All Screaming Id, No Brains, No Honor

[Encephalon]

February 6, 2012 9:43 AM

 

 

A Martian psychoanalyst observing the US Superbowl on TV would be shocked by the vicious animal spirits emanating from that spectacle, starting with the triumphal trumpet blasts borrowed straight from the old 1950s Hollywood epic movies echoing the prideful mis-steps of ancient Rome, along with the by-now clichéd CGI trick in the opening credits of gleaming metallic heraldic insignia spun into a military cordon of stars so as to protect the tender collective ego of this anxious nation. America wears its zeitgeist plastered right on its sweaty forehead.

Everybody knows that the commercial messages between the play-action amount to a national Rorschach test, and this year's collection made us look more psychopathic than ever - starting with the advertisement for the Chevy Silverado: Fade in on a devastated nameless American city, the buildings smashed, the streets littered with debris, a gray ash coating over everything, and no living creatures in evidence.... A newspaper headline proclaims "2012 Mayan Apocalypse...." How reassuring! Wait! Something stirs behind a heap of rubble... it cracks open... and out drives a plucky American male lumpen "worker" dude behind the wheel of a gleaming giant pickup truck. He is soon joined by other men and their trucks, all of them blithely unfazed by the end-of-the-world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxFYYP8040A

A curious scenario. What's the take away? I wondered, of course, where these plucky fellows would look for their next fill-up in the devastated landscape. Surely the service stations would miss the next scheduled fuel truck delivery. Are American men not expected to think beyond the immediate moment they are in? Are they on an intellectual level with lemurs and Holstein steers?

The Superbowl pageant is a window into the condition of American manhood, and the view is pretty pathetic. It's a picture of men who feel so weak, insecure, and fearful that they have to compensate with fantasies of limitless destructive power.

Ads for several new movies and (I think) video games followed the Silverado apocalypse romp. There were unifying themes throughout. All depicted the problems of life as 1) coming from outside our own society (or world); 2) in the form of aliens who wield mystifying technological destructive power; and 3) leaving a few human remnants on a smoldering landscape after a cosmic showdown.

These onslaughts from elsewhere in the universe always end with superior American guile and the latest technology defeating the purblind invaders. The aliens are vanquished by Apple computers, Air Force stunt pilots, and a little extra help from God Almighty, who is surely on our side. From these realms of engineered grandiosity, we slip in and out of the grinding ground game in Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis, another pseudo-military operation loaded with acronyms and jargon intended to confer an illusion of control and competence.

The reality out there in "flyover" land is an audience of diabetic fat men in clownish loungewear slouched on sofas in foreclosed houses enjoying stupendous portions of cheesy and lard-laden foodstuffs between cigarettes and beers. They have a lot to worry about and they have no idea how they might overcome their financial, familial, and medical problems. The real onslaughts besetting the nation in realms such as banking fraud, money in politics, peak oil, climate uncertainty, and economic contraction are at once too complex for the diabetic fat men to comprehend, and grossly misreported in the public arena, were Cable TV and newspapers work the levers of propaganda for one client or another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9L-8372A3w

 

Then there was the grotesque half-time extravaganza featuring Madonna, which was a weird parallel commentary on the state of American womanhood. Pretending to be ageless and indomitable, the old trooper performed a variety of standing crotch-locks on her Praetorian guard of hoofers and then stumbled more than once on the ridiculous bleacher stage-set that looked as if was designed to trip the performers up. Message to American women: be sluts as long as you possibly can because there is nothing else for you in this culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyfdoZldrS4

 

I couldn't help thinking that American chanteuses of yesteryear - say, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carole King - sang about adult problems and emotions with a greater thematic range, and would never have subjected themselves to such a display of pitiful narcissism. (Did anyone notice that Madonna's corps de ballet all wore her monogram on their loincloths?) America needs a prayer, all right, but I don't think they'll find it by calling Madonna's name.

Meanwhile, in whatever remains of the Real World, we have a couple of things to be concerned about this week. One is the ultimatum tendered to Greece by the Lords of Euroland to make a deal or die-dog-die. Last time I checked, they had until 11 a.m. today Berlin time to reply... and nothing happened.

The other matter is the pending possible robo-signing settlement with the TBTF banks, which is designed to let them off the hook for any and all future lawsuits in this matter if they pay a penny-ante fine. This latest ghastly trespass of the rule-of-law is a joint project of the Obama White House and 50 states attorneys general in an epic act of perfidy. You can read about it at Yves Smith's excellent Naked Capitalism blog.

