"Socialism is an economic system that attempts to eliminate poverty, while capitalism requires poverty. It's not a defect -- it's a planned feature of it. Capitalism is the stick to go along with the carrot. If you're a good little boy or girl, and you're a good consumer, and you play by all the rules, and you do everything the system expects of you, you get the carrot of the middle class. If you don't, you get the stick to knock you out into the street, into poverty. Poverty is the silent, ever-present policeman that keeps the capitalist system moving." ~ Beau of the Fifth Column
So the question that must be asked is: is a system that encourages the very worst in human behavior, where the wealthy and powerful must always be exploitive of the poor and middle class in order to continually increase their wealth and power over them, really a force for good in the world?
Maybe a generalization on my part but still believe nafta took out the ground beneath the feet of American industry. Remember reading Friedman in the NYT declaring “the earth is flat” and thinking in the meantime who’s going to drown? Union jobs across the country.
From a Union family, husband was a teamster for a while, worked with union leadership in NYC years ago. I’ve been hopeful over both the SAG and now autoworkers strike. Amazon needs a wake up call, Walmart has been out of control in their policies forever, the ripple effects of which has been a disaster not only in its cynical use of hour manipulation but blight in surrounding communities. A factor in public opinion becoming increasingly pro union has been the gift of the obscenely wealthy having no discretion whatsoever in their behavior.
I guess you can tell I have little tolerance for union busting either.
Jeez Steve, I have to keep reminding myself that there are more good people in the world than bad. I am just wondering where they are in my little red area of the world. Something else, when you mentioned the Sacklers…I have recently and currently reading a book by Don Winslow and I am riveted by his tales of drugs, Mexico, U.S. etc. Have you ever considered interviewing him? The last time I asked you about Scot Galloway and you sent me the already posted interview. Hope I didn’t miss Don Winslow. Have you read any of his books? Started with city on Fire, Power of the Dog, Now Cartel and soon, tho I need to take a break between these book, the Border. Carry on and keep up the good, though depressing work.
It is not difficult to take note/ to notice that Russell Brand has obsessive psychological problems.
Whenever he speaks, from years previously, his behavoir has always appeared radical in the formation of his speech, the way in which he spoke, the way in which he presents his thought/ideas, or comments, & his facial expressions.
This is not merely his English accent or his comedic style we are seeing either... There was once an episode where he and a girlfriend were interviewed and he could not stop interacting with her in a sexual capacity while he was being asked questions by the interviewer......... He is, as is said, "Visibly Touched," to say the least!
Two great pieces. Thought provoking. As to the strikes, I hope the DEMS in power chose the side of the workers over Wall Street. If not, it seems they are sinking their own ship.
In terms of why Musk, Tucker and Tate quickly backed Brand, my best bet is its because they have all participated in sex with minors and are defending a fellow traveller out of fear. This type of Kompramat is common in the world of Russia, transnational crime, etc.. (Btw, transnational crime at the Russian Gov. work together, and transitional crime operates everywhere and likely in tandem with other governments too. Sadly, it's a huge force in the world.) Check out the Jeffrey Epstein story and Stuart Syvret. Syvret explains the sordid and disturbing world of child rape on the money laundering Jersey Island. It will take a long time to listen to enough podcasts on the Epstein story and the Jersey Island story, but after doing so myself, It appears that Kompromat involving sex with minors is a key element of all that we now see. Sex with minors is not just an indiscretion, it's a crime. If Brand goes down, so too may many others. (A minor has accused Trump of rape, but withdrew her accusation because she said she and her family were being threatened.) I'm very curious who has Epstein's files and tapes. One of the Palm Beach detectives on the case now lives in Russia. That always struck me as suspicious. If he's had/has any, he doesn't have them all. I believe some were seized when Epstein was arrested in NYC.
It speak volumes that a creep like Russell Brand (and I thought that he was a creep long before the current allegations surfaced) has drawn ardent defenders/admirers from people like Tucker Carlson and his ilk.
