Generational Dynamics World View News

Discussion of Web Log and Analysis topics from the Generational Dynamics web site.
Navigator
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Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by Navigator »

John wrote:** 24-Mar-2019 Religious ferver
Many people blame war on religion -- that religious fervor
causes war. Christopher Hitchens, whom I wrote about several times,
made a very compelling argument, claiming that if religion could
be abolished, then war would be abolished.
Sorry to have not explained myself better. I am not blaming wars on religion, but rather I think that these super committed communists (or socialists, or national socialists) believe in their ideology as if it were a religion. I believe it is their misplaced blind faith in these systems that causes them to do things like put everyone on a collective farm and think its going to work out well. And then to start shooting people when it doesn't (because they are "sabotaging" what they feel should obviously be working).

I certainly believe that Revenge plays a greater role in a war actually starting than some philosophy or even religion. That and ideas of ethnic superiority. Europe's history is one of two thousand years of moving homogeneous people together (an ethnicity into a nation) and securing some kind of defensible frontier. And then trying to expand those frontiers by attacking those who are "ethnically inferior".

John
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Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by John »

Navigator wrote: > Sorry to have not explained myself better. I am not blaming wars
> on religion, but rather I think that these super committed
> communists (or socialists, or national socialists) believe in
> their ideology as if it were a religion. I believe it is their
> misplaced blind faith in these systems that causes them to do
> things like put everyone on a collective farm and think its going
> to work out well. And then to start shooting people when it
> doesn't (because they are "sabotaging" what they feel should
> obviously be working).

> I certainly believe that Revenge plays a greater role in a war
> actually starting than some philosophy or even religion. That and
> ideas of ethnic superiority. Europe's history is one of two
> thousand years of moving homogeneous people together (an ethnicity
> into a nation) and securing some kind of defensible frontier. And
> then trying to expand those frontiers by attacking those who are
> "ethnically inferior".

I'm not aware of any war or major policy launched by any country at
any time in history simply because of religion or ideology. I know of
plenty of wars and policies that were launched for other reasons, and
the leaders then used religion or ideology as a justification.

It doesn't even make sense to say so. Why would I launch a war
against you just because you have a different religion or politics?
What do I care what religion you have? But I might launch a war
against you to get your land or because I hate you or want revenge,
and then I would blame the war on religion or ideology or "religious
fervor," since it's not "politically correct" to simply want to steal
someone's land or get revenge, particularly for domestic consumption.

China had been thoroughly brutalized by Japan, and had lost Taiwan.
Mao and the Chinese were full of fury, and were not interested in some
theoretical exercise. They did not put everyone on a collective farm
as a social experiment. They were bloodthirsty, looking for revenge.
Mao was looking for a quick solution to his desire for revenge and
launched the Great Leap Forward out of total desperation, and used
"Communist theory" as a justification for the media.

Xi Jinping keeps talking about the China Dream, the "dream of
realizing great national rejuvenation for over 170 years," referring
to China since the Opium Wars. China has abandoned Communist theory,
and "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" changes every decade. If
you look at Chinese history since WW II, Communist ideology has not
survived except as a media talking point. What has stayed the same is
the "dream" of getting revenge against the West, and especially Japan.

I would add that there's nothing in Marxist theory that calls for the
genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Uighurs. That's pure racism.

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Tom Mazanec
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Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by Tom Mazanec »

Israel lobby convenes amid darkening atmosphere:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/23/us/p ... crats.html
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain

John
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Location: Cambridge, MA USA
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Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by John »

** 25-Mar-2019 Ebola in eastern DRC surges, spreads to new large city

After several weeks of declining numbers of new cases, new Ebola cases
surged last week, as new cases are now being reported in another large
city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The number of
confirmed and probable cases has now passed 1,000 with over 620
deaths. This makes it the second-worst outbreak in history.

A case of Ebola has been found in Bunia, the second-largest city in
DRC, with a population of around one million. Ebola has already been
spreading in two other large cities, Butembo and Beni, each with about
one million people, as well as throughout rural areas in North Kivu
and Ituri provinces.

The disease is "not under control," but it still remains confined to
just the two DRC provinces, and particularly has not spread across the
porous border to Uganda, Rwanda or South Sudan.

