thomas

Geopolitics

There's not going to be a civil war; not today and not anytime soon. America is a fluid economic and cultural zone without dividing lines that could organize political violence. If you look at data, the most significant form of polarization politically is based on intimate individualistic factors like gender and age. Most importantly, no country with a high per-capita GDP has ever had a civil war. 

The logic is simple: Even if you're really mad about something in politics, in America you still have the option of watching the football game and going to Cinnabon. The minimal bread of Cinnabon and circus of the NFL is democratically accessible to the masses on a level unlike anything in human history. To the vast majority of people that rationally sounds like a better option than rotting away in prison or giving up ones life or health for some abstract cause.

Rich countries don't have civil wars, they just yell alot. Maybe a civil war could be organized in the metaverse one day so people can blow off steam.

Huxley’s vision was of a populace subdued by its addiction to soma, the pharmacological metaphor for circenses (Roman circus / modern-day entertainment).

Orwell’s vision was of a populace tamed by ubiquitous surveillance (the panopticon) and state violence.

I wonder if the developed world is observing a convergence of both.

Digital technology is, in an ironic etymological twist, providing endless entertainment at our fingertips. Its perverse effects to mental health, especially in future citizens (kids, teenagers), are now well documented.

Separately, Snowden et al. have paid a heavy price to reveal that the panopticon is a reality, and the ratchet effect means there is no going back.

We’re missing the state violence element, but we witness the signs of a violent polarization of the political identities, even if (I agree with @mazmhussain) I don’t expect the type of civil conflict that Twitter pundits seem to fantasize about. And entertainment itself is laced with that same violent substance

Writer, podcaster, and commentator on foreign affairs and politics. Runs /dropglobalnews

Clanker Broadcasting Service /cbs

Aviator, diver, Etherean, nexialist, PhD in aviation ∩ climate science | Host of /diving /ethfinance /eth-staker /geopolitics /science /singapore /thomas

i like internet (◕‿◕)♡ riotgoools.com | veryinter.net/person | nf.td/elle | alt: @elle | very internet person channel: /vip

all of his books sound really interesting. i'll have to check them out thx!

For a book on Russia (and other countries) tactics along these lines, I highly recommend "This is Not Propaganda" by Peter Pomerantsev. Really fascinating look at how information is controlled, shaped and directed in the modern age.

there's also another part from orwell which is now reality – the ministry of truth, ie. misinformation, fake news, alternative facts, etc. i guess another type of soma, in a way. in adam curtis' documentary, hypernormalisation, he talks about these tactics, as used by russia, to keep the populace in a state of constant confusion and therefore controlled

Talking *@! In /extracurriculars reminiscing in /gen-x and curating in /trish

The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed.

We’re not missing the state violence. We’re just not all experiencing it.

At least we can opt out to some degree — maybe not the panopticon but certainly the circus 🤡. Actually, said that way it does sound inescapable. (I meant one can at least avoid direct consumption of entertainment.)

If you have to reveal a panopticon exists then it doesn’t exist

Panopticon is also real as such that we surveill ourselves now, and are only more than happy to track all we do (think nuva rings, apple watches etc) and share it on Social Media.

I think covid showed what state violence looked like in our time? Agree 100% re convergence of Huxley and Orwell.

2024’s where dystopia meets your twitter feed. pass the popcorn, please!

The 2 week minecraft grind is the modern bread and circuses