Like a doctor gives an injection to block pain, I believe empathy and human interaction will be stunted into the foreseeable future because in one's loneliness people are addicted to FB, Twitter, Instagram (they change appearance with me) but mostly with FOX, disinformation and the cult of Trump.
I was struck by the dearth of empathy at the start of the pandemic. Very limited human interactions during lockdown yet I saw delivery drivers being reprimanded, heard people being called horrible things for not strictly obeying bike laws, and I fielded a slew of demanding emails. Jeez, I thought, if the general response to stress is to take anger out on each other and not to cut each other some slack we are headed somewhere terrible. Also, how many younger people are learning how to treat themselves and each other as they watch all of this?
The subject of neoliberalism comes up again, and for good reason. After its failure in Argentina and Chile, the US continues to pursue this dangerous path. With capitalism's roots in feudalism, I see our embrace of neoliberal economics as a return to its more primitive roots. It is rule by corporation instead of kings. I feel that neoliberalism is authoritarian and can easily become a stepping stone to fascism. Fascism pits people against each other; the epitome of societal loneliness.
Good interview and a reminder of just how much we're social animals. As the pandemic recedes and the recovery accelerates we are rediscovering our social bonds to our family, friends and community. Also, a reminder of how authoritarians and demagogues exploit alienation and loneliness for political purposes in their quest for power. As a reference Eric Hoffer's 1951 "True Believer" comes to mind, the book explores the social psychology of mass movements and the role of angry marginalized people. The book is so relevant in today's world.
Like a doctor gives an injection to block pain, I believe empathy and human interaction will be stunted into the foreseeable future because in one's loneliness people are addicted to FB, Twitter, Instagram (they change appearance with me) but mostly with FOX, disinformation and the cult of Trump.
This interview reminds me of a lovely poem by Danish’s Lameris. http://www.danushalameris.com/poems.html Second poem in this page.
I was struck by the dearth of empathy at the start of the pandemic. Very limited human interactions during lockdown yet I saw delivery drivers being reprimanded, heard people being called horrible things for not strictly obeying bike laws, and I fielded a slew of demanding emails. Jeez, I thought, if the general response to stress is to take anger out on each other and not to cut each other some slack we are headed somewhere terrible. Also, how many younger people are learning how to treat themselves and each other as they watch all of this?
The subject of neoliberalism comes up again, and for good reason. After its failure in Argentina and Chile, the US continues to pursue this dangerous path. With capitalism's roots in feudalism, I see our embrace of neoliberal economics as a return to its more primitive roots. It is rule by corporation instead of kings. I feel that neoliberalism is authoritarian and can easily become a stepping stone to fascism. Fascism pits people against each other; the epitome of societal loneliness.
Good interview and a reminder of just how much we're social animals. As the pandemic recedes and the recovery accelerates we are rediscovering our social bonds to our family, friends and community. Also, a reminder of how authoritarians and demagogues exploit alienation and loneliness for political purposes in their quest for power. As a reference Eric Hoffer's 1951 "True Believer" comes to mind, the book explores the social psychology of mass movements and the role of angry marginalized people. The book is so relevant in today's world.