So much bad writing, so many bad-faith, self-congratulatory, self-aggrandizing arguments that amount to the same petty, greedy bottom line - a vast selfish tantrum.
The same impulses as any war lord in human history; just from dudes with more degrees and pretentions.
The same old leaky bags of water - just like the rest of us - justifying their endless appetites and sociopath's indifference to everyone not in their hyper-capitalist circle jerk.
Actually not a lot of “degrees”. These guys may be smart, but you couldn’t call them educated. They don’t know what they don’t know. Not only do they think they know everything, they think anything else is not worth knowing anyway. Like *gasp* the Humanities. Which I hope is going to get them in the end.
Mike, you've cogently explained what I have only been sensing in a vague way. Thank you.
The plan for New Gaza as presented by Kushner at Davos--with housing for a million or so Palestinian 'service workers'--fits a territorial home for the network state perfectly. The Board of Peace as some kind of quasi-legislature. Emperor-for-Life Trump as a puppet figure, ridiculous and deluded, controlled by the architects who are pulling the strings.
What’s so striking about the Technocrat’s utopia is how much it is modeled on the Ideology they despise, Communism. Curtis Yarvin declared the Corporate State inevitable, therefore everything must be done immediately to make it happen. Reflecting exactly the last two pages of the Communist Manifesto! John Galts of the World, Unite?
Yarvin’s grandparents were reportedly communists, so for Yarvin, it might not seem like a contradiction. (For Yarvin nothing ever seems like a contradiction.)
If the foundation of the Corporate State rips off Marx, its implementation resembles Lenin. Lenin knew that Cspitalism was a necessary step to Communism but Russia was still rural, barely thrown off the shackles of Feudalism. So, like Potemkin before him he created a history where he built up capitalism with the intent to destroy it.
The Yarvinist Accelerationists run, screaming to the State to give them the keys to society so they can dismantle the State. Because that is what inevitably happens so why not use the State to destroy the State. Like Lenin used Capitalism to destroy Capitalism. Makes sense, no?
And violate every principle of Capitalism in the process. Capitalism virtue is come from free markets where the best competitors rise to the top. But in the Tech Bros version, the Broligarchy is like John Calvin’s Elite, seemingly destined to dominate by sheer virtue of their Genius and blind faith in the almighty Market above everything else. Not in people CHOOSING their goods and services. Not trusting the Market to allow other people to outdo them but to Crystallize it with the Power of the State.
This form of Economy is exactly what Adam Smith, author of “The Wealth of Nations,” despised, MERCANTILISM. So to properly promote the Free Market to its natural end state you have to revert to the System their principles were created to destroy.
Like Stalin, then Mao, then Pol Pot led a revolution that made the State omnipotent, cruel and arbitrary, even more cruel to most than the Feudal yoke.
When blind ideology labels itself as self-evident, its goal inevitable and finds any means to their ends acceptable, Tyranny is always the only thing ending up INEVITABLE.
I tried posting this on LinkedIn and it's not accepting this post. I've noticed lately that it's been rejecting other similar posts that I have been trying to post. LinkedIn is definitely changing it's posture and not in a good way.
It has even rejected post by Robert Reich and Steve Schmidt.
Anti-Trump and anti-ICE videos have been being blocked on TikTok as well, now that it's under the ownership of the likes of Larry Ellison.
This is part of the project of the tech oligarchs to establish a "parallel power" not just to evade democratic constraint for capital but also, much more insidiously (certainly far more insidiously than the terrorism to which Pierre Trudeau was referring when he used the term), to use capital to shape public opinion across democratic polities to ensure that elected leaders do not even belatedly crack down.
100% We've handed control of information and entertainment to the tech oligarchs. They now "control the narrative" (God I hate that phrase) and you can't have democratic debate when you don't know what's real. How do we get control back, how can we stop ourselves being at the mercy of their algorithms?
ah, UK. The land of Prime Ministers Questions. We don't do that in the US. We have pretend discussions while the rich and powerful fund a play act around race, family values, resentments, and tribal affiliations. Even our "Left" party won't seriously back common European positions
Thanks for using your platform to name these narcissistic egotists who think they know what’s best for the world and us, the “masses”, the “great unwashed”.
I read the book upon its first release, and quickly regretted buying it. IIRC it was full of tendentious and unevidenced rubbish presented as obvious (I think there were a bunch of fictional utopian scenarios presented without argument but as if serious predictions?). The authors (who to me presented as sociopathic) appeared to be going out of their way to demonstrate near-complete ignorance of fields relevant to their theses, such as law, history, and philosophy. It's surprising that anyone took it seriously. That said, I'd expect anyone following its prescriptions will fail utterly regardless of financial backing: though the problem is they might do immense damage in the attempt.
