Interesting isn't it. Whenever something goes right, everyone takes the credit. Whenever something goes wrong, discredit and culpability is localised (or 'microcosmicised').
“Det Supt Matthew Horne said some were only 13 when the crimes took place.
"To their parents I would ask them this: what were your kids doing? Where did you think they were..?" he said.”
All it takes for many to start cheering when England scores a goal in the World Cup, or some bloke sprints past all others in a 100 metres scamper in the Olympics, is for an association to be made, however tenuous, between themselves and the ball-kicker or scamperer. Well, how about the case of the 'sword death gang' then?
To err on the side of caution and consider collective collusion in the above, amongst others, is to acknowledge the infallibility of human society and ready ourselves to do our utmost to undermine the foundation upon which such events see repetition in the future. To ‘localise’ problems and delegate responsibility to, for instance, ‘families’, can only be at the expense of ignoring the symbiotic nature of human society; the sociological consequences of life within a class-based system; and the myriad of psychological consequences that immediately move from the ‘possible’ to the ‘probable’ within such a scheme of things. I can understand when a significant mass of Americans and American-led peoples do that since they are trained to do so from childhood by sociologically nonsensical American productions that basically localises ‘evil’ in the ‘here and now’, or in individual characters, and thereby subtly compromising the viewer’s ability over time to recognise causes as effects of other causes. But to see such a tendency here amongst a people who are generally inclined to stave off their first reactions in favour of self-critical evaluation is quite disconcerting.
But, as is generally the case here, Justice Keith appreciated the culpability of the collective in the evils in society by recognising the relevance of professions well-versed in the art of detecting social culpability in such situations,
“Addressing Paul's attackers, he said: "So what turned you into the would-be killers that you became didn't start at home.
"There is self-evidently a culture among boys of your age to do with the carrying of knives which needs to be changed.
"How that change is to be achieved is for educationalists, sociologists and politicians to decide.”
ed
No.
'Global Apathy', 'Self-absorption', 'Americocentrism', and 'Ignorance', and the division of humanity via 'nation-states', is.
The above question by the BBC is just another instance of the microcosmicised and self-absorbed mindset that it took to bring about all these problems in the first place.
ed-infinitum
“Pope Benedict XVI says football has a crucial role to play in teaching young people the important lessons of life - honesty, solidarity and fraternity.”
But the Pope seemed to have forgotten to mention the ‘important lessons’ football gives to the masses on the virtuous value of ,
‘intra group antagonism’,
‘depreciating the significance of oneself via vicarious identification’,
‘aggression and competition’,
‘inter-national antagonism’,
‘another being appreciated or depreciated by group identification as opposed to content of character’,
‘allowing one’s attention to be deviated from the national elite and locating it in the inter-national scene as opposed to the local one’,
‘its value as a cathartic vent to allay the negative consequences of the masses significance as nothing other than cogs and wheels in a machinery geared toward the aggrandizement of another’……….
That said, i'm not against football per se. Rather, it is our failure to complement a divisive pastime with pastimes that elicit equal or more fervour that are universalist in nature that renders the former 'deadly' in its socio-psychological impact.
Perhaps the Holy Books of Sociology and Psychology ought to be added between the 'Old' and 'New'. That might help prevent catholic clerics from supporting wholly non-catholic(non-universalist) pastimes. The failure to do this basically prefixes, 'sectarian', into the (sexist) phrase, 'brotherhood of man'. Obviously, the Pope doesn't see the seams on the ball.
Amen
ed-infinitum
singapore malaysia hong kong thailand india taiwan japan asia uk australia philosophy life culturereligion christianity catholicism pope football nationalism sociology psychology
Firstly, as I have already mentioned in other essays, such studies basically serve to take self-control away from humans as opposed to impressing upon them the need to be altruistic instead of being opportunistic and self-absorbed if they are not simultaneously complemented by the work of social scientists. Perhaps my issue with such articles is that sociological views do not accompany them to counter any tendencies amongst the masses of readers to interpret them self-servingly or/and unintelligently.
