Author Topic: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World  (Read 2786 times)

FaustWolf

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Re: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World
« Reply #30 on: September 02, 2011, 04:31:25 am »
Quote from: ZeaLitY
I already know I could never be a politician; I could never feign the fallacy of the middle as to appeal to more people, or pretend to respect the ignorant positions of my opponents.
I just started getting curious on the question of why more here didn't try to get into government, so thanks for pre-empting me and giving some insight as to what your feelings are on that.

But I dunno ZeaLitY -- with the Tea Party getting as popular as it is, and as intransigent as it behaves, I think we're seeing much more room for politics not-of-the-center in the US. The Obama administration's constant compromising doesn't appear to be doing them any favors; the left is pissed on economic issues, and the right continues ragging on President Obama as being some kind of socialist psycho anyway. It may come to the point that we need a reflection of the Tea Party's intransigence on the political left just to balance things out.

I suspect you'd have more serious misgivings with the process of getting into a position of executive or legislative authority, rather than actually existing in that position. The most efficient way of going about it, in my estimation, is to campaign for extant politicians and follow them into the bureaucracy as transitional staff; but that would mean directly serving as the arm of a politician whose views and flaws may not jive with your goals.

And then, there's running for city council or something.

But yeah, now that I've chosen to give up that sort of pursuit (well, government hiring freezes don't help either  :(), I'm banking on there being other ways to effect change. But it's interesting that, in the back of my mind, however I do this, I know what I'm really hoping is that it inspires others to do exactly what I did and take a shot at public policy careers themselves.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2011, 04:37:23 am by FaustWolf »

ZeaLitY

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Re: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World
« Reply #31 on: September 02, 2011, 05:15:14 am »
Thanks. It all chiefly depends on atheism, I guess. I read recently that the Tea Party was now more hated than atheists, so that's progress, haha.

tushantin

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Re: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World
« Reply #32 on: September 02, 2011, 06:09:05 am »
I read recently that the Tea Party was now more hated than atheists, so that's progress, haha.
It isn't supposed to be hated -- in fact, I support the Atheism community as free thinkers. However, there are actually people out there called Anti-Theists (my Nemeses') who simply call themselves Atheists (because to them it probably means Same Thing, Right?), in turn swaying Atheism away from free-thinking attitude and giving them a bad name. Their methodology is also illogical as they end up doing stuff most Religion Fundamentalists do, and thus the war never ends.  :?

tushantin

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Re: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World
« Reply #33 on: September 02, 2011, 08:27:39 am »
Okay, today is Friday (my only chance at freedom, so I better make it count), and I hope to finish four posts. This topic itself would contain two posts, one describing "the mooks" and their significance, while another describing the kind of world I envision. While riding my bicycle for miles to and from the institute gave me plenty of time to construct a perfect response to each of these posts, but since I can't make notes while riding my bicycle, most of these massive chains of thoughts... eh... I apologize in advance if my response is broken, makes no sense, or if I end up forgetting crucial elements that describe my point.  :(

At first I should be thankful to Z and the rest of the Compendium for accepting me and helping me become who I am today. When I registered to the forums I was but a fool, addicted to the Chrono series (right after being abandoned by my girlfriend, who realized she was a lesbian... it's okay to laugh), and learned things that no university would ever bother to teach. The members here incited curiosity and welcomed the new join in active projects. And there was Z, inspiring the rest with his Springtime of Youth slogans and posting colossal pictures. Everything was just so awesome that I began to mimic Z's methods, his zeal, his determination, and pledging myself to do the impossible and see the invisible. But despite my personal development I found myself I found myself useful and for only a handful of things at the Compendium: the only thing I was extremely good at was Art, and I feared that I could be easily replaced. I became worried, that, though I lived with ZeaLitY's values even in everyday life, I was merely a shadow that would vanish by day. Sure I disagreed with a lot of things, but I felt insignifant, because you guys were simply better and had better experience life. In plain terms, I was a mook; a wannabe doppelganger.

