lewrockwell--2020-09-26--Conspireality: Is It Time for a Serious Conversation?

One thing I ’ m noticing now more than ever before in my experience as a journalist and researcher , and as a human in general , is that people are hungry for information that is deeper than what they are getting through the mainstream media .
It feels as though people are beginning to recognize that there is a degree of corruption involved in our world and that politicians and traditional media outlets have been compromised in the process .
How can you weed through the confusion ?
What media can I trust ?
What is the truth ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ now having .
Further , there is a lack of trust in many professional or societal experts due to a felt sense that they have been compromised as well .
In an attempt to get answers to these questions , people have been looking for alternative information or perspectives about many current events in an attempt to make sense of the world .
I ’ ve worked 11 years in independent media now .
I founded Collective Evolution in 2009 for the purposes of having conversations I felt were important but perhaps not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform for exploring consciousness awakening , CE ventured into current events , as I felt they often reflect the inner aspect of who we are as people – and as a collective .
That said , for most of the time CE has been around , we ’ ve covered some sort of alternative perspective on current events as part of our job .
Our commitment was to do this in a way that was as open , transparent , and unbiased as possible .
Improving in our style and quality over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wide audience feeling that we do a pretty good job of staying neutral and open to various possibilities , while still covering what might be considered controversial subjects .
Things people call ‘ conspiracies.
’ Chaos : Charles Manson , ... O'Neill , Tom Best Price : $ 15.24 Buy New $ 15.19 Calling these sometimes controversial subjects ‘ conspiracy theories ’ is a bit unfortunate as it ’ s a loaded term that brings about many connotations and a general lack of clarity .
Does ‘ conspiracy theory ’ mean there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probable ?
It is not to be believed ?
Only crazy people who don ’ t think critically look at them ?
Was the fact that the NSA spied on US citizens illegally a conspiracy theory before Edward Snowden revealed the truth about that to the world ?
It was .
The idea that ‘ big brother ’ is watching was considered a paranoid delusion by many , yet they were in fact watching and recording almost everything people in the US did .
Thus , the title of this piece includes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my feeling that some things we often call conspiracy theories are in fact true , we just don ’ t know it yet or haven ’ t accepted it .
In that same token , there is an observation I ’ m seeing within the space of ‘ conspiracies ’ that is truly important to discuss and reflect on .
Note : much of what I want to share will be written here , more will be in the video at the bottom .
The Rise of The Alternative For decades people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media narratives when it comes to current events .
The JFK assassination , UFOs , MK Ultra , the real cause of wars , powerful people who control aspects of society , etc .
Typically , much of these conversations remained on the fringe and were had on late night radio shows or unpopular books few knew about .
But the advent of the internet and it ’ s subsequent popularity birthed an opportunity for these ideas and conversations to spread more easily .
As time went on , people began to feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events that happen in our world are increasingly important .
While it might be common to chalk this up to some form of mental illness or misstep in thought , there is actually a large number of intelligent and well-read people who are actively exploring very credible information that tells a different , and credible , story about widely accepted mainstream narratives .
A recent podcast on The Joe Rogan Experience with guest Tom O ’ Neil is a perfect example .
Tom has spent the last 20 years of his life investigating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charles Manson , the CIA , and the Secret History of the Sixties which was published by Little , Brown in the summer of 2019 .
As the description of his book reads : Helter Skelter : The Tr ... Vincent Bugliosi , Curt ... Best Price : $ 4.01 Buy New $ 10.29 As I listened to the podcast episode , many of the subjects discussed , including the United State ’ s government mind control program MK Ultra , and the JFK Assassination were explored with undeniable evidence and important lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that many of these subjects are mere conspiracy theories brought on by people who only deal in circumstantial evidence and who believe anything that sounds like an entertaining theory , we ’ re seeing some real truth here .
Truth that would completely change the public ’ s perspective on government and the intelligence community .
The implications are huge when you really start to look at it and what the evidence clearly indicates .
This is not the only event that evidently shows coverups .
Recent admissions by the US Navy has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been keeping the public in the dark about UFOs for a long time .
Looking at government documents and whistleblowers that have been available for decades , you can find out very quickly that much more is going on behind the scenes than people realize , and the discussion of UFOs is really nothing to be gawked at as it often is .
Before public admission of the reality of UFOs , the media and many academics made fun of people who believed in UFOs as if they were crazy .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re real .
While they aren ’ t necessarily saying who is manning these UFOs , the conversation is quickly turning towards admitting to so many of the things ‘ conspiracy theorists ’ have discussed .
