the Chinese like to say practice is sole criterion for truth. the effectiveness of a system is the result it delivers, not some abstract theory. however good a system sounds in a classroom is irrelevant if it doesn't work in reality. of course, ideologues will never understand this. that's good for their opponents who do understand it. ideologues are the easiest adversaries to defeat.
I don’t think western power elite actually believe in the espoused ideals/universal values. These are mere fig leaves to cover more sinister intent to exercise hegemony and control. Just like few popes in medieval ages were true devout christians with christian values.
I don’t think the western politicians have anyone else’ interests in mind (not even their population) except their own. But their rigid self-interested ideology is going to be their undoing because their tiny brains cannot process reality and come up with effective solutions. There is no Kissinger or Brzezinski in the west now.
I do not see it as no choice at all. What's missing here is recognition of the fact that our elected politicians are the wrong people elected for the wrong reason and then treated wrongly.
i.e. they are elected to fill a role in the unconscious mind that equates with the role of plumber, electrician, carpenter: tradesmen. Or even professional men: doctors, architects, lawyers etc.. though that's not at all as clear cut.
Mainly, I think, we subconsciously see them as tradesmen.
But they are not tradesmen. They are not that good.
Tradesmen:
1. Have been trained in their trade.
2. Know what they are doing, have the skills to do it and know and seek help when they don't know.
3. Are motivated by a desire to please, to give good value.
4. Rely upon their record and performance for remuneration.
None of those apply to politicians. None. None at all.
So they are the wrong people.
And they are elected to work as tradesmen: i.e. do the job. It is their business. We know nothing about plumbing and don't care to know, it is outside our remit.
But politicians are supposedly expressing and implementing our desires, our opinions, our thoughts, our needs and wants.
So we don't want people who do it all themselves. Quite the contrary. That's the problem we have - lunatics doing it all themselves... leading nations to ruin..
So they are elected for the wrong reason.
And then once elected given that they are supposedly representing us and giving voice and agency to our desires etc. it is apparent that they would constantly be seeking our opinion and we would constantly be giving it. And we would constantly be monitoring their performance etc.
That is not so. We all know that. We elect them and 'treat them as tradesmen', we leave them to it. We don't presume to tell them what to do or how to do it. We evince no interest whatever in what they do.
So we treat them wrongly once elected.
And there's your problem.
Now all that, of course, assumes a democratic system. It could well be that the populace simply does not want a democracy. Yes. Could be. But right now they think they do and they think they have one and our whole system is nominally predicated on that 'reality' (or false assumption).
So the greatest priority should be to bring that reality closer. Implement it. Make it a current and dynamic fact.
Very noticeable is that there is a universal silence on this question, this idea, this 'greatest priority'. No one has, apparently, any interest in it at all. Which is one of the reasons we may well think democracy is not what anyone wants.
However, I say again, nominally it is what we want and what we have and therefore the better expression of it should be the foremost project.
Instead of being a non existent project.
So here is a beginning and this should, I think, be attempted before throwing up our hands in despair and calling for anarchy or despotism (such as we have now) or whatever.
It costs a ton of money to run for high public office in the US. That money comes from donors. Thus politicians serve the donor class. They aren't necessarily imbeciles. They simply do what benefits their rich donors, not the mass of ordinary people. The problem is structural. Unless the rules change, nothing changes. The chances the rules will be changed by those in power who were elected because of those rules is practically nil. The system will likely only be significantly changed through catastrophic breakdown. PS. Always love your bar graphs!
the Chinese like to say practice is sole criterion for truth. the effectiveness of a system is the result it delivers, not some abstract theory. however good a system sounds in a classroom is irrelevant if it doesn't work in reality. of course, ideologues will never understand this. that's good for their opponents who do understand it. ideologues are the easiest adversaries to defeat.
I blame the Greeks and their idealisms.
In our Western psyche, ideals/universals are senior to facts. That's how religious belief got such a grip on the West.
I don’t think western power elite actually believe in the espoused ideals/universal values. These are mere fig leaves to cover more sinister intent to exercise hegemony and control. Just like few popes in medieval ages were true devout christians with christian values.
I don’t think the western politicians have anyone else’ interests in mind (not even their population) except their own. But their rigid self-interested ideology is going to be their undoing because their tiny brains cannot process reality and come up with effective solutions. There is no Kissinger or Brzezinski in the west now.
It was actually the Zionists and they modified their fairy tales and past them onto teh west
I would - in general - very much appreciate if you would more often provide the links to the numbers of you interesting graphics.
I do not see it as no choice at all. What's missing here is recognition of the fact that our elected politicians are the wrong people elected for the wrong reason and then treated wrongly.
i.e. they are elected to fill a role in the unconscious mind that equates with the role of plumber, electrician, carpenter: tradesmen. Or even professional men: doctors, architects, lawyers etc.. though that's not at all as clear cut.
Mainly, I think, we subconsciously see them as tradesmen.
But they are not tradesmen. They are not that good.
Tradesmen:
1. Have been trained in their trade.
2. Know what they are doing, have the skills to do it and know and seek help when they don't know.
3. Are motivated by a desire to please, to give good value.
4. Rely upon their record and performance for remuneration.
None of those apply to politicians. None. None at all.
So they are the wrong people.
And they are elected to work as tradesmen: i.e. do the job. It is their business. We know nothing about plumbing and don't care to know, it is outside our remit.
But politicians are supposedly expressing and implementing our desires, our opinions, our thoughts, our needs and wants.
So we don't want people who do it all themselves. Quite the contrary. That's the problem we have - lunatics doing it all themselves... leading nations to ruin..
So they are elected for the wrong reason.
And then once elected given that they are supposedly representing us and giving voice and agency to our desires etc. it is apparent that they would constantly be seeking our opinion and we would constantly be giving it. And we would constantly be monitoring their performance etc.
That is not so. We all know that. We elect them and 'treat them as tradesmen', we leave them to it. We don't presume to tell them what to do or how to do it. We evince no interest whatever in what they do.
So we treat them wrongly once elected.
And there's your problem.
Now all that, of course, assumes a democratic system. It could well be that the populace simply does not want a democracy. Yes. Could be. But right now they think they do and they think they have one and our whole system is nominally predicated on that 'reality' (or false assumption).
So the greatest priority should be to bring that reality closer. Implement it. Make it a current and dynamic fact.
Very noticeable is that there is a universal silence on this question, this idea, this 'greatest priority'. No one has, apparently, any interest in it at all. Which is one of the reasons we may well think democracy is not what anyone wants.
However, I say again, nominally it is what we want and what we have and therefore the better expression of it should be the foremost project.
Instead of being a non existent project.
So here is a beginning and this should, I think, be attempted before throwing up our hands in despair and calling for anarchy or despotism (such as we have now) or whatever.
This:
https://abrogard.com/blog/2023/12/25/dont-write-to-congress/
This is still not the way because it still belongs to govt. not the people and is still used only every few years -
but shows it could be done right NOW
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_voting_system
a little more in depth:
https://abrogard.com/blog/2024/10/14/how-about-this-to-bring-truth-to-the-elections/
It costs a ton of money to run for high public office in the US. That money comes from donors. Thus politicians serve the donor class. They aren't necessarily imbeciles. They simply do what benefits their rich donors, not the mass of ordinary people. The problem is structural. Unless the rules change, nothing changes. The chances the rules will be changed by those in power who were elected because of those rules is practically nil. The system will likely only be significantly changed through catastrophic breakdown. PS. Always love your bar graphs!