Mike, I came across this paragraph while reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk MD. The idea of a massive number of voices joined by song could, I hope, bring a cohesiveness to our protests, nation- wide. It might also provide an incentive for those not sure what to do at a protest and uncomfortable with constant whistle blowing and uncoordinated action. I am passing this to a number of my substack podcasters in hopes that this idea is sound and that they might take it up.
"Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, who was born in the tiny Baltic country of Estonia, told me the remarkable story of Estonia’s “Singing Revolution.” In June 1987, on one of those endless sub-Arctic summer evenings, more than ten thousand concertgoers at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds linked hands and began to sing patriotic songs that had been forbidden during half a century of Soviet occupation. These songfests and protests continued, and on September 11, 1988, three hundred thousand people, about a quarter of the population of Estonia, gathered to sing and make a public demand for independence. By August 1991 the Congress of Estonia had proclaimed the restoration of the Estonian state, and when Soviet tanks attempted to intervene, people acted as human shields to protect Tallinn’s radio and TV stations. As a columnist noted in the New York Times: “Imagine the scene in Casablanca in which the French patrons sing “La Marseillaise” in defiance of the Germans, then multiply its power by a factor of thousands, and you’ve only begun to imagine the force of the Singing Revolution.”
Dude can't live forever. And right now there's nobody in the wings with his unique Hitler-like combination of attributes, so they'll fall apart and it'll be up the left to fix things. The problem is, there doesn't seem to by anyone on the left with any winning attributes either...
Exit. Take the money and run. As you say, retain the wealth without the obligation to support the structures that allow you to obtain the wealth. Disgusting.
So much bad writing, so many bad-faith, self-congratulatory, self-aggrandizing arguments that amount to the same petty, greedy bottom line - a vast selfish tantrum.
The same impulses as any war lord in human history; just from dudes with more degrees and pretentions.
The same old leaky bags of water - just like the rest of us - justifying their endless appetites and sociopath's indifference to everyone not in their hyper-capitalist circle jerk.
Time to treat them like the mad dogs they are.
Actually not a lot of “degrees”. These guys may be smart, but you couldn’t call them educated. They don’t know what they don’t know. Not only do they think they know everything, they think anything else is not worth knowing anyway. Like *gasp* the Humanities. Which I hope is going to get them in the end.
Waiting for the inevitable Pirate Wires “yeah well you’re dumb” retort
Or that guy who jumps in and claims it's all the transgenders' fault and isn't it wonderful Trump sorted that out.
Another first class summary of the horrorscape world these monsters want to build. You're doing important work Mike. Thank you.
Mike, you've cogently explained what I have only been sensing in a vague way. Thank you.
The plan for New Gaza as presented by Kushner at Davos--with housing for a million or so Palestinian 'service workers'--fits a territorial home for the network state perfectly. The Board of Peace as some kind of quasi-legislature. Emperor-for-Life Trump as a puppet figure, ridiculous and deluded, controlled by the architects who are pulling the strings.
I think you got it. Trump’s retirement plan for sure. Techbro Network State autocracy, welcome only to those who can pay … in crypto.
Epic. Thank you Mike.
Thank you for your service to Democracy
Bravo
What’s so striking about the Technocrat’s utopia is how much it is modeled on the Ideology they despise, Communism. Curtis Yarvin declared the Corporate State inevitable, therefore everything must be done immediately to make it happen. Reflecting exactly the last two pages of the Communist Manifesto! John Galts of the World, Unite?
Yarvin’s grandparents were reportedly communists, so for Yarvin, it might not seem like a contradiction. (For Yarvin nothing ever seems like a contradiction.)
If the foundation of the Corporate State rips off Marx, its implementation resembles Lenin. Lenin knew that Cspitalism was a necessary step to Communism but Russia was still rural, barely thrown off the shackles of Feudalism. So, like Potemkin before him he created a history where he built up capitalism with the intent to destroy it.
The Yarvinist Accelerationists run, screaming to the State to give them the keys to society so they can dismantle the State. Because that is what inevitably happens so why not use the State to destroy the State. Like Lenin used Capitalism to destroy Capitalism. Makes sense, no?
