How is the Church going to cope with the transition to a post-capitalist society?

[Anomaly]

too much free time, 

too much self loathing, 

too much pointless education, 

[Era Might]

2 hours ago, Anomaly said:

too much free time, 

too much self loathing, 

too much pointless education, 

God forbid anybody has free time to think about useless stuff. I know you're so busy mastering the free market with your pointful education. One wonders how you find time to see everything I post and make a pointless comment about it. Cuz you're so busy being productive and positive and stuff.

Go find somebody else to troll. I ain't the one. K sweetheart?

Edited March 31, 2017 by Era Might

[Anomaly]

Not trolling. Just lack of self discipline to refrain from voicing derision at the seriously sincere and depressive wacky doodle.  

Cheer up, and look for lady bugs today for a change. 

[Era Might]

1 hour ago, Anomaly said:

Not trolling. Just lack of self discipline to refrain from voicing derision at the seriously sincere and depressive wacky doodle.  

Cheer up, and look for lady bugs today for a change. 

Buddy, you don't know me. I know you think you do. That was your first mistake. Just because you don't like discussing pointless stuff like economics and political theory, doesn't mean other people don't. Don't worry about what I do during my days. You don't know me. Ok? You don't know me. If you're not interested in the conversation, go make love to your wife. You don't know me. Keep your personal speculations to yourself. I don't care about your personal life, or what you do outside of the conversatiom at hand. Repeat: you don't know me. Kthxbai honey bunny.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Era Might

[Anomaly]

We laugh at clowns in a circus  without having to learn whether or not they have a phd and could fix an oscilloscope.    We only react to the show they present, regardless of how sincere they perceive their emotive behavior may be.

Don't like comments in this public stage?  Find a new venue or just ignore us heckling rabble that see the comedic and giggle while nudging ribs.  Toughen up Twighlight Sparkle, I never said you weren't entertaining.  

I almost choked on my Fruit Loops reading "Reagan coopted religion to destroy the public sphere and atomize the individual".   I'll be chuckling all morning.  I mean like, really?  Why even?  What does one do with statements like that?  I may not be exceptionally bright, but in a windowless room, five watts is illuminating.   

Hehehe. 

(And you can call me "Arabesque".   I don't mind.)

Edited March 31, 2017 by Anomaly

[Era Might]

3 hours ago, Anomaly said:

We laugh at clowns in a circus  without having to learn whether or not they have a phd and could fix an oscilloscope.    We only react to the show they present, regardless of how sincere they perceive their emotive behavior may be.

Don't like comments in this public stage?  Find a new venue or just ignore us heckling rabble that see the comedic and giggle while nudging ribs.  Toughen up Twighlight Sparkle, I never said you weren't entertaining.  

I almost choked on my Fruit Loops reading "Reagan coopted religion to destroy the public sphere and atomize the individual".   I'll be chuckling all morning.  I mean like, really?  Why even?  What does one do with statements like that?  I may not be exceptionally bright, but in a windowless room, five watts is illuminating.   

Hehehe. 

(And you can call me "Arabesque".   I don't mind.)

Ok, I see what your schtick is, you're an anti-intellectual who wants plain talk. That's fine, there's a place for plain talk. Let me translate for you, in language even Trump would understand: the Reagan Administration was an enemy of the people. This is the basic thrust of the article, which discusses the Reagan Administration from a wider historical and philosophical perspective of neoliberalism after WW2. If that sounds boring to you, that's fine. Don't read the article. I'm one of those boring people who likes CSPAN and historical analysis. I know I'm not the only one.

Just because you can't follow a conversation doesn't make it a clown show. I earn my knowledge the way capitalists earn money, by working for it. Crack open a book somerime, you might like it. Not that books are everything. They're just fun, like sex or merry go rounds.

[Anomaly]

After thoughtful reconsideration, I deleted what I posted.  

It is just the Internet...   

Edited March 31, 2017 by Anomaly

[Era Might]

54 minutes ago, Anomaly said:

After thoughtful reconsideration, I deleted what I posted.  

It is just the Internet...   

No worries. I'm sitting by the train tracks, watching the freight trains go by. It's a sunny day, and a good way to relax after work. There's a few sunflowers to my left. A butterfly just went by, which reminds me of a saying by Chuang Tzu, that he dreamd he was a butterfly, but wasn't sure if he's really a butterfly dreaming he was a man. A bumblebee just pollinated one of the sunflowers.

It's a nice world we live in. I enjoy it much. Enjoy your day.

[Anomaly]

I live in Florida, am on the green side of the grass, and am fairly confident I will share today and tomorrow with people I love.   As I like to say, Another stellar day living the dream or dreaming the life.

May you enjoy no less than more. 

[Nihil Obstat]

[little2add]

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

~ John Galbraith
 

Edited April 7, 2017 by little2add

[Era Might]

17 hours ago, little2add said:

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

~ John Galbraith
 

Part of the problem is these terms are too broad. You can have a Communist system that is capitalistic in its economy, like in China, but politically a party dictatorship. And you can have capitalist systems, like all of them today, that are socialistic.

The American republic began as part of the revolt of the bourgeoisie. They demanded power (and could, because of their emergence economically) and created institutions that allowed the bourgeoisie to serve its best interests, which involved neither the aristocracy nor the common man. But the myth of America as an abstract, pure, level-playing field is nonsense. American political institutions are designed to serve the best interests of the economically powerful. What we call the Middle Class has significant sway today, but are still ruled through the real owners of this country, billionaires like Trump.

The Idea of Communist systems was to create a society ruled, not by the bourgeoisie, but by the proletariat, the workers. This came to be rule by the Communist Party in the name of the workers, and later, by dictators like Stalin and Castro in the name of the Party. Bakunin, the Russian anarchist and archenemy of Marx, foresaw that Marxism would turn into state totalitarianism. That's why he was an anarchist socialist.

The world did not begin or end in 1789. That, IMO, is one of the chief errors of conservatism.

[little2add]

3 hours ago, Era Might said:

The Idea of Communist

Is bull**** on a cracker

[Era Might]

13 hours ago, little2add said:

Is bull**** on a cracker

Maybe. I think Communism can be seen as a religion. It created an End that would never come, but belief was essential. Of course, the same critique can be made of Christianity. Religions are, by necessity, dumb ideas. Which is not to say they aren't true.

Edited April 8, 2017 by Era Might

[Anomaly]

There is never going to a Utopian existence, government, economy, system, etc. when there are large groups of people.  By fact if it's very existence, the larger the population, the greater the variation of opinion, perception, desire, need, want, ability, success, failure, effort, attitude, conditions, circumstances, etc.   

There are goals, principles, ideals, that are discussed, debated, championed, rejected, and / or tolerated that may allow a society to survive and possibly thrive.  That does require honesty, humility, and most of the virtues recognized by almost all optimistic religions and philosophical thought.