Your country is being stolen from you. I hope you are getting ready to re-occupy it with your bodies and minds. Don't plan on giant magical robots flying to your rescue.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Encephalon

[joeblast]

Yeah, I cringed when I saw madonna's armpit crease - hey, you forgot to have them work on that bit of skin, its showing your age!

 

I was just wondering why singers of the anthem just go in, shoot from the hip, and waaaaaaaailll notes allll ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooover the place without any consideration of tempo - even with the snare drums giving her a metronome I think Kelly should be able to afford a voice coach and a recorder to practice with, no? At least the nut in boston garden is flamboyant and entertaining when he massacres it!

[Chang]

Some nice points well put Encephalon.

 

As regards Joeblasts comment on the American National Anthem and those performing it. I do find it lends itself somewhat to a wailing rendition.

 

No one would ever claim that it is the easiest song to put across well.

[Aetherous]

Wow, I think this author has a huge stick up his ass that's making scrambled eggs out of his brain. What an absolute pessimist! I'm surprised you read this trash, Encephalon.

 

Edited February 6, 2012 by Scotty

[Apech]

Did they find time to play a game of football in between all this?

[doc benway]

Nice post Encephalon.

Yeah, it's pretty clear that America is fairly fucked up, psychologically.

And it's no wonder given the enormous amounts of money spent on fostering consumerism, keeping us locked into our societal hallucination, and the complicity of our lawmakers.

 

It puts me in mind of the French decadence leading up to the revolution...

 

.

[Encephalon]

Wow, I think this author has a huge stick up his ass that's making scrambled eggs out of his brain. What an absolute pessimist! I'm surprised you read this trash, Encephalon.

You've got no reason to be surprised. You know nothing about me and even less about him.

He is a pessimist toward consumer culture and often comes across as Don Rickles but his scholarship in urban theory makes him a highly respected author in the world of geography and urban planning. "The Geography of Nowhere" is a modern classic.

People who do not share the collective delusion of perpetual suburbia and consumer culture know how to put his pessimism in context. And, in the end, his optimism becomes clear, but it's post-industrial, not what we see while watching the Superbowl.

[Aetherous]

You've got no reason to be surprised. You know nothing about me and even less about him.

 

If I knew nothing about you after reading your posts for 3 years...then learning today about how you think this article is relevant doesn't speak well for who you actually are.

[Aetherous]

Yeah, it's pretty clear that America is fairly fucked up, psychologically.

 

On the other hand, look at yourself. You are part of America, right? You are it. What are you doing to change it for the better? Did you watch the superbowl...do you fit into Mr Kunstler's categories of the viewers?

 

My favorite saying always applies: "point your finger and there are three pointing back at you." Why are you seeing America as being psychologically fucked up? Why is Kunstler portraying the common viewer as he did?

 

Are we projecting when we criticize?

 

Why do I not see the same thing, and actually see a lot of good in America? Why do I see continual progress? Why don't you?

[Encephalon]

If I knew nothing about you after reading your posts for 3 years...then learning today about how you think this article is relevant doesn't speak well for who you actually are.

 

I think your judgmentalism is presumptuous and unwarranted. I'll just weigh that against the other voices that have chimed in, voices that often speak with thoughtfulness and a measure of depth.

[Aetherous]

Or you could consider what I said with some thoughtfulness and depth, casting aside your own presumptuous and unwarranted judgmentalism.

 

Not that I expect you to, though.

[idquest]

DO you think a taoist would be able to pick up the raw energy emanating from the Superbowl crowd? I'm thinking in line of a group meditation when a synergy qi-field is much more powerful than qi generated by one person.

 

I must confess the last time I attended more or less major event was 30-40 years ago. I had no clue of qi back then; but I do remember some motion/move generated by the massive gathering of people.

[ralis]

The opening to the game yesterday was complete with "God Bless America" and rampant nationalism. The military is being used as a backdrop in venues of this kind as well as political events.

Edited February 6, 2012 by ralis

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

On the other hand, look at yourself. You are part of America, right? You are it. What are you doing to change it for the better? Did you watch the superbowl...do you fit into Mr Kunstler's categories of the viewers?

 

My favorite saying always applies: "point your finger and there are three pointing back at you." Why are you seeing America as being psychologically fucked up? Why is Kunstler portraying the common viewer as he did?

 

Are we projecting when we criticize?

 

Why do I not see the same thing, and actually see a lot of good in America? Why do I see continual progress? Why don't you?

 

 

I'd like to point out that in the event of a genuine and obvious threat, americans do have a tremendous capacity for anarchic organization and brotherhood, but it will take a blatant militaristic occupation of our homes before the right to bear arms shows face value.

