This site author identifies as “independent commoner”. Fiercely so. I also identify as a “mutable self” in open process (open to new information, change, growth, and development), not as an “immutable self”, focusing identity on fixed objects as in dogmatic loyalty to some ideology, religious belief system, nationality/ethnicity/race, occupation, or other objects. Source on this: Louis Zurcher’s “The Mutable Self: A Self-Concept For Social Change”.
Just so you know where I am coming from: Its about the open process of “float like a butterfly, alight to enjoy some nectar, then moving on”. On a journey through life with no “fixed place to lay my head”. A visitor to this realm trying to learn and experience what it means to be human. And mostly trying to understand what love actually is and how to love. Love as the main identity-marker of being human.
That explains my repeat posting of the central Historical Jesus theme: “Love your enemy because God does.”
This is a reach for the highest and best of being human. It is the single most profoundly humane insight in history. It gets the “behavior based on belief” relationship right as never before. It tells us how to tower in stature as maturely human like a Mandela. It tells us how to conquer the real monster/enemy in life by winning the inner battle to vanquish the animal inheritance of impulses to tribalism, domination of others, and punitive destruction of differing others.
Success in the inner battle is the greatest contribution that we can offer to making life better.
See some more “sitesplainin” at the bottom of this opening section.
See also below… The psychopathology of today’s hyper-sensitivity, as in the over-sensitivity to personal “hurt feelings… sense of being offended…” that then crusades for harshly punitive treatment of purported offenders, Wendell Krossa
Surveying the wreckage. Again, what lies beneath it all? Wendell Krossa
I am a tracer/prober of root factors that contribute to problems and argue that to properly solve problems for the long-term future we have to deal with the more fundamental contributing factors to problems.
You may notice a repeated pattern on this site of pushing past the “surface” engagement of issues to understand the deepest roots of the thing under consideration, of some problem. I am just taking the wise advice of that military guy, responding to the ISIS eruption of violence in 2014, who advised us that we can crush such pathology with force but it will only keep erupting until we deal with the ideas/ideology that drive such movements.
I apply that advice to the current situation in Western civilization where a new totalitarianism has emerged and has infected all sectors/institutions of our societies. And again, this site appeals to the US situation as illustrative of what is going on across Western liberal democracies.
My points:
I survey the wreckage of this US presidential campaign, and I note the back and forth debates over varied positions that were put forth on this and that. Surveys and media commentators have suggested that for all the focus on differences, both sides agree on about 80% of things. But not much talk about that in media. On the surface, the left and right fight over all sorts of issues and they are legitimate differences to debate, though too often magnified out of proportion to the reality involved.
Apparently, most people on both sides want the same basic things- i.e. peace, no more wars, personal safety and security, proper limits to immigration, economic opportunity to improve their lives, and good health, all basic things that most folks can agree on.
But the sense of intense tribal divide and rage over such issues continues. Media, driven by the sick impulse to create fear, have been largely responsible for the social division and intensified hatred over the differences on varied issues. Add also the jockeying for tribal domination in society.
Others (i.e. Glen Greenwald) try to pour calming balm and argue that the divide in society is not so much about conservatives versus liberals, not so much about left versus right. They claim that the real divide is more about commoners versus elites, populists versus elites.
You can hone this a bit more and argue that the real fundamental divide in our societies is more about elites behind the scenes trying to manipulate and control populations through the two opposing political factions, trying to dominate through varied differing social institutions and hiding their fingerprints on all this by focusing public attention on the fighting between the commoner tribes of left and right.
But the elite/commoner divide does not fully explain our contemporary situation today. We still need to acknowledge some overweighting toward holding the left responsible for the current emerging elite totalitarianism because those identifying with the left side have bought more into the elite narrative that is embodied in extremist Woke Progressivism and the associated elite program to control society through that narrative. And is this due to the base of the left consisting mainly of white college educated people? People indoctrinated by the leftist domination of our education systems over past decades who then emerged to populate major social institutions?
Hence, you get such facts as 70% of Democrats now favoring censorship and arguing that we must get rid of, or constrain, the First Amendment as it blocks their crusade for total control of the narrative of society- i.e. John Kerry (First amendment is a major block to his “consensus” to censor), Tim Walz (the First Amendment does not guarantee free speech), Hilary Clinton (we must censor speech or “we lose total control”), etc.
The left also supports more state control of commoners through increasing laws/regulations, more taxation, and expanding big state bureaucracy, etc. Note Elon Musk’s point that there are now some 450-plus government agencies in the US at the Federal level alone. The right has not been blameless in this massive increase in state bureaucracy. And do not forget Justin Trudeau’s expansion of government by some 30% over the past decade.
Totalitarian elites have found a more compliant and subservient group of supporters in what we once understood as the formerly “liberal democrat” side of the population, the left. Those researching the psychopathology of left-wing authoritarianism (Christine Brophy, etc.) have probed what features of the human psyche are behind this shift of the left toward totalitarianism- i.e. the narcissism of virtue-signaling compassion for oppressed people. “Psychopathological” because even though virtue-signaled as compassionate, their proposed policies harm the very people that they claim compassion for.
Note the outcome of harm in the de-criminalization, de-carceration policies in US cities that have resulted in increased violent crimes. Or the leftist zealotry for Green policies that have ruined the economies of Western liberal democracies- i.e. the recent collapse in Germany.
Much of the fighting between left and right over the varied issues that we disagree over today, I view as sort of “background noise” to more fundamental contributing factors. The “surface” fighting illustrates more foundational background things that are going on. All the media noise about this issue of conflict and that issue of disagreement, all this points to something deeper and of the nature of the “root contributing factors” in the background.
The root of the problem of the tribal dualism and opposition in our societies.
Something age-old is working behind the scenes at the very root of all that we observe on the surface of our societies.
We see the deeper stuff expressed in the historically never-ending struggle of elites to re-instate the elite/commoner divide in human societies, to dominate and control others, and the equally never-ending struggle of commoners to pushback against elite domination and control. The ongoing struggle of populist commoners who simply want freedom and equal treatment.
