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newbiecrusader
Guest
Let me know of your thoughts.
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Do you think the government is taking the opportunity of todays situation to fully take control of the society?
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redbetta
Guest
Which government? We aren’t all Americans here.
Anyway, there are too many systematic barriers built into the US governing system for the US government to take advantage of what isn’t even close to the worst crisis in our history for complete takeover.
Anyway, there are too many systematic barriers built into the US governing system for the US government to take advantage of what isn’t even close to the worst crisis in our history for complete takeover.
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dochawk
Guest
???
One of the sources of flack for trump is not taking over control . . .
One of the sources of flack for trump is not taking over control . . .
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puer.dei
Guest
No, I don’t.
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StudentMI
Guest
I don’t know if I’d go that far, but this economist named Robert Higgs described what he calls the ratchet effect, where during an emergency the government assumes control over a lot of society and the economy. After the emergency the government scales back, but never to the same lower level as before. I believe that will happen in this instance.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I think not.
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Convert3
Guest
No. It won’t.
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JanR
Guest
This has been in the back of my mind – how much of this is going to be temporary?
When this crisis has passed, how many of these restrictions will actually be lifted, and to what extent?
Will everyone be forced to do all their banking, shopping, medical contacting and everything else exclusively online with no more in-person visits to banks, stores or clinics, and no more public in-person interactions of any kind? Even when it’s once again safe to do so?
Some of us don’t feel safe doing our business online, and aren’t set up for it to begin with. Once this pandemic is over, will the government continue to dictate to us how we can and can’t go about our day-to-day business and personal activities?
What about getting out to vote? Will we only be allowed to do that online, from now on? Will even the postal service be eliminated, so people can no longer mail in their ballots?
Will laws be passed that will keep everyone permanently isolated? (Divide and conquer comes to mind.)
It’s happens so often that once “temporary” measures are imposed to address a critical situation, at least some of those measures tend to become permanent. And once laws are passed that are supposed to “temporarily” address an immediate crisis, those laws tend to remain on the books indefinitely, long after their purpose has expired.
Yes, I do fear that an already over-reaching government will sink its claws even further into our lives after this pandemic has passed, and won’t ever let go.
I fear many more of our freedoms and choices will be further limited, or even eliminated completely – even when there’s no longer any need for it.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely – and the goal of so much of government today is to obtain and keep absolute power. This pandemic offers the perfect opportunity for that, and when it’s over, I fear they’re not going to relinquish much of it, and may impose much more.
I see the handwriting on the wall, and what is says has me cringing.
When this crisis has passed, how many of these restrictions will actually be lifted, and to what extent?
Will everyone be forced to do all their banking, shopping, medical contacting and everything else exclusively online with no more in-person visits to banks, stores or clinics, and no more public in-person interactions of any kind? Even when it’s once again safe to do so?
Some of us don’t feel safe doing our business online, and aren’t set up for it to begin with. Once this pandemic is over, will the government continue to dictate to us how we can and can’t go about our day-to-day business and personal activities?
What about getting out to vote? Will we only be allowed to do that online, from now on? Will even the postal service be eliminated, so people can no longer mail in their ballots?
Will laws be passed that will keep everyone permanently isolated? (Divide and conquer comes to mind.)
It’s happens so often that once “temporary” measures are imposed to address a critical situation, at least some of those measures tend to become permanent. And once laws are passed that are supposed to “temporarily” address an immediate crisis, those laws tend to remain on the books indefinitely, long after their purpose has expired.
Yes, I do fear that an already over-reaching government will sink its claws even further into our lives after this pandemic has passed, and won’t ever let go.
I fear many more of our freedoms and choices will be further limited, or even eliminated completely – even when there’s no longer any need for it.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely – and the goal of so much of government today is to obtain and keep absolute power. This pandemic offers the perfect opportunity for that, and when it’s over, I fear they’re not going to relinquish much of it, and may impose much more.
I see the handwriting on the wall, and what is says has me cringing.
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Convert3
Guest
I don’t worry about that yet. If they get rid of the second amendment, watch out!
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JanR
Guest
They’re trying very hard to do just that. If they fully succeed, we shall only have heaven to help us!
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RepetantCatholic
Guest
Well, I don’t know. I’m not an alarmist, but as American growing up in the eighties and nineties I see a subtly controlled society. By that I mean, the youth don’t really have a voice or a youth culture outside of video games. How do I explain it?
