The hypocrisy is amazingly brazen. It is either unconscious or we are now in very dangerous territory where rhetoric completely distorts perceptions of reality. If it was the former there might be hope, an awakening might save us from the verbal tsunamis of nonsense and propaganda. In 1996 John Ralston Saul wrote "The Unconscious Civilisation". IN some respects he was prescient because while the talking heads are not unconscious a huge percentage of the public believing their rhetoric are unconsciously, willfully, ignorantly, and emotionally embracing their propaganda.
Indeed. And I think this is why Left and Right has stopped engaging online, as they used to in the earlier days of the internet on various blogs and forums. There has long stopped being any reasoning possible, basically.
(And on some issues, around identity politics, as I have also always acknowledged, parts of the Left has dug itself into trenches in which there seems to be no reasoning to be had. But it is on issues with less consequence, at least.)
Some of my left wing FBFs defend ideas arising from identity politics. Fortunately in the last year that theme has lost momentum. I expected that to happen but am saddened because so many defend men in dresses with beards claiming to be women. For a while the trans activists were ridiculous but the push back concerning puberty blockers and the sarcasm of comedians has managed to make them keep quiet. Identity politics is fading.
The big challenge for the left now, and especially left wing parties, is to crawl out of the antiquated economic models and start looking for new ways to manage the economy. If you are registered with The Guardian this article by Jericho highlights that the Australian economy is in serious trouble.
He points a way forward but is very much a voice in the wilderness. Sadly for many decades I have noticed that while very capable people like Quiggin can identify the shortcomings of modern economic structures no-one seems able to make politicians and the broader public aware of the issue, and even more concerning is that no-one seems to be putting forward alternate economic models; although I should pay more attention to Quiggin because at least he is trying.
3 comments:
The hypocrisy is amazingly brazen. It is either unconscious or we are now in very dangerous territory where rhetoric completely distorts perceptions of reality. If it was the former there might be hope, an awakening might save us from the verbal tsunamis of nonsense and propaganda. In 1996 John Ralston Saul wrote "The Unconscious Civilisation". IN some respects he was prescient because while the talking heads are not unconscious a huge percentage of the public believing their rhetoric are unconsciously, willfully, ignorantly, and emotionally embracing their propaganda.
"The hypocrisy is amazingly brazen."
Indeed. And I think this is why Left and Right has stopped engaging online, as they used to in the earlier days of the internet on various blogs and forums. There has long stopped being any reasoning possible, basically.
(And on some issues, around identity politics, as I have also always acknowledged, parts of the Left has dug itself into trenches in which there seems to be no reasoning to be had. But it is on issues with less consequence, at least.)
Some of my left wing FBFs defend ideas arising from identity politics. Fortunately in the last year that theme has lost momentum. I expected that to happen but am saddened because so many defend men in dresses with beards claiming to be women. For a while the trans activists were ridiculous but the push back concerning puberty blockers and the sarcasm of comedians has managed to make them keep quiet. Identity politics is fading.
The big challenge for the left now, and especially left wing parties, is to crawl out of the antiquated economic models and start looking for new ways to manage the economy. If you are registered with The Guardian this article by Jericho highlights that the Australian economy is in serious trouble.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/article/2024/jul/18/australia-cost-of-living-crisis-interest-rates-inflation
I read this on Quiggin's blog last night.
https://johnquigginblog.substack.com/p/why-neither-growth-nor-degrowth-make
He points a way forward but is very much a voice in the wilderness. Sadly for many decades I have noticed that while very capable people like Quiggin can identify the shortcomings of modern economic structures no-one seems able to make politicians and the broader public aware of the issue, and even more concerning is that no-one seems to be putting forward alternate economic models; although I should pay more attention to Quiggin because at least he is trying.
Post a Comment