And while I would like to agree with Glen Greenwald that the true societal divide today is not so much the left vs right, it is evident that the left has been more susceptible to being taken over as the favored medium of the elite class today. The left now embodies and expresses more the dominating impulse of elitism. This has become prominently evident across all the institutions and sectors of our Western liberal democracies. From education, to government bureaucracies and agencies, to mainstream media, social media, etc. The left has become more prominently the side that is crusading for elite domination.
Continuing the probing of root factors…
What is really behind the elite crusade to dominate and control populations? One more fundamental root factor in the problem of elite totalitarianism is the simple-minded tribal dualism that has ruined human societies from the beginning- a tribal dualism that finds expression in the “elite/commoner” divide that Richard Landes noted has cursed human societies since the beginning.
Trace this tribal dualism back through history and it helps to expose who is the real enemy that threatens our freedom and that we must fight. And this affirms Greenwald’s point. Its not our fellow commoners in the left-right divide. Those in other differing tribes. It is the elites who obsessively seek to dominate others.
This has been the great struggle of people from prehistory on down as John Pfeiffer noted in “Explosion: An Inquiry Into the Origins of Art and Religion”. Some people in a tribe who began to present themselves as more special than their fellow tribals, people claiming to be divinely gifted with special rights and powers that enabled them to control others. I would add that those original primitive elites- i.e. shaman, priests- claimed to know the secrets of the invisible realm i.e. why the gods were angry and how to appease them. That was the origin of religion in human societies, among other factors.
I am lasering in here on the fundamental contributing factor beneath our social divisions and hatreds that is the impulse of some among us to dominate others and to not respect their freedoms and rights, equally. Fortunately, in the modern era our forebears constructed Classic Liberalism institutions (i.e. truly representative parliaments, common law systems) to protect us from this evil of elite domination.
And many of us commoners in liberal democracies, on both sides, now agree on protecting the full freedom and rights for everyone equally.
Insert: And many agree that among the main basic functions of states is to ensure the safety and security of citizens from physical assault. This is quite different from the demand of many hyper-sensitive types today for state protection from offensive, upsetting words of differing others.
Lasering in on this impulse of some to dominate and control others is to understand the real “enemy” that we all face. The impulse to dominate is unleashed in conjunction with the related impulses of the “evil triad”- i.e. the tribal impulse to separate from and exclude differing others, and to punitively destroy differing others that challenge, compete with, and dissent from tribal domination by elites.
Both sides have been guilty of unleashing this evil triad over varied issues (i.e. the Right trying to control women on abortion), but leftists more generally now across our societies exhibit this urge to control others and they have the current advantage of dominating major social institutions like education, media, government agencies, etc.
But admittedly, the impulse to dominate is not limited to successful elites on one side.
And this gets to an even more fundamental root factor in this problem of unleashing elite totalitarianism in our societies. This impulse to dominate that we must fight, the real battle of life, is something that takes place inside each of us. It has to do with our animal inheritance of impulses, the “evil triad” of tribalism, domination, punitive destruction of differing others. This is the more foundational or background contributing factor behind the disagreements of differing sides today.
And continuing to probe the other critical root factors in this- we must ask what validates the worst of our inherited animal impulses? What ideas and narrative themes have been constructed across history to incite, arouse, guide, and validate base animal impulses like the alpha impulse to dominate others?
Now we are getting to real root factors behind the problem of elite totalitarianism and how to solve it.
And here is where I begin to piss a lot of people off. But it has to be acknowledged if we are serious about solving problems properly and for the long-term future.
This site traces further back to what has long validated this impulse to totalitarianism, along with the tribal and punitive destruction impulses, across history, notably in Western civilization or culture. And that takes us right to the complex of bad religious ideas that are still dominantly positioned in our major world religions.
Prenotes to tackling Paul’s Christ myth as a most fundamental contributing factor to today’s narratives and the harmful outcomes in resurging tribalism, elite domination, and people resorting to punitive destruction of evil enemies.
Why tackle the potentially offensive takedown of Paul’s Christ? Because that myth is singularly responsible for burying the potentially most critical insight ever offered for human liberation, like no other liberation movement ever. Paul’s Christ short-circuited and buried that potential narrative-transforming and world-transforming liberation. And that egregious scandal is why I go after that myth and struggle to pull the diamond of Jesus out of its deforming context and make his message clear, as contrasted with the opposite deformity of the dung context that Paul created. Thomas Jefferson and Leo Tolstoy’s terms, not mine. I am too reservedly Canadian to use such outrage inciting terms, eh. But I have to quote them for accuracies sake.
Our animal inheritance is just one higher-level set of contributing factors. We are still not at the bottom yet of the most fundamental root contributing factors to our problems of today’s tribalism, elite domination, and punitive destruction of differing others. We need to keep pushing further down to get the full picture of what is behind today’s problems.
People, from the beginning, have created systems of beliefs, complexes of interrelated themes that explain their world and lives, and validate their felt impulses, the impulses that drive their behavior. The problem is that in their primitive subhuman societies they created primitive ideas of gods that explained and validated the worst of their impulses to tribalism, domination, and destruction of enemies.
We recognize today the inhumanity of those impulses and validating ideas.
And at the core of human belief systems there is a Cohering Center that holds the rest together and dominates the belief systems. That is the view of Ultimate Reality, the creating, sustaining, and purpose-explaining Source of all, the deity that shapes all else in human belief systems. And again, this Cohering Center element is evident also in so-called materialist belief systems that appeal to ultimate realities like Multi-verse, Self-Organizing Principle, and other materialist gods to explain all else.
The ‘Cohering Center’ element in belief systems is what Historical Jesus went directly after when he tackled the very core of all the previous belief systems of his era. He rejected the God theories of all past history and narratives, the theologies of gods as tribal (favoring their true believers, discriminatorily excluding unbelievers), gods as dominating lords/kings/judges, and gods as punitively destructive (i.e. violent destruction through world-ending apocalypse, afterlife harm in hell).
Jesus replaced that theology with his stunning new theology of a non-retaliatory, unconditional God. That was his most fundamental contribution to human ideas (James Robinson). And that brilliant insight was subsequently buried by Paul with his retreat to the old ideas of threat theology, the worst of themes/beliefs that humanity had inherited- themes of tribalism, domination, destruction.
We have had three centuries now of search for the Historical Jesus, the search for the real person and message, to clear this up. We know the basic outlines now of the contrast between Historical Jesus and Paul’s Christ, and the irreconcilable opposite realities these two represent.