 

 

That's teh primary thing that the majority of individuals here share in and will share in. It's like an unconscious/subconscious nation in it's own, but it cannot be allowed to become widely organized, which is why the government will forever skeet across the fine line between blatant theft of our country, values, rights, and lives, and subterfuge.

 

It's not that they arent doing it so much as it's that there is nothing the common american can do to either a) see it or prove it.

Aaaand in the event of proof, there comes the army of lawyers at teh beck and call of the theives themselves.

 

Long story short, we're on the losing team.

 

 

We lack some of the most crucial organizational resources, like genuine hard core concrete facts and an obvious enemy.

 

 

Our enemy is currently more each other than one face or group. And not because we are against each other, but because the faceless government is jsut that: faceless.

 

Anonymous government is epic fail. Americans jsut dont know how to get away from it without losing their "precious consumerism". a logical blockade put in place by our very jailors.

 

 

WE CANT HAVE CONSUMERISM. if we want to be free and independent, we cant depend on people to give us our trinkets and cheesy crackers.

 

In the end of it all, even if we could overcome a great and obvious threat to our values, we still value the shiny madonna laden superbowl more than we value our own health.

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. i use "our" in only the loosest of terms to convey "americans" as a general "us". I'd prefer not to include myself in this general public, but let's face it, i was born here, i've lived here all my life, and even if i can see the flaws, there is still nothing i can do about it alone.

[Nanashi]

mass tantric ritual

[Encephalon]

Or you could consider what I said with some thoughtfulness and depth, casting aside your own Not that I expect you to, though.

 

Mypresumptuous and unwarranted judgmentalism? You started the fingerpointing, snot-nose. But to answer your earlier post --

 

On the other hand, look at yourself. You are part of America, right?

 

Born and raised.

 

You are it. What are you doing to change it for the better?

I guess the most important thing I can do is limit my eco-footprint as much as I can by eating low on the food chain, minimizing the use of fossil fuels, recycling, voluntary simplicity... all the Green stuff that most ecologically educated people do. I also practice all the cultivation stuff we talk about in TTB so as not to place a burden on the public health system.

I was prepared to remain childless but my wife wanted to have another child with me, and I'm glad we did, but she's enough.

I got a graduate degree in geography so I could better understand the implications of global consumerism and wrote my thesis on consumerism from the perspective of Buddhist social theory.

My social action is limited to 12-step meetings, including involvement in the Buddhist Recovery Network. My family is moving into an eco-village in 2015.

 

Did you watch the superbowl...do you fit into Mr Kunstler's categories of the viewers?

 

I did not watch the Superbowl. Not in 51 years. I subscribe to Noam Chomsky's estimation of American organized sports; it is a means of getting a bulk of the population to pay attention to something that is of no consequence. I have never paid for cable television. 1988 was the last time I lived in a house with cable. To the best of my knowledge I make conscientious effort to not be amongst Kunstler's categories, but I have my warts.

 

My favorite saying always applies: "point your finger and there are three pointing back at you." Why are you seeing America as being psychologically fucked up? Why is Kunstler portraying the common viewer as he did?

 

Well, golly... the population that I count myself amongst, those who are alarmed by the ecological unsustainability of modern consumer culture which has been championed in this country for a hundred years, and the seemingly straightjacketed conundrum we can't get ourselves out of... for christ sake, have you not gotten wind of any of this?

 

Why do I not see the same thing, and actually see a lot of good in America? Why do I see continual progress? Why don't you?

 

These are questions for you to answer. Why you don't see the threat of global ecological collapse and associated challenges of over-population, pollution, loss of topsoil, climate change and protracted resource wars as issues worthy of your consideration is a really good question.

 

All my friends, including my classmates, professors, and a good number of TTBums are well-versed in these issues. We all love our country and want to see it healed. I'm not sure where you're finding signs of continual progress. About the only solution on the radar, barring an exponential leap in social evolution, is a breakthrough in solar-powered hydrolysis. Without a viable alternative to oil, the best-case game plan is: revitalization of the national railway system; downsizing and localization of agriculture; reconstruction of urban areas. Of course, many people are saying that that's what we should be doing anyway, voluntarily and aesthetically, but Americans aren't there yet.

 

Honestly, I really see no reason why you gave yourself permission to go off on me so quickly. I'm not Kunstler. If you've got some deeply reflective rebuttal based on your years of studying the human condition then by all means, enlighten us.

But in your words... Not that I expect you to, though.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

children, children, please.