One could say that UFOs as a conspiracy theory became reality when the NAVY admitted to the validity of the video evidence that emerged .
Do we know exactly what is going on ?
No , but we know a lot more .
Likewise with the NSA ’ s ‘ big brother spying ’ program – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory thanks to Edward Snowden .
In that sense , you can see where I ’ m getting my ‘ conspireality ’ term from – conspiracies that have become reality .
The question now is , how do we have conversations about remaining ‘ conspiracies ’ seriously ?
Where we look at the evidence with an open mind and truly see what it says .
Alternative media has been covering these topics for years prior to mainstream media even opening up to the idea .
Alt media has been filling a void in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have that there is more to what we ’ re being told – and it involves some highly controversial topics .
Hence the rise in alternative media .
Popularity grew because it was feeding something deep within people that they felt but could not get from the mainstream .
In return , the mainstream culture seems to have taken issue with the rise of alternative media as it represents a loss of having a monopoly on narratives .
Before I continue I want to be clear that this is a complex and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m going to discuss don ’ t apply to all people , but seem to be a big part of ‘ alternative ’ thinking culture .
As mainstream or traditional media continues to fail to ask the right questions about what is going on in our world ( whether it was due to a lack of interest in the part of journalists , direction from media directors , or perhaps a gag order from someone ‘ higher up ’ ) , it can be said that alternative media may not always carry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be taken seriously .
Yet these emerging conversations are incredibly important and needed .
One other aspect of this I want to mention , that can be founding both mainstream/traditional media and some alternative media , is the lack of ‘ spiritual ’ context within current events .
Meaning , there are deeper questions about who we are , why we ’ re here and what life is about that many who are ‘ waking up ’ are asking and feeling – processing even , yet mainstream media doesn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on it .
It can be said that some of alternative media fits in this boat as well .
Lately , I ’ ve been grappling with this difficult topic , and I sometimes find it a bit tough to even put into words .
It is something I ’ ve loosely discussed for years now , but am now really moving to open up a dialogue about it as I believe we ’ ve reached an absolutely critical juncture in time where we must begin to explore themes I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything from free speech to societal decline , division , and our potential to create a world where we can thrive .
I believe much of what we ’ ll discuss here is critical to all that and more .
Operation Paperclip : T ... Jacobsen , Annie Best Price : $ 9.51 Buy New $ 12.83 The topic I ’ ve struggled with lately is that I feel many people in the ‘ alternative ’ or ‘ conspiracy ’ community , defined contextually for this article as those who are often well-intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not offer , seem to have become very ideological , absolute , and extreme about their positions .
The conversations being had often jump to conclusions even without evidence , and attack anyone who doesn ’ t agree with them as being ‘ sheeple ’ or brain dead .
It ’ s creating huge divides , yet very few want to admit it .
Most importantly , it ’ s making it very hard to have these important conversations about controversial topics that need to be had at this moment .
Further , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s also inviting censorship .
Let ’ s get clear here .
You might see a meme that shows a picture with Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein , and thus it automatically means we now have proof Gates is a pedophile .
‘ The Deep State mass arrests are coming any day now.
’ Just as they have been for the last 10 years .
Yet still , if you don ’ t understand that these mass arrests are coming , you ’ re asleep .
The key distinction here is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it ’ s all so obvious , even when it ’ s not .
The use of poor evidence , circumstantial evidence , or none at all , to ‘ prove ’ what ’ s going on has overtaken critical thinking .
It almost seems like people have become more interested in the entertainment value of this controversial information as opposed to how true it actually might be or how much evidence there truly is .
Take the X22 report for example .
He pulls together a ton of circumstantial evidence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offers an analysis .
Many believe his work clearly shows facts in drawing conclusions , but in reality , it ’ s mere speculation .
This is perfectly fine , but people are getting lost in seeing this as unequivocal fact , as opposed to mere speculation .
X22 has suggested for example that Julian Assange is safe and sound and his arrest is nothing but ‘ part of the plan ’ by the Q patriots to save America from the Deep State .
In his video , you can follow all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a book in his hand , what that book meant , and how it was a code for people to look deeper .
This , while those close to Assange , including independent reporters and family , have been saying he is being tortured and suffering deeply in prison .
So on one hand you have ‘ truthers ’ saying he ’ s fine , don ’ t worry , part of the plan .
And then you have those who actually know him and have access to him saying the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do something about it .
Those same truthers have then said “ don ’ t worry , those reporters and family are part of the plan too… it ’ s all optics.
