I think there is an argument to be made that, you can’t. A civilization (or barbarity) is going to tell the stories it wants told and propagate those. There is no effective counter but reality itself. No force of counter storytelling will have any effect on this.
Deprivation will. War will. As always, when these lead to destruction of the storytelling apparatus of those in power, and those in power themselves, and replacement by others, with other stories to tell.
When those in power and their stories become too retarded, too asinine, yet continue to hold sway over a population of retards, even as they sink into starvation, one can only hope for the end, not for reversal, not for improvement
We're going to have to ride this bastard to the end, and will just have to keep the faith and try to minimize damage and preserve what we can in the meantime.
But I'll still read Dostoevsky and compose shitty nocturnes.
By creating and doing we cultivate culture. Today culture is global. 100 years ago it was European.
I think though the bigger problem is if you wish the absence of a felt need to be intelligent outside the office. Yes some attend the Symphony as a virtue signal and the Symphony in turn to draw the audience performs movie scores. The Opera the same-virtue signal and nothing too challenging. Theater the same. Ballet of course is pure spectacle so here the audience comes to enjoy the movement.
I worked in the book business for a few years as a clerk and as a book buyer. One book store where I worked as buyer was in a mall.
I was sold books by the cover not content. We had a warehouse in San Mateo county where we would go to pull books I did not buy. The interesting observation was for me what interested the average buyer. Many parents bought kids books-not my area of responsibility-and NYT bestsellers, or genre titles. Rarely, but now and then other titles. Remainder books were used to hook customers into the store.
The interesting thing is our modern educated reader has no time to read.
They are busy reading professionally.
So for mental relaxation bubble gum books as escape.
I am forced to say the democratization of the arts is a kind of Gresham's law where bad drives out good. And the high cost of art to produce coupled with so many other options to put money into creates a democratization.
Many interesting threads here. I agree that we somehow have to recover creative agency, but when everyone and his dog are passive consumers being drip-fed dopamine through digitized entertainment, that's a pretty tall order.
Of course, your reflections on how work-related activity crowds out any space for reflection and leisured thinking is key here. Even leisured consumption is now harvested as productive activity - you're training algorithms when you shop for clothes on e-bay.
Just to counteract this point a bit: there’s a trend in the youngest generation currently (Alpha?) that are starting to reject the constant screen time, the manipulative beast of social media. They’re into textile things like collecting Pokémon cards and like going camping for days. I see my kids choose a day at the beach over TV and they grew up with the iPad... by not limiting their exposure to the Devil, they bore with it easy and are leaving it being. Not to say they aren’t playing video games or watching TikTok. But I used to spend a lot more time trying to beat Bowser than they are shooting each other on Fortnite. The pendulum always swings back whether for good or for bad. The universe craves balance. So I have hope. They look to me to be a bit more punk rock than the last couple of generations of ass lickers. Being a rebel is coming back in style.
Thanks for this. It seems... Appropriate, somehow. As you imply, one probably should expect some counter-motion from the wellsprings of the human spirit to emerge in this way.
I really like you. I’m off-grid, self-taught in manual arts and music and I have little to offer your piece but to say I’m with you guys n the quiet revolution not being televised and we will always be here
Thanks man. Honestly much appreciated. And always heartening to hear about people like you, I'm at the moment preparing the old family farm for some modicum of self-sufficiency, and it's actually surprisingly doable.
It's a lot of work but it is how to live for me. I come in to the city to see relatives once in a while and the physical dependencies are stunning. There will always be a place for weed species as they are the toughest. May you dodge the spray and anchor in the pavement on your return to awareness of Self as I hope to.
I think there is an argument to be made that, you can’t. A civilization (or barbarity) is going to tell the stories it wants told and propagate those. There is no effective counter but reality itself. No force of counter storytelling will have any effect on this.
Deprivation will. War will. As always, when these lead to destruction of the storytelling apparatus of those in power, and those in power themselves, and replacement by others, with other stories to tell.
When those in power and their stories become too retarded, too asinine, yet continue to hold sway over a population of retards, even as they sink into starvation, one can only hope for the end, not for reversal, not for improvement
Yeah. I think you're right. Unfortunately.
We're going to have to ride this bastard to the end, and will just have to keep the faith and try to minimize damage and preserve what we can in the meantime.
But I'll still read Dostoevsky and compose shitty nocturnes.
Yes preserve what we can, somehow
Excellent post. In my childhood I too was a reader and renegade and never grew up.
I'm not surprised. :)
What's your perspective on how to reclaim art and literature in this digitized era? How do we do it?
We must be makers. We have to create.
By creating and doing we cultivate culture. Today culture is global. 100 years ago it was European.
I think though the bigger problem is if you wish the absence of a felt need to be intelligent outside the office. Yes some attend the Symphony as a virtue signal and the Symphony in turn to draw the audience performs movie scores. The Opera the same-virtue signal and nothing too challenging. Theater the same. Ballet of course is pure spectacle so here the audience comes to enjoy the movement.
I worked in the book business for a few years as a clerk and as a book buyer. One book store where I worked as buyer was in a mall.
I was sold books by the cover not content. We had a warehouse in San Mateo county where we would go to pull books I did not buy. The interesting observation was for me what interested the average buyer. Many parents bought kids books-not my area of responsibility-and NYT bestsellers, or genre titles. Rarely, but now and then other titles. Remainder books were used to hook customers into the store.
The interesting thing is our modern educated reader has no time to read.
They are busy reading professionally.
So for mental relaxation bubble gum books as escape.
I am forced to say the democratization of the arts is a kind of Gresham's law where bad drives out good. And the high cost of art to produce coupled with so many other options to put money into creates a democratization.
Many interesting threads here. I agree that we somehow have to recover creative agency, but when everyone and his dog are passive consumers being drip-fed dopamine through digitized entertainment, that's a pretty tall order.
Of course, your reflections on how work-related activity crowds out any space for reflection and leisured thinking is key here. Even leisured consumption is now harvested as productive activity - you're training algorithms when you shop for clothes on e-bay.
Just to counteract this point a bit: there’s a trend in the youngest generation currently (Alpha?) that are starting to reject the constant screen time, the manipulative beast of social media. They’re into textile things like collecting Pokémon cards and like going camping for days. I see my kids choose a day at the beach over TV and they grew up with the iPad... by not limiting their exposure to the Devil, they bore with it easy and are leaving it being. Not to say they aren’t playing video games or watching TikTok. But I used to spend a lot more time trying to beat Bowser than they are shooting each other on Fortnite. The pendulum always swings back whether for good or for bad. The universe craves balance. So I have hope. They look to me to be a bit more punk rock than the last couple of generations of ass lickers. Being a rebel is coming back in style.
Thanks for this. It seems... Appropriate, somehow. As you imply, one probably should expect some counter-motion from the wellsprings of the human spirit to emerge in this way.
I really like you. I’m off-grid, self-taught in manual arts and music and I have little to offer your piece but to say I’m with you guys n the quiet revolution not being televised and we will always be here
Thanks man. Honestly much appreciated. And always heartening to hear about people like you, I'm at the moment preparing the old family farm for some modicum of self-sufficiency, and it's actually surprisingly doable.
It's a lot of work but it is how to live for me. I come in to the city to see relatives once in a while and the physical dependencies are stunning. There will always be a place for weed species as they are the toughest. May you dodge the spray and anchor in the pavement on your return to awareness of Self as I hope to.
Peace.
Spot on. 👌