Hi y'all - from BBC News I see. I am happy to be back in America having recently experienced the BBC's domain.
On Dec 6, 12:10 pm, Morpheal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > AMERICAN SCIENCE AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF HAPPINESS > > BBC News - December 6th, 2008 Wrote: > > “Happiness is infectious and can "ripple" through social groups, say > US researchers. Researchers found a person is 25% more likely to be > happy if they have a friend living within a mile who becomes happy - > an effect that declined with distance.The study of 5000 adults, led by > the Harvard Medical School, says the 'happiness effect' extends to > three levels of separation - to the friend of a friend of a > friend.However, the study also found that the mood of work colleagues > did not play a part in happiness.” > > America has long distorted most research on human contentment, and > happiness. We have to look at more solid sociology, psychology, from > 40 years ago to begin to comprehend the negative changes that American > science has consistently suffered during America’s constant swing > towards totalitarianism, tainted with its peculiar version of > “spirituality”. > > This is partially due to ideology that emphasizes being sold on the > idea and rejects real psycho-physiological responses to the meeting of > real material needs and wants. A popular phrase, some years ago, was > “sweetness and light”, prevalent in the religious right. The attitude > of uncomplaining, “smile and be happy”, no matter what is actually > happening or being experienced in material life of body and social, > behavioral, political and economic facticity, extended far beyond the > religious right into redefining concepts of “health”. Dissent, > disagreement, even debate, and particularly expressions of unhappiness > and discontent, were increasingly to be believed as being “unhealthy”. > In that paradigm something is always wrong with the complainant, and > everything reflects back onto self, including all blame for every > variety of anxiety, adversity, failure, obstacle, and misfortune. > > It really meant that a frown of dissent was unacceptable, as were any > critical, dissenting, words. Similarly the concept of “congruence” > crept into Americanism, and meant that not only were people expected > to smile and be happy on the surface, but they had to internalize that > superficial fascism of externalized happiness as being what they truly > believed about themselves. Internalization of external behavior is a > factor in political totalitarianism. Earlier socio-psychological ideas > did not venture into promoting congruence but tended to follow > theories such as Irving Goffman’s “Presentation of Self in Everyday > Life” where the difference between internal thinking and expressions > of external behavior was validated. The theory of congruence tends to > invalidate internal dissent and discontentment, supporting the > superficial living of the lie. The belief is also inculcated that > expressions of happiness and contentment, even when completely > inappropriate to circumstances are rewardable, while expressions of > unhappiness and discontentment are punishable reinforcing the revised > political value system. > > The political implications are obvious. Slowly and certainly > everything that is wrong with society, the social situation, the > political realm, economics, and particularly wrong with religion or > the national ideology, is pushed behind the curtain of happiness. It > no longer exists. Only happiness exists. Those other matters are > increasingly “passed over in silence”. Another angle derivative from > Americanist religious ideology, If you are unhappy, discontented, > critical about anything, you can talk to yourself, by yourself, > forever, or seek medical help in terms of pharmaceuticals that will > help you change your mind to one of totalized happiness, via a > manipulation of your physiology. You have no freedom to be unhappy and > remain a member of society. That is not allowed. You will be passed > over in silence, utterly ignored, and told that you are crazy, needing > help, unhealthy, ill, and unacceptable to society, god, the nation, > the group, and so forth. Social dynamics become part of the > reinforcement of happiness enforcement. > > Now we can see why the real condition of America has deteriorated > consistently and constantly for nearly 40 years, in every area of its > life, behind that curtain of enforced expressions and feelings of > contentment and happiness. We can now see why America, as nation, in > terms of its condition today, still cannot face its own truth, at home > and in the world beyond its borders. Why its upper leadership still > sells false beliefs, unable to face up to responsibility and failure. > Faith in the future, optimism, and being completely sold on those has > become a standard of health, of sanity, and a condition of social, > political even of economic membership. Even leadership is constrained > to the ideology of happiness. We have seen the slow erosion and > destruction of real political dissent in America, and of religious > dissent, watching it pushed increasingly underground and its > manifestations changed to increasingly ineffective, unemotive, masked > behind conflicted behavioral expressions and internal feelings. Real > dissent and discontent is no longer allowed its honest expression. It > is placed into social and psychological conflict with itself, in > regard to its negative valuing as unhealthy and inappropriate in the > larger sphere of life. It is parochialized to the extreme, and becomes > the preserve of smaller and smaller groups, who are increasingly > labelled as being the equivalent of dangerously infected, and > necessarily as undergoing treatment for what is wrong with them. The > usual result is increasing member antipathy and ambivalence to their > own cause and their own social associations. > > Americanism has increasingly become an ideology that requires, in fact > demands, happiness, and demands its valuing by others when it occurs > meaninglessly in any, even when needs and wants are entirely unmet and > even when the circumstances make happiness inappropriate. In that > Americanist ideology dissent, discontent, unhappiness, and their > external to the psyche behavioral expressions become increasingly > always inappropriate, while their opposites are given increasing value > as being appropriate. > > Americanism, even in its social and psychological science, is not > necessarily the truth about the human condition and about humanity. > The rest of the world needs to rethink the issues, and apply solid > real science and genuine critical thinking to it, not simply accept it > as given “gift from the American god”. Science cannot be properly > pursued on the basis of deeply held ideological assumptions, > unexamined and unexaminable beliefs, acting simply as handmaiden in > support of a failing ideology. > > Now, smile and be happy whenever you see an American flag. America > demands it. > You have no choice. Not only must you smile and be happy on the > outside, but you must > feel that happiness as your one and only internal response. All your > feelings and all your > thoughts must be pure happiness when you see that flag. You have > something seriously > wrong with you if you do not feel happy inside and show your happiness > outside as behavior > that is clearly expressive to all around you, when you see that flag. > > And never utter what might be considered to be a discouraging word, or > you will end up the recipient of a flood of discouragement. You have > to sell the ideology. You have to promote it. You have to be an > American salesman of a bill of goods ideology and spirituality, > joining a nation of such salesmanship, if you want to succeed at > anything. > > You see what has gone wrong now, don’t you ? > > Cheers. > > Robert Morpheal > > Anyone may copy, reproduce, distribute, this article in any form, by > any means, anywhere, and is in fact encouraged to do so. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
