Five Friday Reads - 12/21/18
Wild week but remember, Nick Land said years ago the weeks would be continuously wild without let up from here on out. Peter Turchin has said similar. The problem comes down to elite defections. As things swing harder or become more volatile in all spheres, the cost of defection will decrease. The entire political economic machine that grants power and money (more power) goes wobbly, and suddenly taking a hit to fund a Kris Kobach or previously unthinkable policy solution is gone.
Currently, our elite are in this perfect rent seeking equilibrium. Everyone gets into the game by agreeing to some basic concepts (currently: free flow of capital and political correctness). Everyone gets paid off. Lavishly. Ed Schultz was a sportscaster and then on MSNBC for several years. His net worth was $15 million and he had a private jet. What the hell could anyone offer to peel off a high net worth individual when small fry like Schultz have all that they have? We have FBI workers with eight figure net worth.
This scam does rely on new realms to exploit. This is probably the biggest threat that the Chinese pose to the Left's empire. They have not fallen in line politically and are exploiting areas in competition with the US capital system. If they can be preeminent in regions and offer an alternative to Western neoliberalism, they can peel off clients and zones that the USG imperial center would exploit. More zones peeled off means fewer areas to feed the ideological missionaries and zealots of the progressive religion.
The system needs the empire to keep domestic control. Each moment the US seems to act as just one of many Great Powers instead of the imperial hyperpower, it is a marker that we are reaching more volatile domestic situations offering up chances for defection. Merry Christmas and on to the links...
Defiance, Decay and Scott Weiland - Before discussing kratom, I want to share this line which is a great line on masculinity, "If masculinity is power, there is a defiance in masculinity. The masculine man lives on his own terms, resisting the world’s inertia insisting he conform. He assesses risk and reward, and takes pride in making his own decisions." Man is a risk taker. Woman will always trade something for security. This article digs into kratom. Don't believe the fake news. It's classified as an opioid for a reason. You build a tolerance and need more. Then you feel withdrawal the moment it's been out of your system long enough. It's not safe. Little details in this essay on dealing with that, with hitting middle age and with the decay of a '90s culture figure who was similar to Robert Downey Jr. but had no resurgence arc.
Sad Radicals - This is an interesting article on the sad lives of the left's radicals. This has all the marks of a religion, and the radicals are the progressive missionaries and monks. Some of the details are laughable. They live their lives walking on eggshells and always looking for a chance to target someone else to kick the inquisitor lanterns away from them. Do note the progression though after burn out from radical to neoliberal.
Venezuela Shrugs - Chavez and Co. did a great job destroying any opposition. They are secure in power via their patronage programs, the alternative to the military they lavishly funded and the colectivos that they armed via the guns they confiscated. There is probably a Caribbean triangle smuggling trade to be made of gun running, Venezuelan brides and money to be formed.
Douthat Lies About Populism - Douthat spends an oped describing how gosh darn it, the populists just cannot elect a statesman. Douthat tap dances around the fact that anyone pushing policies outside the approved, narrow options is considered evil. When non-globalist ideas are considered beyond the pale, it is hard to progress up the chain to possible leadership. That is the power and genius to defining the Overton Window.
Delusional Progs Push Poly - Poly is going to be revolutionary. This is massive cope by Nrooklynites. It is also delusional thinking that this is revolutionary in any form when the actual system is pushing cuckoldry, open marriages and swinging again after the '70s push. It has now slid down from the supposed intellectual fetish to the cool SWPL Brooklyn lifestyle. Listen to these urbanites say how cool and smart they are for doing this. They will rationalize anything. It is all a cope to cover that they are employed an educated adults that need five roommates just to scrape by hand to mouth in the Big City. Hey, at least they get to have sex with more than one person!