” You can see the issue here .
What I ’ m getting at is many popular voices in alternative media approach ‘ conspiracy theories ’ in a way that turns circumstantial evidence into unquestionable truth .
Delivered with a sense of certainty or sweeping generalizations .
They can often lack critical thinking because they match their circumstantial evidence with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as fact .
In turn , many viewers of alternative media seem to have begun believing these ideas as pure truth , without applying the same critical thinking rigor to alt narratives as they would have to mainstream narratives .
This by no means is everyone who watches alternative media .
In fact , I have often stated and observed that many who do view alternative media do so because they have developed great critical thinking skills and have realized that there is not much value these days out in watching mainstream or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still a large group of presenters and viewers who make up a culture within the alternative space that does contribute to undermining these conversations .
Take Jeffrey Epstein for example .
A huge case that began to connect underage sex/pedophile rings to powerful people in the world .
An idea that has been around for a long time thanks to survivors and whistleblowers who have told their story .
The mainstream media has never done a good job of covering this , and traditional journalists have often shied away from it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ready to be had – people are listening .
Then comes the part I ’ m trying to raise awareness about here : some people in the alternative community will undermine these conversations by aggressively positing that every politician pictured with Epstein is automatically a pedophile and involved .
This among other assertions that are easy to debunk of course .
This makes it easy for mainstream media or fact-checkers to begin easily debunking ‘ conspiracy theories ’ related to Jeffrey Epstein as bogus – and in a lot of cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is actually a meaningful conversation to be had here , there is truth to explore , but if people are not more careful , these conversations won ’ t be had because their lack of critical thinking and completely certain positions close the door for other onlookers and make it easy to bury this information as unfounded and delusional conspiracies .
After all , a quick Google search will return plenty of mainstream media positions analyzing the psychological nature of ‘ those who believe in conspiracy theories ’ as if there is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that people are just ‘ out of their minds ’ of sorts .
The Phoenix Program Douglas Valentine Best Price : $ 14.55 Buy New $ 11.00 For myself personally in doing this work for the last 11 years , it is extremely common to have our work lumped in all other “ baseless conspiracy theories ” due to the fact that we ’ re often covering the same topics that are considered baseless conspiracy theories because they were covered poorly by others or simply because they sound similar .
We become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture of people who seem to simply believe everything without any real evidence , this , regardless of the fact that we approach these important conversations with evidence and rigor .
Perhaps you ’ ve had the experience where you suggest in conversation “ I don ’ t feel Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
” And right away a friend says “ oh , you sound like a conspiracy theorist.
” One might assume it ’ s because that friend is not open-minded or was convinced by mainstream media it ’ s all a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have witnessed a ton of laughable and paranoid content with weak evidence and harshly stated ‘ facts ’ that when researched , returned no real results .
Thus the question becomes , is the ‘ conspiracy ’ community actually digging their own grave and just blaming mainstream media for why people don ’ t listen ?
How Can We Adjust ?
11 years ago I had a vision of creating media that approaches understanding our world in a different way .
As our About Us page on CE states : We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , inner transformation aspect into making sense of our world was key as it is empowering and actually allows each person to take responsibility for what they are creating in their life and in the world .
By developing inner faculties like critical thinking , presence , self-awareness , and intuition , we can better understand our world and why it is the way it is .
We can also begin to become aware of an expanded state of who we are , which may choose to create society from a completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cog in the wheel with beliefs and ideologies that are outdated and don ’ t resonate with us .
The CIA as Organized C ... Valentine , Douglas Best Price : $ 21.35 Buy New $ 23.74 Thus I ’ m putting forth a call here , firstly , perhaps it ’ s time we move on from this whole idea of calling things a “ conspiracy theory.
” We have learned by now that if we apply critical thinking and proper journalism to many of these controversial ideas , what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I discuss these ideas much more deeply in a video I produced on this subject in relation to a few early statements made by David Icke during a London Real interview about COVID-19 .
David assertively states that “ COVID-19 does not exist ” and then proceeds to make a strong link between COVID-19 and 5G .
I ’ m not saying David is a bad researcher or anything of that fashion , on the contrary , I believe some of his work is solid , and asks some great questions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if you look at the aftermath of that conversation , whereby assertions are made that are certainly nothing more than speculation but not presented as such , we can clearly see what shifts need to be made in how these conversations are approached so we can do a better job of having them seriously and uniting people .