The Ebola outbreak is occurring in the midst of an ethnic civil war.
Doctors without Borders (MSF) has been forced to suspend
its activities in some areas because of the violence, including
attacks by gunmen on Ebola treatment centers. The US State Dept.
has banned American federal employees from working in the region,
because of the violence.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is asking the international
community for more humanitarian aid for DRC and Ebola. However, DRC
is competing for humanitarian aid in a growing number of crises in
numerous other countries, including Yemen, Venezuela, Central African
Republic, Niger, Chad, Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and the
Philippines.

---- Sources:

-- WHO reaffirms commitment to Democratic Republic of the Congo as
Ebola outbreak nears 1000 cases amid increased violence
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23 ... d-violence
(World Health Organization, WHO, 23-Mar-2019)



-- Bunia - Butembo - Beni / Ebola in DRC Spreads to Urban Areas Amid
Conflict
https://www.cfr.org/blog/ebola-drc-spre ... d-conflict
(Council on Foreign Relations, 21-Mar-2019)


-- Bunia / Ebola outbreak spreads to new city in conflict-hit Congo
https://www.dw.com/en/ebola-outbreak-sp ... a-48002118
(Deutsche-Welle, 21-Mar-2019)


-- From Haiti to Madagascar: The world's forgotten crises / Haiti,
Ethiopia, Madagascar, DRC, Philippines
https://www.dw.com/en/from-haiti-to-mad ... a-47591231
(Deutsche-Welle, 21-Feb-2019)


Image
  • The World's Forgotten Crises

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Tom Mazanec
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Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:13 pm

Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by Tom Mazanec »

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain

FishbellykanakaDude
Posts: 1313
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:07 pm

Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by FishbellykanakaDude »

John wrote:
Navigator wrote: > Sorry to have not explained myself better. I am not blaming wars
> on religion, but rather I think that these super committed
> communists (or socialists, or national socialists) believe in
> their ideology as if it were a religion. I believe it is their
> misplaced blind faith in these systems that causes them to do
> things like put everyone on a collective farm and think its going
> to work out well. And then to start shooting people when it
> doesn't (because they are "sabotaging" what they feel should
> obviously be working).

> I certainly believe that Revenge plays a greater role in a war
> actually starting than some philosophy or even religion. That and
> ideas of ethnic superiority. Europe's history is one of two
> thousand years of moving homogeneous people together (an ethnicity
> into a nation) and securing some kind of defensible frontier. And
> then trying to expand those frontiers by attacking those who are
> "ethnically inferior".

I'm not aware of any war or major policy launched by any country at
any time in history simply because of religion or ideology. I know of
plenty of wars and policies that were launched for other reasons, and
the leaders then used religion or ideology as a justification.

It doesn't even make sense to say so. Why would I launch a war
against you just because you have a different religion or politics?
What do I care what religion you have? But I might launch a war
against you to get your land or because I hate you or want revenge,
and then I would blame the war on religion or ideology or "religious
fervor," since it's not "politically correct" to simply want to steal
someone's land or get revenge, particularly for domestic consumption.

China had been thoroughly brutalized by Japan, and had lost Taiwan.
Mao and the Chinese were full of fury, and were not interested in some
theoretical exercise. They did not put everyone on a collective farm
as a social experiment. They were bloodthirsty, looking for revenge.
Mao was looking for a quick solution to his desire for revenge and
launched the Great Leap Forward out of total desperation, and used
"Communist theory" as a justification for the media.

Xi Jinping keeps talking about the China Dream, the "dream of
realizing great national rejuvenation for over 170 years," referring
to China since the Opium Wars. China has abandoned Communist theory,
and "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" changes every decade. If
you look at Chinese history since WW II, Communist ideology has not
survived except as a media talking point. What has stayed the same is
the "dream" of getting revenge against the West, and especially Japan.

I would add that there's nothing in Marxist theory that calls for the
genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Uighurs. That's pure racism.
Religion is what "happens" AFTER a huge crisis.

Religions, like the various monotheistic ones as well as the more "primitive" ones and the "humanistic" ones ("one party statism" and the other various utopian ones), are configured to salve the losers from the humiliation of the genocide committed successfully against them, and bolster the winners against the self-loathing of the genocide they committed.

With the "early" (more primitive) religions (animistic to pre-ancestor-worship) the genocidal "enemy" is nature itself. With the "later" religions other "nations/families" are the genocidal enemy.

