I rarely listen to or watch anything more than once, but I was busy while listening to this and from what I gleaned with half my attention was interesting enough for a second undivided attention listen.
Certainly agree that soft living circa mid-1950's has led to 4 generations growing up to expect comfort and happiness as a right, with each successive generation growing softer and more comfortable. Does not bode well for the harder times that are inevitably coming.
The hard left is intent on trying to sublimate the differences between male and female, and of course they would. Taking the fight out of males and reducing/condemning the nurturing characteristics of women results in fewer families and children. Getting our children out of government schools is essential. Wresting our culture from the claws of progressivism is a fight worth waging.
Really enjoy the Wonderland dialogs between you two Martians.
It's a real problem. Vitality requires stimulation via challenge, danger, hardship ... technology removes that, makes life too easy, and then dissipates the very vital energies that made the technological development possible in the first place.
It's probably not a cycle that can be permanently interrupted, but we can certainly take measures to ameliorate it. This is partly why I find the Greeks so fascinating. They explicitly saw themselves as the happy medium between soft civilization and barbarian vitality, and tried to organize their culture so as to maintain that. America had this, almost by accident, until recently, but it's largely been lost now.
Feb 7, 2023·edited Feb 7, 2023Liked by John Carter
I agree on Jay's formulation on Molly Millions' except for one point. Her shaded/shielded eyes do indeed guard the windows of her soul, but also function to express that she still has one to guard. Despite (or because of?) all the trauma, Molly at the observer/agent/soul level is still a creature of God who wants to find the path into the higher reality. She and Johnny naively immanentize this abstract urge to escape horror in their imaginations (e.g. "retirement," "Europe"), but it's the urge that counts. The shades in her case are to keep the light in, not out.
I think that's exactly correct. Like the whole of her personality, the mirror-shades are fundamentally a defensive measure against an intolerably brutal and ruthlessly inhuman situation.
Very interesting show, will listen for a second time. Concerning the well known cycle of hard times create strong men etc, I believe that this is not just a phenomenon occurring because of less stimulation and hardship but mainly a biological one. The good times and material wealth result in the procreation of the less well adapted, causing the decline of a society. Also foreign immigration usually takes place in this part of the cycle, diluting the founding population. The duration of the cycle in which the population possesses vitality can in theory thus be stretched by making sure the well adapted procreate in a larger amount than the not well adapted. This was something the spartans and most other greek citystates did.
Another interesting phenomenon concerning this cycle in our current society is the decrease in child mortality. This used to be somewhere above 30% for most of human history, but is currently below 1% in civilized countries. Maybe this could shorten the duration of the current cycle, and exacerbate the coming 'hard times'.
Yes, cultural norms encouraging eugenic breeding can certainly ameliorate, and perhaps even reverse the trend. Sadly eugenics has such a bad name for itself that our culture has actively embraced dysgenics, which is contributing to the decline.
A marked improvement week to week. Still gonzo, still crazy smart, but working together more, tighter in structure, a more steady flow.
I get your point about Sparta. It makes me think of the vision quest, which is an ordeal, it is difficult, it is painful. It is not just the Vision Quest, it is the process getting there, the preparation, turning a boy into a man. Modern consumerism is wicked genius, weakening the rabble, no revolution comes from such a people.
Also, that wasn't a fight, that was an argument (you probably won), even if my country is more likely to spawn a king who would invade yours..
I like to use hyperbole for effect. 'John & Jay mildly disagree': 'Come watch this BRUTAL CAGE MATCH!'
Vision quests are more like coming of age rituals, which are absolutely crucial (actually I've been playing with this concept in my head for a story....) What we were getting at here is more laying the foundation. Before the kid can be sent off to confront the wilderness, he has to be hardened and prepared.
Send most kids these days on a traditional 3-day vision quest, they would fold in about 8 minutes. That is not as much a critique of kids as of the culture.
Once you guys really get your grove I imagine the cage match will get quite a bit more lively...
John, Lol. I have changed computers and have no idea how to link back into Deimos Station. And there seems to be no instructions anywhere. Help appreciated.
I rarely listen to or watch anything more than once, but I was busy while listening to this and from what I gleaned with half my attention was interesting enough for a second undivided attention listen.
