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That's true. By the time I got to the end of my screed, I was getting tired.
I should have said, "the corporate press".
Certainly we have had the alternative media for as long as I've been paying attention.
And now, on the internet, you can find all kinds of things.
But I was talking about the corporate press, and yes, a handful of people own almost all of it. And they are the same people that own the banks and the major industries and resource extraction industries and government contractors.
Other than Jeff Bezos who owns Amazon and the Washington Post, and Rupert Murdoch who owns Fox News and hundreds of news outlets around the world, who are the other members of this "handful of people?"
I could be "unintelligent" but to me this thread seems to insinuate that philosophical disagreements of the role and reach of government quickly turn into a war against science but really they are two separate topics that get intertwined.
There is yet one more thing and it's in the market place which, thanks to technology, is also in our homes. And that is what I think of as the consumer trance.
Through the use of our increasing knowledge about the human brain and how to modify behavior psychology has joined forces with marketing to create an atmosphere most conducive to encouraging us to accept products and ideas as positive and necessary.
Music, settings, human voice and appearance, even scents floated in the air duct system can be used to condition the consumer to need to have. Many of us don't even realize why we find certain stores so pleasant to shop or why we spend too much there because much of this is designed to act at a subconscious level.
A few astute behaviorists tried to warn of this in the Sixties but were roundly discounted. Their message was "You are being influenced and you don't even know that it's happening." Of course no one wanted to believe that could happen. Guess that's one of the reasons groups of people can be so easily led.
The same principles are being used today to promote how receptive we will be to what is presented as news. News people today are no longer observing and reporting the news. They are selling ideas. "Here's what we're saying happened and here's what we (and you also) should think about it." This is not valid reporting; it is persuasive editorializing.
Have you seen people in "the consumer trance?" I see them all the time. It's very easy to fall into this mental state while grocery shopping. They are locked in and they aren't thinking, just focused on taking in, buying, receiving. Everything else - their reactions to others and the world around them seem almost on automatic pilot.
We have become a nation of conditioned consumers and those with the most persuasive message get our hearts and money.
Colleges have replaced wisdom with intelligence. We have kids with plenty of book smarts, but don't know how to actually do anything because they have been over booked with extra curricular activities their whole lives. Rather then just living and learning to create foundational wisdom.
If you think its the "uninformed and unintelligent people" that voted for Trump then you simply still don't understand why he won. You still don't get it. It sounds convenient, but it's a complete over-simplification. (No, I am not a Trump fan at all.)
I do think it's neurological. They are too much alike in their educational attainment, financial situation and political views for it to be sociological.
If you say they are alike in all areas sociological, then it makes it more likely to be based on sociology than neurology.
Unless you're contending that a neurological pathology has a sociological cause (see "Post Slavery Stress Disorder" for another take in that direction).
Colleges have replaced wisdom with intelligence. We have kids with plenty of book smarts, but don't know how to actually do anything because they have been over booked with extra curricular activities their whole lives. Rather then just living and learning to create foundational wisdom.
If you think its the "uninformed and unintelligent people" that voted for Trump then you simply still don't understand why he won. You still don't get it. It sounds convenient, but it's a complete over-simplification. (No, I am not a Trump fan at all.)
Wisdom is an attainment of knowledge over time through experiences. If you're expecting a 20 year old with a brain that isn't fully developed to think in the same manner as a 65 year old retired person, then you're always going to be disappointed with those outcomes. You can be intelligent and lack certain wisdom simply because you haven't been around long enough to know any better.
I blame social media. Used to be, ignorant people were ignored. Now they have a platform and communities of people who reinforce and validate their silly ideas.
100% agree, yet the noise from the pro-SM bleachers is deafening.
I'm legitimately concerned for future generations as to what they will be up against. It will be the C-D-E students running things while the A-B students are shouted down and told to keep silent.
Guy I knew from high school was a low B, high C student. Now earns $300k+/year and handles mergers and acquisitions for a Fortune 50 company.
The vast majority of intelligent people I know do not dispute this. We are more than well aware that there are issues within these institutions. Hell, if anyone told me right now that Corporate America was all about doing right for the American people, I'd just laugh out loud in their face. But it's not zero-sum, or one or the other thinking that is necessary to get on by. You can still have belief, faith, or hope in these ideas while recognizing the importance of being vigilant and holding them accountable. Hitler was a terrible person and many Germans at the time followed him into the darkness. Not every German was a bad person though, and in fact, Germany today works diligently to uphold the rights of all its citizens no matter what race, sex, or religious creed.
The problem is, we're not vigilant but think we are. Most people don't really want to dig deep under the surface of things because they are afraid of what they will find and they don't know what to do about it. So they adopt an 'ignorance is bliss' attitude. Eventually, the illusions will be popped.
Like MargaretBartle, in general, I find the 'educated' upper middle class to be among the most brainwashed. It makes sense if you think about it. They're not at the highest levels of the power pyramid, but high enough to enjoy most of the benefits. They don't want to bite the hand that feeds their comfortable lifestyles and social status. Too much to lose.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 10-26-2021 at 02:03 AM..
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