When religions become "unnecessarily" dogmatic (contain too many "silly" doctrinal dogmas) they institutionalize the march toward the next genocidal crisis.

(I'm all for dogmas, by the way, as a Tengriist-Roman Catholic <chuckle!>,.. but any religion that has more than a handful of actual dogmas, and where those dogmas are "obviously political" and therefore "silly", is in need of a "reformation" to make it "less silly".)

When a religion (including things like communism, socialism and the other utopian "religions") has a "bad answer" for the question of revenge/resentment it will stoke the fires toward the next genocide. If it's actually BASED on resentment/revenge/superiority then it is asking for it's "host" to be annihilated by it's "neighbors".

Religions that aren't recognized AS religions tend to ask for annihilation very loudly, and their hosts tend to be extremely stubborn and desperate when threatened.

Marxism, by the way, DOES call for the extermination of "the faithless", but (self-deludedly) prefers that "extermination" to be via "reasoned peaceful conversion" because of the "persuasive wonderfulness" of the results of Marxism.

..but desperate religious fanatics using tools that don't work never seem to produce that "persuasive wonderfulness",.. so using "persuasive" evilness (the suffering of innocents) is their "necessary and mandatory singular option".

FishbellykanakaDude
Posts: 1313
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:07 pm

..expecting zombies..

Post by FishbellykanakaDude »

I'm just sitting here waiting for the zombie hordes to appear at my window...

..the Apocalypse has SURELY started.

What else could POSSIBLY explain how I'm on the same side of an "issue" as Rahm Emmanuel?

..is that scratching I hear on my exterior walls!?

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Tom Mazanec
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Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:13 pm

Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by Tom Mazanec »

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain

FishbellykanakaDude
Posts: 1313
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:07 pm

Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by FishbellykanakaDude »

Tom Mazanec wrote:More on the $10,000,000,000,000.00 negative debt:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -reckoning
America's "real" debt is $230,000,000,000,000.00:
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/johnmau ... id/908588/
Why the Fed should raise rates:
http://adventuresincapitalism.com/2019/ ... ing-rates/ but
this is what the Fed will do:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/bond-ma ... rates.html
China's local debt bomb:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/bond-ma ... rates.html
US auto sales dropping:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/26/us-auto ... -ever.html
More on the yield inversion:
https://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/tre ... ed-cycles/
https://thedailygold.com/falling-yields ... -catalyst/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/the-us- ... means.html
https://www.vox.com/2019/3/25/18279705/ ... -explained
https://moneymaven.io/mishtalk/economic ... MA4z1wZyA/
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03- ... s-just-got

Edit: sorry, I posted this on the wrong thread.
Ya' know,.. the "problem" with these assessments of "financial actualities" is that they are truly unreal.

It's not that they're inaccurate, or unrealistic, but that they are so big that they can't be "felt".

The scale of the "situation" (as illustrated by these numbers) is literally "not comprehensible" (you can't "grasp" them), and that means that should the ramifications of the "reality" come to pass, that the only human reaction possible to those ramifications is to simply "space out".

By "space out" I simply mean that ALL people will instantly revert to baseline survival mode, ignore the "big picture", and panic (or go catatonic), picking up the nearest pointy stick and thrusting it at whatever seems threatening in the immediate vicinity.

In other words, once the pain gets to a certain level due to the aforementioned ramifications (of the "numbers"), the rest of the hyperbolic trajectory of pain becomes meaningless,.. and the current system fails,.. then a period of "systems chaos" ensues,.. then a new system takes over.

The asymptotic nature of "the situation" is a signal that system failure is a distinct possibility, and that changes should be made, and THAT IS ALL.

The numbers disappear once the system fails. War and/or forgiveness happens, and humanity goes on with a "new" system, usually very similar to the last one.

Two hundred trillion dollars is meaningless, other than as a red-zone pegged descent gauge indicator four seconds before the aircraft's impact with the ground.

Where the hell was I going with this? ,.. oh, yeah,.. proof of good reason to panic is not a cure for panic. <chuckle!>

Hope via faith (which brings operational calm) and action to find a spot to hide is the cure for panic.

So...

Image

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Tom Mazanec
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Re: Generational Dynamics World View News

Post by Tom Mazanec »

FishbellykanakaDude:

That's why I always type things like '$230,000,000,000,000.00' instead of '$230 trillion'. It's not enough to 'show' the size of the debt, but it's an effort.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain

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