Of the views expressed here, yours is the one I believe is most accurate and insightful.
I disagree, however, that it’s hopeless. I think the pivot is this claim:
“There is no way to organize enough people in real life to force any political change (especially not with an aging population)”
There is a way. We just need an honest signal that can coordinate the behavior of the genuinely good people, who currently are fighting each other in opposing political parties (etc), rather than uniting to fight their oppressors. Public key cryptography will let us trust that the signal hasn’t been tampered with, despite the oligarchs owning the communication channels. We just need to find a way to make the signal loud enough, trustworthy enough and able to break through the current haze of disinformation that’s making us fight eachother.
Though this sounds hard, but it will get easier with time. As the system collapses, dissatisfaction with current ideologies will increase and motivate the collective search for a new, honest signal to unite around.
Perhaps the most valuable thing we can do now is research alternative, less corruptible, more egalitarian, more sustainable systems. We need to have an ideal to replace the current mess with when it crumbles. Otherwise the current power holders will simply ride out the anarchy, put on a different hat and continue to exploit.
Accuracy for the western world and for an academic who comes from the working class. Most people I work with are academics and see things different, because they could always afford a lawyer and/or had and have connections themselves. Their whole life and lived experience tells them another truth.
I feel sad, that I have to disagree with you on the honest signal, I see several problems here:
Define ‘disinformation’: There are obvious black-is-white lies, but most propaganda in the west is not ‘disinformation’, it is simply emphasizing the facts that favor your point of view. If you add another signal, you are just one more signal producing propaganda (although most probably I would be very happy with your propaganda)
Cryptography … even IT people have trouble understanding this, and even worse: You cannot solve a social problem with technology
‘good people’ - a handful philosophers in the west alone had a very thorough discourse about ‘good’ over the last centuries. The discussion is still going on. ;-)
One of the most important insights is, that it is harder for a group of people to agree than for a few to take power and enforce it. If this wouldn’t be a human/social truth, our western societies wouldn’t be such a shit show by now.
IMHO one of the roots of the problem is how humans are wired and how bigger societies develop in a sociological way. The best way we have found (so far) is democracy, and AFAIK especially democracy with a mostly even wealth distribution (see the northern countries of Europe). AFAIK it is a social rule, that as soon as a group gets bigger, subgroups will be built. It is a human rule that attractive people will be treated better than non attractive one, you will want to help your friends even when it comes at a cost for someone you don’t even know or dislike.
My recipe would be a more even wealth distribution and a way to stop the wealthy force others to do labor for them. Thanks to police and military, I have the strong feeling, the ones with the guns and military will win.
p.s.: I recommend the following books if the topic interests you:
The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
The Established and the Outsiders: A Sociological Enquiry into Community Problems
Of the views expressed here, yours is the one I believe is most accurate and insightful.
I disagree, however, that it’s hopeless. I think the pivot is this claim:
“There is no way to organize enough people in real life to force any political change (especially not with an aging population)”
There is a way. We just need an honest signal that can coordinate the behavior of the genuinely good people, who currently are fighting each other in opposing political parties (etc), rather than uniting to fight their oppressors. Public key cryptography will let us trust that the signal hasn’t been tampered with, despite the oligarchs owning the communication channels. We just need to find a way to make the signal loud enough, trustworthy enough and able to break through the current haze of disinformation that’s making us fight eachother.
Though this sounds hard, but it will get easier with time. As the system collapses, dissatisfaction with current ideologies will increase and motivate the collective search for a new, honest signal to unite around.
Perhaps the most valuable thing we can do now is research alternative, less corruptible, more egalitarian, more sustainable systems. We need to have an ideal to replace the current mess with when it crumbles. Otherwise the current power holders will simply ride out the anarchy, put on a different hat and continue to exploit.
Thanks a lot!
Accuracy for the western world and for an academic who comes from the working class. Most people I work with are academics and see things different, because they could always afford a lawyer and/or had and have connections themselves. Their whole life and lived experience tells them another truth.
I feel sad, that I have to disagree with you on the honest signal, I see several problems here:
IMHO one of the roots of the problem is how humans are wired and how bigger societies develop in a sociological way. The best way we have found (so far) is democracy, and AFAIK especially democracy with a mostly even wealth distribution (see the northern countries of Europe). AFAIK it is a social rule, that as soon as a group gets bigger, subgroups will be built. It is a human rule that attractive people will be treated better than non attractive one, you will want to help your friends even when it comes at a cost for someone you don’t even know or dislike.
My recipe would be a more even wealth distribution and a way to stop the wealthy force others to do labor for them. Thanks to police and military, I have the strong feeling, the ones with the guns and military will win.
p.s.: I recommend the following books if the topic interests you: