Rt 01 - 2024-01-04
Weekly thoughts on a messy pile of subjects
On the conversation and power
As I was listening to this interview with Jeffrey Sacks, another lament about the delusional arrogance of the Western powers, especially the United States, it occurred to me that there is a striking similarity with the domestic politics of the left.
Attitudes driven by the same virtue-signaling, condescending, insulting arrogance, the unquestioning faith in POWER. The idea that might makes right.
Sacks points out that diplomacy is dead, that the US is not talking to anyone, that there is no trust left in this unruly international order where the projection of power is the only ‘communication’ left.
Just as we can see the death of communication in domestic politics. Derision from the left, deep distrust from the right, NOTHING bi-partisan, nothing we can agree on because there is only one question that matters: who will control the levers of power?
On propaganda
Watching BBC could be amusing if it wasn’t so sad.
Russia’s elite marines sent into death trap in Ukraine | BBC News
Truly sleazy, cheap propaganda. What is most interesting about it is the Youtube algorithm. Once you open it, you will be flooded with more cheesy propaganda like this one:
'Putin could lose power like Gaddafi' if Ukraine war ends
But supporters of the war are slowly turning around:
No one talks about Ukraine anymore – arriving to the inevitable conclusion:
“Sitting back and giving Ukrainians just enough weaponry to keep fighting to the last man and woman, only for the country to finally end up where we always knew it would, is not just immoral. It’s murder.”
On being seen
I woke up with the question that I went to bed with: why am I so preoccupied lately with the questions of communications and dialogue? It seems that half of my posts in this past year are touching on the subject in one way or another.
As I sat down with my morning coffee, this popped up on my Youtube:
David Brooks | How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.
I will definitely get the book. The expression that grabbed me the most was in the Q&A, mentioning Edmund Burke’s ‘epistemological modesty’. That is what’s missing the most from our lives at this current stage of our civilizational decline.
It all ties together with the question of communication, as we move from discourse to proclamations.
On corruption and responsibility
Yesterday I (finally) finished Whitney Webb’s book: One Nation Under Blackmail. It is long, at times feels tedious and loaded with so much information that it is difficult to absorb. Still, it is a very important read. In the end, it proved to be yet another confirmation of the observation I made in Emily and the House of Terror:
“No prosecutor, judge, false witness, politician or bureaucrat, policeman or informant was ever punished for their crimes committed under the protective mantle of the state.”
Then I got this point from
:“Whereas the law, (if it were meant to improve the situation), would state that if you wrong a person you'll be brought to justice. But if you have taken on the Public Trust, and wrong 100 million people, at the very least you should pay treble damages. Jail terms should be tripled for public betrayal. Thirty years is a good median. Taken out of circulation.
It is not that I am vindictive. This is the only way to stop the circus that is called public service.”
I wish it was this simple … but I would need to write a serious post about it.
On the poverty of debates
I watched a debate between Peter Diamandis and Peter Zeihan. The image I got into my head is two dogs walking on the opposite sides of the street, stopping to look at each other then pissing on a tree on THEIR side of the street. Talking past each other, just professing their faith, without understanding the weaknesses of the arguments of the other. It was quite pathetic. I should write about it because the misses were quite important.
On the scary effects of censorship
Sometimes it shocks me to see how susceptible even I am to manipulation.
I came across this video yesterday: MAGA Communist Plays Army Man In Russia
Looking at the video, I realized that this guy completely disappeared from Youtube and I didn’t even notice. I was not a fan. He is not particularly smart or insightful, but he was on the top of the news every day. I don’t miss him, but I was still shocked by the realizations that a part of my every-day reality can disappear without me noticing.
Since I got the video about Jackson Hinkle, this one popped up right next to it:
The Worst Takes On The War In Ukraine
I couldn’t finish watching it. It is so sleazy and manipulative that I wouldn’t know where to start dissecting it. The point is that I shouldn’t. It would be a waste of our time. Yes, of both yours and mine.
On the future of car dealerships
A libertarian friend sent me the news with this link:
Hundreds of Dealerships Accepted Voluntary Buyout Rather Than Bow Down to Woke Policy Changes
Here is the essence:
GM has informed dealerships that they will have to invest in expensive new servicing equipment and staff training to satisfy GM’s plan to be 100 percent EV by 2030.
The cost is steep, too. Dealerships are being required to spend $300,000 or more to reconfigure their business to accommodate EVs.
The owners were also told that if they didn’t want to make the required investment they would be forced to give up their Buick franchise.GM put a happy face on the startling statistic, telling Fox Business, “Buick is transforming, launching the best vehicles the brand has ever had and is the fastest growing mainstream brand in 2023. This all needs to be supported by the best customer experience in the transition to EVs.
Buick was not the only net loser of dealership locations. Cadillac dealers also accepted a huge number of buyouts, reducing current locations by about one-third, driving the number of dealerships from 875 at the beginning of 2021 to less than 560, InsideEVs.com reported in November 2021.
I am not so sure that the news is that bad. It’s worse. It’s different. In ten years, the whole industry will be unrecognizable. The dealers who are getting out now are doing themselves a favour. GM may be dead in five years. If I had GM dealership and believed firmly in the EV project, I would still say no. At this point, it would be a far too risky investment.
…till next time…