Listen to a reading of this article: ❖ Lately when people react with shock and indignation that I would dare to dispute a claim made by the western political/media class about an empire-targeted government, I've taken to simply asking them what reading they've done on the other side of the issue. What are some articles they've read arguing against the official western narrative about that government?
You perhaps should think about a third category: where even the better evidenced view is still too poorly evidenced to justify taking a position other than uncertainty/skepticism.
What I have trouble getting is how could anyone sit through the slick cavalcade of corporate news or the chirpy nausea of the Today Show and come away not only feeling informed, but also entitled to a full-on lecture mode? What swamp demon, low-hanging fruit mentality does that entail?
My adult son recently got uninvited to a family Christmas dinner because he's unvaccinated, so if I seem a bit pissed off at our current brand of self-inflicted stupidity, it's because I am.
As your article implies, not only are people blinkered, but they wear their ignorance like it's some sort of a great personal accomplishment. Woe be to us.
Lately, I get "shame on you for questioning the narrative!", which is pretty much an admission that they have no argument and that the discussion makes them uncomfortable because they know it.
I have put what’s below in several WaPo threads. It works every time but for the name-callers. It’s a summary by Harry Stotle of William Blum’s book.
The secret to understanding US foreign policy is that THERE IS NO SECRET. Principally, one must come to the realization that the United States strives to dominate the world, for which end it is prepared to use any means necessary. Once one understands that, much of the apparent confusion, contradiction, and ambiguity surrounding Washington’s policies fades away. To express this striving for dominance numerically, one can consider that since the end of World War II the United States has:
1) Endeavored to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically elected;
2) Grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries;
3) Attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders;
4) Dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries;
5) Attempted to suppress a populist or nationalist movement in 20 countries.”
― William Blum, America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy – The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else
Editors are everywhere, true journalists are rare - we end up stuffed full of opinion, and not truly informed. This seems to be true of most topics, including science, and the behaviors of nations. I'm at a loss as to how society is going to solve this problem, but it really needs to.
Thanks for bringing up COVID. The two sides of that issue are so entrenched that even writing something that should be considered support of one of the sides brings condemnations of eternal damnation and proclamations of your "obvious stupidity'. They then offer up their own guru (Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell/Robert Malone/Anthony Fauci) as "proof" that "God" is on their side.
To elaborate on this bifurcation of political thought, the response to the movie "Don't Look Up!" where the Trumpeter Guardian reviewer claims it failed because it was so snarky, while the anti-Trumpeters are still laughing.
Do we just hate the Trumpeters so much that confirming their ignorance makes us laugh our heads off?
Then the success of Project Veritas against the New York Time and the Times publisher calling the judges decision a huge threat to journalism, while at the same time still insisting Assange is NOT a journalist. The absurdity.
The Amazon Prime series "The Expanse" is a perfect allegory for what is happening. Each "side" is so convinced of their moral rectitude and the absolute evil of the other "sides" that conflict and destruction of one another is inevitable.
"then unless it's something that's self-evidently absurd at a casual glance it would be silly and asinine for you to take a confident position on it one way or the other." Absurdity is relative.
Caitlin I read this article while golfing in Florida, with a group of 8 men, privileged people.
I did not mention your article, I’m aware that bringing it up would be extremely unwelcome and that if I did, I would be socially ostracized. Fair enough, inappropriate, it is a recreational activity.
But, the larger reason is your article would demonstrate that they are complete sell outs, propagandized adherents of the official narrative, which they are. In the face of this information I believe they would become violent. A lifetime incubating in the American story would not allow debate, but my point is the counter narrative is less scary than what the question demonstrates about themselves: the obvious fact that they had sold out, given up, capitulated.
They are not trying to figure out how the world works, they are not striving for honesty or knowledge or correctness, they are not concerned with suffering, pestilence and poverty, they do not care about injustices, they are in it for themselves, nothing else and they see no problem with this their abdication and they see America as good. As for their everlasting soul they are confident they are good people who live, love and laugh with the occasional visit to church too hedge their bets.
Douche bags. My friends are douche bags. I feel very alone.
This doesn't just apply to arguments that disrupt narratives about governments the empire wants to take out.
I recall you flagrantly insulting a lot of people who were imploring you to look at evidence we were being lied to about covid (a fact that is now all but accepted even in mainstream circles) and that lockdown policies had nothing to do with "public health" and generally being rude, dismissive and downright belligerent.
While it perhaps cannot be definitively proven with iron-clad smoking-gun evidence that the lockdown policies were designed as a form of class warfare (and probably never will be), the simple, un-deniable fact is that they did advantage the global capitalist elites and advance their stated agendas in myriad ways (one of which being another issue you write on frequently, that of controlling speech) warrants extremely careful consideration of this possibility and there is absolutely nothing to be gained (in terms of class war) by dismissing it as you did.
Cait, you do not understand any issue by “researching the arguments” for and against it. That just gets you into the bad thinking of both ‘sides’.
I don’t do ‘sides’. I get my information about things from people who have information.
That is, from people who have consistently been right in their predictions.
These are people who look into the facts as they are and draw conclusions from them.
You do not understand anything by listening to people ‘argue’ about it. This is why most people are repelled by people arguing about something.
Sane people want to gain knowledge of a subject by hearing people with knowledge of that subject. They weigh whether that person’s conclusions actually explain and predict.
Debaters are almost always both dead wrong. When you research a topic by hearing ‘sides’, all you get are the common delusions of the two sides.