I have a problem with this piece, Steve and the problem is this: I worked in a prison for several years and I know that accusation does not mean guilt; sadly I also know that people often respond to accusations with the conviction that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and that therefore accusation often is taken to be the equivalent of guilt. I don’t know what happened with Brand, though he has certainly admitted forthrightly that he went through an extremely promiscuous period. Frankly, the way I saw celebrity women and women in the audience view him, my sense was always that he did not have to try very hard to seduce woman. But he has not only admitted promiscuity, he’s also admitted addiction to haed-core drugs. People on drugs often do things they wold be ashamed of if they were sober, so that Brand having done some horrendous things is more plausible than iplausible. But I think, Steve, you may inadvertently stumbled into a major feminist controversey, as articulated by Camille Paglia. Paglia, a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, points out that during her early years as a feminist (the 1960’s) , the goal was for women to obtain the right to put themselves in dangerous situations if they so chose, thereby exercising their freedom and rejecting the idea of institutions like universities having the right of “in loco parentis”. Overtime, Paglia believes feminism has evolved (she might say “devolved”) to being hyper-protective of women and depriving them of their right to make mistakes. Sexual desire and attraction are powerful biological drives. Though as an older man I have some old-fashioned notions, such as that promiscity by both men and women ought to be discouraged, as a realistic older man, I know that’s not likely to happen among young men and young women with healthy (read “strong”) sex drives. I’m also cynical enough to believe that there are young women who have had consensual sex who on occasion begin to wonder if it actually was consensual because someone tells them that the person they consented to have sex with had more power than they. I would like to believe this does not happen among under-age women, but am not naive enough to believe what I want. Again, this does not mean that Brand did not rape a girl; it means that very few things in life are as straightforward as they first seemed. That’s my not-so-full throated defense of Brand. If he did as he’s accused and as you’ve described, it may be appropriate to link him in with Tate and Carlson, though having listened to Musk, I’m not sure that I would put him in that mix. Finally, I want to affirm that, yes, we are a corrupt society and that the corruption is getting ever deeper. Sexual promiscuity and corruption are aspects of this, and “virtue” at any level is a lost ideal-- sexually or politically. But if you want to fight corruption, I would suggest the most effective way is not through accusation and innuendo, but by reviving the ideal of virtue as a standard by which to measure all human relationships. Does a person stand by their word, does he or she evidence compassion for those who have less? Does he lie, or avoid truth when it suits him? Does he treat others with genuine respect? The thing I like about Brand (again, based on superficial impressions over the years) is that he appears to know that he acted inappropriately throughout a period of his life and made a real effort to change. I support people who want to change for the better because I believe that the capacity to change for the better is fundamental to our human nature. I am far less supportive of people who grow more self-centered and arrogant as they mature,
Two things Steve regarding your “Society in Decay” Video.
First, Americans have always loved conspiracies. We have a long fascination with them. The concept of “falsifiability”, the inability to prove a conspiracy as false, is how they gain strength. As pundit Amanda Carpenter says, it seems counter-intuitive that for a theory to be true, there must be something to prove it untrue. Yet, that is the strength of conspiracy- the difficulty in proving it untrue, especially in a low trust environment.
But, what’s different today is that a conspiracy’s falsifiability is often ignored, and instead the conspiracy itself is promoted on social media as being true by blatant huckster opportunists like Carlson and his like. They profit from conspiracy. That’s why they promote them.
Second, in addition social media, another element is necessary to give strength to a conspiracy or conspiracies. It is structure. In this case political structure, the structure of the Republican Party. Today conspiracies are a key part of the Republican Party because it allows them to build an alternate reality where their lies become truth. Anything is plausible. This is exactly what a populist authoritarian wants- is to get the masses to believe anything he wants. This is manipulation on a gigantic scale, but demagogues do it to seize power. That’s why the GOP and Trump promote conspiracies. It paves the way for their regime of lies to control the masses.
These are dangerous times. I hope we realize the danger we’re in.
Thank goodness I’ve already lived three-quarters of my life…when it all gets blown up (which seems to be quickly coming), I won’t have too many regrets.
This might seem in question, but the rape of children or younger woman by such men, brings up the thought of Pedophilia. In Centuries past, all men only took very young girls, children in marriage..other cultures selling off their young to old men for money, etc. It is still done in various countries today. Most acknowledge this history... We see it today where someone is marrying a young woman..but this man is 30 years old, & the woman he has married was yet an infant?....Today, one should ask if many males have this hidden tendency..........
I urge you to read Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk before equating him with psychopaths or sociopaths. I would be happy to share my knowledge as an expert with you personally anytime.
How Donald Trump inspired liars like Russell Brand and Elon Musk
Four powerful, white men scoff at allegations of a rape of a child. Not really all that surprising to women everywhere.
‘The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.’