5G as a conversation was deeply undermined as mainstream media had an easy time stating there is no evidence linking 5G to COVID , and now those who look into 5G safety might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ was that 5G created COVID .
Further , there are serious discussions to be had around the origins of COVID-19 and whether or not the authoritarian measures are truly necessary , yet how can we easily have those conversations when such a large portion of the community is simply saying COVID is a hoax and that it doesn ’ t exist ?
This isn ’ t to say that these ideas should not be explored , this is the piece many seem to miss .
They want it to be a black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good guys ?
Who are the bad guys ?
Should I do this , or that ?
When in reality , this is a conversation about making sense of a situation that is extremely complex , and if we try and put forth one all-encompassing theory that is certain about what ’ s going on right now , we can ’ t possibly be accurate in that as we simply don ’ t know everything .
So why assert it as such ?
It is virtually impossible .
Yet those who don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda… .
asleep .
This is the issue I want to talk about more in the video below .
I also offer what I feel are some solutions and realizations people could reflect on to see how they feel for them .

One thing I’m noticing now more than ever before in my experience as a journalist and researcher, and as a human in general, is that people are hungry for information that is deeper than what they are getting through the mainstream media. It feels as though people are beginning to recognize that there is a degree of corruption involved in our world and that politicians and traditional media outlets have been compromised in the process. How can you weed through the confusion? What media can I trust? What is the truth? These are all big questions many are now having. Further, there is a lack of trust in many professional or societal experts due to a felt sense that they have been compromised as well. In an attempt to get answers to these questions, people have been looking for alternative information or perspectives about many current events in an attempt to make sense of the world.
I’ve worked 11 years in independent media now. I founded Collective Evolution in 2009 for the purposes of having conversations I felt were important but perhaps not widely available. Initially beginning as a platform for exploring consciousness awakening, CE ventured into current events, as I felt they often reflect the inner aspect of who we are as people – and as a collective. That said, for most of the time CE has been around, we’ve covered some sort of alternative perspective on current events as part of our job. Our commitment was to do this in a way that was as open, transparent, and unbiased as possible. Improving in our style and quality over the years, we often get feedback from a wide audience feeling that we do a pretty good job of staying neutral and open to various possibilities, while still covering what might be considered controversial subjects. Things people call ‘conspiracies.’ Chaos: Charles Manson,... O'Neill, Tom Best Price: $15.24 Buy New $15.19 (as of 06:13 UTC - Details)
Calling these sometimes controversial subjects ‘conspiracy theories’ is a bit unfortunate as it’s a loaded term that brings about many connotations and a general lack of clarity. Does ‘conspiracy theory’ mean there is no evidence? It is not probable? It is not to be believed? Only crazy people who don’t think critically look at them? Was the fact that the NSA spied on US citizens illegally a conspiracy theory before Edward Snowden revealed the truth about that to the world? It was. The idea that ‘big brother’ is watching was considered a paranoid delusion by many, yet they were in fact watching and recording almost everything people in the US did.
Thus, the title of this piece includes the term ‘conspireality’ as it is my feeling that some things we often call conspiracy theories are in fact true, we just don’t know it yet or haven’t accepted it. In that same token, there is an observation I’m seeing within the space of ‘conspiracies’ that is truly important to discuss and reflect on.
Note: much of what I want to share will be written here, more will be in the video at the bottom.
The Rise of The Alternative
For decades people have felt that there is more to mainstream media narratives when it comes to current events. The JFK assassination, UFOs, MK Ultra, the real cause of wars, powerful people who control aspects of society, etc. Typically, much of these conversations remained on the fringe and were had on late night radio shows or unpopular books few knew about. But the advent of the internet and it’s subsequent popularity birthed an opportunity for these ideas and conversations to spread more easily. As time went on, people began to feel ‘alternative’ history or facts about events that happen in our world are increasingly important. While it might be common to chalk this up to some form of mental illness or misstep in thought, there is actually a large number of intelligent and well-read people who are actively exploring very credible information that tells a different, and credible, story about widely accepted mainstream narratives. A recent podcast on The Joe Rogan Experience with guest Tom O’Neil is a perfect example. Tom has spent the last 20 years of his life investigating and writing a book called Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties which was published by Little, Brown in the summer of 2019.
As the description of his book reads:
Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O’Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up behind the “official” story, including police carelessness, legal misconduct, and potential surveillance by intelligence agents. When a tense interview with Vincent Bugliosi — prosecutor of the Manson Family and author of Helter Skelter — turned a friendly source into a nemesis, O’Neill knew he was onto something. But every discovery brought more questions. O’Neill’s quest for the truth led him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from San Francisco’s summer of love to the shadowy sites of the CIA’s mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with shady cover-ups and suspicious coincidences. The product of two decades of reporting, hundreds of new interviews, and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, Chaos mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. This is a book that overturns our understanding of a pivotal time in American history.