Then Thought once told me that I was the kind of person who would redeem the very dragon I slay, the kind of person who would find value within the debris and ruins left by time; at first I laughed at the analogy simply because I didn't really get what he meant. But when I glanced at myself in the mirror I realized that he deduced right. My past actions and musings made me an open book, and it was strange that others knew me better than I knew myself. And I looked back to the time how I looked up to most people in RL and at the Compendium, and realized how different I was to them. This difference went to the core belief factor too -- I was neither Atheist nor Religious. Many contemplated that this was impossible, and even ZeaLitY mocked me for my belief. Well, look for yourself: before you stands an impossible man. I'm proud to be different and my free, developed thoughts, proud to scavenge the good things from the bad, wipe them with my shirt and wear them as ornaments. While at the same time I feel lonely, because apparently I'm the only kind of person I know to follow this concept. But that's okay; I'm also the kind of person the society needs, as there's no one else to do that job.

For everything I am today ZeaLitY's philosophy had a great influence to play, and we both strive to take humanity beyond its boundaries and towards glory. But what is it that makes me different from him? In relevance to the philosophy of the Springtime of Youth, Z is the Ahura, the aggressor sword and active force, the predator, while I'm the Mazda, the defender shield and passive force, the prey. Z is trigger happy, doing his best to remove evil from its roots even if a few good people suffer in return; but I do not believe in collateral damage, and I strive to save as many lives as I can, even if it means to give evil a second chance. Z stands vigilant as a soldier of decisive confrontation in the line of fire, while I strive to help the unfortunate and make sure everyone makes it to the finish line. If Z is a egoistic Mad Scientist, then I'm probably a humble Sage. Z sees one thing, and one thing only, devouring details on how important it is but completely oblivious to the horizons before him; I see the horizons, a grander picture, but my ability to see everything as whole also blinds me to minor but important details that make the world. Z envision a world in a stone, while I envision the stone within a world. And both our roles are important if the world is to function well.

These are our basic natures, but occasionally we venture into each other's world out of sheer curiosity and find intriguing things that blend milk and hot chocolate together. I know Z probably hates me and everything I stand for, but I wouldn't be ashamed (in fact, I'd be proud) to call him my Older Brother. Hell, I make it official today: Z is my older brother! :D Yeah, nearly a decade older than me, so you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but everything he does changes the world around him spontaneously. I see him flying towards the sun with his waxen wings and falling several times, but a few minutes later he's at it again. And I observe his mistakes and, as every newer generation should, I learn from it. Then with all my assessments as I fly closer to the sun than Z could, and still fall just as he does, someone else notices my mistakes and learns from it, thus the cycle continues. And I still remember the mook I was, the mook I am and the mook I'll forever be. Frankly, being a mook is hard work.


Rise Of The Mooks

A mook is a mook, a fairly incompetent person. And as Gandhi says, calling someone a mook is easy (and slapping someone is even easier), though Gandhi also says that it takes guts, sheer balls to actually apologize to someone. You see someone who can't tie a shoe-lace you call em a mook; you see a car honking like a madman and call em a mook; you find yourself forgetting your ticket to a show or being 5 minutes late to an important meeting, and they call you a mook, even though you think you can justify your actions. You call a religious person mook because they worship non-existent beings, while the latter call you a mook because you are either quick to judge, or are tactless and disrespectful, or you simply fail to see the truth beyond your enclosed walls. So what's with people calling each other mooks? The answer will be available shortly.

We like to ponder why mooks exist or why the simply can't be better people. Some at the Compendium would even like to start a rally in protest to destroy or force all mooks, but problem is those mooks would point out to you being incompetently aggressive, so in turn you are also mooks. As a person's intellect grows with time he/she sees mooks all around the corner, plaguing the environs and simply causing havoc all around. You look at them, partially pitifully and partially in anger, and envision a better future without them (thus the Anti-Mook Genetic Modification, nanny nanny boo boo gobbledygook) and you try destroy everything that makes them mooks. That's strange, because those mooks are doing the exact same thing, thinking you're a mook and thus they burn everything you stand for. (Frankly, this is the situation in America, from an Indian's POV. If I'm wrong, hope you forgive me.) It's like looking into a mirror and giving yourself a rude gesture; it never works.

