Came here from Barsoom. I think you’ve touched on something so profound and pervasive that it has the quality of water to a fish or the atmosphere we are surrounded by and breathe into our bodies minute to minute.
I remember ads from my childhood, jingles to help us little “ heads full of mush” ( to borrow from Rush Limbach) remember to ask our mom’s to get us some “coo coo for Cocoa Puffs.” Pictures of Barbie on cereal boxes, etc.
What’s happening now is just an extension of this. The movie A Christmas Story has Ralphie desperate to get home to check the mailbox for his ovaltine decoder that he sent away for.
Has this been going on since the printing press enabled ads for products?
There is something so basic at the heart of our psyches that can be tapped and exploited. It’s too easy to reach that sweet spot. What is it? The reward center? Is it all about dopamine?
Fish and water is a good way to put it. Can't remember for the life of me where I first encountered this joke, but it goes something like this: "Two fish are talking to one another when another swims by and says, 'Good morning! The water feels lovely today, doesn't it?' The other two fish just smile and nod, but as soon as the passing third is gone, one turns to the other and asks, 'What the hell is water?'"
The water is, of course, the culture we intake daily, minute to minute, to the point that most people don't know what it is. I think that's why the persistent refrain of "White people have no culture" is so commonly repeated by people who A) have no idea what culture actually is and B) have such a narrow definition of the word that they think "culture" just relates to a very specific set of things like art, songs, movies, symbols, and food that can be easily segregated into neat "genres".
You bring up marketing, and yes, I assume that has a lot to do with it. "Culture" is broad, vast, difficult to quantify, and not always fun nor flattering and usually quite complicated and nuance. That's bad for business, of course, so it has to be whittled down to easy to understand and easier to consume bite-size pieces, with all the rough edges and nuances sanded away. Best example I can think of "Texan Culture", in my lifetime, has been distilled down to Stetson hats, Shiner Beer, Longhorns, a handful of classic Country Artists, and various paraphernalia emblazoned with the Texas flag, because it's easy to sell that to out-of-staters who want to feel like they're "really Texan" despite having no ties to the state, the people, and by and large don't particularly like either. It's not unique to Texas - the Pacific Northwest is almost as bad - but it's the one I'm most familiar with.
Without getting to esoteric, I think there is something in humans that can be exploited, and the ghouls currently at play are keenly aware of this. While I'm sure that the genesis of print ads did definitely begin a marked shift in human psychology, I don't think it really ramped up or kicked into high gear until the advent of the radio, television, and true mass media. Much of what we know today behind the psychology and social science behind advertising (read: manipulation) can be traced backed to a man named Edward Bernays, who literally wrote the foundational texts on the topic that are still used today (I'm sure it's just a coincidence one of his descendants is also one of the founders of Netflix). Given that occultism and black magic is deeply rooted in psychology and mental manipulation, I wouldn't be surprised if there's very dark, very occult roots to the "art" of advertisements, too, that the people at the top use to their benefit.
That being said, I'm not sure what the sweet spot is. Dopamine and the limbic reward system are part of it, but I have this feeling it goes deeper - I hesitate to say it's almost spiritual, but I'm beginning to lean in that direction. But there is one, and I feel as if we need to be aware of it as a sort of mental Achille's heel and guard it carefully from those who wish to exploit it. More research on the topic and a deep-dive into how to do such a thing would be a great topic for another time.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I have heard a lot of references to the spiritual lately (most notably from Paul Kingsnorth, but also many others).
The idea that there is a spiritual realm or a devil that is actively working to destroy us is really hard to accept. I’m agnostic about religion. I would love to believe in the spirit realm, life after death or reincarnation, etc.
I’m open to it especially because that would imply a greater plan for us, the possibility that these evil fuckers will end up paying a cost for their psychopathology.
Also it would be comforting to know I and my loved ones will go on in some form.
But logically I have a hard time. I need to get out of my left brain!
I could say the same. I've been chewing on a response for about a day or two now just because you gave me something interesting to think about.
I understand what you mean entirely. It's something that defies all logic because it lies in a realm that inherently defies logic. But, the thing is, it's something that you'll come to when you're ready - no sooner, no later. There's no rush. If you're open to it, it'll come to you in its own time, in my experience.
But, more importantly, I see it as something that doesn't even really require a spiritual aspect. I'll admit - I could just be a paranoid schizoid. It could all just be very mundane, very material evil with no spiritual aspect to it. Of course, I don't think so, but I think it's important to humor all possibilities, of which "You're crazy and there is no metaphysical devil at play" is one. But, the thing about it is those "evil fuckers", as you so succinctly and rightly phrase is, DO believe in the occult and spiritual, whether it's real or not. The best example I have is, if they sacrifice a goat, and there is no otherworldly, demonic force there to slurp up the blood and grant them unholy boons, well, they still killed a goat. They believe it, they act like its real, thus, in a sense, it might as well be real. There's a very mind-bending argument to be made about the "reality" of immaterial things in that sense, but, suffice to say, whether there is a spiritual dimension to what's happening, the evil fuckers definitely believe there is, and it must be taken into account.
But, I also believe nature is a self-correcting system. Whether it's plain, conventional science or spiritual, everything must return to an equilibrium. And the evil fuckers have definitely tilted things out of that. Whether there are invisible forces at work or not, the scales will balance, one way or another, and we can take solace in that.
I created my caucasus cavemen to dispose of the n-words. An 8 billion year old Allah being associated with such lowly beings is heinously offensive. Imagine my shock when I returned from alpha centauri a few decades ago and see you breeding and worshipping the accursed things. I might have to blow this bitch ass planet up... again.