We can get to the real person and message now with Q Wisdom Sayings research (notably the first version of Q- Q1). So, if you claim to “believe in Jesus” then honor the man for who he was and what he actually taught. We know better now.
Now to laser in even more specifically, in our probing of root contributing factors to today’s problems of tribalism, elite domination, and tribal punitive destruction of differing others/evil enemies.
To trace the dominant validating influences in our Western civilization, this takes us directly to Paul’s Christ where he embedded validating themes like domination as in his “Lord Jesus” mantra. Add John’s New Testament book of Revelation that further presents the epitome expression of the ultimate domination by Lord Jesus who will rule eternally with a rod of iron and all will bow to his totalitarian rule.
The theme of domination projected onto ultimate ideals like deity then validates human forms of domination as in the statement in Ephesians that wives must submit to husbands. And slaves must submit to masters. Or the general statement of Paul in Romans 13 that all must submit to governments as appointed by God. Many still take such religious holy books and authority seriously.
Add the comments of Acts 2 and 4 that affirm collectivism as opposed to the individualism that was punished by God (i.e. Acts ch.5- God kills Annanias and Saphira who engaged a bit of private property ownership). Paul’s Christ-ianity claims that God is a collectivist who violently opposes individualism. Yes, others have noted the comfortable bedding of liberal Christianity with Socialism over the past (i.e., or e.g.- South American “liberation theology”).
Collectivism is the system where enlightened elites run collectives and all others are denied individual freedoms and rights to be subjected to the concentrated state power and control by elites and their bureaucracies. Collectivism embodies elite domination because the power and control of resources centralized in collectives is always controlled by the collective elites. Collective elites never function, as they like to virtue-signal, to control resources “for the people”, for “greater or common good”’. That is just psychopathological virtue-signaling of narcissistic compassion that actually harms commoners.
Kristian Niemietz again (“Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies”):
“Socialism in the sense which self-identified democratic socialists define it… a democratized economic planned collectively by ‘the people’, has never been achieved anywhere and could not be achieved. Economic planning can only ever be done in a technocratic, elitist fashion, and it requires an extreme concentration of power in the hands of the state. It cannot ‘empower’ ordinary workers. It can only ever empower bureaucratic elites.”
Many moderns, as self-identifying “secularists, materialists, atheists”, may not feel in the present world that Paul’s Christ has anything to do with their personal narratives and lives. But as a surprise to such people (becoming truly woke), historians of religion explain this deeply embedded influence of Paul on modern Western life- notably, James Tabor in “Paul and Jesus” states Paul’s dominant influence on Western civilization:
“Paul is the most influential person in human history and realize it or not, he has shaped practically all we think about everything… from our assumptions about reality to our societal and personal ethics… we are all cultural heirs of Paul, with the well-established doctrines and traditions of mainstream Christianity deeply entrenched in our culture. In contrast, Jesus as a historical figure… has been largely lost to our culture” p. xvii. He is referring to the “Judeo-Christian” influence on Western culture that even Richard Dawkins acknowledges.
The most prominent features of Paul’s message that are applicable to our probe of root contributing factors to today’s elite domination, I would point to the violent apocalyptic Christ as ultimate dominating Lord who tribally favors his true believers and destroys all enemies.
Those features are entirely opposite to and contradict the main message of historical Jesus who rejected tribalism to advocate a God of universal and unconditional love, evident in the fact that God sent sun and rain to all alike, to both believers and unbelievers.
Jesus further rejected the impulse of elites to domination over others, stating that lording over others was primitive paganism, and instead urged serving others. He further rejected eye for eye retaliation and punitive destruction of differing others.
Again, the stark contrasts between Historical Jesus and Paul’s Christ are summarized in the entirely opposite themes of “non-retaliation versus eye for eye retaliation, non-tribal versus highly tribal separation of people (true believers versus unbelievers), domination by Lord Jesus versus Jesus as servant, and punitive destruction of enemies versus unconditional forgiveness and free inclusion of all”.
The themes of Paul that incite and validate our worst inherited animal impulses were predated in the more ancient mythologies of the pre-CE era, themes that Paul borrowed for his Christ myth. Note for example the Greek influence on Paul that is detailed in Helmut Koester’s “History, Culture, and Religion of the Hellenistic Age”.
Religions like Christianity embraced the core themes of earlier religions and the Christian influence continues to emanate from the background of our cultures, continuing to affirm things like elite domination.
And consider that to affirm the impulse to domination is to affirm one of the worst features of our animal inheritance, an impulse that has wreaked more damage across history than most others.
Continuing with our probe of root contributing factors to today’s elite domination…
I would touch base with Karl Jung, regarding the ongoing influence of the “collective unconscious” and its archetypes. I would note that we are often not even aware of that subconscious reality but it still influences us from the background. I note the research that states some 95% of human behavior is influenced by our subconscious, by archetypal things. So yes, all of us are influenced by the primitive and deeply embedded ideas that validate our inherited impulses. See again Harold Ellens, Zenon Lotufo, James Tabor, and others on this. See also the comment below by Kristian Niemietz and Jonathan Haidt on the fact that emotions, not rational evidence, shape our choice in beliefs. That also affirms the influence of the subconscious archetypes on present human behavior.
This helps understand why so many just respond emotionally to climate crisis narratives, unquestioningly accepting such narratives because they feel right and true. Its about subconscious resonance with themes that are as old as humanity, the deeply embedded archetypes again- i.e. better past ruined by bad people, life declining toward worsening state, looming catastrophe as punishment for human sin, demanded sacrifice/payment and suffering for redemption (give up the good life in civilization), and demanded purging of some threat, some evil enemy causing the apocalypse, and then the promise of salvation (save the world). Add the ancient themes of the hero’s quest- the obligation to engage a righteous battle against evil, vanquish your enemy, and save something.
And to confront a critical element in problem-solving that I have noted repeatedly here- re “the diamonds in the dung” point of Thomas Jefferson and Leo Tolstoy. How do we free ourselves from the darker subconscious influences?
Historical Jesus rejected out of hand the worst themes of primitive narratives that had long influenced animal impulses such as the impulse to dominate others when he stated that true greatness would not lord over others but would serve others. Paul then two decades after Jesus rejected that message and re-instated domination as a divine feature in his “Lord Christ” myth.
Jesus had presented the insight to liberate us from the inherited evil triad of tribalism, domination, and retributive destruction of differing others. That would have been liberation that went to the deepest levels of the human psyche- to the subconscious archetypes to overturn the old and replace it with the stunningly new and liberating.
Paul and his Christ-ianity short-circuited that greatest-ever possible liberation for a retreat to enslavement by dominating elites, backed by divine validation in his Lord Christ myth.
Another note:
Michael Shellenberger (article below) nails the impulse to dominate and rightly terms it “psychopathic”, among other pathologies. Seems like a strong term? Consider that giving way to the urge to dominate others is to give way to the purely predatory alpha animal impulse and behavior. It’s not human. And as the predatory animal is without feeling of the harm done to victims by dominating them, so that predatory thing in people is psychopathic also for being unaware of the harm that domination does to people who are subjected to it.
What does this say about this feature of affirming domination in Paul’s Christ myth? “Lord Christ”?
Note the animal nature of domination/submission as presented, for example, in “Alpha God: The psychology of Religious Violence and Oppression” by clinical psychologist Hector Garcia.
The Amazon blurb on his book:
“This book uses evolutionary psychology as a lens to explain religious violence and oppression. The author, a clinical psychologist, examines religious scriptures, rituals, and canon law, highlighting the many ways in which our evolutionary legacy has shaped the development of religion and continues to profoundly influence its expression. The book focuses on the image of God as the dominant male in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This traditional God concept is seen as a reflection of the “dominant ape” paradigm so evident in the hierarchical social structures of primates, with whom we have a strong genetic connection. The author describes the main features of male-dominated primate social hierarchies- specifically, the role of the alpha male as the protector of the group; his sexual dominance and use of violence and oppression to attain food, females, and territory; in-group altruism vs. out-group hostility (us vs. them); and displays of dominance and submission to establish roles within the social hierarchy. The parallels between these features of primate society and human religious rituals and concepts make it clear that religion, especially its oppressive and violent tendencies, is rooted in the deep evolutionary past. This incisive analysis goes a long way toward explaining the historic and ongoing violence committed in the name of religion.”
Garcia notes such interesting things as how people in churches avert their eyes and turn their faces downward during prayer, also kneeling or bowing, much like the submissive animals in the presence of an alpha predator. Hmmm. Just noting the evolutionary biology thing.
Continuing with my point again– If we don’t’ fix what is wrong at the root of problems then we just keep getting the same eruptions of problems because the root contributing factors are still in place exerting their malign influence from deeply embedded subconscious levels- those archetypes as inherited impulses that people long ago affirmed with the beliefs that they created to validate the impulses. Their narratives of tribal gods, dominating lords, and punitive destroyers affirmed the same impulses in primitive people, just as they continue to affirm these same impulses in us today.
How to change these deeply rooted factors? The “enemy within” that is within all of us.
Don’t self-identify and claim human maturity until you win the inner battle against the real enemy and monster in life. That is our main obligation to life, the main contribution that we can make in life, our main gift to making the world a better place. When we win the inner battle against these inherited impulses to tribalism, to domination, and to punitive destruction of differing others, we then conquer the real enemy/monster and then we can identify as a true righteous hero having triumphed in the great battle of life, having conquered the real enemy and monster of life, the one inside each of us.
Evidence of personal success in the real battle of life? Thomas Sowell’s “Test of facts” as in outcomes of policies.
Our success in the real battle of life will express or present by us affirming Classic Liberal principles, systems of law, and institutions that protect the equal rights and freedoms of every individual. That is the test of facts, the outcome that manifests that we have won the inner battle against the real enemy/monster in life. Do you see any of this affirmation of Classic Liberalism coming from Woke Progressivism today? Just asking.
Another element of the hero’s quest- the weapon from the wise mentor:
What is the most effective weapon that a wise man gives us to fight and conquer our enemy? This is another element in the “Hero’s Quest”- i.e. some wise mentor helps us to fight and conquer our inner monster/enemy. Here I offer the central insight of the non-religious wisdom sage, Historical Jesus, his core theme of “love your enemy because God does”.
This theme- “love your enemy”- functions as the potent weapon to slay the monster because it goes directly to the core of the problem of inherited bad ideas that have long validated bad behavior- notably, the bad ideas of deity as tribally excluding, dominating, and retaliatory, punitive destroyer of enemies. These are the deformities in humanity’s highest ideal and authority that have long dominated human narratives.
The central insight of Historical Jesus was that God was a non-retaliatory, non-tribal, non-dominating reality, and not punitively destroying. These are all basic features that had long affirmed the same impulses in people.
Jesus stated that God was no conditions, universal Love. That is the single most effective intellectual weapon to overthrow the core validating beliefs of the old narratives that have long incited the worst in people. Embrace that new core theme for narratives and that will work its way into the subconscious to transform the old archetypes and offer a new set of beliefs to inspire the better angels of our nature.
Grapple with that central theme of Historical Jesus and you will discover something powerful to help you to maintain your humanity during life’s struggles. You will have something that will enable you to rise toward highest reach of love, something that points toward how we tower in stature as maturely human, as God-like. Jesus said if that you love your enemy then you will be like God.
“Be unconditionally merciful just as your Father in heaven is unconditionally merciful”. The central insight of Jesus points to how we become just like God, ultimate Good, ultimate Love.
The great tragedy in Christ-ianity is that we have had the Jesus-ianity insight for two millennia but it has been effectively buried by Paul’s Christ myth.
And thus concludes this probing of root contributing factors to the problems of contemporary tribalism, elite domination, and the tendency of tribalist groups to destroy enemies. More will follow…
Insert note on my motivating intention in tackling Paul’s Christ myth:
The egregious nature of how Paul distorted and buried the single most propound insight in all history is what fuels my going after his Christ myth. That insight could have liberated humanity from the destructive enslavement to threat theology that had burdened human consciousness for millennia. Threatening deity had long validated priestly control of populations with elitist claims to know why the gods were angry and what sacrifices were demanded to placate divine anger. The sacrifice industry has impoverished billions across history.
