Not sure that "multiparty democracies are more robust than party-states," but at the same time I like how you add the caveat that they are "more limited in their ability to mobilize the population." Every time we remember 1939-45 as a great triumph of democracy, we should remember that it would have never been possible without the most authoritarian state ever devised, the Soviet Union, and without the UK relying on its hopelessly extractive empire.
If so, please consider clicking the above link and liking the Notes post—leave a comment or even share within your own community. Poetry lives on in the minds of hearts of writers, it breathes on the page.
Your voice can be heard among the starry illuminations, howling at the moon.
It's interesting to see the term 'USian' stand in contrast to the term,'American.' I wonder if you mean the cleavage point was the Civil War or some other event. Some people talk about the 1913 establishment of central banking, a theory I have trouble understanding.
it sort of started in the 1840s when Irish immigration was so large that they weren't assimilating like they had in previous generations (despite being US citizens), but I mainly use it to describe the people of the United States after the 1954-1965 period when the USA transformed from a nation with an empire to a proper empire.
Would it be fair to say that Christianity's stronger concentration in the east allowed that half of the empire to survive through internal reforms driven by the church (banning of slavery and contraception) rather than succumbing to outright collapse?
Fantastic blog that I just found. Keep up the good work. The IQ Shredder is an interesting concept. I have often wondered about something similar, and that is the celibate priest class in Europe during the Christian era. And while it is true that not all priests and other religious officials that were supposed to be celibate actually were, a good chunk did. Further more, it was generally those capable of higher learning - that is, those with a decent intelligence - who would study to become priests, monks and others, thereby lowering the fertility rate among this same IQ class.
I've sometimes wondered if in this we see some sort of a hidden natural equalizer effect going on, preventing further development of intelligence, as technically speaking, we don't need it - at least not purely from a survival point of view.
I confess a certain degree of skepticism about mass quarantines in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Fear is a powerful motivator, but particularly in America the quarantine measures served to harden a population of recusants who are now being proven absolutely correct. Future measures would require a much more careful, and less brutal, application, or risk creating a class of people who's life will increasingly revolve around system opposition. It's a problem with solutions, of course. But Governments would be foolish to repeat the sloppiness of the last Quarantines.
I am unclear in truth on progress. I see in my life poor quality goods replacing well made manufacture. Poor quality education replacing learning how to learn. I see criminals in office beggaring their nation to make money. I see a sharp decline in ethics. Holding my Ipad is technological accomplishment but is this progress?
I believe that the post-World War II global order has largely decayed in strength and has quite little potency in our modern age. However, I think when the pale shade of this order finally dies, it won't lead to a collapse so much as a hasty reconfiguration of how the world works.
You can see it in how Mexico is rising up as a prominent manufacturing power, how Western Europe is increasingly irrelevant, how India is becoming an ever-greater figure on the world stage, the East Asian population crises, the increasing backlash against "wokism" in the United States of America, the post-election protests in Nigeria, the civil war in Sudan, the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the GERD dam, and more.
Backlash against wokism is the biggest nothing burger. The American conservative will adopt the American liberal's point of view just 1-2 generations later. The grandchildren of segregationists will protest against transgender bathrooms and proclaim at a Nikk Haley/Vivek Ramaswamy rally that "Democrats are the real racists". Its insane. Mark my words, the American conservative of 2073(born in 2030, schooled through 2034-2054) will say that Democrats are the real transphobes.
But in most cases it's so difficult even to broach the subject that we can only talk about it obliquely, and try to create spaces where such things can at least be clearly and openly discussed:
Actually yes, I like Razib a lot. And I'm tempted to pay for a subscription there (and a few other places), but money is tight lately and my own blog is too small to offset costs. Maybe in the long run!
Not sure that "multiparty democracies are more robust than party-states," but at the same time I like how you add the caveat that they are "more limited in their ability to mobilize the population." Every time we remember 1939-45 as a great triumph of democracy, we should remember that it would have never been possible without the most authoritarian state ever devised, the Soviet Union, and without the UK relying on its hopelessly extractive empire.