"Socialism is an economic system that attempts to eliminate poverty, while capitalism requires poverty. It's not a defect -- it's a planned feature of it. Capitalism is the stick to go along with the carrot. If you're a good little boy or girl, and you're a good consumer, and you play by all the rules, and you do everything the system expects of you, you get the carrot of the middle class. If you don't, you get the stick to knock you out into the street, into poverty. Poverty is the silent, ever-present policeman that keeps the capitalist system moving." ~ Beau of the Fifth Column
So the question that must be asked is: is a system that encourages the very worst in human behavior, where the wealthy and powerful must always be exploitive of the poor and middle class in order to continually increase their wealth and power over them, really a force for good in the world?
Maybe a generalization on my part but still believe nafta took out the ground beneath the feet of American industry. Remember reading Friedman in the NYT declaring “the earth is flat” and thinking in the meantime who’s going to drown? Union jobs across the country.
From a Union family, husband was a teamster for a while, worked with union leadership in NYC years ago. I’ve been hopeful over both the SAG and now autoworkers strike. Amazon needs a wake up call, Walmart has been out of control in their policies forever, the ripple effects of which has been a disaster not only in its cynical use of hour manipulation but blight in surrounding communities. A factor in public opinion becoming increasingly pro union has been the gift of the obscenely wealthy having no discretion whatsoever in their behavior.
I guess you can tell I have little tolerance for union busting either.
Jeez Steve, I have to keep reminding myself that there are more good people in the world than bad. I am just wondering where they are in my little red area of the world. Something else, when you mentioned the Sacklers…I have recently and currently reading a book by Don Winslow and I am riveted by his tales of drugs, Mexico, U.S. etc. Have you ever considered interviewing him? The last time I asked you about Scot Galloway and you sent me the already posted interview. Hope I didn’t miss Don Winslow. Have you read any of his books? Started with city on Fire, Power of the Dog, Now Cartel and soon, tho I need to take a break between these book, the Border. Carry on and keep up the good, though depressing work.
Hope this message gets through......
It is not difficult to take note/ to notice that Russell Brand has obsessive psychological problems.
Whenever he speaks, from years previously, his behavoir has always appeared radical in the formation of his speech, the way in which he spoke, the way in which he presents his thought/ideas, or comments, & his facial expressions.
This is not merely his English accent or his comedic style we are seeing either... There was once an episode where he and a girlfriend were interviewed and he could not stop interacting with her in a sexual capacity while he was being asked questions by the interviewer......... He is, as is said, "Visibly Touched," to say the least!
NAFTA was a disaster, agreed.
Two great pieces. Thought provoking. As to the strikes, I hope the DEMS in power chose the side of the workers over Wall Street. If not, it seems they are sinking their own ship.
In terms of why Musk, Tucker and Tate quickly backed Brand, my best bet is its because they have all participated in sex with minors and are defending a fellow traveller out of fear. This type of Kompramat is common in the world of Russia, transnational crime, etc.. (Btw, transnational crime at the Russian Gov. work together, and transitional crime operates everywhere and likely in tandem with other governments too. Sadly, it's a huge force in the world.) Check out the Jeffrey Epstein story and Stuart Syvret. Syvret explains the sordid and disturbing world of child rape on the money laundering Jersey Island. It will take a long time to listen to enough podcasts on the Epstein story and the Jersey Island story, but after doing so myself, It appears that Kompromat involving sex with minors is a key element of all that we now see. Sex with minors is not just an indiscretion, it's a crime. If Brand goes down, so too may many others. (A minor has accused Trump of rape, but withdrew her accusation because she said she and her family were being threatened.) I'm very curious who has Epstein's files and tapes. One of the Palm Beach detectives on the case now lives in Russia. That always struck me as suspicious. If he's had/has any, he doesn't have them all. I believe some were seized when Epstein was arrested in NYC.
It speak volumes that a creep like Russell Brand (and I thought that he was a creep long before the current allegations surfaced) has drawn ardent defenders/admirers from people like Tucker Carlson and his ilk.