Certainly agree that soft living circa mid-1950's has led to 4 generations growing up to expect comfort and happiness as a right, with each successive generation growing softer and more comfortable. Does not bode well for the harder times that are inevitably coming.
The hard left is intent on trying to sublimate the differences between male and female, and of course they would. Taking the fight out of males and reducing/condemning the nurturing characteristics of women results in fewer families and children. Getting our children out of government schools is essential. Wresting our culture from the claws of progressivism is a fight worth waging.
Really enjoy the Wonderland dialogs between you two Martians.
It's a real problem. Vitality requires stimulation via challenge, danger, hardship ... technology removes that, makes life too easy, and then dissipates the very vital energies that made the technological development possible in the first place.
It's probably not a cycle that can be permanently interrupted, but we can certainly take measures to ameliorate it. This is partly why I find the Greeks so fascinating. They explicitly saw themselves as the happy medium between soft civilization and barbarian vitality, and tried to organize their culture so as to maintain that. America had this, almost by accident, until recently, but it's largely been lost now.
I agree on Jay's formulation on Molly Millions' except for one point. Her shaded/shielded eyes do indeed guard the windows of her soul, but also function to express that she still has one to guard. Despite (or because of?) all the trauma, Molly at the observer/agent/soul level is still a creature of God who wants to find the path into the higher reality. She and Johnny naively immanentize this abstract urge to escape horror in their imaginations (e.g. "retirement," "Europe"), but it's the urge that counts. The shades in her case are to keep the light in, not out.
I think that's exactly correct. Like the whole of her personality, the mirror-shades are fundamentally a defensive measure against an intolerably brutal and ruthlessly inhuman situation.
Hey, if anyone here knows about sunglasses it's me.
Ironically, once loosed he could never let her go. Athena as a contract killer.
Great show, gents! Only about a quarter of the way in, but I really dig the conversational rhythm you're developing/refining.
BUT, BEWARE!
If you keep invoking my name, I might suddenly appear mid-sentence in a puff of smoke, like a demon from one of those urban myths.
Wintermark, the ghost in the machine. I knew that Russian ICE was a bad idea.
Very interesting show, will listen for a second time. Concerning the well known cycle of hard times create strong men etc, I believe that this is not just a phenomenon occurring because of less stimulation and hardship but mainly a biological one. The good times and material wealth result in the procreation of the less well adapted, causing the decline of a society. Also foreign immigration usually takes place in this part of the cycle, diluting the founding population. The duration of the cycle in which the population possesses vitality can in theory thus be stretched by making sure the well adapted procreate in a larger amount than the not well adapted. This was something the spartans and most other greek citystates did.
Another interesting phenomenon concerning this cycle in our current society is the decrease in child mortality. This used to be somewhere above 30% for most of human history, but is currently below 1% in civilized countries. Maybe this could shorten the duration of the current cycle, and exacerbate the coming 'hard times'.
Yes, cultural norms encouraging eugenic breeding can certainly ameliorate, and perhaps even reverse the trend. Sadly eugenics has such a bad name for itself that our culture has actively embraced dysgenics, which is contributing to the decline.
A marked improvement week to week. Still gonzo, still crazy smart, but working together more, tighter in structure, a more steady flow.
I get your point about Sparta. It makes me think of the vision quest, which is an ordeal, it is difficult, it is painful. It is not just the Vision Quest, it is the process getting there, the preparation, turning a boy into a man. Modern consumerism is wicked genius, weakening the rabble, no revolution comes from such a people.
Also, that wasn't a fight, that was an argument (you probably won), even if my country is more likely to spawn a king who would invade yours..
Thanks, man!
I like to use hyperbole for effect. 'John & Jay mildly disagree': 'Come watch this BRUTAL CAGE MATCH!'
Vision quests are more like coming of age rituals, which are absolutely crucial (actually I've been playing with this concept in my head for a story....) What we were getting at here is more laying the foundation. Before the kid can be sent off to confront the wilderness, he has to be hardened and prepared.
Send most kids these days on a traditional 3-day vision quest, they would fold in about 8 minutes. That is not as much a critique of kids as of the culture.
Once you guys really get your grove I imagine the cage match will get quite a bit more lively...
John, Lol. I have changed computers and have no idea how to link back into Deimos Station. And there seems to be no instructions anywhere. Help appreciated.
Just emailed you the link, let me know if you didn't get it.