“Selling us back our own identities” has been going on since the advent of marketing. They’re just getting better at it.
Or, one could argue that this sort of soul separation has been at the core of most modern religions, which in turn support the ruling class du jour. I think this was described best by Alan Watts in his wonderful The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.
Hi Wahinkpe, I can't get full access to your article through that site. Could you please email it to me - I want to learn more: daniel.pinchbeck@gmail.com
Too bad psychology is too corrupted by capitalism and will never actually put any money, effort or action behind that very interesting report.
We could really use a humanities revolution right now. Humanities, even more so than the math and sciences, have been corrupted by our the revamp of our education system done right after WW2.
When we oppressed the big picture thinkers, creative intelligence, and critical thinking by implementing a system whose whole goal was to turn every citizen to an obedient puppy dog. Now half the population is lined up behind a large, old, chimpanzee whose days as top dog are long past. Because they internalized our "might is right" education system so thoroughly that they think money (even when it is inherited) equates to ability, value, intelligence and importance.
Our psychology should have been on this a long time ago. Letting us all know money had nothing to do with life satisfaction and helping us change the system to a healthier form. But instead they were quiet and we promoted those focused on making small caches of money for themselves becoming just another accomplice to its overall dysfunction.
All those tiny decisions to not speak up, put money or security over ethics and promote those that enrich the self over the good of all have finally caught up with us.
'the neo-Fascistic and Libertarian Right exploit the current, deepening turbulence by spreading distorted analyses that blame individuals and conspiratorial networks, instead of offering a coherent structural and systemic analysis'....True, but that's because they exploit a real need that people have - and young men in particular need - to be a part of something. I have varying degrees of patience with people like Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate et al, seeing their appeal to a masculinity deprived of appropriate expression, but they do at least offer a narrative.
The current Left are too fractured and addicted to in-fighting to be of any use to anyone now (I consider myself 'old Left' - you know quaint notions like equality, social provision, focus on education). These days there's divisiveness about issues that most people don't even experience so they're unlikely to be galvanised.
We have to start by pointing the finger of responsibility in the right direction (your paragraph about Enclosures is where that's at) and start demanding back the commons - land, internet, resources. Too long in private hands.
I take your point about the current potential for a reorganisation of society but we must not lose sight of the people's rightful share - we're fucked into totalitarianism if we allow further concentration.
Though where does “we the people” end and the corporations begin? Because corporations are made of people. So people do control the internet. Is it that we must bust up all large groups? But then we’d be preventing creative people from scaling their visions...
“Selling us back our own identities” has been going on since the advent of marketing. They’re just getting better at it.
Or, one could argue that this sort of soul separation has been at the core of most modern religions, which in turn support the ruling class du jour. I think this was described best by Alan Watts in his wonderful The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680231226387
Restoring sanity via metacognitive worldview reflect on precolonial worldview is the necessary transformative goal...
Hi Wahinkpe, I can't get full access to your article through that site. Could you please email it to me - I want to learn more: daniel.pinchbeck@gmail.com
Too bad psychology is too corrupted by capitalism and will never actually put any money, effort or action behind that very interesting report.
We could really use a humanities revolution right now. Humanities, even more so than the math and sciences, have been corrupted by our the revamp of our education system done right after WW2.
When we oppressed the big picture thinkers, creative intelligence, and critical thinking by implementing a system whose whole goal was to turn every citizen to an obedient puppy dog. Now half the population is lined up behind a large, old, chimpanzee whose days as top dog are long past. Because they internalized our "might is right" education system so thoroughly that they think money (even when it is inherited) equates to ability, value, intelligence and importance.
Our psychology should have been on this a long time ago. Letting us all know money had nothing to do with life satisfaction and helping us change the system to a healthier form. But instead they were quiet and we promoted those focused on making small caches of money for themselves becoming just another accomplice to its overall dysfunction.
All those tiny decisions to not speak up, put money or security over ethics and promote those that enrich the self over the good of all have finally caught up with us.
Also to keep us separated and not able to form bonds and groups. They are already planning to start another virus shutdown! It may get uglier!
'the neo-Fascistic and Libertarian Right exploit the current, deepening turbulence by spreading distorted analyses that blame individuals and conspiratorial networks, instead of offering a coherent structural and systemic analysis'....True, but that's because they exploit a real need that people have - and young men in particular need - to be a part of something. I have varying degrees of patience with people like Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate et al, seeing their appeal to a masculinity deprived of appropriate expression, but they do at least offer a narrative.
The current Left are too fractured and addicted to in-fighting to be of any use to anyone now (I consider myself 'old Left' - you know quaint notions like equality, social provision, focus on education). These days there's divisiveness about issues that most people don't even experience so they're unlikely to be galvanised.
We have to start by pointing the finger of responsibility in the right direction (your paragraph about Enclosures is where that's at) and start demanding back the commons - land, internet, resources. Too long in private hands.
I take your point about the current potential for a reorganisation of society but we must not lose sight of the people's rightful share - we're fucked into totalitarianism if we allow further concentration.
https://open.substack.com/pub/danoneill/p/lines-for-the-landless?r=3zg2g&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
So true regarding how any new movement needs to capture young folks, a generation increasingly lost to a culture of hot takes and vapid nonsense.
We might as well.
Though where does “we the people” end and the corporations begin? Because corporations are made of people. So people do control the internet. Is it that we must bust up all large groups? But then we’d be preventing creative people from scaling their visions...