The Jesus insight on deity as non-retaliatory unconditional love was the key, like no other key before, to liberation from the dark archetypes of the subconscious. It would have inaugurated a liberation like none ever before offered and its been buried to two millennia under Paul’s Christ. Thanks to three centuries of Historical Jesus research, and research on Q Wisdom Sayings gospel, we now have the outlines of who Jesus actually was, what he actually taught, and how Paul distorted his person and message with Christology. We are uncovering what has long been lost, buried.
Conclusion:
The central theme of the Jesus message, that deity is non-retaliatory, no conditions love, is how we succeed in the hero’s quest against the real enemy of life- slaying the evil triad of impulses that all of us have inherited. That insight overturns the basic beliefs/themes that have long validated our worst impulses- i.e. deity as tribal, God as dominating king/lord setting the pattern for human elite domination (i.e. divine right of kings, state leaders appointed by God to rule- Romans 13), and justice as punitive destruction of enemies, the destruction of differing others outside our tribe.
Further notes:
To answer the repeated query as to why scientific evidence changes so few minds, as for example, per the climate crisis narrative that still dominates public media today.
Kristian Niemietz in his chapter 10 of “Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies”, delves into the research of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt that “Emotional satisfaction, not rational thinking, and despite contrary evidence, dominates our choice in beliefs.”
And this from Michael Shellenberger…
“Why Trump’s Victory is, For Millions Of Us, Cathartic: After a decade of being hunted, stigmatized, and ostracized by the Woke, many of us can finally breathe a sigh of relief”, Michael Shellenberger, Alex Gutentag, Nov. 6, 2024
https://www.public.news/p/why-trumps-victory-is-for-millions
Shellenberger opens, stating that many like him have moved away from the Left because they were sick of being framed as bigots, phobic, labeled as conspiracy theorists, racists, and more for dissenting from the Woke Progressive extremism that has taken over our societies.
He says that “many of those who defected were, like us, alienated by the transformation of the Democratic Party into a mob of Woke scolds and persecutors.”
He says that “Wokeism or whatever else you want to call it — progressivism, identity politics, radical leftism — has been rampaging through society for roughly the last decade, and those of us who have been stigmatized and ostracized by it feel like we can finally breathe again.” Meaning, they feel cartharsis with the election of Trump.
He notes that Woke Progressivism has been rampaging through society over the past decade. He pinpoints the time when Democrats started losing their minds around 2013 and then everything became racist.
He says that Wokeism has gripped the prominent institutions of our society including news media, entertainment, education systems and like religious extremist movements it persecutes heretics to the Woke narrative.
Consequent to the descent into Woke madness, “Ordinary and otherwise decent people behaved cruelly” and became the new totalitarians.
“Behind the totalitarianism were individuals who had given into base motives like hedonism, envy, dogmatism, self-righteousness, prejudice, snobbery, psychopathy, and even sadism.”
He then probes the psychology behind the Woke madness- noting the growing divide between elites and commoners, the increase in narcissism, psychopathy, and other Cluster B personality traits.
He argues that there must be accountability for this totalitarianism that we have been subjected to.
“The bad news is that much of the Censorship Industrial Complex remains in place, few of the abuses of power over the last eight years have been fully investigated, and Wokeism remains entrenched in every major societal institution.”
And this below on how to ruin a highly prosperous country with Green eco-zealotry. Atmospheric physicist and one of best climate scientists on Earth, Richard Lindzen, was right when he pointed out that 1960s Marxists discovered that if they demonized fossil fuels that would be a more successful way to bring down capitalist industrial society/civilization. Go after what fuels the society that you want to destroy. German Greens are doing exactly this in destroying their nation.
“Scholz’s Green Fantasy Government Collapses – Proof That Climate Policy Mania Is Ruining Germany”, Charles Rotter, Nov. 7, 2024
“Germany—the economic powerhouse of Europe, the land of engineers and precision—has fallen flat on its face. Why? Because its leaders are chasing a climate dream that’s got more holes in it than a Swiss cheese.”
This report below from “Climate Change Weekly” by Sterling Burnett affirms the research of atmospheric physicists Richard Lindzen, William Happer, and others.
The most fundamental and critical science to get right in the whole climate debate- i.e. the physics of the CO2 warming influence. All the rest, i.e. energy policy issues, is more sideline stuff compared to this core scientific issue of the warming influence of CO2 on climate change.
This old post from my site:
“Climate Data Refutes Crisis Narrative: ‘If you concede the science and only challenge the policies… you’re going to lose’’, Climate Depot, Nov. 13, 2023
Quote:
Edward Ring: “If you concede the science, and only challenge the policies that a biased and politicized scientific narrative is being used to justify, you’re already playing defense in your own red zone. You’re going to lose the game… Who cares if we have to enslave humanity? Our alternative is certain death from global boiling! You can’t win that argument. You must challenge the science…”
From my own probing of more information on CO2: The infrared radiation spectrum is about 95-100 micrometers and CO2 can only operate around the 15 micrometer range. And that limited range is now “saturated” as in the physics meaning of term. More CO2 will not be able to operate in that narrow space. That is the space where CO2 molecules absorb infrared or long-wave radiation returning from Earth back out to space. They absorb and instantaneously re-emit the radiation, scattering it in all directions, about 50% sideways and upwards, and about 50% downwards to contribute to warming.
This from H. Sterling Burnett’s “Climate Change Weekly #524: Plants Are Using Much More CO2 Than Climate Models Assume”
“CO2 Saturation Refutes Temperature Forcing Fears”
The report notes:
“A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Applications in Engineering Science reinforces claims made in other research papers by prominent scientists that adding carbon dioxide, with levels where they presently are, should only minimally contribute to further warming, if at all, because of the saturation effect.
The report analyzes the “radiation absorption of potential carbon dioxide” and concludes from varied studies that “atmospheric CO2 has already reached a level beyond which additional emissions will have almost no ability to absorb solar radiation and contribute to warming.”
“There is little or no debate about whether there is an atmospheric saturation effect for CO2. CO2 absorbs solar radiation at a specific frequency band, and when 100 percent of that specific frequency band is reached, adding further CO2 results in no additional warming.
“This implies that additional CO2 emissions may have little to no further warming effect, as the gas has already absorbed nearly all the infrared radiation it can within its absorption spectrum… The mainstream media have largely ignored the study’s findings.”
