Yeah, I have no doubt about it. But I don't think there's any stopping it, so there you go.
Picture a stampeding herd of buffalo heading toward a precipice... Every single individual buffalo in the herd, except for one or two up front, would vote to slow down or change directions... but off the cliff they go, one and all. That's us.
You're in a good spot. You're on a nice piece of land in a conservative area. You've got plenty of ammo, a well, and a feral pig problem if you get hungry. You might want to stock up on some marshmallows though, because when AI or the next "virus" or China or whatever burns us all down, we're going to want to make smores.
I’ll admit, I’m a bit confounded by the state we find ourselves in right now. I understand the nuts and bolts of the delusion and the mass hysteria we have experienced in large pockets of this country. But I am perplexed at how any of us could possibly continue to embrace the delusion in the face of so many facts that undercut it. It’s not just that it’s not rational (humans are only nominally rational creatures). It’s that there appears to be this desire for the delusion to continue forever.
I see it daily.
And I don’t understand it.
I don’t like to be wrong either, but holy shit, kids. There comes a time…
People are social creatures and as information becomes more and more vetted and centralized, the crowd following the crowd gets larger. Rugged individualism was always the best character trait of the American man. Unfortunately both actual men and smart individualists are getting harder to find.
Frankly watching what happened to people during Covid and some of the race stuff that followed was pretty eye opening for me. I think if you just get some government people and some press folks to tell people to do something, not only will they do it, but they will shame you for not doing it.
Thankfully I'm in a bit of a strange situation where I don't have all that many close friends anymore and I'm not about to pretend to believe something I don't just to get invited to a cocktail party with people I don't like. So the cost I pay for telling people I don't believe them is low.
For example... I say things like "climate change is not an existential threat" and "Black lives matter, right up until they start telling me mine doesn't... then they don't matter to me anymore". Everyone knows both of those statements are true... but some people just don't like to be the one who says it.
Maybe I'd be a wealthier guy if I rolled with stuff a little better... but I'd rather be me than a liar in a Range Rover with a mask on my face and pronouns in my email. Screw 'em
See, I don’t think “everyone” knows the climate thing is BS or that BLM is also BS. I think a sizable chunk of people in this country have bought them wholesale not just because it’s convenient or helpful to them in some way, but because they’re too lazy or dumb to look at anything else. Unfortunately, the government agencies who continue to gobble power are staffed at the senior level with some of the dumbest, laziest people imaginable. Couple that with the sociological effects of groupthink and a measure of backstabber-level ambition…
I surprised you aren't knee deep in AI related material. I started down that rabbit hole a bit ago and need someone else to tell me that Elon and I are not crazy.
I just don't really get it and talking about it seems a little like standing on the beach and yelling at the incoming tide. Probably better off just moving my chair back a little.
It’s coming. I got distracted on some stuff and those are actually kind of hard to write. They take a lot of research. But all good things to hose who wait!
Me too. Been very uninformed until recently. Binge researching and I’m finding it is fucking crazy.
Yeah, I have no doubt about it. But I don't think there's any stopping it, so there you go.
Picture a stampeding herd of buffalo heading toward a precipice... Every single individual buffalo in the herd, except for one or two up front, would vote to slow down or change directions... but off the cliff they go, one and all. That's us.
You're in a good spot. You're on a nice piece of land in a conservative area. You've got plenty of ammo, a well, and a feral pig problem if you get hungry. You might want to stock up on some marshmallows though, because when AI or the next "virus" or China or whatever burns us all down, we're going to want to make smores.
I’ll admit, I’m a bit confounded by the state we find ourselves in right now. I understand the nuts and bolts of the delusion and the mass hysteria we have experienced in large pockets of this country. But I am perplexed at how any of us could possibly continue to embrace the delusion in the face of so many facts that undercut it. It’s not just that it’s not rational (humans are only nominally rational creatures). It’s that there appears to be this desire for the delusion to continue forever.
I see it daily.
And I don’t understand it.
I don’t like to be wrong either, but holy shit, kids. There comes a time…
People are social creatures and as information becomes more and more vetted and centralized, the crowd following the crowd gets larger. Rugged individualism was always the best character trait of the American man. Unfortunately both actual men and smart individualists are getting harder to find.
Frankly watching what happened to people during Covid and some of the race stuff that followed was pretty eye opening for me. I think if you just get some government people and some press folks to tell people to do something, not only will they do it, but they will shame you for not doing it.
Thankfully I'm in a bit of a strange situation where I don't have all that many close friends anymore and I'm not about to pretend to believe something I don't just to get invited to a cocktail party with people I don't like. So the cost I pay for telling people I don't believe them is low.
For example... I say things like "climate change is not an existential threat" and "Black lives matter, right up until they start telling me mine doesn't... then they don't matter to me anymore". Everyone knows both of those statements are true... but some people just don't like to be the one who says it.
Maybe I'd be a wealthier guy if I rolled with stuff a little better... but I'd rather be me than a liar in a Range Rover with a mask on my face and pronouns in my email. Screw 'em
See, I don’t think “everyone” knows the climate thing is BS or that BLM is also BS. I think a sizable chunk of people in this country have bought them wholesale not just because it’s convenient or helpful to them in some way, but because they’re too lazy or dumb to look at anything else. Unfortunately, the government agencies who continue to gobble power are staffed at the senior level with some of the dumbest, laziest people imaginable. Couple that with the sociological effects of groupthink and a measure of backstabber-level ambition…
Recipe for disaster.
Great stuff!
JLM
www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com
I surprised you aren't knee deep in AI related material. I started down that rabbit hole a bit ago and need someone else to tell me that Elon and I are not crazy.
I just don't really get it and talking about it seems a little like standing on the beach and yelling at the incoming tide. Probably better off just moving my chair back a little.
It’s coming. I got distracted on some stuff and those are actually kind of hard to write. They take a lot of research. But all good things to hose who wait!