He said "triumph over tyranny", at this stage in the game, I would have gone with "truth over tyranny ". Honestly, there's a part of me that just wants to disconnect myself completely from politics because it appears to be hopeless. However, if we want a future where there is a permanent jump out of the public hole, we have to stay connected to what is going on in our nation's politics. From there we need to be proactive and engage one another, regardless of political affiliation. Not trying to sound like a resounding gong or clatter here, but the more divided we the people are, the more concerned we are about what we own, the more we stay glued to our technological prototypes... we forget who we can be as a people and nation, we forget that real face to face time spent with others is what strengthens relationships, we forget that when we die we can't take any money or material things with us. What gets me up in the morning? I'm a 37 year old veteran, with a 4 year old daughter. I've seen ugly in Iraq and other parts of the world. We have it so good here compared to other parts of the world yet as long as we find silly and petty things to argue about and fight over, the powers that be will remain the powers that be. So what gets me up in the morning, what gives me hope, is believing that we will all come to our senses, even if it happens in the next generation or the one after that. I will do the beat I can to teach and raise my child to know truth, to think critically and stand up against those that would enslave and take advantage of the underdog. I'm not talking about raising a generation of revolutionaries, but raising a generation who will have the discernment to know when enough is enough and how to go about making sure our nation is run by the people and not corporations.
Usually, Central America and South America are not a place to look when you want to feel hope, but it seems as though the region has (for the most part) finally started an upward trajectory for its broader left-wing. This is where I've been finding hope the past few years.
Despite all the White Noise from the MSM, etc, it's worth emphasizing all of the amazing, profound, funny voices out here in this technocratic Hellscape wilderness. I believe this more than offsets the Merchants of Doom and their Gloomy productions.
For book recommendations: I am currently re-reading Gore Vidal's "Dreaming War" (2002); Vidal's a fabulous wit and critic of the Postwar American scene. There is a collection of his essays over the years which was a blast to read as well (book's "on loan" at the moment, but Vidal should be an easy bookstore find). I re-read Kurt Vonnegut's 1963 novel "Cat's Cradle" a couple years ago and enjoyed it as much for its satirical sensibilities as how it reflects the "Heart of Darkness" of those times in America. For a bit of an oddball choice I like French guy Jean Baudrillard's "America," which is a fairly zany intellectual travel book. Baudrillard's not for everyone, but I thought his "freak out" in the Southwestern desert scapes was strangely hilarious. Vladimir Nabokov's "Pnin" (1953) is a fun point of entry to this fabulous Russian author; I particularly like the line "Doom should not jam" from that novel. Nabokov's a mad punster, and maybe "Pale Fire" (1963 or 4) is his best book.
I'll look into these. I read Cat's Cradle last year; part of my fascination with absurdism (and why it's named the absurd arena) comes from authors like Vonnegut, Pynchon, and Colson Whitehead's The Intuitionist, which I finished last night. Highly recommend that one for anyone who likes that style of absurdism. I'm looking for similar writers and these may work
Just as a further note: I seriously recommend the absolute "B-Movie" "Death Race: 2000." 1975. Definitely not the re-make, but the original. I feel that there is a sensibility from Then that is missing Now, and "Death Race" kind of scores the Point, so to speak. Quality satire should remind us that "We are not doomed to jam." Just saying...
I have a Flaming Lips quote above my desk- from 'The gash"- about 10 years old, still pertinent- "Will the fight for our sanity, be the fight of our lives? Now that we've lost all the reasons that we thought that we had."
Thank you for the heads-up on Colson Whitehead, a name I didn't know. Pynchon's a funny one. I really enjoyed his first novel "The Crying of Lot 49" 30+years ago, but found "Gravity's Rainbow" about a couple decades later unreadable after 100+ pages, like Pynchon had read "Ulysses" and missed the points but was terribly inspired with a Major Book Publisher contract to fulfill. Hey, thanks again!
Give Jeffries a D- and move along. If I had a room of staff members, I bet they could come up with the same bs with the Synonym Finder.
The House looked like the way it should have looked for decades - debating not dumbing down, energy instead of ennervating, functioning instead of farting around. Oh, no. They're going to start governing!
Some of us are still waiting for Godot. I don't always agree and I think Wilson and I think he has a lot of interning before he can be trusted but I don't always agree with Aaron and I would never argue with Katie.
I live in Quebec not Montreal but Quebec which is almost as big as Europe without Russia and Ukraine.
I cannot understand America from this side of the Border.
He says the time for government is over in plain simple English.
What is the problem?
The GOP hates America. They wish a return to Feudalism.
That is what is the Matter with Kansas. Fred C Koch cofounded the John Birch Society. It took the John Birch Society to elect Reagan Governor of California after Nixon decided the Republicans could win without the National Socialists. The Kochs are true believers not malevolent beings. The Right to Work Law in Kansas is the right to feudalism. Wichita is Feudal. When does Godot arrive and say America c'est fini?
