°
Natural rights stem from peaceful industry and cannot be restored through war or coercive government, as these oppose the spirit of natural rights. (War or Government will not restore your rights.)
They also cannot be reinstated through settled peace and freedom, which would advance industrial and corporate dominance, further eroding natural liberty. (Peaceful will not restore your rights.)
from Robin Mackay and Armen Avanessian, #Accelerate
–
–
–
°
Jameson says parody relies on idiosyncratic style. The style is an inimitable way of moving through the world defined by a period of history, and parody can emerge only from such historical authenticity.
Modernism has dispensed with the characteristics of history via universalist flattening, thus robbing a parody of a barbed, driven imitation, leaving it as a blind, toothless mask.
Parody today is merely pastiche—dumb style with no content: “a statue with blind eyeballs”
°
Pacifism claims a moral high ground, often overlooking the historical complexities of global conflict for idealistic humanism. While noble, this moral stance frequently proves futile, especially in the absence of opposing violent forces.*
When an adversary is already contending with violence elsewhere, pacifism becomes a strategic position rather than a revolutionary one, allowing for negotiations and compromises with existing state powers that hold coercive authority. Thus, pacifism bows to violent powers to maintain an ethical stance.
* examples of pacifism prevailing occur when violence on other fronts has decimated or threatened the existing power, meaning pacifism only works when violence is actively applied in some regard.
from Ward Churchill
–
–
–
°
To reacquaint ourselves with Freudian constructs: the ego mediates between the id’s desires (lower) and the super-ego’s moral imperatives (higher).
Authoritarian figures, paradoxically, do not embody the id’s forbidden desires; instead, they act as the super-ego, compelling us to indulge in these desires under their command.
"Enjoy!"
This dynamic is what renders authoritarians obscene—they sanction the liberation of our primal urges. Campaign slogans like "Make America great again" or "stop the steal" suggest that our capacity for enjoyment has been usurped, positioning figures like Donald Trump as the super-ego who facilitates our return to a gratifying, albeit potentially deviant, state.
From Russell Sbriglia
°
Fantasies transcend mere wishes, crafting realms for emotional fulfillment sans repercussions—a rejection of acknowledged desires, a disavowal to retain approval.
Prevalent are erotically non-consensual and hero-centric fantasies, navigating the delicate balance between community esteem and clandestine gratification. These scenarios permit indulgence without the burden of consequences, focusing on pleasure while eschewing associated horrors.
Recognizing the antagonisms your fantasy ignores is to move back into reality, collapsing the escapist pleasure, the forbidden moment. Enacting your fantasy necessitates your disavowal from society as one who exercises specific deviations or perversions.
°
Fascinatingly, having no extremes (rebellions) seems less-than-human.
Being so ideally normalized that you exist without struggle or pathos is an automata parody of humanity, for there is no inner struggle, merely external alignment, a pastiche of the human condition, and yet precisely what many struggle towards. Bland contentment.
°
Considering the “binary flip,” where oppositional stances converge into their antithesis, we must remember this is not always the case.
The flip (reversal) theory says that persistent engagement with an ‘enemy’ can lead to adopting their traits. However, Zizek offers the example of the voyeur, who steals the secrets of others, and so remains secretive, yet they will never be the original party with the same motivations. Similarly, a prohibitive father or an analyst remains separate from their subjects’ desires: the “father” must not become a sex object.
Zizek reminds us that the transformation into what we oppose is not inevitable. The crux lies in differentiating “duty’s pleasure” from “pleasure’s duty,” highlighting a pivotal divergence where doing your duty may cause pleasure, but to take pleasure from your duty is to pervert it, extracting reward as pathological motivation.
from Slavoj Zizek
°
The quest for meaning or purpose is misguided.
Meaning is intertwined with intellect and rationality spawning from the mind’s attempt to comprehend. (What is the meaning of this?) In truth, what we seek is experiential.
Joseph Campbell’s advice, “Follow your bliss,” suggests that genuine meaning emerges from attentive interaction, not through logical construction.
This exemplifies the error of mistaking an outcome for an attainable objective, of intellectually fabricating a resonant motivation arising from engaging with the world. Such artificial self-development leads to dueling schizophrenic difficulties, paradoxically producing the necessity for therapeutic intervention and realignment.
°
There is a gentleness in being around people you love who love you. When profoundly content, self-regulation can soften.
This can mean we treat those we love worse: we relax our guard, and our inner asshole makes an appearance. This is all the more reason to work through your issues so you can relax when you relax.
Equally, when surrounded by loved ones without the need for competitive rivalry, we can drop politeness, sycophancy, or bitterness. Without mediating or acting out, we might slip into our best self.
°
Reciprocal treatment is why people-pleasing fails. To rely on another person for a momentary emotion (pleasure) is to externalize the internal.
Beyond that, you already have happiness any moment you choose to accept it: giving it away and expecting it to be returned without a loss is idiocy.