But at the same time the mooks have it hard, trying to be themselves, doing their best to not be mooks. But the mode of reference, to compare themselves, is not a practical structure and analyses, but what they find embarrassing; it is what they find is mooks. The "hipsters" find mainstream consumers as "mooks", while the latter think the same for the former. Same goes with Conformists with Ant-Conformists, Atheists with Religious, Apple fans with Android fans, Philosophy and Science, and every conflicting idea in the world. Simply stating, seeing the "good" within something immediately makes you think something is Good-For-Life, while seeing the "Lame" within it makes you blind to the "good" in it, making you switch sides pronto no matter how useful that something is. Thing is, this attitude of avoiding mooks in turn creates mooks.

But being a mook is hard. They don't need to be eliminated; simply understood. Of course, you'd disagree with me at this point, but let me point out that the struggles I've been through in my Real Life I have a fair understanding of why mooks are mooks, or what makes them in the first place (but that would be another looooong topic), which is why I want to defend them. Working at the cafe I observed the incompetence of innumerable customers, ranging from those who didn't know how USB functions, how indents work, and even how to freakin' type on keyboard. Then with every help I offer, if they commit a slight mistake, they'd be happy blaming me for everything and not pay a penny. Yes, they are indeed mooks, but that doesn't mean I'm no mook. No, I'm simply a different kind of mook. You see, something I know that they can't comprehend is what makes them a mook. But there's something else they're better at and I'm not, which makes me a mook. Perhaps if I went to their fields and didn't understand a thing, and inevitable covered myself in losses I'm more likely to hold someone responsible for this even though it's not their fault. They'd call me mook.  :(

And strange enough, there's not a single person in the world who isn't incompetent. But you might say, "A mook is still a mook", thus ensuring that everyone in the world is an idiot, including yourself. It's nothing to be ashamed of though, since we're all mooks and we'r in this together! Reason being our physical limitations of the mind; the existence of the society doesn't depend on what field you're incompetent at, but what field you're great at. Care for me to explain? Okay!

So name the perfect idols in our world, whom we look up to: Augustus, Tesla, Vidocq, Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Einstein, etc. Everyone knew they were great people, but does anyone remember them as being horrible fuck ups? Not at all! People tend to forget the important facts about their heroes' lives and simply dream about how awesome they were, all because many care to remember good things rather than bad things about people they admire. So their blindness makes them incompetent mooks hindering absolute truth, right? Indeed. But at the same time, it's also a boon for the society. See, why this process is a blessing is because it shows that despite all odds the society simply loves to keep everything positive factors about great things from the past while forgetting the bad. Many people remember Gandhi's ideology, but not that he was a dirty old man; many admire Tesla for being a genius, but don't remember him being a schizophrenia; many worship Vidocq for making the world a safer and intelligent place to live in, but not many remember him murdering people at the age of 14; many admire Mao Zedong for his zeal and ambitions to move forward, but don't remember him fucking up an entire nation. And many kids from an early age strive to become like that positive side of the people they admire, completely excluding the negative points. The answer is that the mooks do their best to become more than just mooks.

It is not the great people that make the world beautiful, you see. It is us mooks that make it so with our simple way of life. We come up with careless, crazy shit that somehow makes it to the sky and inspires every other mook to grasp on. These beautiful mooks look to the sky and dream, to fly with the angels in the spaciousness, away from the filth called "earth". But they forget that they too were made of clay, as despite the filth and stench of the mud, Mother Nature offers them treasures bountiful, and nutrition. The sky wouldn't give the gold, food, shelter and clothing; though it's nice to fly once in a while, I watch them try and try again, waiting patiently while I pilfer their gold.

Quote from: Lord J Esq
Nope. I'm pretty sure I'm the biggest optimist and humanist at the Compendium. =)
XD At the Compendium! Because I'm pretty sure nobody can triumph my Grandpa.  :lol:


Edit: Just one thing I'd like to add. About two years ago I asked ZeaLitY What If there was actually a God watching us, but simply amusing himself at the hilarious strife amongst us mooks, and Z replied with the same old, "What an asshole of a God that would be!" TBH, yes, that would be horrible, but I also know this: If I were in place of that God I'd probably do the same thing.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2011, 08:37:41 am by tushantin »

tushantin

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Re: Sexism Thread Offshoot: If You Ran the World
« Reply #34 on: September 02, 2011, 05:47:19 pm »
Phew! Managed to finish the artwork, but still a lot is left to do. I'm horribly slow, and I realize I need owe three more responses. It's twenty past one in the night. Sigh... I guess I'll leave the responses for next Sunday.