Westphalia, Westphalia, Westphalia. Its days are gone. We live in a Global Village.
Russia /Ukraine is not a proxy war it is a Global Conflict.
I am Ukrainian neither American nor Russian.
Listen to Zelenskiy . This is not Ukraine's War. This is between us and the oligarchs.
Zelensky had his own production company. He could have been Harvey Weinstein but chose to be Vlodomyr Zelenskiy. We are who we are. Zelenskiy was an oligarch just like Soros but chose to be a democrat like Soros instead of an autocrat like Putin or Trump.. Hobbes was wrong and Calvin was wrong.
There are good people like Marcus Aurelius' who understand Hillel.
"If I am not for myself who am I for. If I am only for myself what am I for?"
John Milton was a founder of Unitarianism and asked the question all leaders must answer.: Is it better serve in Heaven or rule in Hell.
I would be cool if we could do a whole new Jeffries speech with stuff that has been mentioned here, but we'd need the whole alphabet and then someone could record it and post it to social media. Anyone down to try to redo the whole alphabet? Maybe Katie or Aaron could give "the speech" on the show?
Hey, guess what? The Big Bang never happened! Our universe is electric. Haven’t been so excited about “science” in literally decades. The scientific heterodoxy has been very busy making observations and (accurate) predictions, unlike the orthodox priesthood that call themselves the “authorities” of “Science.” Check out the Electric Universe conference, and especially Thunderbolts Project. You’ll be glad you did! ⚡️
"Vitamin C over vindictiveness" should have led to something about "Zinc lozenges and Zionism" to round out the virus metaphors about sociological pathologies.
Has Wilson already finished Lex Fridman's 2023 reading list? How about the supplemental, gratuitous insults by Nassim Taleb of the reading list and the subsequent arguments between Jordan Peterson and Taleb?
He said "triumph over tyranny", at this stage in the game, I would have gone with "truth over tyranny ". Honestly, there's a part of me that just wants to disconnect myself completely from politics because it appears to be hopeless. However, if we want a future where there is a permanent jump out of the public hole, we have to stay connected to what is going on in our nation's politics. From there we need to be proactive and engage one another, regardless of political affiliation. Not trying to sound like a resounding gong or clatter here, but the more divided we the people are, the more concerned we are about what we own, the more we stay glued to our technological prototypes... we forget who we can be as a people and nation, we forget that real face to face time spent with others is what strengthens relationships, we forget that when we die we can't take any money or material things with us. What gets me up in the morning? I'm a 37 year old veteran, with a 4 year old daughter. I've seen ugly in Iraq and other parts of the world. We have it so good here compared to other parts of the world yet as long as we find silly and petty things to argue about and fight over, the powers that be will remain the powers that be. So what gets me up in the morning, what gives me hope, is believing that we will all come to our senses, even if it happens in the next generation or the one after that. I will do the beat I can to teach and raise my child to know truth, to think critically and stand up against those that would enslave and take advantage of the underdog. I'm not talking about raising a generation of revolutionaries, but raising a generation who will have the discernment to know when enough is enough and how to go about making sure our nation is run by the people and not corporations.
Great response, thank you for sharing your thoughts. That’s a very good reason to keep holding on
Usually, Central America and South America are not a place to look when you want to feel hope, but it seems as though the region has (for the most part) finally started an upward trajectory for its broader left-wing. This is where I've been finding hope the past few years.
Despite all the White Noise from the MSM, etc, it's worth emphasizing all of the amazing, profound, funny voices out here in this technocratic Hellscape wilderness. I believe this more than offsets the Merchants of Doom and their Gloomy productions.
For book recommendations: I am currently re-reading Gore Vidal's "Dreaming War" (2002); Vidal's a fabulous wit and critic of the Postwar American scene. There is a collection of his essays over the years which was a blast to read as well (book's "on loan" at the moment, but Vidal should be an easy bookstore find). I re-read Kurt Vonnegut's 1963 novel "Cat's Cradle" a couple years ago and enjoyed it as much for its satirical sensibilities as how it reflects the "Heart of Darkness" of those times in America. For a bit of an oddball choice I like French guy Jean Baudrillard's "America," which is a fairly zany intellectual travel book. Baudrillard's not for everyone, but I thought his "freak out" in the Southwestern desert scapes was strangely hilarious. Vladimir Nabokov's "Pnin" (1953) is a fun point of entry to this fabulous Russian author; I particularly like the line "Doom should not jam" from that novel. Nabokov's a mad punster, and maybe "Pale Fire" (1963 or 4) is his best book.
I'll look into these. I read Cat's Cradle last year; part of my fascination with absurdism (and why it's named the absurd arena) comes from authors like Vonnegut, Pynchon, and Colson Whitehead's The Intuitionist, which I finished last night. Highly recommend that one for anyone who likes that style of absurdism. I'm looking for similar writers and these may work
Just as a further note: I seriously recommend the absolute "B-Movie" "Death Race: 2000." 1975. Definitely not the re-make, but the original. I feel that there is a sensibility from Then that is missing Now, and "Death Race" kind of scores the Point, so to speak. Quality satire should remind us that "We are not doomed to jam." Just saying...
