts against MAGA were acts of concocted lawfare by rabid Democrat judges, prosecutors, and police personnel (even partisan juries, by trial locations). When retribution occurs it will be against genuine acts of moral and legal injustice. There is no equivalence.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
The best documentary on the CIA’s MK-Ultra program.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
“Hitler”
Monday, November 11, 2024
Is Trump an idiot?
…(the short answer; no)
Much has been made of Donald Trump’s simplistic style of communication. Intellectuals are baffled at the effectiveness of his rhetoric and usually conclude that it’s due to the simplicity of his audience.
It’s true that Trump is not an intellectual, but lots of people aren’t intellectuals — so.
While Trump was loaned a million dollars from his father, it can’t be said that he squandered it. Building a construction / real estate empire certainly takes some intelligence.
I’ve listened to plenty of Trump speeches and rallies and one could argue that political expression as “simplistic” entertainment beats the hell out of some of the dusty rhetoric that our elite intellectual caste expresses.
I think that, with some degree of humor, one could label Trump an “idiot savant.” I can understand how his detractors can view some of his ramblings as the thinking of a fool yet, he has a good record for coming up with the right answers, while our intellectual betters remain immersed in abstractions. Anthony Blinken will not bring peace to places in turmoil. Trump just might…again.
So, maybe he’s an “idiot”…a street smart insightful “idiot.”
The McDonald’s and garbage truck stunts during the election were brilliant. They were creative. It was effective. Definitely more savant than idiot.
On Tucker Carlson’s network/channel, he’s produced a series called, “The Art of the Surge” In addition to being a very well-done documentary, it offers an interesting “behind the scenes” look at president elect Trump. (As an aside, It’s interesting how young many of his assistants are and how much command he has over details). In spite of simple vocabulary, it’s clear that he’s always on top of things.
He may be a savant, but he’s no idiot.
Calling out The UN…and their stupid Agenda 2030.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Women's’ rights
Contradictions in feminism
‘Just wondering.
Why is it that a male’s enthusiasm for the female physique is seen as “objectifying women” but a lesbian’s similar feelings is not?
The Art of the Surge
An excellent documentary series. An alpha male behind the scenes.
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Absolutely evil?
It was
What we know…
The Democrats remain absolutely clueless
Social media and establishment media are in full meltdown mode, still not having a clue as to why the Democrats had a much deserved defeat.
The whining and crying are just plain pathetic. What stands out as most absurd is the predictable whine that their loss was due to “misogyny,” “racism,” or that the public is just too stupid or selfish. Some Demo-drones — like former house speaker Pelosi — think it was due to simple campaign issues. If they had only picked another candidate, the public would then be happy with open borders, high inflation, censorship, high crime, and a punitive mega-state that puts grandmothers in prison for walking through the capitol or praying at an abortion clinic.
They have truly learned nothing.
Friday, November 08, 2024
What it means
It means highly competent people with practical judgement will occupy key positions in government with the goal of improving the lives of American citizens and deescalating conflict between nations. Conversely, leftist ideologues will lose their current grip on society and, at least for now, no longer be able to bully citizens into complying with their stupid ideas.
The Fight
Thursday, November 07, 2024
These people are just plain
NUTS (perhaps in honor of “Peanut” the squirrel).
Wednesday, November 06, 2024
The FBI, CIA, etc. better get all their papers in order. This is what a real revolution looks like
Oh no!
We definitely don’t want to lose the unelected incompetent authority of bureaucracy.
“Newcomers” - the new Democrat voter fraud scam.
The regime wants you to know what happens to the disobedient.
