With optimizing technologies, increasing per capita demands and ever-increasing human population the world is changing at faster pace than ever before. Since the framework of development is extractive and wanton consumption normalized as progress the world is increasingly edging collapse. It has severely stressed institutions of collective responsibility and individual care. Scaffoldings are snapping at an alarming rate. It seems we are on the course for a perfect storm that will have debilitating impact on majority of people and life on earth. This has not happened suddenly but is culmination of value system nurtured for decades. What was once morphed in liberal sounding democracy affirming play of words, while they hid their real sinister intentions in semantics of concern and sophisticated posturing, is now naked vulgarism of transactional system.
While herd get stupider, and simultaneously
fortuitously find themselves empowered through latest technologies, their
increasing grouse fall for fantastical claims orchestrated by charlatans who get
elected as leaders. As their number keeps increasing genuinely distressed
common people too gravitate towards these narrowing options as it atleast seems
-in their estimation through limited means, concerned about them in the
increasingly insular world. Meanwhile sinister forces posing for higher morals
aim for ridiculous to position their arrogant entitled selves as they weaken
rule of law (and even common sense) and social contract of collective
responsibility by encouraging worst in the name of democracy. They use humanist
concerns to undermine local population -the majority gets increasingly
marginalized; this gets exaggerated in social media. Any dilution of rule of
law is weakening of scaffoldings of democratic society. It is the norms of
interaction that bind into laws. Humanist concerns cannot be taken to
ridiculous to not only undermine rule of law but severely degrade society through
regressive consolidation that instigates revivalist xenophobic forces to augur
worst primal instincts in humans and create fertile ground for herd to unleash.
These severely restricts liberal space and threaten liberty and freedom. Any
society will value and immensely gain from migrants (refugees are different
matter) who add value -who are professionally skilled and carry progressive
value, and assimilate to a welcoming culture with a sense of gratitude and enthusiasm
to learn and capitalize on this opportunity to grow as a human. This brings
genuine diversity and valuable addition to progressive society. What we have
seen in the last many decades is mostly vandalism on welcoming societies and simultaneous
exaggerated spread in social media. With weakening of rule of law -assertion of
liberty and liberal values, to appear humanist the worst of humanity are empowered;
the backlash is being sinisterly capitalized. These opportunists pose in left
or right spectrum of deal depending on proximity of gravy and intensity of their
gargantuan crave for power and influence that seems to be defining characteristic
of transactional value system. What is seen at local level very soon find
expressions at international level. Trump is no accident. He is carefully
nurtured by forces that are severely denting progressive values for decades. There
are little Trumps all across the world nurtured as successful by extractive
system. The vulgar and uncouth is an everyday expression that is monetized and
now urgently weaponized for bigger role. Much of the world is not shocked by
the development in Caracas. We smirk in disgust and feel defeated in every
possible way.
Trump is a vulgar extension of
what was already dormant. While there are oppositions in US and you can very
well see through their hypocrisy. To begin with recall the amazing
lackadaisical attitude of Democrats when dire predictions of Trump election was
apparent. Meanwhile comedians in US play a significant role in ridiculing the
powerful (and this couch potato semiliterate is particularly sensitive to TV
show image ratings and easily miffed) until you realize it is mostly against
individuals and not powerful systems that nurture these since they too are
complicit and gain by playing along (one influential standup comedian mentions
these times as “bit of wobble”, while in an amazing lack of awareness of foundational
ideas of US, affirming for british monarchy!). Criticism of the system if ever
is mild, in an apologetic tone so as to not ruffle feathers of deep state.
Entertainment is a big part of American idea of democracy, as consolidation of
narration of free society with free choices orchestrated by corporates that is
now a template in most part of the world. It has all become a show while harsh reality
gets delegated to people. Charismatic Reagan was a pawn of neoliberal
capitalism who eased into his role as a best actor. Don’t forget Trump too
learned his tricks in entertainment industry. There is nothing in what Trump is
doing is not extension of what was already dormant and executed with finesse by
political actors over the years. If Bush was stupid and not entirely
dislikeable Trump is vulgar and hated. They are puppets extending the need of
the deep state that is very clearly oil rich oligarch control. Trump is
belligerent and arrogant in a way that shows acute awareness of smallness of
his being hence easily controlled.
As progressive societies reel
under weakening of rule of law, ostentatiously as accommodating the barbarian
other to vitiate liberal space, the onslaught of revivalist regressive is
persistent. The damage is severe and has repercussions across the world where
nascent democracies that try to institutionalize progressive values face tribulations
for egalitarian claims. Elois in West have severely damaged the world by their irresponsible
entitled ways and made it difficult to assert humanist concerns. When might is deemed
right brutal brazen acts undermine international laws and civilized consensus, it
is a severe jolt to the scaffoldings that keep the world together. These are deep
fissures of vulgar transactional values that define everyday into fracture of
such scale. When Bush (and Blair -the torchbearer of britishery) undermined the
international law more than two decades back they unleashed mayhem and misery
and faced no consequences whatsoever for their breach of humanity. Self-assured
vulgar Trump clearly stated that it is about oil, indeed “our oil”. Imperialistic exploitative
forces and ideas that sustains this impunity were not dismantled (as is the
cases with feudal institutions) but were kept active in morphed semantics and insidiously
dormant in thriving ideas. Also note, by undermining and humiliating Maria
Machado (her own character trait is shockingly embarrassing) Trump doesn’t seem to be bothered about reinstating democracy in
Venezuela. This is flagrant attempt to convert Venezuela into vassal state so as
to capture oil reserves, he has weaponized rogue power into international relations.
By blatantly undermining international law he has emboldened worst from across
the world and pushed the world into increasingly perilous situation.
It is also not surprising that
West which overuses semantics of humanism and egalitarian values to impress is
deeply divided over this serious breach of international law and civilized consensus.
They recognize opportunist material concerns and transactional advantage. This is
how it is. And then we look towards these in expectation of cooperation to
address urgent global challenges. Be worried people. Be very worried. The system
has failed us as it continues to self-perpetuate despite worst possibilities
for humanity. Meanwhile think about this: Isn’t it possible for even an LLM based
AI to effortlessly replicate this template of self-preserving self-perpetuating
extractive system at the peril of humanity?
*I had bit of argument with
chatbot on the usage of ‘barbarian other’. Chatbot found it highly objectionable
in the light of historical context of the word and its usage, arguing subjectiveness
of civilization. I found this line of argument contentious. This obscuring contemporary
concern into traps of history I find objectionable. Word has to define
what it is meant to define. In the contemporary context anyone or anything that
stands against values of liberty and freedom is barbaric. Not recognizing this
is dilution of human progress and a detestable patronizing position that
undermines common people’s aspiration for elitist concerns.