What, don't believe me? Here's an evidence!

Anywhos, let's get back to the Part 2 of the post.


Before posting my thoughts, I would like to point out a few quotes from the first post that deserves respect (also because I too thought on similar grounds), and the things that make me proud to be a part of the Compendium. (There are some thing I simply did not understand, but here are things that I do)

Quote from: ZeaLitY
The first order of business would be creating a perfect set of laws (international in scope), like the Starfleet Charter, with humanism as the aim. Next, I would dismantle the current economic system (or at least its focus on endless growth, material fulfillment, and impossible rates of return), and begin a long period of enrichment to catch up humanity everywhere it may be found, so that it may all be on an equal level of quality of life and education.
Quote from: ZeaLitY
...the second initiative would be ensuring a sustainable earth and developing tools to mitigate environmental damage or other threats, like asteroid collisions.
Quote from: ZeaLitY
Along with a kind of target population cap, this approach might work to ensure that human development (now bolstered by technology) doesn't turn the earth into a series of denuded grasslands.

Hah, you know the rest. However, I've also been careful to exclude controversial elements from Z's post simply because I do not support certain conditions put forward. Simply removing "darker elements" from the human mind would achieve nothing, because the majority these elements at a base level were also responsible for all good things humanity stands for. Not only is tribalism (at a multi-cellular level) important in defining our DNA structure and social-governance but it is also a key to an organism's survival. And don't get me started about belief system (I really don't want to offend anyone): in simple terms, removing the ability to believe will also remove an intelligent life-form's ability to comprehend patterns, or any good sense of judgement or decisiveness they have. That's a whole different topic, though, and I'll probably get back to it some other time. But if you're talking about genetically restricting people from believing deities... well, what maggiekarp said. But I would also add one quote I heard somewhere:

Quote
Restrict people from doing stupid things and you thereby also restrain them from doing clever things.

So basically... Rise Of The Mooks. XD

However Z did point one crucial clue:
Quote from: ZeaLitY
Just from a gut feeling, I feel it's unlikely that we might be able to remove one part of humanity without damaging several others, but it's worth investigating, especially to remove the possibility for sociopathos or disabling conditions.
Indeed, it is worth investigating, and our best people are already on it. Many mental and physical disorders, including schizophrenia, are often found linked with irregularity in DNA strands. It is usually the case when these DNA strands serve as host for Retro-Virus that influence the very structure of our existence; sometimes these influences trigger dead genes to become unlocked or simply commit changes that influences our well-being, and we become... weird. So yes, the knowledge is worth investing on.

Quote from: ZeaLitY
The form shall not constrain the substance.
Amen!
Quote from: ZeaLitY
And some would relentlessly explore the universe, or try to divine and prevent its end, or circumvent it altogether through pocket dimension-stasis or future time travel, or something.
Soooo.... You believe in Time Travel? o_O

Quote from: ZeaLitY
A serious problem with this world is information overload. Democracy demands that we study the issues and devote a portion of all our time to be statespeople, but this is laughable once you reach the middle class. Most of us are fucking working, and when we're not, we're trying to salvage our free time by enjoying life, as everyone should have time for selfish pleasures.

Quote from: ZeaLitY
Add in the sheer obfuscation of politics, as well as the mind-numbing complexity of hard issues like reforming the government/economic system or social justice, and it's no wonder that nothing can be done.
Indeed. Any idiot can make things complicated, but only a true genius can make everything simple.

Quote from: ZeaLitY
If I had the resources, I would pioneer the first aware, conscious, sentient computer lifeform. At its heart might be a human brain, or perhaps it would be created from a human template.
:D
It's already being done, and will probably be out by 2016. Thank Ghost In The Shell for that.

There's a slight problem with that: The human mind isn't capable of processing an Ungodly amount of info. A lot simply can't be enough. But I'm confident that we'll be able to come up with something. The human brain itself has the capacity of 1.5 GB of memory, but the unique neural system is capable of storing up to 2 Petabytes of information. Not without loss of info, however; memories still leave holes.

Okay, now that this is out of the way, I'll write Part 3 after the break (damn, I'm tired...)