If you think that woke was awful in my opinion it will seem like a playful saturday afternoon picnic
compared to what will most probably happen if Donald Trump (Orange Jesus) is elected and gains the political power to deal with all of those who he as defined as the enemies of the "real" American people.
I was thinking how many of us seem to be writing about arguments lately, and then saw my link. What a lovely surprise! You've probably noted that I've continued the theme with How to Have a Better Argument. Your point about woke is salient. It's probably time to retire it but it was fun while it lasted!
Your playlist is a delight. I listened to the last first because I'd be looking for that song. The spooky whispered refrain of 'little fish, big fish, swimming in the water. Come back here and give me my daughter" has haunted me so much I thought I might have written it. But there it was!
And the first Arcade Fire was one I used in my long-ago radio show. My 'producer' Skidmark Bob came up with it I'm sure. He introduced me to so much music that fit into my themes, as do you.
I never knew about Wilhelm Reich, who died when I was six months old. Or what Rupert Sheldrake went through. Or that Gregory Bateson was married to Margaret Meade!
And now I really need to dust off Pagels and read it. This is fascinating! I'll certainly be referencing it. A friend of mine, John Mabry, did a series of sermons on Heretics, Mystics and Misfits. It had so much that shook the foundations of the basilica! You would like him, I think. He also has a reading of the Tao called God as Nature Sees God.
Okay, I finished folding the laundry listening to your playlist. Time to debone some duck so I can listen more.
I liked it. As much using the word “woke” might provide relief and camaraderie to those of us concerned about the future of society and aghast at our shared observations, in the end it creates a wall blocking the search for common ground on either side. Seeing your self-discovery and emergence as an advocate for something more profound is inspiring.
* When encountering a NYT reader (i.e., one of those individuals who read a lot but, funny how that is, don't read anything to suggest that the "vaccines" are unsafe-- and by the way, they love to listen to NPR), I just blink and more often often not, just glide onto another subject (oh, ho hum, such as the weather or their next trip). Guys, it's January 2024. At a rockbare minimum, you know that RFK Jr is running for president, and whatever you may think of him, he's not brain dead. Isn't it strange that the NYT never reviewed his book THE REAL ANTHONY FAUCI? Hey, well, you know, stay safe.
* Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery"-- that ain't gonna die.
* Having spent the past 3 years almost daily transcribing censored and shadow-banned testimonies, one of the main conclusions I have arrived at is that there are those who recognized it was a con early on, and then, alas, many of the ones who have since woken up have woken up because of severe injuries from the jabs, and from the despair of finding themselves in constant debilitating pain, abandoned, financially ruined, and at almost every turn, gaslit by their doctors, and everyone else around them as well. My inner armchair sociologist tells me that a good number of these unfortunate injured people, had they not been so terribly injured, would not have found it in any way convenient to question the "vaccines." Yet.
* The tide will turn, but it may take time, and I expect that it may happen seemingly all of a sudden.
Such a thoughtful and thought-provoking essay. I particularly appreciate these words: "I now see that my rejection of medical tyranny was actually a giant leap into freedom to express eccentric me." Beautiful!
"I literally laughed at the insanity it represented as she completely redefined my experience to fit her narrative of the truth of life. She had tricked herself to living the lie as if that would make her happy. And she has no idea that that is a form of authoritarianism and a kind of self-generated group-think tyranny that keeps her from seeing what is happening in life."
Had to stop at that to emphasize how accurate it is. Now, back to the article. Your work is beyond awesome!
"Until we are willing to see the elephants, we won’t talk about them. And when we do have the double courage both to see and then talk about that elephant our language by structure has created some kind of categorisation that by necessity distinguishes between those who see the elephant and those who do not."
Thank you for expressing that so well.
I love your definition of 'woke'.
I too have dropped it from my conversations recognizing that not only did I understand it well enough, it instantly created more confusion.
It is a... challenging environment we find ourselves in. Exhausting, really.
