Psychologists Benji and Karim along with author Indi discuss internalized racism, and why it is such a major problem in the West and the rest of the world.
You are describing imperialism. Everything must be both subsumed and categorized for the benefit of the empire alone. Imperialism is by turn color blind and/or color aware, or both at the same time in contradiction (really, in the globalized context of now), according to its needs to conquer whatever needs conquering—not the expendable human individual’s needs. Empire versus the individual? This is a great discussion that needs to continue and gather the multiple and changeable contradictions. The empire both raises up and tears down the individual all the time in constant contradiction, because the individual does not matter to empire except as a conceptual tool.
Listening to Benji is good for my mood and my soul. For some unexplainable reason when Beji was taliking about the human killing aspects of capitalism, I was reminded of my own awareness of systemic propaganda. I cannot remember if it was in a classroom or just from my reading, but Erich Fromm had written an essay that deconstructed the meaning of the word freedom.
Freedom is the favorite word of the ruling class in America, because it is used like a hammer to define the status quo. Whatever life you are living, it is freedom because nobody can dictate how you live your life. And it is used to imbue the population with guilt for not caring enough about dead American soldiers who died for our freedom! It isn't rational, and it really is insultingly dumb, but when it is pronounced with conviction and force, and when it is the loudest message in the culture, it creates an echo that is the point of a propaganda campaign.
Fromm asked a simple question: Is freedom used to mean the freedom to, or the freedom from... This is a subtle interrogative with regard to the liberal embrace of the individual above the state. Individual freedom that can disrupt community or national identity, is hailed in the capitalist West, because the power isn't challenged while the thinkers who question the status quo are busy arguing with the conformists who enjoy being free.
In case I forget to mention it, this was a great, natural, HUMAN discussion! I think whatever information I took from this program, and there was a lot, the tone and the obvious care with which comments were heard and given was more impactful for my personal sense of the podcast. This reminds me that, at some point, I said to myself that China has created a society where humanists can thrive, and then I heard Benji say that he hopes to leave Europe and reside in China. I think I get it. Americans are slowly unconsciously dying from losing their humanity. It is tragic.
A couple points that I would insert. In the 1960's the Zionist LBJ was promoting civil rights for blacks, and he pushed for the establishment of Public Television, which in its early days was an effort to counter state messaging and social ignorance regarding racial division and white supremacy. On this topic, I think right-wing investment in cultural messaging cannot be underestimated. Woke and DEI were examples of strategic anti-liberal propaganda that clicked with many workers. This is multi-faceted hate messaging. "Elites tried to integrate your schools, give passes to certain people who didn't earn them, award some people for doing nothing, and now they get their backs up when you are not politically correct..." So the creeps in power want to dictate your morals!!! This crap actually resonated with the American masses. Anti elitism was the successful messaging of the elites. How ironic, and how appropriate.
Thank you Karim, for producing and directing a discussion that I was looking forward to experiencing. I could have listened for another two hours.
You are describing imperialism. Everything must be both subsumed and categorized for the benefit of the empire alone. Imperialism is by turn color blind and/or color aware, or both at the same time in contradiction (really, in the globalized context of now), according to its needs to conquer whatever needs conquering—not the expendable human individual’s needs. Empire versus the individual? This is a great discussion that needs to continue and gather the multiple and changeable contradictions. The empire both raises up and tears down the individual all the time in constant contradiction, because the individual does not matter to empire except as a conceptual tool.
Listening to Benji is good for my mood and my soul. For some unexplainable reason when Beji was taliking about the human killing aspects of capitalism, I was reminded of my own awareness of systemic propaganda. I cannot remember if it was in a classroom or just from my reading, but Erich Fromm had written an essay that deconstructed the meaning of the word freedom.
Freedom is the favorite word of the ruling class in America, because it is used like a hammer to define the status quo. Whatever life you are living, it is freedom because nobody can dictate how you live your life. And it is used to imbue the population with guilt for not caring enough about dead American soldiers who died for our freedom! It isn't rational, and it really is insultingly dumb, but when it is pronounced with conviction and force, and when it is the loudest message in the culture, it creates an echo that is the point of a propaganda campaign.
Fromm asked a simple question: Is freedom used to mean the freedom to, or the freedom from... This is a subtle interrogative with regard to the liberal embrace of the individual above the state. Individual freedom that can disrupt community or national identity, is hailed in the capitalist West, because the power isn't challenged while the thinkers who question the status quo are busy arguing with the conformists who enjoy being free.
In case I forget to mention it, this was a great, natural, HUMAN discussion! I think whatever information I took from this program, and there was a lot, the tone and the obvious care with which comments were heard and given was more impactful for my personal sense of the podcast. This reminds me that, at some point, I said to myself that China has created a society where humanists can thrive, and then I heard Benji say that he hopes to leave Europe and reside in China. I think I get it. Americans are slowly unconsciously dying from losing their humanity. It is tragic.
A couple points that I would insert. In the 1960's the Zionist LBJ was promoting civil rights for blacks, and he pushed for the establishment of Public Television, which in its early days was an effort to counter state messaging and social ignorance regarding racial division and white supremacy. On this topic, I think right-wing investment in cultural messaging cannot be underestimated. Woke and DEI were examples of strategic anti-liberal propaganda that clicked with many workers. This is multi-faceted hate messaging. "Elites tried to integrate your schools, give passes to certain people who didn't earn them, award some people for doing nothing, and now they get their backs up when you are not politically correct..." So the creeps in power want to dictate your morals!!! This crap actually resonated with the American masses. Anti elitism was the successful messaging of the elites. How ironic, and how appropriate.
Thank you Karim, for producing and directing a discussion that I was looking forward to experiencing. I could have listened for another two hours.
This one was for you
Capitalism was/is behind Nazism and Zionism.
Thank you, Sister!