Helter Skelter: The Tr... Vincent Bugliosi, Curt... Best Price: $4.01 Buy New $10.29 (as of 10:37 UTC - Details) As I listened to the podcast episode, many of the subjects discussed, including the United State’s government mind control program MK Ultra, and the JFK Assassination were explored with undeniable evidence and important lines of questioning. Contrary to the belief that many of these subjects are mere conspiracy theories brought on by people who only deal in circumstantial evidence and who believe anything that sounds like an entertaining theory, we’re seeing some real truth here. Truth that would completely change the public’s perspective on government and the intelligence community. The implications are huge when you really start to look at it and what the evidence clearly indicates.
This is not the only event that evidently shows coverups. Recent admissions by the US Navy has clearly indicated that government and intelligence communities have been keeping the public in the dark about UFOs for a long time. Looking at government documents and whistleblowers that have been available for decades, you can find out very quickly that much more is going on behind the scenes than people realize, and the discussion of UFOs is really nothing to be gawked at as it often is. Before public admission of the reality of UFOs, the media and many academics made fun of people who believed in UFOs as if they were crazy. Now that same media is telling you they’re real. While they aren’t necessarily saying who is manning these UFOs, the conversation is quickly turning towards admitting to so many of the things ‘conspiracy theorists’ have discussed. One could say that UFOs as a conspiracy theory became reality when the NAVY admitted to the validity of the video evidence that emerged. Do we know exactly what is going on? No, but we know a lot more. Likewise with the NSA’s ‘big brother spying’ program – it’s no longer a conspiracy theory thanks to Edward Snowden. In that sense, you can see where I’m getting my ‘conspireality’ term from – conspiracies that have become reality. The question now is, how do we have conversations about remaining ‘conspiracies’ seriously? Where we look at the evidence with an open mind and truly see what it says.
Alternative media has been covering these topics for years prior to mainstream media even opening up to the idea. Alt media has been filling a void in media that aligns with a correct intuition people have that there is more to what we’re being told – and it involves some highly controversial topics. Hence the rise in alternative media. Popularity grew because it was feeding something deep within people that they felt but could not get from the mainstream. In return, the mainstream culture seems to have taken issue with the rise of alternative media as it represents a loss of having a monopoly on narratives.
Time For A Serious Conversation?
Before I continue I want to be clear that this is a complex and nuanced conversation, and the themes I’m going to discuss don’t apply to all people, but seem to be a big part of ‘alternative’ thinking culture.
As mainstream or traditional media continues to fail to ask the right questions about what is going on in our world (whether it was due to a lack of interest in the part of journalists, direction from media directors, or perhaps a gag order from someone ‘higher up’), it can be said that alternative media may not always carry the necessary standards in reporting and conversation to be taken seriously. Yet these emerging conversations are incredibly important and needed.
One other aspect of this I want to mention, that can be founding both mainstream/traditional media and some alternative media, is the lack of ‘spiritual’ context within current events. Meaning, there are deeper questions about who we are, why we’re here and what life is about that many who are ‘waking up’ are asking and feeling – processing even, yet mainstream media doesn’t have the context to understand this nor empathetically report on it. It can be said that some of alternative media fits in this boat as well.
Lately, I’ve been grappling with this difficult topic, and I sometimes find it a bit tough to even put into words. It is something I’ve loosely discussed for years now, but am now really moving to open up a dialogue about it as I believe we’ve reached an absolutely critical juncture in time where we must begin to explore themes I’m about to present. Themes that involve anything from free speech to societal decline, division, and our potential to create a world where we can thrive. I believe much of what we’ll discuss here is critical to all that and more. Operation Paperclip: T... Jacobsen, Annie Best Price: $9.51 Buy New $12.83 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
The topic I’ve struggled with lately is that I feel many people in the ‘alternative’ or ‘conspiracy’ community, defined contextually for this article as those who are often well-intended in seeking alternative narratives the mainstream does not offer, seem to have become very ideological, absolute, and extreme about their positions. The conversations being had often jump to conclusions even without evidence, and attack anyone who doesn’t agree with them as being ‘sheeple’ or brain dead. It’s creating huge divides, yet very few want to admit it. Most importantly, it’s making it very hard to have these important conversations about controversial topics that need to be had at this moment. Further, and as I foresaw years ago, it’s also inviting censorship.
