Surveillance Capitalism Dictionary They were inspired by hippies, but Orwell would fear them. The giants of Silicon Valley started out trying to outsmart The Man, and in the process became him. And so, surveillance capitalism got born. Such is the story of corruption since time immemorial. This surveillance capitalism dictionary of surveillance is a work […]
The articles of impeachment 2021 are so much clearer and simpler than last year’s impeachment — it’s the Marie Kondo version of indicting the president’s conduct. His coup attempt most certainly did not spark joy! At least, not to the patriots who defended the United States Capitol from invasion on January 6, several of whom […]
Ghost skin is short for ghost skinhead. It refers to a white supremacist who hides his racist beliefs in order to blend into wider society, with the goal of remaining undetected and covertly continuing his Nazi agenda. Over at least the past 2 decades, white supremacists have been specifically infiltrating law enforcement. Going into the […]
Can’t go back — as far as we know. That makes the politics of nostalgia, of the rose-tinted past, of MAGA, to be by definition an exercise in magical thinking. We can’t go back to the past. Psychologically speaking though, it is common to harbor this belief. This wishful thinking. The Politics of Fear It […]
Cult leader playbook: 1. Position himself (and the group — his extension) as the benevolent safe haven to turn to when afraid 2. Isolate the follower from other sources of safe haven 3. Arouse fear in the follower Rinse; repeat. Qualities of a Cult Leader Narcissistic — highly self-absorbed, they demand excessive admiration and slavish […]
Hierarchy vs. Fairness is the dominant Manichaean struggle of our age, and perhaps every age before it: shall we structure our society with a strict hierarchical system of highs and lows, with power concentrated at the top? Or shall we have an egalitarian society where truth, justice, and fairness rule the day? There are a […]
Extremism is a mentality; a black and white worldview. It’s a willingness to go too far to meet one’s objectives — to violate moral boundaries in pursuit of one’s aims. A political extremist is an individual or group adhering to ideologies that are far removed from the mainstream beliefs of society. These ideologies often promote […]
Equality Supremacy opportunity gatekeepers democracy autocracy diversity monoculture rule of law fealty entrepreneurship feudalism accountability corruption Golden Rule persecution freedom oppression fairness arbitrariness inclusiveness xenophobia progressive conservative legal customs physical force creative rent-seeking novelty status quo favors challengers favors incumbents meritocracy aristocracy holocracy hierarchy consensus dictatorship consent tyranny diplomacy violence curiosity fear tolerance intolerance flexibility […]
Power is the crushing sensation delivered from somewhere vaguely Above. It is obtuse; inscrutable. Ever-shifting and mercurial. Confounding. Contradicting. Nakedly self-interested. Confident. Conscienceless. Faceless. Meaningless. A black hole sucking everything in. A black boot in every face. A blackness. A contradiction; a cognitive dissonance. The bitter taste on one’s tongue. The gnawing fear. Capriciousness. Corruption. […]
Racism is a shortcut for small minds. It’s a cheat for lazy people who don’t want to do the work of being discerning about people. It is insecurity and fear of The Other. It’s ready-made scapegoats and easy answers. A made up story to channel one’s anger into. Deflection away from one’s own faults and […]
Considering your thought patterns and style of interacting with the world, which set of personality traits seems to characterize you more: Internalizer Externalizer Believe it’s up to you to change things Expect others to do it for you Mentally active; love to learn things Impulsive and reactive; take action before thinking about things, to blow […]
There’s something those of us in marginalized groups know instinctively, having lived lives long in opposition to a dizzying continuum of Absurd Moral Authority: from outright violence, to secretive “technical” manipulations of statutes designed to erode or remove rights, to vague and carefully unstated “wink wink nudge nudge” moments from individuals of authority who had […]