Fine writer and reader of Substack—we are starting a movement to get a poetry section added to the platform. Can I ask, are you with us?
https://substack.com/profile/10309929-david/note/c-15579327
If so, please consider clicking the above link and liking the Notes post—leave a comment or even share within your own community. Poetry lives on in the minds of hearts of writers, it breathes on the page.
Your voice can be heard among the starry illuminations, howling at the moon.
Thank you for your time and support.
Love and appreciation,
David
It's interesting to see the term 'USian' stand in contrast to the term,'American.' I wonder if you mean the cleavage point was the Civil War or some other event. Some people talk about the 1913 establishment of central banking, a theory I have trouble understanding.
it sort of started in the 1840s when Irish immigration was so large that they weren't assimilating like they had in previous generations (despite being US citizens), but I mainly use it to describe the people of the United States after the 1954-1965 period when the USA transformed from a nation with an empire to a proper empire.
I sort of discuss it here: https://nemets.substack.com/p/state-vs-national-peoples. At some point I'll do an American/USian history megapost.
Would it be fair to say that Christianity's stronger concentration in the east allowed that half of the empire to survive through internal reforms driven by the church (banning of slavery and contraception) rather than succumbing to outright collapse?
Fantastic blog that I just found. Keep up the good work. The IQ Shredder is an interesting concept. I have often wondered about something similar, and that is the celibate priest class in Europe during the Christian era. And while it is true that not all priests and other religious officials that were supposed to be celibate actually were, a good chunk did. Further more, it was generally those capable of higher learning - that is, those with a decent intelligence - who would study to become priests, monks and others, thereby lowering the fertility rate among this same IQ class.
I've sometimes wondered if in this we see some sort of a hidden natural equalizer effect going on, preventing further development of intelligence, as technically speaking, we don't need it - at least not purely from a survival point of view.
I confess a certain degree of skepticism about mass quarantines in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Fear is a powerful motivator, but particularly in America the quarantine measures served to harden a population of recusants who are now being proven absolutely correct. Future measures would require a much more careful, and less brutal, application, or risk creating a class of people who's life will increasingly revolve around system opposition. It's a problem with solutions, of course. But Governments would be foolish to repeat the sloppiness of the last Quarantines.
I am unclear in truth on progress. I see in my life poor quality goods replacing well made manufacture. Poor quality education replacing learning how to learn. I see criminals in office beggaring their nation to make money. I see a sharp decline in ethics. Holding my Ipad is technological accomplishment but is this progress?
I believe that the post-World War II global order has largely decayed in strength and has quite little potency in our modern age. However, I think when the pale shade of this order finally dies, it won't lead to a collapse so much as a hasty reconfiguration of how the world works.
You can see it in how Mexico is rising up as a prominent manufacturing power, how Western Europe is increasingly irrelevant, how India is becoming an ever-greater figure on the world stage, the East Asian population crises, the increasing backlash against "wokism" in the United States of America, the post-election protests in Nigeria, the civil war in Sudan, the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the GERD dam, and more.
Backlash against wokism is the biggest nothing burger. The American conservative will adopt the American liberal's point of view just 1-2 generations later. The grandchildren of segregationists will protest against transgender bathrooms and proclaim at a Nikk Haley/Vivek Ramaswamy rally that "Democrats are the real racists". Its insane. Mark my words, the American conservative of 2073(born in 2030, schooled through 2034-2054) will say that Democrats are the real transphobes.
It's unfortunate so few people understand this. There are some who hint towards it:
https://woodfromeden.substack.com/p/a-question-of-chinese-graveyards
But in most cases it's so difficult even to broach the subject that we can only talk about it obliquely, and try to create spaces where such things can at least be clearly and openly discussed:
https://thingstoread.substack.com/p/saving-space
It doesn't seem you have a blog of your own, but do you know of substacks that do tackle these issues?
Actually yes, I like Razib a lot. And I'm tempted to pay for a subscription there (and a few other places), but money is tight lately and my own blog is too small to offset costs. Maybe in the long run!