Zeitgeist candidate for mayor in New Zealand

[SB_UK]

100 years ago was before the population explosion.The Internet explosion will be seen as soon as global wireless information transfer – maybe only text – becomes free.I'm surrounded by Russian and Chinese students and they chase women and consumer goods (for the most part respectively) ie there's no political philosophy evident in people from these climates – we're all (in global capitalism) pushed to be variations on Homer Simpson.The point is that human beings are a work in progress (currently evolving) and the mark of us having evolved 'll be as soon as a sizeable minority regenerate the ideas upon which TZM/SPGB are built on for themselves – at which point we'll have change.Politics will only operate in favour of this transition as 'stick' ie people running in the opposite direction of government by an elite – and it's true that there's only really 1 place to run to – which is a cross between voluntaryism, anarchy, socialism and automation.

[ALB]

SB_UK wrote:

The basic idea is that either no or all people control the power which is in the hands of the few currently.So – by none or all – we can either suggest that the world is owned by everyone equally or no-one at all.Which places responsibility for things into the hands of all or none ie 'global distribution of power' both in contrast to few.

That's not a bad way of putting it except that it will require action to dispossess the few which will inevitably be "political". Also, the support of all won't be necessary. Just of a sufficient majority, "critical mass" is the term I believe Peter Joseph uses. Once this has been attained it should be possible to dislodge the few by force of numbers and via the ballot box.

[SB_UK]

It's difficult to pursue Brian's original point re:"politics" because it's difficult to know what this term means.If politics is a simple battle to the 'death' (in which anything goes) between a couple of identical in every respect bar the colours of their ties tribal armies – where the battle is rigged and they take it in turns to win – just to keep the 'show' alive … … then that's not a place where TZM/SPGB should be. In current politics you're restricted to fiddling with capitalism – because there isn't any politician that can dismantle or extricate their nation from money – it's an option (what we desire) – which is not on the cards.Once critical mass is achieved much like the process of crystallization or the generation of a super saturated solution, the crystal will form throughout the beaker ie people will spontaneously change their minds and want the SPGB/TZM vision – because it's the only rational approach.The battle will be won without any fighting, any vote, any separation of them and us, any dislodging of a minority – there'll just be a collective desire for system without hierarchy, an end to slavery through people (by virtue of mind) overcoming the desire (evolutionary primitive desire to beat other human beings) to out compete other people.Thing is – why ever would I want to beat you ?I'd quite like you to do something creative that you enjoy that I can enjoy … … which is not what happens (in fact quite the opposite) in the current education/workplace where somebody has a gun to your head to make this term's sales figures. One eyed Jimmy is poised in the wings with his famous flick-knife approach to selling – he *always* gets his man … … and you're faling behind.Ever seen the Amazon worker schedule where they're timed per pick-up ?What a horrible robotic life people are made to live in capitalism's drive to efficiency.We don't get that year of our life back for meeting our slave driver's (nor him his) year's expectations; in fact, we can draw a link between stress and reduced longevity ie not only do you lose the year of life that you're striving towards some pointless goal – but your 'bonus' is to have another few months shaved off life expectancy through the stress of (in effect) running for survival.Stress is meant to be encountered for a few seconds every so often when we see a hungry lion and hide … … we were never meant (designed) to live under chronic stress. It's a bit like noticing that a car with its accelerator floored travels less distance than someone travelling at a leisurely 56 mph on the motorway.

[SB_UK]

SO – to return to Brian's point and this thread – there's no point in SPGB and TZM engaging in what people call the political process in this world – the best possible thing we could do – is help to synthesize human knowleddge into documentaries, an encyclopaedia so people can see that we can't go on as we are currently … …. and that the major obstacle that we need to get over is an irrational desire for it all (materialism expressed as capitalism) when we can (actually) have it all if we share.So – sharing offers what capitalism promises but can't deliver – you can have it all and the premise we operate from is that you have it all – and your job is to make more of it.This is the process of creativity and is what the evolutionary (back to Brian's point again) process delivers.From Big Bang to the present time and beyond – we've seen the rearrangement of whatever's here into more than was there before … … we need to align ourselves with the natural science/divine/natural process of creativity and not destruction – which capitalism FORCES.This pattern can be seen to occur in art – where that which we create is mirrored by increasing complexity (to appreciate art) of neural structures (cerebellar) within our own heads.So – back to the idea that we're entering an Age of Quality (of sensory experience) where the goal is to be creative and to develop creative sensing machinery (the actual neural structures required to appreciate beauty) as an evolutionary expression of the underlying process of creation/evolution towards increasing informational entropy (a more complex Universe).

[SB_UK]

Now more simply – and as described earlier in this thread.Politics (tends towards an argument between the poor and rich in terms of dollar worth)gives way toScience (a worldview which teaches us that materialism (dollar worth) is an anachronism and is what we're attempting to transcend not become arrested/addicted in)gives way toArt (creative individuals (not workers) developing personal quality) in all areas of human expertise from the elegance of programming to the elegance of a roof top ecosystem of herbs which add spice to your life.Love the word 'elegance'.

[SB_UK]

So SPGB/TZM stands for an evolutionary change in man.From deriving reward from materialism (ie having stuff which we can point at) to deriving personal reward from appreciating quality (ie educating neural networks within the cortex and cerebellum which define what it is to be 'you' and which we can't really point at in any meaningful way).Achieving personal quality cannot be demonstrated other than through being creative.It's not like the dolts of capitalism – who're able to buy a t-shirt which states 'high quality individual here' and then watch on as their fellow dolts of capitalism are taken in, and who incidentally rush to buy XL t-shirts bearing the same logo – just to make the (in fact, opposite) point.

[SocialistPunk]

SB_UKYou haven't adressed one of the questions I put to you about your ideas. What have Chinese and Russian students in the UK got to do with the question I asked you about the former Soviet Union and China being the result of thinking people who rejected socialism in favour of a dictatorship? And what of the thinking inteligent people who reject the WSM/SPGB ideas as fantasy, yet continue on with the tinkering of the political and economic landscape of today?The WSM/SPGB reject the politics of capitalism as being useless for the majority of people. We are not interested in attaining power over anyone.All you seem to be saying is that we will get there in the end, yet fail to provide any consistent, organised means to this glorious elegant end. In fact that is the idea regarding TZM I am getting from other members of this forum, a great idea (pretty much the same as WSM socialism) but lacking any consistency.

[alanjjohnstone]

Hypothetical question SB_UKIf there is no chapter of Zeitgeist within easy travelling for you but there is an SPGB branch, would you contemplate attending the SPGB meetings and supporting it materially?  Or would you consider the differences between us too far apart to reconcile that you would maintain your distance?

[Author]

Posts