Shall we play a game of thermonuclear war? Burn the spammer, PLEASE!
On Nov 24, 7:16 pm, ornamentalmind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 37 groups, 92 messages. :-| > > On Nov 24, 6:21 pm, "Liz Purkrabek" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > >http://www.afrochat.net/forums/politics-activism/20720-over-30-years-... > > despotism-america.html > > > He's a chain poster. > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Morpheal > > Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 7:49 PM > > To: Memphis Freethought Alliance > > Subject: OVER 30 YEARS OF RISING DESPOTISM IN AMERICA > > > OVER 30 YEARS OF RISING DESPOTISM IN AMERICA > > > A good leader always strives to make it possible for others to exceed > > the leader's own self, to the maximum of their abilities. This is as > > true in politics as it is in education. A good teacher always strives > > to have the students excel beyond the teacher's own abilities and > > knowledge. > > > This is the opposite of despotism. Despotism strives instead to > > prevent anyone rising up and exceeding its leadership. Despotism is > > often clever in its using isolated instances, examples, that appear to > > excel, to evade criticism of what it is itself guilty of. That is the > > obstructing of excellence. A very few are chosen and made into > > examples, as if anyone can achieve the same, when in fact despotism > > stops all others dead in their every effort. That tokenism obscures > > the fact of despotism, and that despotism often remains undetected and > > unchallenged. > > > The dangers of despotism in leadership, particularly prevalent in > > insecure leadership uncertain of itself, in any enterprise, in > > politics, wherever leadership is necessary, are a continual threat to > > real progress. It favors mediocrity, resignation to despair, and > > defeatism. It uses the modern psychological tricks represented by > > catch phrases such as "let it go", "finish" with it, and "give it up" > > as if that is the healthy choice. The very definition of health, > > under despotism, changes from favoring exceptional accomplishment to > > one favoring acceptance of defeat. The very meaning of realistic, and > > in touch with reality, changes. Wisdom becomes the wisdom of not > > trying to excel, and not trying to accomplish the exceptional, > > nurturing only the idea that it cannot be done, and that it is foolish > > to make the attempt. This becomes a socially engineered pattern, > > prevailing in society, under despotism. Psychology, social > > engineering, and medicine become the handmaidens of despotism. > > > The human potential movement of the 1960s has largely perished, and > > what remains of it has been radically, albeit negatively, transformed. > > It has been constrained by despotism because it was a movement among > > the scientists applying the new psychological and sociological > > knowledge in a way that does not favor despotism. Despotism > > annihilated that movement as readily as it annihilated most of > > political activism and drove it completely underground. Even > > demonstrations under a despotic regime differ in character and purpose > > to those not constrained and manipulated by despotism, but again token > > protests and demonstrations are certainly part of the smoke and > > mirrors act that despotism so cleverly conceals itself behind. If you > > know the history, and are old enough to remember it, or have studied > > its largely discredited and banned writings, you know how it has > > changed. Those remaining radicals and activists, who knew the 1960s > > and early 1970s in America, know how it has changed and we must > > resurrect their voices, wisdom, and experience. Those who knew the > > human potential movement then, need to give voice to what happened to > > that incredibly insightful and powerful force for positive change. > > Those who knew the world of science and invention then, need to come > > forward as to how that too has changed, because the changes were not > > for the better. Despotism has prevailed in every area, and the truth > > has fallen victim to that despotism. Cultural workers, artists, > > playwrights, poets in particular, need to be heard as to what > > despotism has done to them. > > > There is nothing right, moral or true about having the power to make > > others fail, to prove yourself right. That too is despotism. That is > > as true in the cultural sphere, as it is in the political sphere, and > > certainly in the economic sphere. Disguised as normal competition, > > despotism remains more often undiscerned and unchallenged. Despotism > > uses "competition", redefining it across a span of time, for its own > > purpose. When negative changes come across a longer span of time > > people fail to notice, fail to respond, and tend to accept, often > > failing to remember how it was. That failure is a tool of despotism. > > That is why despotism also favors ageism. The memories, wisdom, > > experiences, of elders are discredited in favor of youth. Despotism > > triumphs when its handmaidens of psychology