I have a Flaming Lips quote above my desk- from 'The gash"- about 10 years old, still pertinent- "Will the fight for our sanity, be the fight of our lives? Now that we've lost all the reasons that we thought that we had."
Clare Daly and Mick Wallace have also been giving me solid doses of hope.
Thank you for the heads-up on Colson Whitehead, a name I didn't know. Pynchon's a funny one. I really enjoyed his first novel "The Crying of Lot 49" 30+years ago, but found "Gravity's Rainbow" about a couple decades later unreadable after 100+ pages, like Pynchon had read "Ulysses" and missed the points but was terribly inspired with a Major Book Publisher contract to fulfill. Hey, thanks again!
My hope is that people recognize the absurdity, rise up, and reject it.
Individuals over institutions
People over parties
Nuance over narratives
Freedom over fuckery
Off-topic:
Congrats to Aaron for his appearance on Jimmy Dore. It was sublime, like everything else Aaron does.
Give Jeffries a D- and move along. If I had a room of staff members, I bet they could come up with the same bs with the Synonym Finder.
The House looked like the way it should have looked for decades - debating not dumbing down, energy instead of ennervating, functioning instead of farting around. Oh, no. They're going to start governing!
Empathy over Epstein
Some of us are still waiting for Godot. I don't always agree and I think Wilson and I think he has a lot of interning before he can be trusted but I don't always agree with Aaron and I would never argue with Katie.
I live in Quebec not Montreal but Quebec which is almost as big as Europe without Russia and Ukraine.
I cannot understand America from this side of the Border.
In 1964 Reagan made his Time For Choosing speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY&t=106s
He says the time for government is over in plain simple English.
What is the problem?
The GOP hates America. They wish a return to Feudalism.
That is what is the Matter with Kansas. Fred C Koch cofounded the John Birch Society. It took the John Birch Society to elect Reagan Governor of California after Nixon decided the Republicans could win without the National Socialists. The Kochs are true believers not malevolent beings. The Right to Work Law in Kansas is the right to feudalism. Wichita is Feudal. When does Godot arrive and say America c'est fini?
Westphalia, Westphalia, Westphalia. Its days are gone. We live in a Global Village.
Russia /Ukraine is not a proxy war it is a Global Conflict.
I am Ukrainian neither American nor Russian.
Listen to Zelenskiy . This is not Ukraine's War. This is between us and the oligarchs.
Zelensky unites the world.
I am quite proud of how my writing skills are progressing. It has taken 75 years and I am just starting to learn. It is like in Flowers for Algernon.
The best recommend one can get comes from the face in the mirror.
Sputtering, blubbering nincomp00p.
Isn’t Zelensky financed by an oligarch?
Yes. Third richest man in Ukraine (IIRC). Igor Kolomoisky.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/revealed-anti-oligarch-ukrainian-president-offshore-connections-volodymyr-zelenskiy
"Moe" is a psychotic troll that supports totalitarian neo-communism (Tru-Dope).
Zelensky has been deeply corrupt for a long time.
Zelensky had his own production company. He could have been Harvey Weinstein but chose to be Vlodomyr Zelenskiy. We are who we are. Zelenskiy was an oligarch just like Soros but chose to be a democrat like Soros instead of an autocrat like Putin or Trump.. Hobbes was wrong and Calvin was wrong.
There are good people like Marcus Aurelius' who understand Hillel.
"If I am not for myself who am I for. If I am only for myself what am I for?"
John Milton was a founder of Unitarianism and asked the question all leaders must answer.: Is it better serve in Heaven or rule in Hell.
Psychotic blather. TROLL
Psychotic blather. TROLL
I would be cool if we could do a whole new Jeffries speech with stuff that has been mentioned here, but we'd need the whole alphabet and then someone could record it and post it to social media. Anyone down to try to redo the whole alphabet? Maybe Katie or Aaron could give "the speech" on the show?
Hey, guess what? The Big Bang never happened! Our universe is electric. Haven’t been so excited about “science” in literally decades. The scientific heterodoxy has been very busy making observations and (accurate) predictions, unlike the orthodox priesthood that call themselves the “authorities” of “Science.” Check out the Electric Universe conference, and especially Thunderbolts Project. You’ll be glad you did! ⚡️
"Vitamin C over vindictiveness" should have led to something about "Zinc lozenges and Zionism" to round out the virus metaphors about sociological pathologies.
Has Wilson already finished Lex Fridman's 2023 reading list? How about the supplemental, gratuitous insults by Nassim Taleb of the reading list and the subsequent arguments between Jordan Peterson and Taleb?
https://medium.com/the-reckless-muse/how-a-popular-podcasters-2023-reading-list-caused-a-twitter-controversy-4bd7616d0bc0
wow reading through those tweets. people never fail to be insane
lol, yep.