Showing posts with label Western civilization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western civilization. Show all posts

Saturday, August 03, 2024

Decadence, lifelong career politicians, and extreme polarization accelerate the demise or irrelevance of Western democracies

Food for thought! History waits for no one to get it on! History is littered with once mighty empires! If you don't learn the lessons of history history will rhyme if not repeat!

While authoritarian regimes like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea etc. strengthen their alliances, the West is mired in disagreement and delusional and lofty moral aspirations! 

At least the largest, nonviolent democracy in the world India is taking on more international responsibilities and is more and more assuming the role of a superpower, which is very welcome!

The Global Warming hoax and Climate Change religion that has infected and messed up particularly the Western elites like the worst pandemic/addiction in decades needs to give way to much more realism and common sense again.

The extreme fringes of the left and right in Western countries seem to dominate politics in Western countries again. Especially the extreme left has advanced their takeover of academia, journalism, political discourse etc. Too many moderate Western politicians act cowardly and subservient. This is dangerous and reminds of the pre World War II era. More consensus and compromise on realistic solutions are needed!

The huge and static caste of lifelong career politicians in Western democracies and how they protect their turf and privileges has become a serious bane. More electoral competition and faster replacement of incompetent or unfit politicians is urgently needed. Term limits for elected representatives may help.

Then there is the rise of gerontocracy in Western countries is another huge problem. Just look at the U.S., where this issue has become very prominent and visible: Who is more senile and demented: Chuck Schumer (age 73), Nancy Pelosi (age 84), Mitch McConnell (age 82)  or the 46th President (age 81)? All of them display severe signs of cognitive decline!

Tuesday, May 09, 2023

While the West is self destructing in more than one way, the rest of the world moves on!

Many great empires and civilizations were lost to history, because of self destruction and arrogance!

Tide and time or history waits for no e.g. climate change obsession, LGBTQ, DEI, ESG, political correctness, skin color ideology or other fads of the time!

The West only thinks they are so advanced and sophisticated as if being a paragon to the world! That is a serious self delusion!

More humility and less pretense would go a long way!

This, I believe, sums up the current situation quite well! 

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

When Western governments started to love emergency powers

These are the signs of the times Western citizens live in! Only 70 years after World War II and less than 45 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union empire the use of emergency powers has become normal for Western governments!

Western governments more frequently impose comprehensive emergency powers, because they claim that the so called "climate crisis" or the global pandemic leave no other choice. The cure is worse than the disease!

The rapid centralization, expansion, and harmonization rigidly enforced and pursued by the European Union at the expense of federalism is another bad omen.

Western citizens high time to wake up and renew the spirit of Western civilization where small and limited government, civil society and philanthropy, plurality, federalism, and individual liberty reign supreme!

It reminds strongly of Hayek's Road to Serfdom! Perhaps, time to read it again!

Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.”




Tuesday, December 06, 2022

The demise of meritocracy in Western countries

This is a fundamental issue affecting many Western countries! The constant aspiration towards meritocracy is one of the great achievements of Western civilization (and other civilizations) besides liberty and rule of law.

Certain ideologues and demagogues, many intellectuals and all their sympathizers have worked hard for the past several decades to bring down meritocracy.

The application of popular ideologies like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), skin color ideology (e.g. Critical Race Theory), gender equality, LGBTQ, various forms of speech control and so forth all have the demise of democracy as a consequence.

The daily brainwashing, reeducation, and indoctrination that has been going on in some Western countries has reached critical and disturbing levels! You add to that the gigantic, rather unprecedented Global Warming/Climate Change scam. This is a dangerous mix!

You can also bet that the enemies of open societies are behind it and amplify it as best as they can!

A few examples:

  1. Women or LGBTQ or non White skinned individuals are promoted to high positions whether or not they are qualified or capable just to be the first in this position (e.g. the banana republic Germany now has the dubious honor of three consecutive female defense ministers since 2013. None of them appeared to be particularly qualified nor performed very well)
  2. The constant enforced brainwashing and speech control certainly has chilling effects on many (white) talented and skilled individuals. It is an uphill battle for them
  3. In the U.S., elite universities have now so many DEI etc. officers that you have to wonder what you are paying the high tuition for

Friday, October 14, 2022

Western civilization: Religious persecution and intolerance in our time

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress, 1905.

What we are witnessing today in Western societies of all societies is active and systemic religious persecution and intolerance. The cult and quasi religion of LGBTQ and its many followers are going after heretics with traditional religious beliefs and its skeptics! As in the past, heretics are excommunicated!