The report notes the following from testimony by Lindzen and Happer:
“The physics of carbon dioxide is that CO2’s ability to warm the planet is determined by its ability to absorb heat, which decreases rapidly as CO2’s concentration in the atmosphere increases. This scientific fact about CO2 changes everything about the popular view of CO2 and climate change.
“Carbon dioxide is now a weak greenhouse gas. At today’s CO2 concentration in the atmosphere of approximately 420 parts per million, additional amounts of CO2 have little ability to absorb heat and therefore it is now a weak greenhouse gas. Its ability to warm the planet at higher levels of CO2 is very small.
“This also means that the common assumption that carbon dioxide is “the main driver of climate change” is scientifically false.”
And some good news:
Finally, Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta, seems to be coming to her senses on CO2. Even in her latest tussle with Justin Trudeau she still affirmed the need for “carbon capture” and reducing CO2 emissions by 2050, though not by meeting Trudeau’s target of 2035. She has continued to fail on this climate issue by affirming a “climate crisis”, as most politicians do.
I once again repost this warning from Edward Ring, posted on Wattsupwiththat.com…
“Climate Data Refutes Crisis Narrative: ‘If you concede the science and only challenge the policies… you’re going to lose’’, Climate Depot, Nov. 13, 2023
Quote:
Edward Ring: “If you concede the science, and only challenge the policies that a biased and politicized scientific narrative is being used to justify, you’re already playing defense in your own red zone. You’re going to lose the game… Who cares if we have to enslave humanity? Our alternative is certain death from global boiling! You can’t win that argument. You must challenge the science…”
Hopefully, Smith is listening to the “co2coalition.org” people, the best of climate scientists on Earth, who do not concede the “science” of the apocalyptic climate narrative of alarmists and present the truth about climate change.
The conclusion from their evidence- There is no climate crisis because CO2 is not the main influence on climate change (other natural factors are) and climate change is not a crisis. It has been mild (1.2 degree C over past century) and net beneficial to all life.
Remember, 10 times more people still die every year from cold than die from warmth.
Further, CO2 is not a pollutant but is the food of all life and increased atmospheric CO2 has produced a 15% increase of green vegetation across the world over past decades, meaning more food for animals and increased crop production for humanity.
Further, the warming influence of CO2 is now “saturated” (a physics term), meaning that even a doubling of CO2 from today’s 426 ppm to 800 ppm would add very little to any potential further warming. Again, net beneficial for all life.
The logical, scientific conclusion from the evidence?
There is no need to tax carbon or decarbonize our societies with the lunacy of a war on carbon that is ruining our societies.
More probing of the psychopathology behind elite lust for domination and control of others.
Sensitivity has generally been a significant positive in the makeup of human consciousness
The psychopathology of today’s hyper-sensitivity, as in the over-sensitivity to personal “hurt feelings… sense of being offended…” that then crusades for harshly punitive treatment of purported offenders, Wendell Krossa
What is this strange social phenomenon of over-sensitivity today (“brittleness” according to one commentator)? What is this outraged hysteria over the differing opinions and words/speech of others? The upset that has been expressed at even jokes that some find offensive, usually for poking fun at the extremist Woke Progressive narrative and associated behaviors.
And, consequent to the hyper-sensitive hissy fit outrage, what is this related insanity of follow-up demands that the differing others must be censored, silenced, banned, even criminalized? What is this craziness from the “brittle ones” that feeling hurt or upset at differing opinion and speech must become the new standard of legal right or wrong, of crime?
Evidence? Look at the widespread efforts of the offended to extend (“concept creep”) “hate speech” categories to include the differing speech of political opponents and other projects to censor such speech (i.e. as exposed by Twitter Files, and the ongoing exposures by Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi and others, of behind-the-scenes censorship by state agencies. See sources at Public and Substack).
Add here the Orwellian projects to create government “misinformation/disinformation” agencies to censor opponent’s speech.
Sensitively, as central to human consciousness, has generally been useful in that it attunes us to the other, to the feelings of others. Its an essential element of conscious awareness of ourselves and others. It can lead to empathy as a critical element in human development and maturity.
But deformed sensitivity can become ruinous to peace and harmony when shaped by the distortions of excessive touchiness, intentional misreading of other’s motivations and intentions, subsequently feeling offended and hurt, and this then vented in the lust for vengeance- i.e. hurt for hurt, pain for pain.
Human sensitivity needs the constraints of our better angels. Human sensitivity needs to intentionally orient itself to love and all the facets of love that enable us to self-control our worst impulses- i.e. to embrace the purposeful intention to understand differing others with the generosity of spirit that excuses misspoken words, that tries to see the full context of other’s speech, that is willing to repeatedly forgive where mistakes are made by imperfect others, to grant second chances and more to differing others, and so on.
The psychopathology in human sensitivity is seen in the follow-up demands to criminalize everything that the hyper-sensitive feel is offensive, upsetting, discomfiting. Hyper-sensitive types, in fits of demonization of difference, have framed the differing speech of others as “threatening hate speech”, or “dangerous mis- and dis-information”.
The exaggeration of legitimate difference as “evil” is evidence of the sickness of the totalitarian mind that is trying to control others, to shut down others who disagree with censorship, banning, and criminalization. Totalitarians are applying their petty control projects to even humor that makes the brittle ones uncomfortable.
https://www.gbnews.com/news/jk-rowling-not-delete-posts-scotlands-new-hate-crime-act
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/graham-linehan-edinburgh-fringe-banning-free-speech/
The brittle hyper-sensitive further validate their totalitarian response to difference by self-identifying and self-categorizing themselves as victims suffering under evil oppressors. This has been analyzed/diagnosed as the psychopathology of narcissistic virtue-signaling that claims to identify with oppressed people and to be heroically engaged in a righteous battle to protect and liberate the oppressed from the evil of disagreeing others. The “evil other”, over the last decade in Western liberal democracies, meaning those who dissent from the extremist Woke Progressivism that has taken over the left/liberal side of our societies.
Critical to countering the madness of hyper-sensitivity gone awry into extremist Woke Progressivism? A serious dose of “growthefuckupism”. That is the true vaccination against petty upset over difference of opinion and speech. The brittle hypersensitivity of some of our fellow citizens expresses a profound immaturity, once better categorized as “spoilt brattiness”.