Let’s get clear here. You might see a meme that shows a picture with Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein, and thus it automatically means we now have proof Gates is a pedophile. ‘The Deep State mass arrests are coming any day now.’ Just as they have been for the last 10 years. Yet still, if you don’t understand that these mass arrests are coming, you’re asleep. The key distinction here is the sense of certainty, the sense that it’s all so obvious, even when it’s not. The use of poor evidence, circumstantial evidence, or none at all, to ‘prove’ what’s going on has overtaken critical thinking. It almost seems like people have become more interested in the entertainment value of this controversial information as opposed to how true it actually might be or how much evidence there truly is.
Take the X22 report for example. He pulls together a ton of circumstantial evidence, matches it with Q posts and then offers an analysis. Many believe his work clearly shows facts in drawing conclusions, but in reality, it’s mere speculation. This is perfectly fine, but people are getting lost in seeing this as unequivocal fact, as opposed to mere speculation. X22 has suggested for example that Julian Assange is safe and sound and his arrest is nothing but ‘part of the plan’ by the Q patriots to save America from the Deep State. In his video, you can follow all of the evidence he proposes, why Assange had a book in his hand, what that book meant, and how it was a code for people to look deeper. This, while those close to Assange, including independent reporters and family, have been saying he is being tortured and suffering deeply in prison. So on one hand you have ‘truthers’ saying he’s fine, don’t worry, part of the plan. And then you have those who actually know him and have access to him saying the situation is bad and people need to help do something about it. Those same truthers have then said “don’t worry, those reporters and family are part of the plan too… it’s all optics.” You can see the issue here.
What I’m getting at is many popular voices in alternative media approach ‘conspiracy theories’ in a way that turns circumstantial evidence into unquestionable truth. Delivered with a sense of certainty or sweeping generalizations. They can often lack critical thinking because they match their circumstantial evidence with the overarching story they have chosen to believe as fact. In turn, many viewers of alternative media seem to have begun believing these ideas as pure truth, without applying the same critical thinking rigor to alt narratives as they would have to mainstream narratives.
This by no means is everyone who watches alternative media. In fact, I have often stated and observed that many who do view alternative media do so because they have developed great critical thinking skills and have realized that there is not much value these days out in watching mainstream or traditional media. That said, there is still a large group of presenters and viewers who make up a culture within the alternative space that does contribute to undermining these conversations. Take Jeffrey Epstein for example. A huge case that began to connect underage sex/pedophile rings to powerful people in the world. An idea that has been around for a long time thanks to survivors and whistleblowers who have told their story. The mainstream media has never done a good job of covering this, and traditional journalists have often shied away from it. Now though, this conversation is huge and ready to be had – people are listening. Then comes the part I’m trying to raise awareness about here: some people in the alternative community will undermine these conversations by aggressively positing that every politician pictured with Epstein is automatically a pedophile and involved. This among other assertions that are easy to debunk of course. This makes it easy for mainstream media or fact-checkers to begin easily debunking ‘conspiracy theories’ related to Jeffrey Epstein as bogus – and in a lot of cases, they are right. Yet, there is actually a meaningful conversation to be had here, there is truth to explore, but if people are not more careful, these conversations won’t be had because their lack of critical thinking and completely certain positions close the door for other onlookers and make it easy to bury this information as unfounded and delusional conspiracies. After all, a quick Google search will return plenty of mainstream media positions analyzing the psychological nature of ‘those who believe in conspiracy theories’ as if there is no real truth to any of them, and that people are just ‘out of their minds’ of sorts. The Phoenix Program Douglas Valentine Best Price: $14.55 Buy New $11.00 (as of 04:30 UTC - Details)
For myself personally in doing this work for the last 11 years, it is extremely common to have our work lumped in all other “baseless conspiracy theories” due to the fact that we’re often covering the same topics that are considered baseless conspiracy theories because they were covered poorly by others or simply because they sound similar. We become guilty by association and part of a culture of people who seem to simply believe everything without any real evidence, this, regardless of the fact that we approach these important conversations with evidence and rigor.
Perhaps you’ve had the experience where you suggest in conversation “I don’t feel Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.” And right away a friend says “oh, you sound like a conspiracy theorist.” One might assume it’s because that friend is not open-minded or was convinced by mainstream media it’s all a conspiracy, when in reality that friend may have witnessed a ton of laughable and paranoid content with weak evidence and harshly stated ‘facts’ that when researched, returned no real results. Thus the question becomes, is the ‘conspiracy’ community actually digging their own grave and just blaming mainstream media for why people don’t listen?