and social engineering > > enforce ageist principles and destroy respect and consideration among > > youth for those who have been in this world long enough to know the > > difference between despotism and true human freedoms. Despotism > > triumphs among naive ignorance, not among experienced wisdom, but it > > knows how to silence and discredit that experience and wisdom. That is > > part of its weaponry of attack. > > > Creativity , innovation, invention, social, economic, cultural, > > political, individual and particularly collective progress cannot > > truly and genuinely thrive under despotism. Despotism divides and > > conquers against collectivism enforcing a solipsist, narcisist, self > > involvement as the primary focus of the individual's cultural, and > > socio-political existence. This is also promoted as a new standard of > > health, and reflects in the cultural products and their means of > > production, most strongly. Often the problem of money is interposed as > > the rational for this phenomenon, but despotism knows how to decrease > > the means, increase the cost and put a price tag on everything, to > > prevent itself from being challenged by those who are trying to rise > > up, and to achieve. Alone they have little, or at best much less, > > chance. Collectivism is made too expensive. Cooperation is nearly > > unheard of. Only those chosen as examples, as tokens, and having more > > fiscal means, can buy that cooperation, and that too is part of the > > illusion that despotism hides behind. In the 1960s and early 1970s > > that was not how it was. There were far greater chances for > > cooperation and collectivism as an alternative without a high price > > imposed by despotism. Times have changed and despotism is counting its > > triumphs against humanity. > > > Despotism also does something else worthy of note. It is often first > > to place an irrational idea, an unreasonable principle, that must be > > unquestioningly upheld, above all else. It often attempts to vindicate > > by a twisted, anxiety producing, highly conflicted, variant of > > religion. Its illegitimacy in that regard is scarce questioned because > > it requires immense expertise in order to discern the difference and > > to challenge what is happening. Despotism uses the powerful concepts > > of "spirituality", "faith", "belief", "trust", "grace", "salvation", > > and "god" in new ways, for its own political purpose. Despotism would > > have been considered the devil, but now it is a pretender to being god > > and that blasphemy, if you are religiously minded gradually tends to > > hold sway. Those concepts become the irrational justifications for all > > manner of despotic oppression, and are increasingly accepted by many, > > who lack the discernment. Again the expertise is coopted to being > > handmaidens of despotism. Psychology, sociology, social engineering, > > medicine, become coopted in support of the redefining of what we might > > term the "spiritual" dimension of life. The despotic destruction of > > other purposes, goals, achievements, attempts at succeeding, in any > > sphere of life become subordinated to a false spirituality, a false > > religion, which is made increasingly convincing of its "rightness". > > The very word "right" and "religion" become concatenated under > > despotism. The ability to question effectively and to act outside of > > that constraint of unquestioning irrational belief as a necessary, > > sometimes made into a sufficient, condition for imposed mediocrity to > > triumph, becomes completely destroyed under despotism. Even the > > experts are silenced on that subject. They are neither promoted, nor > > discussed openly. They are pushed down and ignored as being ignorant > > themselves, as a result of despotism. > > > I myself studied the world's religions,.and its philosophies, eastern > > and western, more than 25 years ago, and I know how it has changed. I > > read the radicals, coming a little late, and having been a little too > > young in the latter half of the 1960s, but I remember the atmosphere, > > and what went on. I remember how things were done. I read the accounts > > of others. I know the difference. > > Later I witnessed the effects of the worsening Cold War, and the > > parallel rise of despotism in America, spilling over its borders, and > > changing my own country of Canada, and its socio-political > > environment, affecting its differing ideals, manipulating its culture, > > simply as the wake, the spillover wash, of an overwhelming flood of > > American despotism. We can scarce recognize ourselves, across the > > border from America, being so affected by its despotism. We watch the > > changes in America across a span of more than 30 years in largely > > silenced horror, and most have fallen victim to resigned despair and > > socio-political, even cultural, impotency in consequence of the tidal > > wave crossing the borders from America and spilling across the whole > > world. How much worse the effects of its own despotism, on > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
