Aww man, I'm not sure which to be more disheartened by, that they people who want to lead us are so stupid, that they think we're all so stupid, or that they may be right...
My main point is that representational democracy is fundamentally a corrupting, utterly dishonest institution. It's another amongst the countless myriad of examples how mainstream culture is constructed to point in precisely the opposite direction to my moral and ethical compass. Much of the time it feels as though a giant cosmic joke were being perpetuated on us-that we're living in some bizarre Descartian Matrix designed to annihiliate faith in institutions of our own making. Maybe I listen to too much VNV Nation but sometimes, despite my absolute aversion to revolutions, it seems we really do need something to turn it all on its head before we can hope to emerge into the light. I think that's largely why I became a Singularitarian. It may be a messianic eschatological cult, but at least it's trying. :)
All the senate based minor parties tend to have insane policies hidden away in there agenda. Mostly because they know it won't matter, as they won't form government and actually have to enact them. And because nobody expects them to form government they get a lower level of scrutiny than the majors get.
Yeah, there are issues with representitive democracy, but frankly it's better than the alternatives. And no I don't believe in that there will be any moment where we all transform into higher beings of enlightened ability any more than I believe in the rapture, sorry.
What I am more conceren about at the moment is just how shit the forth estate is. As much as I support a free press some news editors really do need a swift fucking kick in the genitals.
Crap, crap, crap. More of the memetic effluent of the dominant paradigm. (I mean, you realise you're paraphrasing Churchill when you mouth that nonsensensical platitude, yeah?) It's a kind of blinkered, strawman argument, like saying "leeches might not be great medicine, but they're a lot better than that bark and twigs stuff". Surely you can see that there just might be a better way-if we could only dispose of this self-defeating notion that every possible mechanism has already been tried so we should shut up and be grateful for whatever shit's left?
just how shit the forth estate is.
Yet more of the dominant paradigm! As if we should construct our society on the premise that the best way to keep our administration system honest is to set up a modified entertainment system to protect our interests-presumably so two wrongs make a right. The whole idea of basing our civilisation on a series of staged perpetual battles sickens me to the core. It's insane and it needs to be swept aside. (Ahem
Crap, crap, crap. No it's not. I actively look at other alternatives, and most are extremely naive. And again you haven't provided any concrete examples of a decent alternative. Frankly if I'm going to burn down the house I'd like to know where I'm living afterwards.
Yet more of the dominant paradigm! As if we should construct our society on the premise that the best way to keep our administration system honest is to set up a modified entertainment system to protect our interests-presumably so two wrongs make a right.
The fact that it's become a entertainment system is probably part of the problem. Another part is the lack of divergent voices. I saw a Documentary about CY O'Conner a while back, in which they were talking about how he was copping a hammering in the press. One of the FORTY daily papers in PERTH, was really giving him a complete spanking, often unreasonably.
Basically if you want to critise the status quo, who say their a crap band, I mean you provide an explanation of the alternative paradigm.
Maybe you've missed my anti-democracy rants in the past, but I've made my position pretty clear. I am in favour of professional governance: the administration of society by people who are employed, not elected. Essentially, government by a kind of executive bureaucracy, whose rules and reasoning are public and thus open to community debate and feedback, whose success in achieving the ends we set collectively for them is enforced by regular reportage, and whose failure is punished by pressure for resignation-oddly enough a formulation nobody seems to have a problem with when applied to the management of corporations. I see the Chinese Communist Party eventually emerging as exemplars of this model, once they're able to bring their entrenched corruption under control
( ... )
i was more convinced by the arguments of giant douche.
Well yes; giant douche was, after all, John Kerry. (My vote of support for Turd Sandwich was more for comedic effect than political identification.)
are you moving to melbourne? when? why?
Yes; 06-Jan-08; to support my darling Cass in her new venture (not to mention to avoid continuing to be on the other side of the country from her). It's not going to be forever-although it might well be followed by some time in Wellington. We'll both be back and forth across the Nullarbor at least once every couple of months anyway because she needs to continue to personally supervise Wildilocks. Plus for special events. So, as I've said to my parents, people will probably see me more frequently than they have in the past...
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Aww man, I'm not sure which to be more disheartened by, that they people who want to lead us are so stupid, that they think we're all so stupid, or that they may be right...
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My main point is that representational democracy is fundamentally a corrupting, utterly dishonest institution. It's another amongst the countless myriad of examples how mainstream culture is constructed to point in precisely the opposite direction to my moral and ethical compass. Much of the time it feels as though a giant cosmic joke were being perpetuated on us-that we're living in some bizarre Descartian Matrix designed to annihiliate faith in institutions of our own making. Maybe I listen to too much VNV Nation but sometimes, despite my absolute aversion to revolutions, it seems we really do need something to turn it all on its head before we can hope to emerge into the light. I think that's largely why I became a Singularitarian. It may be a messianic eschatological cult, but at least it's trying. :)
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Or "Cartesian Matrix", even.
(And I still can't spell "Nietzschean" while drunk. Sigh.)
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Yeah, there are issues with representitive democracy, but frankly it's better than the alternatives. And no I don't believe in that there will be any moment where we all transform into higher beings of enlightened ability any more than I believe in the rapture, sorry.
What I am more conceren about at the moment is just how shit the forth estate is. As much as I support a free press some news editors really do need a swift fucking kick in the genitals.
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Crap, crap, crap. More of the memetic effluent of the dominant paradigm. (I mean, you realise you're paraphrasing Churchill when you mouth that nonsensensical platitude, yeah?) It's a kind of blinkered, strawman argument, like saying "leeches might not be great medicine, but they're a lot better than that bark and twigs stuff". Surely you can see that there just might be a better way-if we could only dispose of this self-defeating notion that every possible mechanism has already been tried so we should shut up and be grateful for whatever shit's left?
just how shit the forth estate is.
Yet more of the dominant paradigm! As if we should construct our society on the premise that the best way to keep our administration system honest is to set up a modified entertainment system to protect our interests-presumably so two wrongs make a right. The whole idea of basing our civilisation on a series of staged perpetual battles sickens me to the core. It's insane and it needs to be swept aside. (Ahem
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No it's not. I actively look at other alternatives, and most are extremely naive. And again you haven't provided any concrete examples of a decent alternative. Frankly if I'm going to burn down the house I'd like to know where I'm living afterwards.
Yet more of the dominant paradigm! As if we should construct our society on the premise that the best way to keep our administration system honest is to set up a modified entertainment system to protect our interests-presumably so two wrongs make a right.
The fact that it's become a entertainment system is probably part of the problem. Another part is the lack of divergent voices. I saw a Documentary about CY O'Conner a while back, in which they were talking about how he was copping a hammering in the press. One of the FORTY daily papers in PERTH, was really giving him a complete spanking, often unreasonably.
Basically if you want to critise the status quo, who say their a crap band, I mean you provide an explanation of the alternative paradigm.
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are you moving to melbourne? when? why? inquiring minds want to know.
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Well yes; giant douche was, after all, John Kerry. (My vote of support for Turd Sandwich was more for comedic effect than political identification.)
are you moving to melbourne? when? why?
Yes; 06-Jan-08; to support my darling Cass in her new venture (not to mention to avoid continuing to be on the other side of the country from her). It's not going to be forever-although it might well be followed by some time in Wellington. We'll both be back and forth across the Nullarbor at least once every couple of months anyway because she needs to continue to personally supervise Wildilocks. Plus for special events. So, as I've said to my parents, people will probably see me more frequently than they have in the past...
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we'll miss you, but seeing more of you will be good!
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