Democracy 101 (are we brainwashed automats?)

[Bearcat]

I have been reading Noam Chomsky for over 20 years .... in fact I have several of his books.. including this one.. very thought provoking.

[Chromius]

I do not want to rant and rave.

But yes in answer to the topic question. The 80% of the masses is pretty accurate, and they will never accept "conspiracy theory" or anything that is contrary to the news or politics as they know it. Even though the truth is easy enough to find.

As Thomas Jefferson stated "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers."

[WTE_Galway]

On a related note ...

Apple is a cult and its users are brainwashed zombies.

In the event of a Zombie Apocalypse keep a close eye on Cupertino, Ca.


On a more on-topic point ...

With internet and social networking its now technically feasible to have a true democracy (rather than representational democracy) with citizens voting personally on everything. Would YOU bother spending several hours every day at a computer voting on policy questions ?

[BadAim]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

On a related note ...

Apple is a cult and its users are brainwashed zombies.

In the event of a Zombie Apocalypse keep a close eye on Cupertino, Ca.


On a more on-topic point ...

With internet and social networking its now technically feasible to have a true democracy (rather than representational democracy) with citizens voting personally on everything. Would YOU bother spending several hours every day at a computer voting on policy questions ?

Oh God, I hope not! (see my other posts)

[Cap'n Crunch]

Don't really care too much for Chomsky, has too many skeletons in his own closet like adoration for Pol Pot and his wonderful utopia. And the idea of a superior 20% to manage seems a chronic plague, you see it everywhere, since Plato and beyond. Never works, always ends in implosion, there is no difference in humans, simply an excuse to rob and plunder. Besides it's a little bit too 'Reptilian' like in scope. If you accept the thesis, your already a slave.

I'd rather listen to Alan Watt, he's my kind of dissident, maybe a little crazy, but definitely a thinker. You can find his stuff on utube.

But yeah, in the modern world of true believers in social darwinism, if your a thinker, you truly are on your own. Eventually with peak resources they will cull their competitors. You see it now, anyone whom they cannot directly control culturally is ruthlessly destroyed. Whether it's a primitive Amazonian tribe, or the Afghan hill people.

[chantaje]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

With internet and social networking its now technically feasible to have a true democracy (rather than representational democracy) with citizens voting personally on everything. Would YOU bother spending several hours every day at a computer voting on policy questions ?

i would do it with entusiasm , im sure i can represent my interest way better than any "professional politician". and it would be a great way to learn new things.
at leasty here (im sure in any country is similar) most of the senate aproove projects without even reading it, only becouse the head of the party or block order that have to be voted, many of those laws are ridiculous (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106291) , and the ones that must analyze them dont even read it..

im sure in the us its not so diferent. i dont think the trillions of the bailouts can be approved by a election, (well, with a all mighty media lobbyng for it it can be possible)

[MadBlaster]

Chomsky is a sharp guy. His model, too high level, too simple. Sir, no faith in the individual? In my experience, the individual doesn’t live at the high level he speaks. Instead, Chomsky reduces him collectively to either a teacher or a dumbass? Wtf. I would argue, the individual has the freedom to turn the tv/propaganda “off”. The individual has the freedom to ignore the propaganda or persue his/her own agenda or enjoy the propaganda of the “masses” as a pastime, hobby or even promote it with pleasure. The individual has the freedom to move, to buy or not to buy, to agree, or tell the world to go to hell. Or, the individual can sit around all day and worry if the sun will rise tomorrow because of the unmitigated disaster, Obama, spending some x-trillion dollars of future generations money in three years and more than all other presidents combined in the nations history! I do not wake up each day and ask myself, am I an 80% percent or 20% or 99%? Instead, I read a book on compiler theory. This, Chomsky’s greater contribution to my world. The USA will survive because nothing is more important than freedom, even when your broke. And we know from history, the individual will die to save it. Common sense always takes hold eventually. I would say, don’t waste your time on someone elses agenda unless you choose to and ask yourself why you do it. I think most people do that, though not explicitly. More so, just natural human behaviors. Chomsky’s model... is it propaganda??? Or is Chomsky himself a victim of propaganda??? Could be. Life is too short for me to worry about that. He is a sharp guy though and I found the vid worthy of my time to write some of my own propaganda on the internet.

[BadAim]

I'd like to agree with you, Blaster. Unfortunately for me I'm just too jaded. I believe that self government is right and good to the core of my soul, and that it is the only way to go. I also believe that the average person would just as soon be a slave if his cage is nicely appointed. This is why we have politicians and social engineers; they are more than happy to be the builders of gilded cages, so long as they get a cut of the profit.

Blech. This discussion leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This is why I stopped watching or listening to news of all kinds for the most part. It's too freaking painful. It's like watching the butcher lead the sheep away while the shepherd weeps.

[MadBlaster]

Ha. I woke up this morning with this on my brain.

It’s a paradox BadAim. Chomsky is a paradox. On the one hand, he comes up with the concept of a universal grammer, implying that human beings are hard-wired to learn. On the other, he implies you are a dumb-ass unless you are taught by a formally educated person. I accept the former and reject the latter.

If I iterate to a baby over and over, “red” while pointing to a red ball, what have I taught the baby? Is the baby no longer a dumb-ass with respect to “red”. I submit that I can not know. I can only speculate that the baby understands “red” as I understand “red”. But I am not the baby. I can test the baby, but still, only the baby really knows how he/she has conceptualized “red”. Maybe I have inadvertently planted the seed for the the baby to grown up and be a communist hope and changer. Or maybe this was my intent all along? Hello elite mentality. No. Drawing a line between the supposed dumb-asses and the teachers is a futile excercise. It’s a relative line that requires context to mean anything at all and even then, subject to one’s interpretation. If I cut myself and apply a bandaid, am I not now a doctor? In my mind, I am a brilliant doctor and that is all that matters to me at that point in time. Just as we are hardwired to formulate our own opinions of “red”. Our inate ability to use our senses, to take in data, analyze it, formulate, reflect, and make a choice about “red” and, if necessary, revisit our decision in the future. Or, simply not worry about it and throw it out as garbage. Did the baby throw out my interpretation of “red” as garbage??? Maybe the baby is color blind. On a broader scale, this is why we have elections in America. To revisit our past decisions. The 80% human beings are not dumb-ass automatons that must rely on and support the 20% “formally educated” class to be the interpreter. The ability to learn is inate. The desire to learn...inspiration comes in many forms. Teachers can choose to provide inspiration or indoctrination. It’s up to the individual to interpret the meaning and the individual can change his/her mind whenever they feel like it.

[Thee_oddball]

Originally Posted by BadAim

I'd like to agree with you, Blaster. Unfortunately for me I'm just too jaded. I believe that self government is right and good to the core of my soul, and that it is the only way to go. I also believe that the average person would just as soon be a slave if his cage is nicely appointed. This is why we have politicians and social engineers; they are more than happy to be the builders of gilded cages, so long as they get a cut of the profit.

Blech. This discussion leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This is why I stopped watching or listening to news of all kinds for the most part. It's too freaking painful. It's like watching the butcher lead the sheep away while the shepherd weeps.

"There was once a nanny-goat who said,
In my cradle someone sang to me:
"A strong man is coming.
He will set you free!"

The ox looked at her askance.
Then turning to the pig
He said,
"That will be the butcher."

Bertolt Brecht

badaim someone here has a quote in there sig from Thomas Jefferson that says " Aman who reads othing at all is more educated than the man who reads the newspaper"

S!