I have a problem with this piece, Steve and the problem is this: I worked in a prison for several years and I know that accusation does not mean guilt; sadly I also know that people often respond to accusations with the conviction that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and that therefore accusation often is taken to be the equivalent of guilt. I don’t know what happened with Brand, though he has certainly admitted forthrightly that he went through an extremely promiscuous period. Frankly, the way I saw celebrity women and women in the audience view him, my sense was always that he did not have to try very hard to seduce woman. But he has not only admitted promiscuity, he’s also admitted addiction to haed-core drugs. People on drugs often do things they wold be ashamed of if they were sober, so that Brand having done some horrendous things is more plausible than iplausible. But I think, Steve, you may inadvertently stumbled into a major feminist controversey, as articulated by Camille Paglia. Paglia, a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, points out that during her early years as a feminist (the 1960’s) , the goal was for women to obtain the right to put themselves in dangerous situations if they so chose, thereby exercising their freedom and rejecting the idea of institutions like universities having the right of “in loco parentis”. Overtime, Paglia believes feminism has evolved (she might say “devolved”) to being hyper-protective of women and depriving them of their right to make mistakes. Sexual desire and attraction are powerful biological drives. Though as an older man I have some old-fashioned notions, such as that promiscity by both men and women ought to be discouraged, as a realistic older man, I know that’s not likely to happen among young men and young women with healthy (read “strong”) sex drives. I’m also cynical enough to believe that there are young women who have had consensual sex who on occasion begin to wonder if it actually was consensual because someone tells them that the person they consented to have sex with had more power than they. I would like to believe this does not happen among under-age women, but am not naive enough to believe what I want. Again, this does not mean that Brand did not rape a girl; it means that very few things in life are as straightforward as they first seemed. That’s my not-so-full throated defense of Brand. If he did as he’s accused and as you’ve described, it may be appropriate to link him in with Tate and Carlson, though having listened to Musk, I’m not sure that I would put him in that mix. Finally, I want to affirm that, yes, we are a corrupt society and that the corruption is getting ever deeper. Sexual promiscuity and corruption are aspects of this, and “virtue” at any level is a lost ideal-- sexually or politically. But if you want to fight corruption, I would suggest the most effective way is not through accusation and innuendo, but by reviving the ideal of virtue as a standard by which to measure all human relationships. Does a person stand by their word, does he or she evidence compassion for those who have less? Does he lie, or avoid truth when it suits him? Does he treat others with genuine respect? The thing I like about Brand (again, based on superficial impressions over the years) is that he appears to know that he acted inappropriately throughout a period of his life and made a real effort to change. I support people who want to change for the better because I believe that the capacity to change for the better is fundamental to our human nature. I am far less supportive of people who grow more self-centered and arrogant as they mature,
Two things Steve regarding your “Society in Decay” Video.
First, Americans have always loved conspiracies. We have a long fascination with them. The concept of “falsifiability”, the inability to prove a conspiracy as false, is how they gain strength. As pundit Amanda Carpenter says, it seems counter-intuitive that for a theory to be true, there must be something to prove it untrue. Yet, that is the strength of conspiracy- the difficulty in proving it untrue, especially in a low trust environment.
But, what’s different today is that a conspiracy’s falsifiability is often ignored, and instead the conspiracy itself is promoted on social media as being true by blatant huckster opportunists like Carlson and his like. They profit from conspiracy. That’s why they promote them.
Second, in addition social media, another element is necessary to give strength to a conspiracy or conspiracies. It is structure. In this case political structure, the structure of the Republican Party. Today conspiracies are a key part of the Republican Party because it allows them to build an alternate reality where their lies become truth. Anything is plausible. This is exactly what a populist authoritarian wants- is to get the masses to believe anything he wants. This is manipulation on a gigantic scale, but demagogues do it to seize power. That’s why the GOP and Trump promote conspiracies. It paves the way for their regime of lies to control the masses.
These are dangerous times. I hope we realize the danger we’re in.
www.tomthedemocratist.com
Steve, I value what you say in your posts but you scare the shit out of me.
Thank goodness I’ve already lived three-quarters of my life…when it all gets blown up (which seems to be quickly coming), I won’t have too many regrets.
Steve, in regards to your second video, I have lived it. My heart is sad because I have no faith in the Democratic Party to get the message out.
This might seem in question, but the rape of children or younger woman by such men, brings up the thought of Pedophilia. In Centuries past, all men only took very young girls, children in marriage..other cultures selling off their young to old men for money, etc. It is still done in various countries today. Most acknowledge this history... We see it today where someone is marrying a young woman..but this man is 30 years old, & the woman he has married was yet an infant?....Today, one should ask if many males have this hidden tendency..........
I urge you to read Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk before equating him with psychopaths or sociopaths. I would be happy to share my knowledge as an expert with you personally anytime.
https://medium.com/liecatcher/quick-test-for-psychopaths-4839ccbcf74d