Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Thinking in Generalities

The unfortunate thing about mass education (indoctrination), is that it makes us “think” in generalities rather than investigating the specifics -- that may defy the generality (abstraction). Thus we think that simply labeling something, is understanding it, and think that if we classify someone a “Republican” or “Democrat,” “liberal” or “conservative,” “black” or white,” “rich” or “poor,” we presume we know all there is to know about that person -- when we in fact, know absolutely nothing! -- except our generality.

That is the spectacular failure of mass education -- and why that failure has to become more spectacular in the future -- most notably, at its highest end of achievement, when one hopes to be able to process higher volumes of information expediently in this manner. The most spectacular failing, is in the understanding of people -- as unique individuals, who are not merely living up to their stereotypes, and ideas of conformity to the political correctness they must embrace to earn the highest grades and acclamations -- “as they ought to be.”

One notices this “enforced” conformity in the public communications of forums and publications -- where the intent is no longer to gather to share information but to very deliberately mold every other person’s thinking, and so those most aware of these manipulations and deceptions, feel no obligation to subject themselves to such brainwashing -- since they are no longer required to since graduation from their respective institutions of highest learning.

There will always be those of course, who think “conformity” is the end -all and be-all of society -- because that is the only thing they learned in their schools, along with all the meaningless clichés to obscure that fact. The more isolated a community is, the more effective such indoctrinations can be -- even when that isolation is self-imposed, as it often and mostly is, in a world of virtual communications and information -- which means that people have to deliberately learn to resist and reject information that does not conform to what they already know.

That is the learning culture in Hawaii -- of rejecting all ideas that do not confirm what they already believe -- summarily rejecting all information that is new, which of course, defeats the whole purpose of seeking information. Again, such close- and narrow-mindedness is most advanced at the highest levels and institutions of such “learning” -- that in the new environment of virtual information, places them at a distinct disadvantage, which few will be able to overcome. It is like having an advanced disease -- rather than just an infection that the body is valiantly resisting.

So one notices in this new world environment that those having the most difficult time adjusting, adapting and adopting new behaviors, are those who have been the most successful in the proficiency of the old propaganda techniques, and why they so spectacularly or abjectly fail, in these new modes and paradigm. The peculiarity of that attainment was the rise of the “authoritarian personalities” who could effectively exploit mass media in that way -- but are totally powerless in an age in which the appeal must be to the intelligence of the other, rather than their ignorance, gullibility and susceptibility. They have no strategies and skills for dealing with such an environment. So of course, they don’t want the world to change -- leaving them hopelessly behind and irrelevant, when formerly, they were society’s self-proclaimed Most Important People.

3 Comments:

At June 13, 2007 9:16 AM, Blogger Mike Hu said...

I see the split as between the leaders of "new" Hawaii and the leaders of "old" Hawaii -- which is the difference in style between democratic personalities and authoritarian/autocratic personalities of yesteryear, who believe that "democracy" is merely the tyranny of the majority (mob) -- rather than a truly egalitarian society.

I know the Lingle/Aiona/Case style is to produce compelling reasons for change -- rather than just a show of brute force -- like we witnessed during the transit hearings where they had the union "enforcers" and heavy equipment parading out front to intimidate the opposition.

That's not democracy in action but the simple bullying and tyranny of one group over every other that is not democracy but oligarchy -- or the rule of a self-designated few.

The Lingle-Aiona administration was a new beginning in this shift to real democracy -- displacing the tyranny of the few (self-designated entitled few), as we all witnessed during the senate confirmation hearings as well as ramrodding the rail transit issue -- which Hannemann promised he wouldn't do anymnore if he became mayor. But he said it just to become mayor, never intending to abandon his bullying tactics that have disturbed us for years -- as the roots of a budding autocracy.

Neil Abercrombie, along with Mazie Hirono, merely repeats the talking points they receive each morning from MoveOn.Org and other Bush-bashing services they subscribe to. In a large legislative body, it is easy to shift the blame for everything to everybody else, which is largely what they do rather than pointing out any accomplishments -- of which there are none.

Being a legislator is very different from being an executive -- and so I think the proper career trajectory for Linda Lingle to build on her success and move to her next step, is as President of the United States rather than Senator.

 
At June 13, 2007 9:28 AM, Blogger Mike Hu said...

The newspapers and lobbyists like to confuse us with "their" issues -- and why we do not maintain our focus in getting the proper things done, realizing that the objective is not to be "average" but exemplary.

The exemplary will always be the exceptions, and not the run-of-the-mill, and so in their prescriptions of what it is to be average, they have omitted any discussion of the "best."

That is the real value of any information -- what is the best, and not just, what does the average person know, because that's what he was told to believe.

Almost always, they are tricked, deceived, manipulated, coerced into believing what they do -- rather than allowed to examine all the information, and make their own best determination of what the truth is.

News agencies even like to boast that they tell us what the truth is -- as though they were beyond being asked to prove their credibility and credentials -- while maintaining that everyone must produce theirs.

The highest truth is self-evident -- and not based on the authority of another, no matter how highly and richly honored they are.

But all that gets lost -- so that the simple and essential -- is never discussed and can never be discovered.

This conditioning begins in our schools and universities, and then is reinforced by most of the other institutions -- that largely exist to perpetuate themselves, even at the cost of perpetuating the age-old problems they were created to eliminate.

 
At June 13, 2007 1:32 PM, Blogger heph said...

does anyone know a good spot to get some weed in Maui? Thanks

 

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