Secondly, if such studies do not incite investigators to perform longitudinal studies for the purpose of discerning if being AVPR1a-deficient is an inborn deficiency, then its impact would be confined to allowing people to add a disclaimer for their selfish acts with a, ‘Sorry mate, me AVPR1a deficient’ and excuse themselves from buying a round of drinks.
Thirdly, even if it is found, after longitudinal studies, that the aforementioned deficiency is inborn, this only argues for the case that we are a product of evolution. In this case, the negative impact of competitive and exploitative human history can be plausibly held up as the reason for the current non-altruistic tendencies of the masses.
Fourthly, rather than excuse the masses from exhibiting altruism, it might be prudential to view it as a reason why people ought to intentionally practice altruism so that future generations may not be similarly impaired.
Finally, people ought to start inquiring after how and if the current global socio-politico-economic milieu serves to ensure that future generations are or are not born with such deficiencies and the degree to which this retardation is pervasive. If not, we are not far off from taking as fact that humans are competitive and opportunistic beasts and proceed with evolution from that point.
Ed-infinitum
singapore malaysia hong kong thailand india taiwan japan asia uk australia philosophy psychology culture sociology capitalism
“What's your favorite carol or holiday song?”
“What is the best present you have ever given?”
“Write your own Wikipedia entry for yourself (or share the link if you already have one).”
“What's your favorite kind of homemade cookie? Share the recipe if you have it.”
Ever get the feeling that you’re being talked down to with the above QOTDs?
No, probably not. Everyone simply lurrrrves to talk about themselves. Nothing wrong with that. It reinforces one’s significance. Not a bad thing. But where is the complementary prod to concern yourself more with the interests of others. On an international level, there is no doubt that Vox thinks America as the centre of the world as evidenced by its focus on American ‘this is good’ pics, American politics, American pastimes, etc. How typically American. Sad. On an individual level, the self seems to be all that matters. One mirroring the other. Interesting. Egocentrism-cum-Ethnocentrism. Great proportions of each. I suppose that is what the ‘great’ in, ‘america is the greatest nation on earth’, refers to.
If one was to think about it, one would realise that the questions we ask later in life is significantly determined by the questions we were asked in our youth, or on a daily basis in our ‘adulthood’. It is the latter that determines what is worthy of focus. Of course, we cannot expect Vox, who opened up ‘vox’ for the sake of profit, to realise these things. (I remember informing them of the ‘bloggers 7-day strike for a free burma’ and they never even bothered to respond.) It takes genuine empathy to see further than one might otherwise do.
Don’t let Vox, America, the majority of ‘bloggers’, etc, underdevelop you. They, being abject ego/ethnocentrists, will fail to incite or respond to critical inquiry. It is the truth that suffers in the end, and along with it humanity – which America will predictably put down to ‘evil men’, ‘natural calamities’, ‘God’s will’, the late arrival of spidermen et al, and so on. The truth can never be ‘out there’ if America, and all those idiotic minds that it has played a significant role in retarding, has anything to do with it. It’s up to you. The truth can only be out there if you resolve to discover it, and put it ‘out there’ despite the intellectually ignominous tendencies promoted by the Juvenile State of America.
Ed-infinitum
p.s. no offense intended to my 'american' friends whom i view as 'despite' and not 'because of', America. But it must be admitted, that even they keep silent when other americans come by the spew forth inane rubbish mistaken for rational argument.
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There’s something seriously wrong with these people who worship, wave hankies, get teary-eyed and curtsy in the face of ‘royalty’ – same thing applies to that strange breed of humans called ‘fans’ who make millionaires out of people for kicking a ball, swinging a stick at one, pretending to be a hero on the silver screen, and singing an inane song. I would recommend psychiatric therapy to these people while taking away their right to vote till they’ve passed a constitutional test and proven their adulthood in ways other than arriving at a particular numerical age, being able to hold down a job, or be legally eligible to bear children.