The Tao Te Ching is a work of philosophy by Lao Tzu and it’s pretty authoritarian as opposed to Confucian philosophy, which it opposed. One of the lines I remember most is, “keep the peasants heads empty and their bellies filled.” OK, so what does that mean? That means don’t invest in things like education or awareness and keep the peasants as ignorant as possible while being certain they are working to be kept fed.
OK, I kind of see American Society like that right around 2005. When I look at things like the Late Night scene (Jimmy Fallon, Stephan Colbert and the rest) or SNL it isn’t edgy or counter-culture like it was back then. It tends to be infantile and juvenile, things like carpool karaoke. All this stuff way back when was counter-culture and I think most of the stuff on there wouldn’t make it on mass media today. That’s why again it was in the middle of the night, because most of it couldn’t be aired during prime time. It was mature counter culture.
Then when I look at the movie scene and the music scene, there is really nothing appealing about it. Nothing counter-culture or critical of culture or expansive. It’s the same old same old Comic Book Movies, Disney Flicks, War Movies yada, yada, yada. Everything from Rock to Hip Hop is essentially ambient music with no clear message or counter-culture response. No, rallying the youth or particular message.
Then when it comes to Cable News and News in general, it is yellow journalism and full of sensation. But what Cable News doesn’t confront is what the Average American is going through across the country. They’ll report on Trump, the Stock Market, and Covid but they won’t report on the Opiod Epidemic, Meth and general Drug Epidemic. So, drug use, alcohol use plus mental health issues leading to suicide are one of the leading causes of death in America, but it doesn’t make the media.
Again, so I sense the American Public has a general sense of fear and discontentment that goes unreported or unaddressed by media. It’s censored. So, was I surprised in a large scale response in toilet paper hoarding. Yes. But in retrospect, it just shows the egg shells Americans have been walking on for a long period of time. When I heard 3 Million Job Loss, OK, those were 3 Million Americans whose jobs were never safe to begin with and they probably knew it. It’s not like the skilled trades or high skilled work which can whether a shut down of a few weeks; it’s hire or fire without notice and only when needed. No American wants to live that way. Hence, the mass hysteria with hoarding and toilet paper hoarding.
The Tao Te Ching is a work of philosophy by Lao Tzu and it’s pretty authoritarian as opposed to Confucian philosophy, which it opposed. One of the lines I remember most is, “keep the peasants heads empty and their bellies filled.” OK, so what does that mean? That means don’t invest in things like education or awareness and keep the peasants as ignorant as possible while being certain they are working to be kept fed.
OK, I kind of see American Society like that right around 2005. When I look at things like the Late Night scene (Jimmy Fallon, Stephan Colbert and the rest) or SNL it isn’t edgy or counter-culture like it was back then. It tends to be infantile and juvenile, things like carpool karaoke. All this stuff way back when was counter-culture and I think most of the stuff on there wouldn’t make it on mass media today. That’s why again it was in the middle of the night, because most of it couldn’t be aired during prime time. It was mature counter culture.
Then when I look at the movie scene and the music scene, there is really nothing appealing about it. Nothing counter-culture or critical of culture or expansive. It’s the same old same old Comic Book Movies, Disney Flicks, War Movies yada, yada, yada. Everything from Rock to Hip Hop is essentially ambient music with no clear message or counter-culture response. No, rallying the youth or particular message.
Then when it comes to Cable News and News in general, it is yellow journalism and full of sensation. But what Cable News doesn’t confront is what the Average American is going through across the country. They’ll report on Trump, the Stock Market, and Covid but they won’t report on the Opiod Epidemic, Meth and general Drug Epidemic. So, drug use, alcohol use plus mental health issues leading to suicide are one of the leading causes of death in America, but it doesn’t make the media.
Again, so I sense the American Public has a general sense of fear and discontentment that goes unreported or unaddressed by media. It’s censored. So, was I surprised in a large scale response in toilet paper hoarding. Yes. But in retrospect, it just shows the egg shells Americans have been walking on for a long period of time. When I heard 3 Million Job Loss, OK, those were 3 Million Americans whose jobs were never safe to begin with and they probably knew it. It’s not like the skilled trades or high skilled work which can whether a shut down of a few weeks; it’s hire or fire without notice and only when needed. No American wants to live that way. Hence, the mass hysteria with hoarding and toilet paper hoarding.