Then we have the horrible skin color ideology in its many manifestations, which is very reminiscent of the Nazi ideology! White is demonized! Black is supreme as long as they blindly vote the right way! Brown is OK and stereotyped! Yellow is tolerated as long as they remain meek! Red are idealized as noble savages or who cares!


Thursday, October 13, 2022

JPMorgan Chase abruptly cancels Kanye West's business accounts. A CEO with no spine!

How demented and senile is the CEO Jamie Dimon (66 years old) by now? Lately, he did not look so great anymore in his public appearances!

CEOs without spine like him turn the U.S. into a banana republic!

What the heck is going on!

"JPMorgan Chase informed Kanye West this week that the bank is canceling its relationship with his companies and told him to find a new bank. ...
the New York Times reported Thursday that it confirmed JPMorgan Chase is ending its banking services with West. ..."

Prominent bank abruptly cancels Kanye West, gives him just weeks to move accounts to another bank - TheBlaze



Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Western societies soft on crime and soft on mental disorders

For decades it was promoted as progress to be soft on criminals, because we are told they are victims of social injustices or whatever. Police officers have been treated as presumptive criminals. What did we get? Recidivism at an unprecedented scale. On a daily basis citizens have to suffer crimes from known repeat offenders that could have been easily prevented.

Decades ago it was considered progress to close as many mental institutions as possible. We were told that most mentally ill are harmless and can care for themselves. What did we get? More homelessness among people, who need treatment, but were left untreated for years, and who need help with reintegration into society. 

Monday, August 29, 2022

Zwischen Anmaßung und Selbsthass - Der Westen droht zu scheitern

Empfehlenswert! Frei nach dem Motto, der Westen schafft sich unsinniger Weise selbst ab! Que vadis!

Viele großartige Zivilisationen sind schon untergegangen im Laufe der Geschichte, der Westen ist keine Ausnahme!

Vieles ist natürlich seit langem bekannt, aber es schadet nicht es noch mal konzentriert zu wiederholen und zusammenzufassen.

Die Autorin Susanne Schröter ist Ethnologin an meiner Alma Mater Johann Wolfgang Goethe Uni in FfM!

"Der Westen ist die freieste, wohlhabendste und sozialste Region der Welt. Nirgendwo werden die Freiheitsrechte des Individuums stärker geschützt, haben Frauen im Kampf für Gleichberechtigung mehr erreicht, können sexuelle, ethnische und religiöse Minderheiten ihre Anliegen besser geltend machen. Nirgendwo profitiert die Bevölkerung mehr von steuerbasierten sozialen Einrichtungen, einem hoch entwickelten Gesundheitssystem sowie kostenloser [???] Bildung. ...
Der Angriff der russischen Armee auf die Ukraine war nur möglich, weil man die von Putin stets offen zur Schau gestellte Aufrüstung nicht als Bedrohungsszenario einstufte. Das gilt besonders für Deutschland. Selbst die Überfälle Russlands auf seine Nachbarstaaten hinderten deutsche Politiker nicht, weiterhin an der Mär Wandel durch Handel festzuhalten und die Abhängigkeit in besonders vulnerablen Sektoren voranzutreiben. ...
Ähnlich wie bei den Beziehungen zur Russischen Föderation setzt man seit Jahrzehnten auf die Hoffnung, dass Menschen zu Demokraten werden, wenn man das richtige Angebot macht und es monetär attraktiv ausgestaltet. In Afghanistan ist diese Strategie nach 20 Jahren ebenso krachend gescheitert wie beim politischen Islam westlicher Prägung, ohne dass dies zu tieferen Einsichten geführt hätte. ...
Gerade für die westliche Linke ist ein tief verwurzelter Antiamerikanismus konstitutiv. ... Zum anderen stand hinter der Feindschaft gegen die USA eine ideologisierte Einäugigkeit, die bemerkenswert ist. ...
schwiegen sie über Millionen von Gefolterten und Ermordeten in kommunistischen Ländern. Während sie die Freiheitsrechte des Westens bei antiwestlichen Demonstrationen und Versammlungen in Anspruch nahmen, erwähnten sie mit keinem Wort, dass jede Form der Opposition in China, der Sowjetunion oder in Kuba mit äußerster Repression unterbunden wurde. ...
Bis auf den heutigen Tag wird der Westen von der Mehrheit der Linken bis hinein in konservative Kreise für Armut, Kriege, Umweltkatastrophen und andere Übel dieser Welt verantwortlich gemacht. An europäischen, amerikanischen und australischen Universitäten konstruieren sogenannte postkoloniale Theoretiker den Westen als Reich eines postreligiösen Antichristen, der die Welt in einen Zustand der Verdammnis gebracht hat. Dabei geht es längst nicht mehr nur um den Westen als politisches und ökonomisches System, sondern auch um Menschen weißer Hautfarbe. Ein neuer Rassismus formiert sich, und er richtet sich – historisch ein absolutes Novum – gegen die eigene Bevölkerung. ...
Da die Anerkennung eines Opferstatus in der Regel mit finanziellen Zuwendungen belohnt wird und ein lukratives Geschäftsmodell darstellt, lässt sich gegenwärtig eine Multiplizierung von selbst ernannten Opfergruppen beobachten. ...
Auf der Gegenseite wurde der heterosexuelle alte weiße Mann zur ultimativen Hassfigur. Die Folgen sind alles andere als trivial. Die Idee der Gleichheit aller Bürger weicht einem identitätspolitischen Furor, der Menschen nach äußerlichen Merkmalen, sexuellen Gewohnheiten und, sofern es Muslime betrifft, auch nach Religionszugehörigkeit gliedert. ...
Mit verordneten Sprachregelungen möchte man die Bevölkerung zur Anerkennung der neu geschaffenen Realitäten nötigen und setzt damit implizit an das alte kommunistische Ideal der Erschaffung eines neuen Menschen an, der in der Diktatur des Proletariats geschmiedet werden sollte.
Auch die Meinungs-, Presse-, Kunst- und Wissenschaftsfreiheit geraten unter Druck. Verboten werden soll alles, was Lobbygruppenvertreter als verletzend empfinden könnten ...
Wenn der Westen in diesen Herausforderungen bestehen will, muss er sich auf seine Grundlagen besinnen. Es gibt weder einen Grund für Überheblichkeit noch für Selbsthass. Beides behindert die realistische Überprüfung eigener Stärken und Schwächen, die notwendig ist, um aus Fehlern zu lernen und die Zukunft des Westens zu sichern. Eines sollte dabei gewiss sein: Wer die Freiheit im Innern nicht achtet, hat nach außen nichts zu verteidigen. ..."

