Archive for December, 2008
A Conversation between Michael Albert and Noam Chomsky
December 27, 2008Addiction – eternal struggle
December 18, 2008The point of addiction is not the substance of the addiction – it’s the eternal struggle against the addiction. The addict needs the addiction in order to control the process of his own conflict, his own overcoming. When the addict finds a new addiction, he “defeats” his existing addiction, feels a sense of accomplishment, and moves on to the new addiction, where the process repeats itself.
Many addicts become linked to the substance of the addiction out of loyalty to this thing which has gained such meaning in their lives.
Because the relationship with the substance of the addiction is eternal struggle against, it’s always a relationship that results in death, in divorce. It’s always a relationship strife with conflict, with recrimination, with regret, with anger, with resentment.
Addiction derives from a culture of luxury, of metaphorical pillows, of overwhelming material security, of totalitarian social control, of the LACK of any real conflict, overcoming, or accomplishment.
In this sterile cultural void, the self generates it’s own perpetual conflict through the technique of addiction.
On George W. Bush’s verbal affectation
December 11, 2008This is a reply to Myles Hoenig on Dissident Voice:
” Fool me once shame on you.
You fool me you can’t get fooled again.
– GWB
Spoken like the true idiot that he is. ”
No, spoken like an affectation.
This way of speaking by GWB is an affectation, occurring only in his recent years. GWB is a political monster and made the calculation that speaking in this way would be beneficial to the Neoconservative cause (by condescending to the American public and thus angering and depressing them).
It is a way for GWB to say: “See, this is what I think of how Americans speak”. The media got in on it, saying that GWB is trying to “talk like Americans do”. What an odd remark – I’ve never heard an American speak like GWB does, not even drunk ones.
By repeating calling GWB an “idiot”, Americans justify not doing anything about him. Him being an “idiot” is a substantial amount of the reason why GWB isn’t sitting in jail. Who’s the real idiot?
Modern US presidents are primarily PR spokespeople. Developing a condescending way to speak is (potentially) a very potent way of conducting the presidency. And since Americans were manipulated successfully, taking the bait and thus the hook of GWB being an “idiot”, we might as well take our hats off to a man who has gotten the best of us.
GWB did exactly what he wanted to do in office – help his cronies and buddies get richer, be re-elected for a second term, and get away with it scot free. He succeeded in all of this with flying colors. Yet somehow he’s the idiot?
So indeed, “Fool me once shame on you. You fool me you can’t get fooled again”.
Public Relations isn’t about speaking *clearly* or *articulately*, it’s about speaking *powerfully*. Americans fell into the trap GWB laid.
We're in Our World Now 