OnlySubs Episode 86: A Thousand Pages of Theory for All that Exists is now available exclusively for New Discourses contributors on the following platforms:
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Breaking down Marxian Theory is tedious. Surely you’ve noticed. I struggle personally with this in my episodes of the New Discourses Podcast, and I’m sure if you’ve tried to explain any of this to some professional in your life, at your job, at your kids’ school, in government, or anywhere, you’ve hit the same challenge. I don’t know how deliberate it is, or if it’s just a consequence of their convoluted, anti-realist, hyperreal Theory, but this feature of Marxian Theory amounts to a strategic tactic for them. It’s just hard to explain to people how anyone could think this way! In this episode of James Lindsay OnlySubs, my subscribers-only podcast, I approach the idea of “a thousand pages of Theory for everything that exists” as a Woke tactic. The way it works is pretty straightforward: it takes tons of time and energy to break it down for people, and in the process, you either lose them or end up sounding like the raving lunatic (instead of the Theorist, who often seems to be speaking much more briefly and plainly). It’s very frustrating. Pop in and explore it with me.
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3 comments
“Interviewer: What would you like to tell young people?
Tarkovsky: I think that I would like to tell them only that… they were more able to be comfortable in solitude. To love to be with only themselves more often. I think the ruin of modern youth is entailed in that it tries to unite on the basis of some ruckus/rowdy actions… even aggressive. This wish to unite to not feel yourself alone is very unpleasant and is a symptom, from my point of view. I think that a person has to learn from childhood to be able to be alone. That’s not to say ‘to be lonely’. It means to be able to not be bored/lonely by yourself. Because a person who suffers from being by himself… I imagine as a person being in danger, from a slave-ish point of view.”
Andrei Tarkovsky ‘A Poet of the Cinema’ (documentary) 1983
I find there are two issues that come up about Woke from ordinary people that are non-theoretical and totally real life and no simple answer is available — only complex answers that make their eyes glaze over with “conspiracy theory” shrugs.
1) Ordinary people say, Even if all this Woke stuff is true and much is obviously crazy like men competing as “women”, etc., the question is: WHO is making this happen? and WHY are “They” doing it? And Who is THEY? Not theoretically or historically or academically or even descriptively, but WHO and WHY in layman’s terms of one sentence from the real world.
2) Ordinary people also have a So What response to woke. For example, a Dutch politician in 2019 received many complaints from citizens about an atrocious terror attack in their country and he said on tv (paraphrased): Did these incidents in any way interfere with the lovely dinner you had last night by your fireplace with your loving family? Did these incidents make the wine you drank with your friends last night taste any less sweet? If not, then why are you worried? Forget about it!
The WHO, the WHY, and the SO WHAT — this is the next frontier to flesh out clearly.
My take is that a majority LIKE Woke and benefit from it directly or indirectly or find that it has no effect on their lives whatsoever. They want the WEF rules. They want the world of Klaus Schwab and the NYTimes and Biden and The Squad. They like CRT and forced pronouns and love their place in this new cool world. They genuinely and without brainwashing despise the “Deplorables” like the truckers and far rights and trumps — they see these people as “unclean”, horrible and embarrassing sub-human throw backs who should be exterminated from the new society that they are proud to be a part of.
In my city, Torontula Canadodoland, mask mandates came off on Monday after two years and I noticed MORE people are wearing masks now in more public situations than during the covid farce. I could see their glares at my unmasked face because to them not wearing a mask now signals that the person is a Trump or conservative or racist or “far right” who is openly defying the collective will. Wearing the mask has nothing to do with a virus any more, but shows that the wearer is a proud member of this new Woke world and enjoys obeying its new rules. I thought people would rejoice that their faces could be uncovered to the light once again but the opposite has happened. The mask is now beyond mere virtue signal. It is a conformity obedience totem that functions exactly as the mohammedan female veil does as a public statement of submission to a theocracy or an ideology that is loved by the submissive — the act is not imposed — it is welcomed.
We are in a brave new world and the small percent of dissidents who dislike it have been painted into a very terrifying corner.
Well, Toronto is mostly woke. Try visiting Alberta and see how different it is.
Not being in Canada, I don’t know the answer, but strongly suspect it is “Very”.