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sathorSo...going back to a statement that came out of an acid trip back in 2005, Hitler Had the Right Idea.
What I mean by this is that I think Hitler had the right idea...with the kind of unity he was creating. That sort of unity can not be achieved by a nation of "freedom" or "liberty". In truth, America isn't free at all - we like to talk about it like it is, like we have freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of opportunity and choice...in reality, we have none of these things, but we also do not have the unity which Nazi Germany achieved. As a result, we are going to decline - we are already in a state of it, in fact.
We do not have freedom of choice, or opportunity. Those of us who are not incredibly poor, or rich, can not gain the education necessary to have opportunity without indentured service. One could easily argue that the amount of debt remaining from a necessary "higher education" is likely worse than the debt incurred by poor immigrants during colonization.
We do not have freedom of speech, or thought. The consequences of radical ideology - and more importantly - being outspoken about it - are far reaching. Socially, devastating. One can lose all degree of credibility by being an advocate for ideas that are not part of popular opinion, that aren't expressed via the media and most methods of common consumption of information.
We have none of these freedoms, and our level of nationalism is essentially nonexistent in comparison to Nazi Germany.
Hitler had the right idea. He was a fascist, he was a genocidal sociopath. But he had the right idea. And I can understand why a philosopher like Heidegger was attracted to the power of the Nazi Party. It united people, regardless of their societal status, and gave them a higher purpose. It brought people together under one unified ideal - to produce a utopian society that would reign for eternity. And if we desire to survive as a race, we will need to achieve this end eventually, whether we like collectivism or not. The power of atomic weapons, and the threat of global catastrophe, is far too high to not.
What I mean by this is that I think Hitler had the right idea...with the kind of unity he was creating. That sort of unity can not be achieved by a nation of "freedom" or "liberty". In truth, America isn't free at all - we like to talk about it like it is, like we have freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of opportunity and choice...in reality, we have none of these things, but we also do not have the unity which Nazi Germany achieved. As a result, we are going to decline - we are already in a state of it, in fact.
We do not have freedom of choice, or opportunity. Those of us who are not incredibly poor, or rich, can not gain the education necessary to have opportunity without indentured service. One could easily argue that the amount of debt remaining from a necessary "higher education" is likely worse than the debt incurred by poor immigrants during colonization.
We do not have freedom of speech, or thought. The consequences of radical ideology - and more importantly - being outspoken about it - are far reaching. Socially, devastating. One can lose all degree of credibility by being an advocate for ideas that are not part of popular opinion, that aren't expressed via the media and most methods of common consumption of information.
We have none of these freedoms, and our level of nationalism is essentially nonexistent in comparison to Nazi Germany.
Hitler had the right idea. He was a fascist, he was a genocidal sociopath. But he had the right idea. And I can understand why a philosopher like Heidegger was attracted to the power of the Nazi Party. It united people, regardless of their societal status, and gave them a higher purpose. It brought people together under one unified ideal - to produce a utopian society that would reign for eternity. And if we desire to survive as a race, we will need to achieve this end eventually, whether we like collectivism or not. The power of atomic weapons, and the threat of global catastrophe, is far too high to not.
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Date: 2010-12-17 09:52 pm (UTC)I've never supported the military, but it sounds like it's exactly what you want - so why not enlist? You'd be given security, you'd be part of the collective, and you'd be forced to work. I know you were thinking about it last year (?), and if that's truly what you believe, then it makes sense.
Plenty of people get through university by cheating. There are serious problems with the academic system, and as more stories like that one - I think I read the online equivalent of that segment - come to light, more pressure will be placed on the institutions. That doesn't change the fact that a degree is the barrier to entry for a lot of good jobs and, more importantly, that if you go to school to learn something, you will. Someone who bought their degree may have the stamped paper for his or her wall, but if he or she is incompetent, that won't be helpful in the real world. Most people who suck at their jobs get fired.
Since you want to get personal:
My father is a lawyer, yes, and my mother was a psychologist before she retired. I am grateful for their help in my life - they supported me until I finished grad school, although I won as many scholarships as I could - and I know that has helped shape my experiences. However, both of my parents came from poverty, way below working class: my dad's family had a farm, a few pigs, and nothing else, while my maternal grandfather died soon after the Korean War, leaving my mother to be raised by her mom on nothing but his tiny soldier's pension. They're well-off because they went to school to learn things that pay well, not because they were set up for success by some unseen hand. They may have resources now, but throughout my life they've taught me that I get things by working my ass off for them. I'm pretty sure I've learned that lesson, because I don't remember the last time I worked less than 60 hours a week, between schoolwork, software development on the side, and my creative pursuits. When I have money, it will be because I have earned it; I've set goals, and I've put in a hell of a lot of time and effort to attain them. "Choosing the right parents" (as Bryan likes to joke) is helpful, but it's what you do with your time that determines where you end up. I know a lot of people, and in most cases, you can't tell where they came from by looking at what they're doing now, in their late twenties and early thirties. Some friends who have had every opportunity since birth are doing nothing, and some friends who immigrated from places like Iraq are doing just fine.