“We don’t have heroes anymore. We have people who are known for their knownness.” Having no heroic public figures left, we resort to worshipping people who are merely well-known, simply because they are well-known.
I overstated the matter here, as I studiously avoid doing in general, to make a point. We do have heroes, but they tend to be unknown by more than a few people, or censored, suppressed, marginalized… And the majority resort to venerating, and yes worshipping, the merely well-known, in response.
Elon Musk has made interesting statements about the present and the future. He intelligently prefaced them by saying it is extremely difficult to predict the future; and further, wisely implied that the future depends on our actions – a point which is not viscerally realized the way it should be, and needs to be, by all.
He sensibly points out the urgent need to switch to renewable energy. He intelligently appeared in an interview wearing an OCCUPY t-shirt. And he has proven he is both innovative, and savvy in business.
(In fact, he has a brain, a heart, and a spine: a combination which, today, is a rare.)
That does not make him omniscient, of course.
Our culture is in love with money, materialism, consumerism, gadgets, entertainment, distraction, toys, trinkets, power, fame, wealth – and celebrity status. The cult of worship directed at business elites, professional athletes, certain public figures, famous actors, and celebrities in that broader sense, is truly delusional, deranged, infantile, and dangerous. I think Musk would agree to that.
(I think Gates would agree; but not so secretly is in love with the idea of power.)
Musk’s remarks, however, on genetic engineering, place him firmly in the George Jetson techno-fantasy camp of people who believe that: a) technology will solve every human social and ecological problem (no spiritual, philosophical or sociological reflection or change required); and b) rushing headlong into new technologies, for the imagined or even proven benefits, could never have an unintended down side. (Such as with CFCs, DDT, thalidamide, internal combustion engines, car-centred suburban-oriented cities and urban sprawl….and the list goes on.) His remarks on wet-wiring a direct connection between the human brain and computers, shows a further level of giddy naive intoxication with technology as risk-free panacea.
(See geneticist David Suzuki for a much more informed view of genetic engineering.)
People too typically think that because someone is intelligent, educated, famous or successful, therefore they are an authority on all subjects. But being clever at business, does not mean you know jack shit about public health POLICY, political-economy, social or political philosophy, history, or sociology – and that lack of understanding in these five areas make any statements by, for example, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, or Dr. Faucci into such realms, purely baseless, and full of hot air: as substanceless as a fart in the wind.
(Yes, Faucci too: because tracking a virus is different from being at all competent in public POLICY. And in the end, the latter is for public debate to decide, not any group of elites – if we are to live in a democracy, and not under an authoritarian police state, that is.)
I am not putting Elon Musk down. (The other two could give Dr. Mengela a run for his money, or Goebbels; but I think Elon Musk, by contrast, is a rich man with a conscience. Another rarity.) He seems principled, humanitarian, and good-natured, as well as bold, resourceful and creative. I quite admire him. But I do not worship at anyone’s feet. Nor to I believe celebrity-worship, or authority-worship, or worship of any elites, to be fitting for adults. My point is to question the habitual deference to authority which the great majority of people demonstrate daily. That is the single greatest danger that we face.
Think for yourself. As the Buddha said, Question everyone, even people you respect.
And remember, the future is what WE make it.
(We, the 99% – or the 100%. Not just the ruling 1%.)
Do not be a by-stander. And do not let a docile obedience lead the way – that would be disastrous; as history has proven, time and time again.
JTR,
August 11, 2020
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=mOsVQIspwRM
This entry was posted on August 11, 2020 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags analysis, Bill Gates, climate change, Dr. Faucci, elite rule, Elon Musk, futurism, leadership, mass psychology, police state, policy, political economy, political theory, politics, psychological warfare, psychology, psyops, social commentary, social engineering, social psychology, social theory, sociology, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Writings of J. Todd Ring
Elon Musk & The Limits of Genius
“We don’t have heroes anymore. We have people who are known for their knownness.” Having no heroic public figures left, we resort to worshipping people who are merely well-known, simply because they are well-known.
I overstated the matter here, as I studiously avoid doing in general, to make a point. We do have heroes, but they tend to be unknown by more than a few people, or censored, suppressed, marginalized… And the majority resort to venerating, and yes worshipping, the merely well-known, in response.
Elon Musk has made interesting statements about the present and the future. He intelligently prefaced them by saying it is extremely difficult to predict the future; and further, wisely implied that the future depends on our actions – a point which is not viscerally realized the way it should be, and needs to be, by all.
He sensibly points out the urgent need to switch to renewable energy. He intelligently appeared in an interview wearing an OCCUPY t-shirt. And he has proven he is both innovative, and savvy in business.
(In fact, he has a brain, a heart, and a spine: a combination which, today, is a rare.)
That does not make him omniscient, of course.
Our culture is in love with money, materialism, consumerism, gadgets, entertainment, distraction, toys, trinkets, power, fame, wealth – and celebrity status. The cult of worship directed at business elites, professional athletes, certain public figures, famous actors, and celebrities in that broader sense, is truly delusional, deranged, infantile, and dangerous. I think Musk would agree to that.
(I think Gates would agree; but not so secretly is in love with the idea of power.)
Musk’s remarks, however, on genetic engineering, place him firmly in the George Jetson techno-fantasy camp of people who believe that: a) technology will solve every human social and ecological problem (no spiritual, philosophical or sociological reflection or change required); and b) rushing headlong into new technologies, for the imagined or even proven benefits, could never have an unintended down side. (Such as with CFCs, DDT, thalidamide, internal combustion engines, car-centred suburban-oriented cities and urban sprawl….and the list goes on.) His remarks on wet-wiring a direct connection between the human brain and computers, shows a further level of giddy naive intoxication with technology as risk-free panacea.
(See geneticist David Suzuki for a much more informed view of genetic engineering.)
People too typically think that because someone is intelligent, educated, famous or successful, therefore they are an authority on all subjects. But being clever at business, does not mean you know jack shit about public health POLICY, political-economy, social or political philosophy, history, or sociology – and that lack of understanding in these five areas make any statements by, for example, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, or Dr. Faucci into such realms, purely baseless, and full of hot air: as substanceless as a fart in the wind.
(Yes, Faucci too: because tracking a virus is different from being at all competent in public POLICY. And in the end, the latter is for public debate to decide, not any group of elites – if we are to live in a democracy, and not under an authoritarian police state, that is.)
I am not putting Elon Musk down. (The other two could give Dr. Mengela a run for his money, or Goebbels; but I think Elon Musk, by contrast, is a rich man with a conscience. Another rarity.) He seems principled, humanitarian, and good-natured, as well as bold, resourceful and creative. I quite admire him. But I do not worship at anyone’s feet. Nor to I believe celebrity-worship, or authority-worship, or worship of any elites, to be fitting for adults. My point is to question the habitual deference to authority which the great majority of people demonstrate daily. That is the single greatest danger that we face.
Think for yourself. As the Buddha said, Question everyone, even people you respect.
And remember, the future is what WE make it.
(We, the 99% – or the 100%. Not just the ruling 1%.)
Do not be a by-stander. And do not let a docile obedience lead the way – that would be disastrous; as history has proven, time and time again.
JTR,
August 11, 2020
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=mOsVQIspwRM
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This entry was posted on August 11, 2020 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags analysis, Bill Gates, climate change, Dr. Faucci, elite rule, Elon Musk, futurism, leadership, mass psychology, police state, policy, political economy, political theory, politics, psychological warfare, psychology, psyops, social commentary, social engineering, social psychology, social theory, sociology, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.