Opting Out Of Democracy and Tacitly Consenting To Our Insect Destiny
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Have you noticed how a tide of apathy is overtaking western civillisation and threatening its long term existence?
The three main indicators are: 1) declining standards in consumer products in relation to the way they are marketed; 2) falling turnouts at elections and 3) a reluctance by the general population to accept the reality of their lives being reflected in the media.
Dealing with point one, it is a truism that what consumers can actually buy with their money is continually falling short of what they are promised. When a beefburger arrives it never looks as fresh and as appetizing as the one pictured on the menu. We never question the difference between what is promoted to us and what we actually receive. We accept that deception is an inherent component of marketing. We let them lie to us.
Election turn outs are low in affluent countries because once the system starts spurting out prosperity no-one wants to change it any more. Governments accept that during these periods of wealth they should do nothing more than make meaningless cosmetic changes to society to avoid the danger of breaking something that is working. The population loses patience with any process that is more complex than ordering a burger at a burger bar. They will tolerate increasing devolution of power into the hands of unelected quangos and cronies because they will sort things out without bothering the electorate. Politicians can also avoid blame for policy mistakes.
On top of all this ordinary folk are becoming increasingly embarrassed about expressing themselves through public media. It is considered a 'bad thing' to have your personal life exposed in the press despite the existence of wealthy celebrities who earn huge livings by doing little else. Courting publicity is seen as tacky unless it is done particularly successfully in which case it is interpreted as shrewd. Most media filter contributions under the banner of professionalism but in reality they are doing nothing more than applying similar sets of subjective rules to the material they are handling.
Never in human history has the majority of mankind been so far removed from the real reins of power.
Just thought I'd mention it.
The three main indicators are: 1) declining standards in consumer products in relation to the way they are marketed; 2) falling turnouts at elections and 3) a reluctance by the general population to accept the reality of their lives being reflected in the media.
Dealing with point one, it is a truism that what consumers can actually buy with their money is continually falling short of what they are promised. When a beefburger arrives it never looks as fresh and as appetizing as the one pictured on the menu. We never question the difference between what is promoted to us and what we actually receive. We accept that deception is an inherent component of marketing. We let them lie to us.
Election turn outs are low in affluent countries because once the system starts spurting out prosperity no-one wants to change it any more. Governments accept that during these periods of wealth they should do nothing more than make meaningless cosmetic changes to society to avoid the danger of breaking something that is working. The population loses patience with any process that is more complex than ordering a burger at a burger bar. They will tolerate increasing devolution of power into the hands of unelected quangos and cronies because they will sort things out without bothering the electorate. Politicians can also avoid blame for policy mistakes.
On top of all this ordinary folk are becoming increasingly embarrassed about expressing themselves through public media. It is considered a 'bad thing' to have your personal life exposed in the press despite the existence of wealthy celebrities who earn huge livings by doing little else. Courting publicity is seen as tacky unless it is done particularly successfully in which case it is interpreted as shrewd. Most media filter contributions under the banner of professionalism but in reality they are doing nothing more than applying similar sets of subjective rules to the material they are handling.
Never in human history has the majority of mankind been so far removed from the real reins of power.
Just thought I'd mention it.