And violate every principle of Capitalism in the process. Capitalism virtue is come from free markets where the best competitors rise to the top. But in the Tech Bros version, the Broligarchy is like John Calvin’s Elite, seemingly destined to dominate by sheer virtue of their Genius and blind faith in the almighty Market above everything else. Not in people CHOOSING their goods and services. Not trusting the Market to allow other people to outdo them but to Crystallize it with the Power of the State.
This form of Economy is exactly what Adam Smith, author of “The Wealth of Nations,” despised, MERCANTILISM. So to properly promote the Free Market to its natural end state you have to revert to the System their principles were created to destroy.
Like Stalin, then Mao, then Pol Pot led a revolution that made the State omnipotent, cruel and arbitrary, even more cruel to most than the Feudal yoke.
When blind ideology labels itself as self-evident, its goal inevitable and finds any means to their ends acceptable, Tyranny is always the only thing ending up INEVITABLE.
I tried posting this on LinkedIn and it's not accepting this post. I've noticed lately that it's been rejecting other similar posts that I have been trying to post. LinkedIn is definitely changing it's posture and not in a good way.
It has even rejected post by Robert Reich and Steve Schmidt.
Anti-Trump and anti-ICE videos have been being blocked on TikTok as well, now that it's under the ownership of the likes of Larry Ellison.
This is part of the project of the tech oligarchs to establish a "parallel power" not just to evade democratic constraint for capital but also, much more insidiously (certainly far more insidiously than the terrorism to which Pierre Trudeau was referring when he used the term), to use capital to shape public opinion across democratic polities to ensure that elected leaders do not even belatedly crack down.
100% We've handed control of information and entertainment to the tech oligarchs. They now "control the narrative" (God I hate that phrase) and you can't have democratic debate when you don't know what's real. How do we get control back, how can we stop ourselves being at the mercy of their algorithms?
Unfortunately using social media to criticize social media and tech bros tends to go down unfavorably with the algorithms.
ah, UK. The land of Prime Ministers Questions. We don't do that in the US. We have pretend discussions while the rich and powerful fund a play act around race, family values, resentments, and tribal affiliations. Even our "Left" party won't seriously back common European positions
Thanks for using your platform to name these narcissistic egotists who think they know what’s best for the world and us, the “masses”, the “great unwashed”.
I read the book upon its first release, and quickly regretted buying it. IIRC it was full of tendentious and unevidenced rubbish presented as obvious (I think there were a bunch of fictional utopian scenarios presented without argument but as if serious predictions?). The authors (who to me presented as sociopathic) appeared to be going out of their way to demonstrate near-complete ignorance of fields relevant to their theses, such as law, history, and philosophy. It's surprising that anyone took it seriously. That said, I'd expect anyone following its prescriptions will fail utterly regardless of financial backing: though the problem is they might do immense damage in the attempt.
Mike, I came across this paragraph while reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk MD. The idea of a massive number of voices joined by song could, I hope, bring a cohesiveness to our protests, nation- wide. It might also provide an incentive for those not sure what to do at a protest and uncomfortable with constant whistle blowing and uncoordinated action. I am passing this to a number of my substack podcasters in hopes that this idea is sound and that they might take it up.
"Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, who was born in the tiny Baltic country of Estonia, told me the remarkable story of Estonia’s “Singing Revolution.” In June 1987, on one of those endless sub-Arctic summer evenings, more than ten thousand concertgoers at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds linked hands and began to sing patriotic songs that had been forbidden during half a century of Soviet occupation. These songfests and protests continued, and on September 11, 1988, three hundred thousand people, about a quarter of the population of Estonia, gathered to sing and make a public demand for independence. By August 1991 the Congress of Estonia had proclaimed the restoration of the Estonian state, and when Soviet tanks attempted to intervene, people acted as human shields to protect Tallinn’s radio and TV stations. As a columnist noted in the New York Times: “Imagine the scene in Casablanca in which the French patrons sing “La Marseillaise” in defiance of the Germans, then multiply its power by a factor of thousands, and you’ve only begun to imagine the force of the Singing Revolution.”
Bravo, too
Do you really think this will be over? I am not so optimistic.
Dude can't live forever. And right now there's nobody in the wings with his unique Hitler-like combination of attributes, so they'll fall apart and it'll be up the left to fix things. The problem is, there doesn't seem to by anyone on the left with any winning attributes either...
On the proposed California one-time billionaire tax … https://oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/the-billionaire-boys-fight-the-wealth?r=egyas&utm_medium=ios
Exit. Take the money and run. As you say, retain the wealth without the obligation to support the structures that allow you to obtain the wealth. Disgusting.