Zwischen Anmaßung und Selbsthass - Der Westen droht zu scheitern | Cicero Online Es gibt eine tiefe Krise der freiheitlich-demokratischen Staatenwelt. Zum einen sind viele Gesellschaften innerlich zerrissen, zum anderen herrscht eine Mischung aus Selbsthass und Hybris, die das westliche Modell In Gefahr bringt. Längst schrumpft die Zustimmung des globalen Südens. Nur wenn der Westen auch wieder seine innere Freiheit verteidigt, wird er den Gegnern begegnen können.





Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The Consolation of Philosophy

The most famous book in Western civilization most people probably have never heard of. I certainly, do not remember having come across this major literary work by Boethius!

"... It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, as well as the last great Western work of the Classical Period. ..."

The Consolation of Philosophy - Wikipedia

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

Oracle At Delphi In A Nutshell

Posted: 1/7/2020

Just watched an excellent documentary video by Michael Scott about the Oracle of Delphi: Delphi: The Bellybutton of the Ancient World (2010)

There were two crucial phrases (maxims, aphorisms) inscribed in the Temple of Apollo:
  1. Know thyself (γνῶθι σεαυτόν)
  2. Nothing to/in excess (Μηδὲν ἄγαν)

These two maxims are attributed to the Seven Sages of Greece. They pretty much sum up the famous, sage advice to be had from the oracle at Delphi.


Sources (S):

Monday, November 25, 2019

Judaic-Greco-Roman-Christian-Islamic Western Civilization

Posted: 11/25/2019

Why is Western civilization exceptional? It is the influence all five major civilizations had on Western civilization. Many intellectuals drop some of the five civilizations, but that only indicates how poorly they understand history or that they have an agenda!

I put intentionally the Judaic influence first, because it is the oldest of them and it is the only one besides Christianity still going strong today. The Hebrew calendar is currently in the year 5780.

I also included Islam here although Islam never really conquered (militarily or otherwise) Europe, but Islam was peripherally successful (e.g. Spain, Balkans). Western civilization also never adopted Islamic culture as much as the other ones. 

Nothing here is meant to diminish the gigantic achievements of other great civilizations like in Asia, China, or India. On the contrary, they also had an immense influence on Western civilization.