tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post6022137065509912138..comments2024-03-26T16:03:42.608-06:00Comments on Flares into Darkness: A New Beginning?ambisinistralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836786826294202405noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-58035206114840558792007-06-10T08:37:00.000-06:002007-06-10T08:37:00.000-06:00Rick,And I spoke a little too quickly about shame ...Rick,<BR/><BR/>And I spoke a little too quickly about shame and the individual. Certainly shame is used in very collectivist or group-oriented societies to maintain "harmony" (e.g., Japan). I think that the New Ageism is partly an attempt to "keep" many of the things we like about individuality while having the "benefits" of the collective (We are Borg).<BR/><BR/>Tantalus wants to have it all, even if he doesn't know what that is.<BR/><BR/>Should AGW really be a problem, I still expect some basic American pragmatism to arrive in the picture, as it generally does at some point--imperfect but perfectly acceptable solutions. It will be disappointing to the hard core Gaia-philes, because they have a wholly different agenda. But there ain't one thing they are gonna be able to do about it.Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-23965393245729016272007-06-09T19:04:00.000-06:002007-06-09T19:04:00.000-06:00MHA,It's gonna take a lot more effort to get me to...MHA,<BR/><BR/>It's gonna take a lot more effort to get me to the 'shame' part. I'd say more but I have to follow up a lead on a supercharger that's guaranteed to work with the dual 4-barrels I just had installed...Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-89719260931894968372007-06-09T17:51:00.000-06:002007-06-09T17:51:00.000-06:00As Offworld pointed out to me, carbon-dioxide emis...As Offworld pointed out to me, carbon-dioxide emission is the new "sex". We all do it and are made to feel guilt and shame for our completely natural and unavoidable behavior.MeaninglessHotAirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11767916621253839341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-6542628889869361592007-06-09T16:56:00.000-06:002007-06-09T16:56:00.000-06:00Barry,It takes a neologism like 'ideotheology' to ...Barry,<BR/><BR/>It takes a neologism like 'ideotheology' to encompass a few more facets of what's going on. I relate your comment, "each person is supposed to be "god" too" to MHA's excellent post on self-actualization. The 'individualist' component is elevated, so that a gesture of futility, say, recycling, is a positive act of faith while anything to do with CO2 emmissions is a sin, but really a "we're all responsible" collective sin. The "collective pride" bit comes into play through the acknowledgement of collective guilt to be accompanied by advocacy for the elimination of either plastic or paper bags (depending upon the denomination) or attaching a "Save the Earth" sticker to the bumper of the beater driven to show "solidariety with the people". The New Ager may just be a manifestation of gnosticism. Secret and hidden "knowledge", available only to the elect, is rather endemic to both branchs.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure that Tantulus even knows what he's reaching for anymore.<BR/><BR/>If we could just get the true believers to agree to commit to a 'No Personal CO2 Emission Day', a lot of problems would resolve themselves rather quickly.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-13670713661018133142007-06-09T08:32:00.000-06:002007-06-09T08:32:00.000-06:00thanks, Skook. Pride goeth before the fall.thanks, Skook. Pride goeth before the fall.Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-62641181986558152122007-06-09T08:31:00.000-06:002007-06-09T08:31:00.000-06:00RickI understand what you are getting at and it is...Rick<BR/><BR/>I understand what you are getting at and it is onto something but...<BR/><BR/>There is a lot of shame attached to the enviro movement. Each of us are supposed to feel shame. And while there are attempts to rhetorically diffuse the responsibility, each person is supposed to be "god" too. I think that there is a different kind of problem built in to this movement. It is trying to square the circle of socialism with new ageism. And the New Age tries to retain many properties of individuality, while having the collectivist whole feel-good stuff. I think even many proponents of soft proponents of the Gaia stuff will ultimately not like losing the individuality. But your point is realy good and well worth pondering.Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-84066857677928978462007-06-08T17:35:00.000-06:002007-06-08T17:35:00.000-06:00"Forgive me, Gaia, for I have sinned."Nope - that ...<I>"Forgive me, Gaia, for I have sinned."</I><BR/><BR/>Nope - that clearly states a personal responsibility. A central tenet of socia... er Gaiaism is that the individual has no personal responsibility for <I>anything</I>. Every individual is merely a product of their environment and everyone <I>knows</I> that the Dark Forces control all aspects of the environment.<BR/><BR/>I think the proper wording might be "Forgive us Gaia, for allowing THEM to sin."<BR/><BR/>With that formulation the rationale for the necessary reeducation camps is firmly established.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-33293016341584115082007-06-08T09:08:00.000-06:002007-06-08T09:08:00.000-06:00Excellent post. In his speech to Congress, Czech ...Excellent post. <BR/><BR/>In his <A = _BLANK HREF="http://www.vaclavklaus.cz/klaus2/asp/clanek.asp?id=IgDUIjFzEXAz" REL="nofollow">speech</A> to Congress, Czech president Vaclav Klaus said <I>This excessive human pride – just as the previous attempts – cannot but fail. The world is a complex and complicated system that cannot be organized according to an environmentalist human design, without repeating the tragic experience of wasting resources, suppressing people’s freedom, and destroying the prosperity of the whole human society.</I><BR/><BR/>Most of us know this. Yet the impetus to do so remains, as it has for the past 50 years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com