 

 

Yeah, on one hand, scotty didnt have to haul off on you about your post, but on the other hand, you didnt have to dignify his remarks with any sort of response.

 

 

Now that you're both pointing at each other, how many fingers are pointing back?

[Encephalon]

I'd like to point out that in the event of a genuine and obvious threat, americans do have a tremendous capacity for anarchic organization and brotherhood, but it will take a blatant militaristic occupation of our homes before the right to bear arms shows face value.

 

 

That's teh primary thing that the majority of individuals here share in and will share in. It's like an unconscious/subconscious nation in it's own, but it cannot be allowed to become widely organized, which is why the government will forever skeet across the fine line between blatant theft of our country, values, rights, and lives, and subterfuge.

 

It's not that they arent doing it so much as it's that there is nothing the common american can do to either a) see it or prove it.

Aaaand in the event of proof, there comes the army of lawyers at teh beck and call of the theives themselves.

 

Long story short, we're on the losing team.

 

 

We lack some of the most crucial organizational resources, like genuine hard core concrete facts and an obvious enemy.

 

 

Our enemy is currently more each other than one face or group. And not because we are against each other, but because the faceless government is jsut that: faceless.

 

Anonymous government is epic fail. Americans jsut dont know how to get away from it without losing their "precious consumerism". a logical blockade put in place by our very jailors.

 

 

WE CANT HAVE CONSUMERISM. if we want to be free and independent, we cant depend on people to give us our trinkets and cheesy crackers.

 

In the end of it all, even if we could overcome a great and obvious threat to our values, we still value the shiny madonna laden superbowl more than we value our own health.

 

P.S. i use "our" in only the loosest of terms to convey "americans" as a general "us". I'd prefer not to include myself in this general public, but let's face it, i was born here, i've lived here all my life, and even if i can see the flaws, there is still nothing i can do about it alone.

 

I agree with just about all of this, especially the galvanizing events of post-oil, post-consumerism, anarcho-syndicalist voluntary associations (of which I desperately hope a few will model on the ancient Taoist village plan!)

 

I would estimate that given the opportunity, the bulk of the Cultural Creatives Class- 50 million Americans - would take off their ties and high heels today and begin the task of retooling for such voluntary organizations. that leaves about 260 million Americans who want their McMansions and Hummers to stay just as they are, or who're going to wait for the 2nd Coming, or who are just too numbed out to care if they live long enough to see another Superbowl.

 

So, I would like to reaffirm my optimism in the voluntary associations of the future, but my pessimism regarding the path to get there.

[Encephalon]

children, children, please.

 

Yeah, on one hand, scotty didnt have to haul off on you about your post, but on the other hand, you didnt have to dignify his remarks with any sort of response.

 

Maybe so, but I'm willing to set aside base ego concerns for the sake of clarifying some important points.

[joeblast]

Wow, I think this author has a huge stick up his ass that's making scrambled eggs out of his brain. What an absolute pessimist! I'm surprised you read this trash, Encephalon.

 

You know who you're talking to Scotty - "anything to disparage downstream effects of capitalism," no matter how contrived, no matter how much it confuses cause and effect, is in bounds.

 

Except for pointing that very thing out, of course. Talk about armchair quarterbacks!

 

Flower children need to say othes are brainwashed in order to make themselves feel less bad about themselves having been brainwashed like a victim who sticks up for her kidnapper - and since they perceive that things have been distorted, they have no compunction over distorting things themselves, because hey, the other side did it first!

 

All my friends, including my classmates, professors, and a good number of TTBums are well-versed in these issues. We all love our country and want to see it healed. I'm not sure where you're finding signs of continual progress. About the only solution on the radar, barring an exponential leap in social evolution, is a breakthrough in solar-powered hydrolysis. Without a viable alternative to oil, the best-case game plan is: revitalization of the national railway system; downsizing and localization of agriculture; reconstruction of urban areas. Of course, many people are saying that that's what we should be doing anyway, voluntarily and aesthetically, but Americans aren't there yet.

So in other words, you're part of a big groupthink experiment and its going quite well. Too bad some professors never leave the realm of theory to see if their hairbraned ideas might work. Not all of them can simply close their ears and go nananana if I cant hear you you cant prove me wrong and have Academia back them up saying yeah, you cant mess with one of ours!

 

an exponential leap in social evolution? what is this and how it is going to magically change the world? *takes out the popcorn maker*

 

railways system who's going to pay for that again? you do realize what country you're in, yes? (riiight, the one with the fascist in chief who had his lackey EPA mandate a doubling of gas mileage that will only serve to put new cars out of price range for young or poor people - of course, since congress wont pass such a thing, we'll just deem it so, kinda like with obamacare.)