You perhaps should think about a third category: where even the better evidenced view is still too poorly evidenced to justify taking a position other than uncertainty/skepticism.
What I have trouble getting is how could anyone sit through the slick cavalcade of corporate news or the chirpy nausea of the Today Show and come away not only feeling informed, but also entitled to a full-on lecture mode? What swamp demon, low-hanging fruit mentality does that entail?
My adult son recently got uninvited to a family Christmas dinner because he's unvaccinated, so if I seem a bit pissed off at our current brand of self-inflicted stupidity, it's because I am.
As your article implies, not only are people blinkered, but they wear their ignorance like it's some sort of a great personal accomplishment. Woe be to us.
Lately, I get "shame on you for questioning the narrative!", which is pretty much an admission that they have no argument and that the discussion makes them uncomfortable because they know it.
Hi Caitlyn,
I have put what’s below in several WaPo threads. It works every time but for the name-callers. It’s a summary by Harry Stotle of William Blum’s book.
The secret to understanding US foreign policy is that THERE IS NO SECRET. Principally, one must come to the realization that the United States strives to dominate the world, for which end it is prepared to use any means necessary. Once one understands that, much of the apparent confusion, contradiction, and ambiguity surrounding Washington’s policies fades away. To express this striving for dominance numerically, one can consider that since the end of World War II the United States has:
1) Endeavored to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically elected;
2) Grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries;
3) Attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders;
4) Dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries;
5) Attempted to suppress a populist or nationalist movement in 20 countries.”
― William Blum, America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy – The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else
Editors are everywhere, true journalists are rare - we end up stuffed full of opinion, and not truly informed. This seems to be true of most topics, including science, and the behaviors of nations. I'm at a loss as to how society is going to solve this problem, but it really needs to.
Thanks for bringing up COVID. The two sides of that issue are so entrenched that even writing something that should be considered support of one of the sides brings condemnations of eternal damnation and proclamations of your "obvious stupidity'. They then offer up their own guru (Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell/Robert Malone/Anthony Fauci) as "proof" that "God" is on their side.
To elaborate on this bifurcation of political thought, the response to the movie "Don't Look Up!" where the Trumpeter Guardian reviewer claims it failed because it was so snarky, while the anti-Trumpeters are still laughing.
Do we just hate the Trumpeters so much that confirming their ignorance makes us laugh our heads off?
Then the success of Project Veritas against the New York Time and the Times publisher calling the judges decision a huge threat to journalism, while at the same time still insisting Assange is NOT a journalist. The absurdity.
Once again, I find myself having to recommend Snowden's article on Apophenia. https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/conspiracy-pt2
The Amazon Prime series "The Expanse" is a perfect allegory for what is happening. Each "side" is so convinced of their moral rectitude and the absolute evil of the other "sides" that conflict and destruction of one another is inevitable.
"then unless it's something that's self-evidently absurd at a casual glance it would be silly and asinine for you to take a confident position on it one way or the other." Absurdity is relative.
Caitlin I read this article while golfing in Florida, with a group of 8 men, privileged people.
I did not mention your article, I’m aware that bringing it up would be extremely unwelcome and that if I did, I would be socially ostracized. Fair enough, inappropriate, it is a recreational activity.
But, the larger reason is your article would demonstrate that they are complete sell outs, propagandized adherents of the official narrative, which they are. In the face of this information I believe they would become violent. A lifetime incubating in the American story would not allow debate, but my point is the counter narrative is less scary than what the question demonstrates about themselves: the obvious fact that they had sold out, given up, capitulated.
They are not trying to figure out how the world works, they are not striving for honesty or knowledge or correctness, they are not concerned with suffering, pestilence and poverty, they do not care about injustices, they are in it for themselves, nothing else and they see no problem with this their abdication and they see America as good. As for their everlasting soul they are confident they are good people who live, love and laugh with the occasional visit to church too hedge their bets.
Douche bags. My friends are douche bags. I feel very alone.
This doesn't just apply to arguments that disrupt narratives about governments the empire wants to take out.
I recall you flagrantly insulting a lot of people who were imploring you to look at evidence we were being lied to about covid (a fact that is now all but accepted even in mainstream circles) and that lockdown policies had nothing to do with "public health" and generally being rude, dismissive and downright belligerent.
While it perhaps cannot be definitively proven with iron-clad smoking-gun evidence that the lockdown policies were designed as a form of class warfare (and probably never will be), the simple, un-deniable fact is that they did advantage the global capitalist elites and advance their stated agendas in myriad ways (one of which being another issue you write on frequently, that of controlling speech) warrants extremely careful consideration of this possibility and there is absolutely nothing to be gained (in terms of class war) by dismissing it as you did.
https://www.wecommune.com/posts/commusings-know-thy-cell-f-by-ara-katz
Or as Mao put it: "No investigation, no right to speak."
Cait, you do not understand any issue by “researching the arguments” for and against it. That just gets you into the bad thinking of both ‘sides’.
I don’t do ‘sides’. I get my information about things from people who have information.
That is, from people who have consistently been right in their predictions.
These are people who look into the facts as they are and draw conclusions from them.
You do not understand anything by listening to people ‘argue’ about it. This is why most people are repelled by people arguing about something.
Sane people want to gain knowledge of a subject by hearing people with knowledge of that subject. They weigh whether that person’s conclusions actually explain and predict.
Debaters are almost always both dead wrong. When you research a topic by hearing ‘sides’, all you get are the common delusions of the two sides.
Happy New Year.