I hate politics... That doesn't stop it from messing with my life...
There are a lot of people that state they dislike politics. They say they don't pay attention to politics. I understand, I was once there myself. It can be really boring if you haven't learned how to deal with boredom. It is often VERY unpleasant. Some people simply avoid interaction or paying attention to unpleasant things. This is pretty normal.
The problem is politics impacts YOUR LIFE, MY LIFE, and ALL OF OUR LIVES. So unlike not watching horror movies because you don't like them. Not paying attention to politics is you basically abstaining from the process that directly can and likely WILL change your life. Do they want to take 5% more from your paycheck to pay for toenail clipping clinics? Well, if you ignore the politics then perhaps something that stupid will come to be a law. There goes 5% more of your paycheck, and you have to pay it by law, or they will fine you, repossess property, throw you in jail, or even potentially kill you if you resist. If you didn't pay attention due to not liking politics...
Well there are numerous quotes related to that...
You see unlike most unpleasant things we can avoid. Politics is not one of those. If you ignore it, and pay no attention to it, it still happens. It simply happens without your input, without your protest, etc. Some people may think their attention does not matter. I can assure you that it does. A mistake by my wife was the difference between someone we wanted elected not getting the position, or getting it. She registered wrong and could not vote on it. It was a tie vote, and they drew the other persons name from a hat. (yes, local and small, but still politics) The larger the population becomes related to political issues the less direct impact you have, but that does not generally mean non-existent.
Now I personally despise government. If the population of the world was well versed in critical thinking then my preferred form of governance would be Anarcho-Capitalism. That is me. Yet note I did base that around a population capable and practiced in critical thinking. I do not think it would work today due to that not describing the majority of the population.
So I live in reality. Me pretending and representing the future I want does not stop the politicians from forcing rules upon me and then enforcing those rules with people with guns, truncheons, and prisons. So while I don't like it, it is certainly far from safe to ignore it.
I don't like politics. I never have. I find it corrupt, dirty, and very unpleasant. Yet, it is also one of the most dangerous things to ignore. So I don't ignore it.
To quote a leftist gate keeper, Howard Zinn, I don't normally quote leftists, but he said "you can't be neutral on a moving train."
Only a majority becoming versed in critical thinking can possibly begin to get out of the game of statism, but since about a third of the human population of Earth are technically mentally retarded, I think we will not make it happen soon.
I think, if we could get the state out of the way, just enough, we could break the stagnation of the status quo, and get a majority of the population proper sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition, we could raise the global IQ by just enough to springboard our way to a brilliant future. Epigenetics isn't racist, but politically enforcing in-group preference, by using the state, can stultify the physiological aspect of the Flynn effect.
There is an English psychologist, Richard Lynn, who has argued this, and there are studies demonstrating the effects of environment, and nutrition on IQ.
These are my own thoughts as James Flynn does not seem to take epigenetics into account, but if IQ can be reduced by poor diet and exposure to environmental toxins, what might be accomplished if we are able to solve these simple challenges?
I would love to live in a world filled with intelligent people, and no state, but until we fix a few things, this seems to be where we'll stay.
I think you are being generous. I suspect it is much larger number than that when it comes to actual critical thinking deficits.
Also I've known some very high IQ people. IQ simply means you have the capability. It doesn't mean you'll be exposed to an aware of critical thinking. After all they don't truly teach it in schools these days.
So having IQ won't solve the critical thinking problem if they are not exposed to critical thinking.
I believe far too much emphasis is put on IQ. There are a lot of intangibles that it is very poor at measuring.
I agree that high IQ does not ensure a benefit, but without it there is less of a chance to comprehend the tools of critical thinking. The very low IQ people who I've known can't even do the grammar, let alone the logic, or classical rhetoric.
Most intelligent people I've known in the U.S.A. are too comfortable with their middle class income to bother with learning to think critically. They usually waste their time on video games and/or professional sports.
Learning critical thinking skills seems to be the domain of those driven to learn ever more.
The number of people I've been able to interest in learning is about 1 in 100.
Yep. Though I also think a lot of what we call IQ is stunted intentionally. I believe a lot of people have the potential. It just hasn't been wakened.
It definitely seems to be a global problem.
Dumbing down of education, and culture, along with so many resources poured into advertising to the lowest common denominator, the easiest to part from their money, toxification of the environment, and degradation of our nutrition appear to be some of the major movers in the equation.
I do hope the deterioration reverses, but I am not optimistic.
Politics is too important to be left to the politicians.
oh I LIKE that.
Stealing it.
So so true. Great Post !
Agreed. My stance on most things is that the government is getting into our business too much--especially in Canada. I am by far a capitalist and feel that each family should take care of their own, but our government is changing our nation into a socalist cesspit where being an alcoholic drug abuser who doesn't work is rewarded with rent credits, food stamps and tax dollars. They've removed income splitting in recent years, which is literally just punishing people who make above x amount of dollars--they're getting taxed ridiculous amounts!
Anyway, went off on a tangent there, but yes--I agree you've gotta be involved in this sort of thing. If you're not, well, you can't complain.
socialism works GREAT...until you run out of other peoples money.
Yes, and any millionaires/people who are paying the most taxes will just... wait for it-- MOVE AWAY.
thousands of small business move to Texas every year.
escaping confiscatory taxation.
Exactly, people will move away from tax if it's ridiculous. That's just the way it is.
but it gets BETTER!
one word.
SEASTEAD
real soon now.
Make sure you stock up on cigarettes. That was the currency of choice in Waterworld. :)
water world is fantasy.
like anything out of hollyweird.
not even very good fantasy at that.
Prototype SeaSteads already exist in several configurations.
Cruise Ships and Drilling Platforms to name just two.
Had no idea anything like that existed.
yup..in fact one is being built right now (or is scheduled to start real soon)
South Pacific I think.
@dwinblood Thanks! So so true. Great Post !
interesting post my friend keep it up
just because you don't pay attention to millions of blood sucking parasites doesn't mean they won't drain you dry if they have the chance.
in other news...this post netted four or five 'mutes' . I gave several others the benefit of the doubt.
damn bots (or brain dead people)...just clog up the bandwidth.
I am more than happy to be your goat on a rope so you can mute the wolves that pounce.
It doesn't help you any.
That's okay. :) If you can get something positive from my struggles that's still a silver lining.
Being aware of and participating are two distinctly different things.
Forewarned is forearmed.
That doesn't mean I have to waste my time playing along with their charade.
I like trying out new ways of poking holes in their charade. Some of them will hopefully resonate with people and that is my goal.
nice post about politics .keep it up
Your post always good i like it. Thank you! @dwinblood I always follow you.