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Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
A Break in the Political Clouds
When I diverted a defunct nonprofit to support producing a monthly tabloid on poverty issues, "propaganda" was an issue I needed to be entirely clear about. We didn't do it. We did advocacy; we published educational material. We made no claim to be "objective" in a field in which the pretense of Objectivity serves mainly to serve the propaganda purposes of people and institutions which can well afford to hire their own propagandists -- but instead practiced what Terry Messman of AFSC's 'Street Spirit' called 'justice journalism.'
Truth is a central virtue of the Quaker movement; if (as human beings) we can't possibly avoid being somebody's fool, we need to be God's fools -- whether or not we recognize that name to mean the spiritual Power our deepest self calls us to serve. We aren't given God's omniscience; but we can avoid fooling others or letting the Powers of this world imprison our vision... as in the vast majority of cases, they have done and will continue to attempt.
Resistance to those Powers... Everyone isn't called to active resistance; and certainly we are not called to try to use their methods: secrecy, deception and violence -- in our zeal to resist. The form of resistance which even the aged, tired, and retired can practice -- is to seek out the samizdat sources of scruffy truth, examine even these critically -- but turn our time & attention away from slick sources of public manipulation.
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Anne referred me to this video this morning. It can't do justice to theological truth; but as a State of the World it says things every Friend needs to know:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/15/chris-hedges-and-cornel-west...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kirby Urner on
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Happy 'Talk Like A Pirate Day" by the way! How'm I doin'? https://goo.gl/nFIyYA
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Permalink Reply by Forrest Curo on
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Name that punch line: "How many futurists does it take to change a light bulb?"
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Answer: "none, go live in the dark ya goof ball!"
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Couldn't guess it. I'm surprized.
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Well, I'm sure you'll think of an answer.
Too bad all this wit will vanish into the ether soon, I've copied some of it but only some.
Now I've got an appointment as a talking head in Texas, courtesy of Nepris, an LA-based firm hosting Oregon Connections, which brings people in industry (e.g. me) into classrooms around the country (not just in Oregon).
Back at ya tomorrow I hope.
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Well, I've got all of mine copied into Zim, but may not bother with this one.
But the appropriate answer should be perfectly obvious: "Just wait, it'll change itself."
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Kinda funny. So by that criterion I'm not a futurist, obviously.
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But you do claim a right to divert 'discussions' into self-promotion, entirely burying the original subject, in this case a talk between Cornel West and Chris Hedges.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/15/chris-hedges-and-cornel-west...
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I thought the core question was "propaganda" (advertising, PR, outreach, evangelism) and I was speaking to that point.
I didn't self-deprecate if that's what you mean (more a midwest thing) just shared openly about my own journey.
Regarding that video, I find this section telling:
1:00:57 -- 1:01:19
"None of these movements achieved power.... the question is how do you make the power elite frightened of you."
"Power" is what the baddies wield, but we're the goodies, so of course we never have power, oh no. We just make the powerful cower in fear. Yeah right, uh huh.
He cites Karl Popper. I have infinitely more respect for Wittgenstein. Did you hear about the fire poker incident? Popper fans love that story don't they.
These people who always "speak truth to power" but never cop to having any power themselves... not my cup of tea. Gandhi and MLK were both powerful. More power to 'em.
I hear Quakers saying they want to be "dangerous" a lot, I think somewhat in the sense Hedges means. Then I say Quakers will need to be powerful, and at one time, 1790s say, they actually were. Whatever happened to the power to surprise and delight? Don't we have that power too?
You may think the idea of "socially responsible businesses" is oxymornic, that capitalism simply cannot allow it, but who said anything about capitalism?
We already know I have my own meaning for that word, and I dismiss most of "whiteman economics" as way past its pull date for the most part, although I accept that Affluenza (identified by Galbraith) is a virulent meme virus.
Refreshing was Nietzsche: there is only the will to power, end of story, with the will to truth a subclass of that. But by "power" he meant something more reserved for nature than soap opera star politicians. If you point in the direction of "super-human" you get just that: storms, sunsets, the sun, jungles. There's your power. Humans are all too human. As a human though, I wouldn't just surrender my power and play the victim 24/7. Others would just take advantage of me then.
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I was hoping that hearing the truth of these people's words, despite their theological convictions/or-lack-of -- would serve to alert those Friends still watching this site to how sadly captive their minds have become to corporate (and governmental) manipulations & outright distortions of what's going on, how the system functions, why and how the best of us are striving desparately (seeing no hope of significant mitigation within that system) to replace its dysfunctions with social arrangements more sane and humane.
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Translation: you're trying to reach the walking dead, affluenza victims mostly, suburbia-land or whatever. Hah, I gave up talking to them ages ago. Triage man. Oh well... back to work. They're making a video of my 15 minutes (actually 30) in Texas (Austin), which I'll post to QQ when I get a link (but not on one of your threads as "self promotion" is a big no-no for the bored guy).
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"I was clueless; and you utterly wrote me off. Run along over the Edge with the goats, now."
Admittedly sheep are dull. (I wonder if the original parable may have put _them_ on that divine right hand... I'm inclined to think that clergy prefer sheep, but God's tastes are different. )
If you'd bothered to get an accurate translation of Voltaire's French -- It did not say "I am bored" -- but rather, "All styles are good, except the boring sort."
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