I find I say less in the presence of many.
I suspect the situation will improve as the penny drops in larger numbers and we reorient as humans in the same boat, who recognize it's leaking.
I read MOST of this, and will go back to finish the rest. Too many distractions in my house and your work requires and deserves full attention.
If ChatGPT can potentially destroy a 170-year old news icon, how soon can Ai decimate SubStack and the need for independent reporters? The answer is, "Real Soon."
KAREN KINGSTON
Unless SubStack writers have changed their Account Settings, Ai is currently learning how to duplicate the content and style of every SubStack writer. To my knowledge, SubStack content creators were never notified that their articles are currently being used to teach Ai on how to replace them.
"I’ll see how I can drop political labels of ‘left’ and ‘right’ from my language as well"
Great lesson. I was fortunate to have learned that lesson by being labelled two opposing things at various times. I was once scolded by my boss for being "too nice" and literally within a few seconds, I was scolded my someone who'd befriended me no less, telling me that I "alienated everyone!" She was annoyed at me for not having acted on a request for assistance since I was occupied getting reprimanded for being too nice!
Being me, neither scolding had the slightest effect because I recognized that as usual, they were both full of SH!_ and I went about my business as usual, trying like the devil to keep from betraying an almost irrepressible smirk. To this day I marvel at the exchange and the lessons it taught. One is that labels can be mere opinions and typically have different meanings depending on both the individuals who use them and those who receive them, and they certainly grossly oversimplify things while at the same time often complicate the matter. Aother thing about labels that I avoid completely is whatever is trendy which is easy for me since I avoid mass media like the plague it is. Words that are put into fashion by mass media are obviously used for manipulative reasons and I refuse either to manipulate or to be manipulated.
I've later found that Epictitus advised not giving a damn and here are 2 of several,
If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you… XXXIII (33)
If you think that woke was awful in my opinion it will seem like a playful saturday afternoon picnic
compared to what will most probably happen if Donald Trump (Orange Jesus) is elected and gains the political power to deal with all of those who he as defined as the enemies of the "real" American people.
I was thinking how many of us seem to be writing about arguments lately, and then saw my link. What a lovely surprise! You've probably noted that I've continued the theme with How to Have a Better Argument. Your point about woke is salient. It's probably time to retire it but it was fun while it lasted!
Your playlist is a delight. I listened to the last first because I'd be looking for that song. The spooky whispered refrain of 'little fish, big fish, swimming in the water. Come back here and give me my daughter" has haunted me so much I thought I might have written it. But there it was!
And the first Arcade Fire was one I used in my long-ago radio show. My 'producer' Skidmark Bob came up with it I'm sure. He introduced me to so much music that fit into my themes, as do you.
I never knew about Wilhelm Reich, who died when I was six months old. Or what Rupert Sheldrake went through. Or that Gregory Bateson was married to Margaret Meade!
And now I really need to dust off Pagels and read it. This is fascinating! I'll certainly be referencing it. A friend of mine, John Mabry, did a series of sermons on Heretics, Mystics and Misfits. It had so much that shook the foundations of the basilica! You would like him, I think. He also has a reading of the Tao called God as Nature Sees God.
Okay, I finished folding the laundry listening to your playlist. Time to debone some duck so I can listen more.
I liked it. As much using the word “woke” might provide relief and camaraderie to those of us concerned about the future of society and aghast at our shared observations, in the end it creates a wall blocking the search for common ground on either side. Seeing your self-discovery and emergence as an advocate for something more profound is inspiring.
Thank you for this. A few reflections.
* When encountering a NYT reader (i.e., one of those individuals who read a lot but, funny how that is, don't read anything to suggest that the "vaccines" are unsafe-- and by the way, they love to listen to NPR), I just blink and more often often not, just glide onto another subject (oh, ho hum, such as the weather or their next trip). Guys, it's January 2024. At a rockbare minimum, you know that RFK Jr is running for president, and whatever you may think of him, he's not brain dead. Isn't it strange that the NYT never reviewed his book THE REAL ANTHONY FAUCI? Hey, well, you know, stay safe.
* Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery"-- that ain't gonna die.
* Having spent the past 3 years almost daily transcribing censored and shadow-banned testimonies, one of the main conclusions I have arrived at is that there are those who recognized it was a con early on, and then, alas, many of the ones who have since woken up have woken up because of severe injuries from the jabs, and from the despair of finding themselves in constant debilitating pain, abandoned, financially ruined, and at almost every turn, gaslit by their doctors, and everyone else around them as well. My inner armchair sociologist tells me that a good number of these unfortunate injured people, had they not been so terribly injured, would not have found it in any way convenient to question the "vaccines." Yet.
* The tide will turn, but it may take time, and I expect that it may happen seemingly all of a sudden.
Such a thoughtful and thought-provoking essay. I particularly appreciate these words: "I now see that my rejection of medical tyranny was actually a giant leap into freedom to express eccentric me." Beautiful!
Oh, my, you've nailed it again.
"I literally laughed at the insanity it represented as she completely redefined my experience to fit her narrative of the truth of life. She had tricked herself to living the lie as if that would make her happy. And she has no idea that that is a form of authoritarianism and a kind of self-generated group-think tyranny that keeps her from seeing what is happening in life."
Had to stop at that to emphasize how accurate it is. Now, back to the article. Your work is beyond awesome!
"Until we are willing to see the elephants, we won’t talk about them. And when we do have the double courage both to see and then talk about that elephant our language by structure has created some kind of categorisation that by necessity distinguishes between those who see the elephant and those who do not."
Thank you for expressing that so well.
I love your definition of 'woke'.
I too have dropped it from my conversations recognizing that not only did I understand it well enough, it instantly created more confusion.
It is a... challenging environment we find ourselves in. Exhausting, really.
I find I say less in the presence of many.
I suspect the situation will improve as the penny drops in larger numbers and we reorient as humans in the same boat, who recognize it's leaking.
I read MOST of this, and will go back to finish the rest. Too many distractions in my house and your work requires and deserves full attention.
Best.
I hope it's not Goodbye SS!
SubStack Writers Beware
If ChatGPT can potentially destroy a 170-year old news icon, how soon can Ai decimate SubStack and the need for independent reporters? The answer is, "Real Soon."
KAREN KINGSTON
Unless SubStack writers have changed their Account Settings, Ai is currently learning how to duplicate the content and style of every SubStack writer. To my knowledge, SubStack content creators were never notified that their articles are currently being used to teach Ai on how to replace them.
https://karenkingston.substack.com/p/substack-writers-beware
"I’ll see how I can drop political labels of ‘left’ and ‘right’ from my language as well"
Great lesson. I was fortunate to have learned that lesson by being labelled two opposing things at various times. I was once scolded by my boss for being "too nice" and literally within a few seconds, I was scolded my someone who'd befriended me no less, telling me that I "alienated everyone!" She was annoyed at me for not having acted on a request for assistance since I was occupied getting reprimanded for being too nice!
Being me, neither scolding had the slightest effect because I recognized that as usual, they were both full of SH!_ and I went about my business as usual, trying like the devil to keep from betraying an almost irrepressible smirk. To this day I marvel at the exchange and the lessons it taught. One is that labels can be mere opinions and typically have different meanings depending on both the individuals who use them and those who receive them, and they certainly grossly oversimplify things while at the same time often complicate the matter. Aother thing about labels that I avoid completely is whatever is trendy which is easy for me since I avoid mass media like the plague it is. Words that are put into fashion by mass media are obviously used for manipulative reasons and I refuse either to manipulate or to be manipulated.
I've later found that Epictitus advised not giving a damn and here are 2 of several,
If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you… XXXIII (33)
…and do not regard what anyone says of you…L (50)
-Epictitus, “The Enchiridion”
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45109/45109-h/45109-h.htm