 

who's going to pay for reconstituting urban areas? who destroyed them? (how's detroit?)

 

I dont know how you guys rationalize your ideas, you have to ignore so much of empirical reality in order to do so its crazy...*facepalm* that doesnt bother you having to do that in order to subscribe to an idea....or do you just ignore any inconvenient data or outcomes, everything's peachy, kumbaya this solution is da best!

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

lol i have to ask now. i looked through the threadm but i cant find where you got that quote, joe!

[joeblast]

lol i have to ask now. i looked through the threadm but i cant find where you got that quote, joe!

#16

[idquest]

Flower children need to say othes are brainwashed in order to make themselves feel less bad about themselves having been brainwashed like a victim who sticks up for her kidnapper - and since they perceive that things have been distorted, they have no compunction over distorting things themselves, because hey, the other side did it first!

 

So in other words, you're part of a big groupthink experiment and its going quite well. Too bad some professors never leave the realm of theory to see if their hairbraned ideas might work. Not all of them can simply close their ears and go nananana if I cant hear you you cant prove me wrong and have Academia back them up saying yeah, you cant mess with one of ours!

 

an exponential leap in social evolution? what is this and how it is going to magically change the world? *takes out the popcorn maker*

 

railways system who's going to pay for that again? you do realize what country you're in, yes? (riiight, the one with the fascist in chief who had his lackey EPA mandate a doubling of gas mileage that will only serve to put new cars out of price range for young or poor people - of course, since congress wont pass such a thing, we'll just deem it so, kinda like with obamacare.)

 

who's going to pay for reconstituting urban areas? who destroyed them? (how's detroit?)

 

I dont know how you guys rationalize your ideas, you have to ignore so much of empirical reality in order to do so its crazy...*facepalm* that doesnt bother you having to do that in order to subscribe to an idea....or do you just ignore any inconvenient data or outcomes, everything's peachy, kumbaya this solution is da best!

joeblast,

 

Do you reaaly think the current way of living is sustainable? I mean if we put all rethoric aside and just look at the facts and possible/probable implications?

 

Sometimes I hear on Fox News that OK, oil will come to an end but the free market will take care of it. Would you say this is a reasonable expectation? After the 2008 events when big business refused to take a hit and demanded socializing its financial problems? Do you really think such kind of a market can take care of anything but for those who run it?

[joeblast]

joeblast,

 

Do you reaaly think the current way of living is sustainable? I mean if we put all rethoric aside and just look at the facts and possible/probable implications?

 

Sometimes I hear on Fox News that OK, oil will come to an end but the free market will take care of it. Would you say this is a reasonable expectation? After the 2008 events when big business refused to take a hit and demanded socializing its financial problems? Do you really think such kind of a market can take care of anything but for those who run it?

it depends what you mean by "current"

 

peak oil again? in a supply and demand world why is one going to show all of his cards? extraction estimates...why do many oil deposits still have the same estimated reserve level 20 years running?

 

big businesses refused to take a hit and demanded socializing institutions? sorry, the UAW demanding and obama handing them "government motors" you cant really call big business - even though Unionism is ostensibly a business in and of itself, the business of extracting whatever it may from wherever it may and not caring of the consequences so long as the union contracts for jobs are there...

 

anyway its the departure from a free market, its the very type of "governmental intrusion" that distorts the market, the calculus of businesses, and winds up hurting people while a few make out really well. of course the progressive movement seeks to turn that on its head and declare reality is backwards.

 

those who run it...I'll say again, one of the biggest barriers is entrpreneurship, the more costly governments from local on up state and federal make it to run a business, the more the common man is put down. how else does the common man "make it" here, minor exceptions aside?

 

cause and effect. when you dont like the government tinkering with everything, why would one say we need more of it to fix the problems when its proven track record is exacerbating them?

[Protector]

THE BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF AMERICA!!!

 

America might have became independent few hundred years ago but it didn't find itself, yet. All the motivation to become free made it free. It ran away from the kings and became something bigger and even now being as powerful as it is, it still wants more. More freedom, more power, more money and more running. It needs to keep running or else when it stops, it will have nothing. It needs to keep running and looking for something because something is missing. It's not money or power, money and power are nothing in comparison of what it really needs. Still, doesn't know what it is and it keeps looking for it.

This calls for some harsh training. If America was a person, I would recommend more horse stance. If you take everything away and look at what's left in the very core, you might find something good. AMERICA MORE HORSE STANCE!!!