Lookup "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. Dystopia short story where the government tries to equalize people by intentionally handicapping their natural talents. There are a few movie adaptations on YouTube.
Hi, on the matter of how you´re going to make people not lift weights and not wear make-up: Has been done in the socialist countries (you would call them communist, but the countries called themselves socialist). Girl came to school with make-up? Bang, the teacher (by virtue of her/his almost absolute authority) made the girl go wash her face, for her own good of course. Same thing for men with long hair. Came to school after summer break with hair too long for teacher´s taste? Bang, go cut it or else you can get into trouble with school which means trouble later. You will get a job (everyone did) but you might end up cleaning toilets with your Phd... Lifting weights? Drive gyms of this type out of business(start by imposing nonsense rules), ban them if it takes too long. Can´t have it, too individualistic, too imperialist (back in the 80s), imposing a crooked ideal, inciting to violence (2015?), doesn´t have to make sense just seem right. Suddenly there are no more gyms like that. If you want to lift weights, you have to make them first. Too difficult, most will never even bother. Sports should be organised and supervised anyway and they should serve a higher (political) purpose (You might enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvzVAJdBHSo, the inscription in the background says: "For peace, for socialism"). See, "Your how are you going to...?" has an answer. It´s very easy in fact, if you just increase the power of the state enough to make it an exclusive source of something everyone craves (can be education, can be employment, money in any form), vast majority of people will comply. Those who don´t will be ridiculised, ostracized, marginalized, imprisoned and killed if necessary. Has been done and can be done again(is being done in some places). And there´s no reason to think that Marxism has somehow unlearned to do it, they were pretty good at it and it worked for quite a long time.
Diversity = Skills. Absolutely. There was a "Diversity" drive at work last year, and of course "Diversity" meant race-colour-creed-gender-sexuality. As long, of course, as you had a Business Studies degree or an MBA. But if you have one of those, you're a middle-class white European (I'm in Europe) no matter what colour your skin, where you pray, what tribe you are or who you like to have sex with. And if you're prepared to work in a large financial services company, that's an even narrower mind-set.
Just read your book on the subprime boom. Oh how horribly familiar it all seems. Play the game, not the business. Follow the herd. Be a "team player", and don't upset the necessary delusions people need to do those jobs. I look at all the girls frowning at their Powerpoints, and think that's what they must have looked like doing their homework Sunday evening. (Traditionally in Britain, all 16-18 year olds do their homework on Sunday evening.)
Another great you tube video Cappy! Great Job!
ReplyDeletethis video has the power change lives
ReplyDeleteLookup "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. Dystopia short story where the government tries to equalize people by intentionally handicapping their natural talents. There are a few movie adaptations on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of that exact story as I listened to this. That and The Giver, another book with a similar theme.
DeleteHi, on the matter of how you´re going to make people not lift weights and not wear make-up:
ReplyDeleteHas been done in the socialist countries (you would call them communist, but the countries called themselves socialist). Girl came to school with make-up? Bang, the teacher (by virtue of her/his almost absolute authority) made the girl go wash her face, for her own good of course. Same thing for men with long hair. Came to school after summer break with hair too long for teacher´s taste? Bang, go cut it or else you can get into trouble with school which means trouble later. You will get a job (everyone did) but you might end up cleaning toilets with your Phd...
Lifting weights? Drive gyms of this type out of business(start by imposing nonsense rules), ban them if it takes too long. Can´t have it, too individualistic, too imperialist (back in the 80s), imposing a crooked ideal, inciting to violence (2015?), doesn´t have to make sense just seem right. Suddenly there are no more gyms like that. If you want to lift weights, you have to make them first. Too difficult, most will never even bother. Sports should be organised and supervised anyway and they should serve a higher (political) purpose (You might enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvzVAJdBHSo, the inscription in the background says: "For peace, for socialism").
See, "Your how are you going to...?" has an answer. It´s very easy in fact, if you just increase the power of the state enough to make it an exclusive source of something everyone craves (can be education, can be employment, money in any form), vast majority of people will comply. Those who don´t will be ridiculised, ostracized, marginalized, imprisoned and killed if necessary. Has been done and can be done again(is being done in some places). And there´s no reason to think that Marxism has somehow unlearned to do it, they were pretty good at it and it worked for quite a long time.
Diversity = Skills. Absolutely. There was a "Diversity" drive at work last year, and of course "Diversity" meant race-colour-creed-gender-sexuality. As long, of course, as you had a Business Studies degree or an MBA. But if you have one of those, you're a middle-class white European (I'm in Europe) no matter what colour your skin, where you pray, what tribe you are or who you like to have sex with. And if you're prepared to work in a large financial services company, that's an even narrower mind-set.
ReplyDeleteJust read your book on the subprime boom. Oh how horribly familiar it all seems. Play the game, not the business. Follow the herd. Be a "team player", and don't upset the necessary delusions people need to do those jobs. I look at all the girls frowning at their Powerpoints, and think that's what they must have looked like doing their homework Sunday evening. (Traditionally in Britain, all 16-18 year olds do their homework on Sunday evening.)