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RepetantCatholic
Guest
In concluding, if there is authoritarianism at play it’s not the Orwellian 1984 kind of authoritarianism. It’s more of a, Lao Tzu approach. Let’s keep everyone ignorant, keep the media showing happy stories, let’s make everyone feel that everything is safe, let’s not allow a negative message or art, and let’s make sure the people keep consuming and keep working even if reasonably the conditions aren’t the best.
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crenfro
Guest
The 1st thought that hit me when I heard that the size of gatherings would be limited was “doesn’t this go against the Bill of Rights?”
As to a govt. to “fully” take control, I think that’s impossible.
I don’t think our govt. is clever enough to take control like that, and I don’t think anyone has opportunistically prepared for this unexpected situation, so, no, would be my answer.
My two cents!
As to a govt. to “fully” take control, I think that’s impossible.
I don’t think our govt. is clever enough to take control like that, and I don’t think anyone has opportunistically prepared for this unexpected situation, so, no, would be my answer.
My two cents!
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JanR
Guest
The practice of dumbing down America has been going on for quite awhile. Just look at our school systems. Indoctrination and brain washing disguised as diversity in education. It’s one thing to learn about other cultures, and quite another to slant that learning in a biased direction.
Political correctness is another example. Folks here are indeed having to walk on eggshells. Everything from the words we use to the costumes we dress up in is now governed by political correctness. WHOSE politics?
Big tech is also in on the act. Censoring speech from people they disagree with while allowing it from folks who conform to their ideology. And doing it in the name of user rules, even when the rules aren’t technically being violated. WHO gets to decide this?
Folks, we’ve been on a slippery slope for a very long time.
Political correctness is another example. Folks here are indeed having to walk on eggshells. Everything from the words we use to the costumes we dress up in is now governed by political correctness. WHOSE politics?
Big tech is also in on the act. Censoring speech from people they disagree with while allowing it from folks who conform to their ideology. And doing it in the name of user rules, even when the rules aren’t technically being violated. WHO gets to decide this?
Folks, we’ve been on a slippery slope for a very long time.
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
Or like the Roman bread-and-circuses.
But to be fair, the dumbing down of society was decades in the making, with Government and Hollywood in collusion…
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Daisy
Guest
At OP;
Who knows? Maybe China created it to eliminate a large percentage of their large elderly population in order to balance their smaller, younger generation and stabilize their economy. Yikes. If their government is capable of maki g a one child policy, they’re capable of doing something like this. Idk
Afa the usa government, the beauty is that there are a lot of different players. I dont think anyone knows what will happen. We can be sure of one thing. Inflation.
Who knows? Maybe China created it to eliminate a large percentage of their large elderly population in order to balance their smaller, younger generation and stabilize their economy. Yikes. If their government is capable of maki g a one child policy, they’re capable of doing something like this. Idk
Afa the usa government, the beauty is that there are a lot of different players. I dont think anyone knows what will happen. We can be sure of one thing. Inflation.
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Salibi
Guest
Hello,
Non-American here-just wanted some clarification on what you mean by “slanting that learning in a biased direction.” I don’t think you mean American schools are teaching students to adopt another culture?
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JanR
Guest
What I really meant was that while it’s good to learn about other cultures in our schools, and indeed we should, there are attempts at indoctrination in our educational systems, based largely on what is considered politically correct and done in the name of diversity. I was referring to education in America – at the college level, especially, but way before that, even. Politics has entered our classrooms, and it isn’t just confined to political science classes. And it often isn’t wholly objective, either.JanR:
Hello,
Non-American here-just wanted some clarification on what you mean by “slanting that learning in a biased direction.” I don’t think you mean American schools are teaching students to adopt another culture?
Often, if a student expresses a point of view that’s contrary to that of the teacher or professor, regardless of its validity, that student sometimes suffers academically. The student is sometimes given a lower grade not based on the quality of his or her work, or his or her intelligence, but rather based on pre-established bias and an expectation of conformity. There is no longer tolerance of open debate where multiple sides of an issue are welcomed to be presented.
That’s really all I was saying – that the dumbing down of America begins in the classroom, and political correctness takes precedent over independent thinking, which once was encouraged, but no more.
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