But, I can understand the role the privileged play in ‘modern’ society. For without such a breed blinding the idiot masses, they would realise that without them, their own mutual competitive antagonism and alienation would lack justification. Humanity’s greed and mutual antagonism is justified by two methods. One, the worship of the privileged for being privileged, and Two, the theoretical opportunity to join their ranks and the instrumental freedom to trod on each other’s spines to do it. That is your laughable ‘modernity’. Medieval modernity would be more apt. For the rise of the ‘professional’ – one who is adept in one arena but generally ignorant – the belief that we are individuals – that allows our preprogrammed responses to be confused for self-motivated ones – the right to vote on the basis of age as opposed to intelligence – and the experience of ‘progress’ in salient technological arenas that detracts us from its regress in many other perspectival ones, amongst others, tell us that we can be wrong, but not wrong enough to doubt the very foundations upon which we appreciate reality, and upon which reality is built.
And thus, from
Thailand to the UK, we still see throngs of mammals curtsying, crying and
swooning upon the sight of some ‘royalty’ or pelvic thrusting, acting, or ball
kicking idiot. I am not against the worship
of Gods as they are, in essence, the worship of ideals. What ideal, pray tell, does any so-called ‘royalty’
or privileged individual, albeit unwitting, stand for? To do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you, so that you may be done unto like that which you do unto royalty? The ultimate source and justification of a colour gradient begins with a single distinguishable colour. Without this, the remaining shades of the gradient are not. Thus, the existence of royalty justifies the existence of its other shades. For is we can worship an individual for no other reason than the inherited status, we will surely be shorn off the ability to depreciate those who acquire their status with hard work, even if her/is boots be stained with the sweat and tears of others.
ed-infinitum
singapore malaysia hong kong thailand india taiwan japan asia uk australia philosophy royalty culture asia
I'll put it plainly.
The 'super-rich just get richer' by ensuring, with the aid of other organs of the elite, the pervasiveness of perspectival idiocy and gross ignorance amongst the non-rich and super-rich caste.
‘Wealthy’ and ‘Super-rich’ are simply interchangeable terms with ‘aristocracy’ and ‘monarchy’. The relative fluidity of movement from the working classes to the non-working one does not undermine the fact that the space in the upper echelons of society is significantly limited. Find out how the latter two were maintained in the past and you’ll come closer to discovering how the former two are maintained in the present. That is when my personally coined term, ‘medival modernism’, will began to make sense, if not dollars and you’ll began to realise that the only significant distinction between yourself and the peasant of the past is a change in fashion.
Ed-infinitum
singapore malaysia hong kong thailand india taiwan japan asia uk australia philosophy capitalism monarchy aristocracy history sociology
The loss of life, the loss of freedom, the loss of democracy, the arrest and detention of Aung San Suu Kyi amongst others…...are not enough for a self-absorbed people to fight for change. If it is only economic hardship or necessity affecting individual interests that brings about demonstrative reaction, then, if successful, it does not bring about freedom, democracy and the value of life per se, but rather a status quo that empowers the people to do unto each other that which was previously done unto them, since those who stood up, did so for themselves.
Thus, the plight of the Burmese people, whilst deserving of our sympathies, is equally deserving of our suspicion….unless we are not unlike them ourselves.
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'Thousands' pose UK terror threat
Went one of the
headings in the BBC online site.
My first thought
before reading the aforementioned article was, “Hmmm...so there are still thousands of British troops on Arab soil?”
It’s just a matter, at times, of
substituting the 'cause' for the ‘effect’ and consider a phenomenon from that point if the conventional way of considering it seems to provide humanity the comfort of doing 'something about it' with immediacy as opposed to the discomfort of 'doing something about it' with more critical introspection and, hence, less immediacy - something I call a 'perspectival doodle' which I engage in for the relaxing pleasure of looking at things another way...that's 'entertainment' for me.
I suppose It requires a more pronounced ability to be historically and objectively retrospective to make a mistake such as the above.
ed-infinitum
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