How Can We Adjust?
11 years ago I had a vision of creating media that approaches understanding our world in a different way. As our About Us page on CE states:
We live in a time where virtually every aspect of our society is changing or crumbling. Power is shifting and old ways of looking at and understanding our world are no longer working. New voices and ideas are emerging that encourage us to look more deeply at why our world is the way it is, and what about us creates it to be this way. Collective Evolution is a news-media and education company that creates content to explore how humanity can shift our consciousness and way of being to evolve beyond the personal and global challenges we face. We help encourage the development of inner faculties to explore more about how we can arrive at truth as opposed to just saying what truth is. Our work encourages a greater connection to self, an increase of self-awareness and being aware of what’s around us. We encourage others to let information be as opposed to it defining who we are and developing ideology. What do our current events say about how we operate as people? What do our societal structures and common issues say about our level of thinking (consciousness) and what type of ideas we’re bringing to the table? What if the solution to the many challenges we feel we face today is actually in changing how we think, relate to one another, and even relate to our world? We feel this is one of the key missing factors in mainstream media, alternative media and traditional societal discussions today, and therefore we create our content to inspire personal transformation and the expansion of collective consciousness through two key avenues: news media and personal transformation content.”
We’ve always felt that bringing the inner work, inner transformation aspect into making sense of our world was key as it is empowering and actually allows each person to take responsibility for what they are creating in their life and in the world. By developing inner faculties like critical thinking, presence, self-awareness, and intuition, we can better understand our world and why it is the way it is. We can also begin to become aware of an expanded state of who we are, which may choose to create society from a completely different mindset than simply believing we are a cog in the wheel with beliefs and ideologies that are outdated and don’t resonate with us.
The CIA as Organized C... Valentine, Douglas Best Price: $21.35 Buy New $23.74 (as of 11:36 UTC - Details) Thus I’m putting forth a call here, firstly, perhaps it’s time we move on from this whole idea of calling things a “conspiracy theory.” We have learned by now that if we apply critical thinking and proper journalism to many of these controversial ideas, what’s worth exploring further becomes clear quickly. I discuss these ideas much more deeply in a video I produced on this subject in relation to a few early statements made by David Icke during a London Real interview about COVID-19. David assertively states that “COVID-19 does not exist” and then proceeds to make a strong link between COVID-19 and 5G. I’m not saying David is a bad researcher or anything of that fashion, on the contrary, I believe some of his work is solid, and asks some great questions. But what I’m saying is, if you look at the aftermath of that conversation, whereby assertions are made that are certainly nothing more than speculation but not presented as such, we can clearly see what shifts need to be made in how these conversations are approached so we can do a better job of having them seriously and uniting people.
5G as a conversation was deeply undermined as mainstream media had an easy time stating there is no evidence linking 5G to COVID, and now those who look into 5G safety might be highly skeptical because the ‘crazy conspiracy’ was that 5G created COVID. Further, there are serious discussions to be had around the origins of COVID-19 and whether or not the authoritarian measures are truly necessary, yet how can we easily have those conversations when such a large portion of the community is simply saying COVID is a hoax and that it doesn’t exist? This isn’t to say that these ideas should not be explored, this is the piece many seem to miss. They want it to be a black and white conversation – who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? Should I do this, or that? When in reality, this is a conversation about making sense of a situation that is extremely complex, and if we try and put forth one all-encompassing theory that is certain about what’s going on right now, we can’t possibly be accurate in that as we simply don’t know everything. So why assert it as such? It is virtually impossible. Yet those who don’t agree with this all-encompassing and obvious agenda…. asleep. This is the issue I want to talk about more in the video below. I also offer what I feel are some solutions and realizations people could reflect on to see how they feel for them.
Reprinted with permission from Collective Evolution.


lewrockwell--2020-09-26--Will California Restore Affirmative Action?

As everyone knows , over the last couple of decades California has become a one-party Democratic state .
Democrats hold a better than three-fourths hyper-majority in the State Assembly and their control is nearly as overwhelming in the State Senate .
California has our nation ’ s largest Congressional delegation , and of its 53 members only seven are Republican .
Not only is every statewide officeholder a Democrat , but no Republican has won such a race in almost 15 years , with many of the recent contests not even featuring a Republican on the November ballot .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been reduced to almost total irrelevance .