Came here from Barsoom. I think you’ve touched on something so profound and pervasive that it has the quality of water to a fish or the atmosphere we are surrounded by and breathe into our bodies minute to minute.
I remember ads from my childhood, jingles to help us little “ heads full of mush” ( to borrow from Rush Limbach) remember to ask our mom’s to get us some “coo coo for Cocoa Puffs.” Pictures of Barbie on cereal boxes, etc.
What’s happening now is just an extension of this. The movie A Christmas Story has Ralphie desperate to get home to check the mailbox for his ovaltine decoder that he sent away for.
Has this been going on since the printing press enabled ads for products?
There is something so basic at the heart of our psyches that can be tapped and exploited. It’s too easy to reach that sweet spot. What is it? The reward center? Is it all about dopamine?
Fish and water is a good way to put it. Can't remember for the life of me where I first encountered this joke, but it goes something like this: "Two fish are talking to one another when another swims by and says, 'Good morning! The water feels lovely today, doesn't it?' The other two fish just smile and nod, but as soon as the passing third is gone, one turns to the other and asks, 'What the hell is water?'"
The water is, of course, the culture we intake daily, minute to minute, to the point that most people don't know what it is. I think that's why the persistent refrain of "White people have no culture" is so commonly repeated by people who A) have no idea what culture actually is and B) have such a narrow definition of the word that they think "culture" just relates to a very specific set of things like art, songs, movies, symbols, and food that can be easily segregated into neat "genres".
You bring up marketing, and yes, I assume that has a lot to do with it. "Culture" is broad, vast, difficult to quantify, and not always fun nor flattering and usually quite complicated and nuance. That's bad for business, of course, so it has to be whittled down to easy to understand and easier to consume bite-size pieces, with all the rough edges and nuances sanded away. Best example I can think of "Texan Culture", in my lifetime, has been distilled down to Stetson hats, Shiner Beer, Longhorns, a handful of classic Country Artists, and various paraphernalia emblazoned with the Texas flag, because it's easy to sell that to out-of-staters who want to feel like they're "really Texan" despite having no ties to the state, the people, and by and large don't particularly like either. It's not unique to Texas - the Pacific Northwest is almost as bad - but it's the one I'm most familiar with.
Without getting to esoteric, I think there is something in humans that can be exploited, and the ghouls currently at play are keenly aware of this. While I'm sure that the genesis of print ads did definitely begin a marked shift in human psychology, I don't think it really ramped up or kicked into high gear until the advent of the radio, television, and true mass media. Much of what we know today behind the psychology and social science behind advertising (read: manipulation) can be traced backed to a man named Edward Bernays, who literally wrote the foundational texts on the topic that are still used today (I'm sure it's just a coincidence one of his descendants is also one of the founders of Netflix). Given that occultism and black magic is deeply rooted in psychology and mental manipulation, I wouldn't be surprised if there's very dark, very occult roots to the "art" of advertisements, too, that the people at the top use to their benefit.
That being said, I'm not sure what the sweet spot is. Dopamine and the limbic reward system are part of it, but I have this feeling it goes deeper - I hesitate to say it's almost spiritual, but I'm beginning to lean in that direction. But there is one, and I feel as if we need to be aware of it as a sort of mental Achille's heel and guard it carefully from those who wish to exploit it. More research on the topic and a deep-dive into how to do such a thing would be a great topic for another time.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I have heard a lot of references to the spiritual lately (most notably from Paul Kingsnorth, but also many others).
The idea that there is a spiritual realm or a devil that is actively working to destroy us is really hard to accept. I’m agnostic about religion. I would love to believe in the spirit realm, life after death or reincarnation, etc.
I’m open to it especially because that would imply a greater plan for us, the possibility that these evil fuckers will end up paying a cost for their psychopathology.
Also it would be comforting to know I and my loved ones will go on in some form.
But logically I have a hard time. I need to get out of my left brain!
I could say the same. I've been chewing on a response for about a day or two now just because you gave me something interesting to think about.
I understand what you mean entirely. It's something that defies all logic because it lies in a realm that inherently defies logic. But, the thing is, it's something that you'll come to when you're ready - no sooner, no later. There's no rush. If you're open to it, it'll come to you in its own time, in my experience.
But, more importantly, I see it as something that doesn't even really require a spiritual aspect. I'll admit - I could just be a paranoid schizoid. It could all just be very mundane, very material evil with no spiritual aspect to it. Of course, I don't think so, but I think it's important to humor all possibilities, of which "You're crazy and there is no metaphysical devil at play" is one. But, the thing about it is those "evil fuckers", as you so succinctly and rightly phrase is, DO believe in the occult and spiritual, whether it's real or not. The best example I have is, if they sacrifice a goat, and there is no otherworldly, demonic force there to slurp up the blood and grant them unholy boons, well, they still killed a goat. They believe it, they act like its real, thus, in a sense, it might as well be real. There's a very mind-bending argument to be made about the "reality" of immaterial things in that sense, but, suffice to say, whether there is a spiritual dimension to what's happening, the evil fuckers definitely believe there is, and it must be taken into account.
But, I also believe nature is a self-correcting system. Whether it's plain, conventional science or spiritual, everything must return to an equilibrium. And the evil fuckers have definitely tilted things out of that. Whether there are invisible forces at work or not, the scales will balance, one way or another, and we can take solace in that.
I created my caucasus cavemen to dispose of the n-words. An 8 billion year old Allah being associated with such lowly beings is heinously offensive. Imagine my shock when I returned from alpha centauri a few decades ago and see you breeding and worshipping the accursed things. I might have to blow this bitch ass planet up... again.
Every time I hear a pop song made within the past ten years, I feel like I've witnessed a war crime.
And it's just going to get worse, now that music artists are using AI to help them make songs.