But seriously, its about learning what our most fundamental quality as humans actually means- i.e. love as in toleration of diversity/difference, understanding that protecting the freedom of others to be different, offensive, repugnant, is critical to our own freedom. And then add big doses of common mercy, forgiveness, and generosity of spirit that takes a hit (sacrifice, unselfishness), as in tolerating difference, in the interests of greater social peace.
Further to affirming common love and human maturity- i.e. the willingness to give others the breaks of misspeaking once in a while, of clumsy attempts at humor, and mostly, just accepting that disagreement and rousing debate over issues is part of healthy democracy that honors true inclusion of all difference, true acceptance of diversity, and treats the different other as equal.
Critical in the mix is the mature courage to be the initiator in some situation who takes one on the chin for greater good, knowing that in the mix of legitimate difference there is also sometimes the immaturity of the offending other who needs repeated bouts of forgiveness before turning around. Remember the great spirits like Nelson Mandela who knew that not responding-in-kind to his opponents would break cycles of ugly vengeance that tears societies apart (i.e. hurt for hurt, pain for pain). Mandela’s tolerance of differing others was based on his belief and experience that efforts to “love your enemies” would “turn enemies into friends” and “bring out the best in others”.
The greatest human spirits among us are those with the courage to take the first step and break cycles of eye for eye retaliation and, instead, initiate the move to “love the enemy”.
Sometimes that gracious tolerance of differing others is not a “one-off” project but requires repeated persistence in forgiving, doing good to the other who may not respond in kind, and being the one who towers in stature as maturely human, willing to pay the cost of patient toleration to gradually set things going in a better direction.
Added notes:
Also, don’t discount the bitter, resentful, jealous, and vengeful elements in the psychopathology of the hyper-sensitive and easily offended psyche.
Wikipedia: “Ressentiment is a sense of hostility directed toward an object that one identifies as the cause of one’s frustration.”
“Resentment is the feeling we have been wronged by someone else and holding a grudge is the belief that we will feel better when we have shown the other person how angry we are”, Carrie Krawiec.
This from:
https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100416129
“A vengeful, petty-minded state of being that does not so much want what others have (although that is partly it) as want others to not have what they have. The term, which might be translated as ‘resentment’, though in most places it is generally left in the original French, is usually associated with German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who defined it as a slave morality. Nietzsche sees ressentiment as the core of Christian and Judaic thought and, consequently, the central facet of western thought more generally. In this context, ressentiment is more fully defined as the desire to live a pious existence and thereby position oneself to judge others, apportion blame, and determine responsibility.”
And this from
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/10216/nietzsches-concept-of-ressentiment
“Nietzsche singles out Christianity for attack which he claims is based on ressentiment. But what about Nazism and Fascism. Aren’t they also based on resentment. They flourished during the Great Depression where a certain class of people were filled with resentment about their bad predicament. It was also a philosophy full of self pity and looking for a kind of Messiah in the figure of Hitler to lead them out of their misery. It seems to me very similar to the kind of slave morality that Nietzsche attacked in the form of Christianity.”
And from
“Ressentiment—the hateful desire for revenge—plays a pivotal role in Nietzsche’s ‘On the Genealogy of Morals’. Ressentiment explains the formation of bad conscience, guilt, asceticism, and, most importantly, it motivates the “slave revolt” that gives rise to Western morality’s values.”
Another note on the pathology of extremist hypersensitivity (opening comment above): Wendell Krossa (This is sparked by Michael Shellenberger’s continued probing of the psychopathology behind the elite push for domination in our societies.)
Trying to understand the hypersensitive and outraged personality that dominates public discourse today. The tyranny of the Woke minority.
What really incites/agitates the hypersensitive, the immature and infantile “Brittle”, is other’s rejection of their deformed version of the hero’s quest, their self-delusional perspective that they have the narrative right that affirms to them that they alone are the true heroes fighting a righteous battle against evil to save the world. (Again, consider the ‘bothsideism’ element in this self-delusion.)
And as for challengers to their perspective? Well- How dare you differ from us. As Hilary Clinton fumed in her recent Freudian-like slip as she railed against the First Amendment and called for censorship of opponents on social media. If we don’t censor differing others, she argued, then “We lose total control”. And she was frowning mad. She is a true believer.
When people challenge the Woke Progressive narrative, it incites rage in the Woke as it pops the self-delusion of their framing of reality. The “bubble narrative” thing. How can the dissenters not see the truth and righteousness of our viewpoint? That we are defending good and truth and right in the world. We are the heroes. And our opponents are the evil villains. This is all clear to the Woke Progressive true believer’s mind.
When dissenters point out the harmful outcomes of Woke Progressive policies, outcomes that expose the fraud of Woke virtue-signaling that is so obviously a form of narcissistic compassion that is no real compassion but is more psychopathic cruelty because it harms real people. Well, screaming outrage is the response to drown out the dissenter’s voices. Watch some of those old CNN panel discussions, especially the ones after the Trump’s first election in 2016.
The reddened faces of the Hilary supporters, spittle flying as they railed, venting outraged indignity at the moderate minority voices on the panels that dared differ. It was the sincerely horrified outrage of the righteous that some dared to challenge their truth, right, and good.
This also explains the inevitable response of all collectivist crusades to censor public media, silence and ban opposition, end elections, and to criminalize and imprison opponents (lawfare). All features pushed by Democrats over the past few years. Hmm, eh.
And now, post-election 2024, many of the weeping news media, late night show hosts, and Hollywood types continue to exhibit their morally superior sincerity that they alone are on the right side. As Barack Obama said in the past, “The arc of history bends toward justice”, meaning toward my view of things.
Admitting the fraud that they have fallen for is almost impossible for self-identifying righteous heroes to accept and own up to. (Again, as I write this, there is the cautionary voice in my head that there is a ‘bothsideism’ element here.)
The evidence of the “test of facts” in outcomes is too much for the pretend heroes in the righteous battles of Woke Progressivism. To be made aware, especially by hated opponents, of the fraud and lie that they have been seduced by and embraced, requires too much honesty and taking personal responsibility. It is more instinctual to just explode with survival defensiveness, then deny and project one’s personal evil out onto opponents, a projection that we have all watched over past years on mainstream news media.
This is what Richard Landes warned about (“Heaven On Earth”), that when apocalyptic movements begin to fail and collapse, societies then enter a dangerous late-stage phase. The disillusioned leaders of the apocalyptic crusade become desperate and double down, intensifying their outraged hysteria all the more, hoping by sheer force of emotion and anger to push their movement on through. And then in desperation some turn to engage the most dangerous phase when failing, the resort to “exterminate or be exterminated”.
Desperate people embrace desperate measures. What they view as necessary to save society from their view of “Clear and present danger”. Look what they have done over the past decade in the Russia collusion lie, the Hunter Biden laptop that interfered in an election, the Covid lockdowns where society’s little dictators emerged all over to ruin businesses and lives, and more. All “desperate measures” to save what they had convinced themselves was under dire threat from evil.
In Woke Progressivism you are dealing with very sincere true believers. Who said that true believers (the committed) aren’t civil, and the civil aren’t committed true believers? Ah, it was my friend, the wise mentor Bob Brinsmead.
Another
Some Democrat commentator recently suggested, post-2024 presidential election following the failure of the Democratic party, that Democrats must now “Re-imagine the party”.
My first response- How can you re-imagine the Democratic party with the old leadership still in charge? How can they re-imagine the party that sold its soul to extremist Woke Progressivism? You would have to purge the entire old-guard leadership.
To get back to what most common people want, Democrats would have to embrace Classic Liberal principles, systems of law, and institutions. Yes, decades previously, the Democratic Party held elements of this true liberalism, but now it is the conservatives and centrist moderates/independents (also some moderate leftists) who have embraced and exhibit most of these fundamental features of liberal democracy.
To re-imagine and rebuild the Democratic Party today would involve creating an entirely new and different party from the Woke Progressivism that has rejected the fundamental principles, laws, and institutions of Classic Liberalism for the latest version of collectivism in Woke DEI “equity” that crusades for a new tribal dualism categorized by skin color, for ESG social justice, for gender ideology, etc.
There is little to nothing in today’s Democratic Party of the “Classic Liberalism” that protects the rights and freedoms of all, equally. Evidence? Note, for example, the 70% of Democrats today who support more censorship.
And a new Democratic party that truly represents and serves the people would have to stop colluding with the intelligence agencies to censor opponents. And stop trying to dominate and control all of society by pushing for dominance in education, media, and state bureaucracies. And stop expanding government into all areas of citizen’s lives, with endless expansion of regulatory burdens, and coercively confiscating people’s private property by excessive taxation.
Meaning, among other things- Support Elon Musk in DOGE (Department Of Government Efficiency), as a new take on Milton Freidman’s argument that minimalized government at 15% of GDP would be a government that provides “the most good for the most people”.
The transformation required by the Democratic party is so radical as to become an entirely new party from the one that now embodies the worst of woke progressivism, leftism, WEF elitist collectivism.
And yes, all I have said above applies here in Canada to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. He exhibits the most extremist features of the Woke Progressivism that is ruining our liberal democracy. He is a sincere true believer.
A wee bit more of auto-bio and ‘sitesplainin’: Wendell Krossa
Since my early teens I remember beginning to struggle with my inherent sense of Classic Liberalism. I did not know what it was, and I could not define it. I just felt it. Intensely. Adults around labeled it as the irresponsible “teen rebellion” of the 60s. Whatever.
But it eventually became clear to me around the later-70s that it was some form of liberalism. And then, more specifically, I began to understand that it was Classic Liberalism- a well-formulated complex of ideas, principles, systems of common law, and representative institutions (i.e. representative parliament) oriented to protecting the freedom and rights of all people, equally.
This form of liberalism began to form pre-Magna Carta as Daniel Hannan outlines in his good history “Inventing Freedom: How the English-speaking Peoples Made the Modern World”.
Classic Liberalism is the answer to today’s tribal divisions, perverse elite lust for domination, and the punitive revenge exhibited by both sides of our social divides.
I also affirm libertarian David Boaz’s point (“Libertarianism: A Primer”) that both sides of our left/right social divides fail on the issue of freedom and rights. Democrats fail on economic freedom with their push for bigger state presence with intrusive regulations and taxation that undermines individual’s freedoms and rights. And Republicans fail on individual’s freedoms and rights in the social realm, notably on the abortion issue.
Both sides need to rediscover “live and let live”.
This from a post to a discussion group: Wendell Krossa
Here is some more probing of the psychopathology of elite domination that is the big picture background thing going on behind all the surface issues that left and right fight over. I am with historian Richard Landes and others that the real issue that has cursed humanity from the beginning is the effort of some, believing themselves to be special, to push the “elite/commoner” thing, the tribal dualism of humanity into good versus evil factions, where arrogant elites then claim to be appointed by God to rule the dumb and evil commoners.
And of course, I probe the religious ideas that have long validated the elite mindset that seeks to hide their evil drive for power and control over others under “the canopy of the sacred”, a phrase that Bob Brinsmead long ago gave us.
And yes, Classic Liberal principles, systems of common law, and representative institutions that truly serve the people, and redistribute power to the people, such principles and institutions are the potent counter to elite domination. Classic liberalism unites us all around common, or commoner, human desires.
Anyway, here is a bit more on the behind-the-scenes psychopathology…
Probing psychopathology a bit more… Wendell Krossa
Over past years we have all become very familiar with the thing of “psychological projection”. As Dr. Drew Pinsky said on Gutfeld, “Every accusation is a confession”. Projection is people taking their worse forms of evil and defensively projecting it onto their opponents, to demonize and dehumanize.
Instinctive and defensive redirection to allay personal guilt and shame?
Example: Note the “insurrection” claims re Jan. 6. But the real insurrection actually began after the 2016 election of Trump. The deep state agencies, with the Democrats, immediately set about overturning that election with Russia collusion lies, impeachments, and endless other lies re Trump.
Hilary Clinton to this day affirms that election was “illegitimate”. Talk about denying an election- denial that is projected onto Trump. And Trump is also not guiltless in his denials but has a case for election interference re the Hunter Biden laptop issue.
“Psychopathology”? For visitors from countries coming here via ESL, psychopathology as in psychological pathology or psychic pathology.