This same pattern has held in national elections , with Donald Trump losing the 2016 California vote by a remarkable 30 points and the most recent polling data suggesting a similar outcome this November .
Neleus Women ’ s 3 ... Buy New $ 21.59 Except for tiny Hawaii , California is now America ’ s most heavily non-white state , with our white European population reduced to little more than 30 % of the total .
But such demographic factors explain only part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Californians supported Trump at a rate 20-25 points lower than whites in the rest of the country .
If America ’ s entire white national electorate had voted like its Golden State counterpart , Trump would have lost all fifty states , mostly by huge landslides , and suffered by far the greatest electoral disaster in American history .
All the Trump-hating pundits would have spent Election Night laughing and saying “ I told you so !
” Although liberal domination of California state politics is not quite as absolute as Democratic control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with our elected officials supporting all sorts of causes and policies that would be anathema in much of the rest of the country .
Given these political realities and expecting a heavy November turnout , state Democratic leaders believed they had the perfect opportunity this year to undo one of the last hated legacies of Republican Gov .
Pete Wilson , the Prop .
209 ban on governmental Affirmative Action , passed into law by a relatively narrow 55 % to 45 % margin in 1996 .
Democrats felt quite confident that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shifts had totally transformed the electorate , allowing them to win a resounding victory for “ racial diversity ” at the ballot box .
The plan to restore Affirmative Action became an unstoppable political juggernaut , with the Assembly voting 60-14 and the Senate 30-10 to place Prop .
16 on the November ballot , repealing Prop .
209 .
The project enjoyed the strong support of popular Gov .
Gavin Newsom and nearly all other prominent political leaders , as well as the unanimous backing of the UC Board of Regents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education systems .
Leading sports teams such as the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors added their endorsements .
California ’ s Attorney-General is a liberal Democrat , and his office provided what seemed like a slam-dunk official title description for the ballot measure : “ Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment , Education , and Contracting Decisions.
” In this day and age , what California voter could possibly oppose “ Diversity ” ?
So much for theory .
PPIC , California ’ s leading public policy thinktank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the November vote , and our morning newspapers revealedthat the attempt to restore Affirmative Action will probably lose , perhaps even by a huge landslide .
The traditional rule in California politics is that support for a ballot measure steadily declines as Election Day approaches , with undecideds overwhelmingly breaking No .
Therefore , at this stage a successful measure should probably have a lead of at least 10 points .
For example , experts believe that Prop .
15—a split-roll tax initiative—appears to be in trouble given its weak 51 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of voters are currently backing Prop .
16 , aimed at restoring Affirmative Action .
Anything might still happen , but those are dismal numbers just a couple of weeks before ballots are mailed out .
The demographic distribution of support also tells an interesting story .
Whites are probably one-third or less of California residents , but for reasons of age and naturalization , they still constitute a slight majority of likely voters , and only 26 % of whites support Prop .
16 .
It appears that most white California Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Island Women S ... Buy New $ 25.95 Latinos are California ’ s largest group , currently representing 40 % of the total population and perhaps eventually rising to an outright majority according to some projections .
Only 41 % of Latinos seem to support Affirmative Action .
Asians have been the group most strongly opposed to the restoration of Affirmative Action , fearing that racial discrimination would exclude their children from Berkeley , UCLA , and other top UC campuses , and a few years ago their vocal opposition had blocked a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
PPIC polls normally break out their Asian numbers , but in this instance Asians and blacks were lumped together , registering a combined 40 % support for Prop .
16 .
Perhaps PPIC feared that revealing Asians ( and blacks ) as extreme outliers on this divisive issue would produce bitter feelings .
Since Asian respondents outnumbered blacks by more than 2-to-1 and probably showed very little support for Prop .
16 , it seems likely that black support for Affirmative Action was overwhelming , probably in the 60-70 % range .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affirmative Action may surprise many rightwingers , but it makes perfect sense .
The overwhelming majority of Hispanics work in the private sector , often in small businesses where most or all of the other employees are also Hispanic .
If you and most of your coworkers are Hispanic , Affirmative Action is simply meaningless .
Prop .
209 had required color-blind university admissions since 1996 , but Hispanic students have nonetheless still done rather well over the last couple of decades , actually overtaking whites in University of California admissions a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Asians at Berkeley and UCLA .
Hispanic families seem quite satisfied with this situation , and have provided no grassroots support for restoring Affirmative Action in university admissions .
With the exception of a tiny sliver of “ professional Hispanics ” who have made an entire career out of their ethnicity , Affirmative Action has never historically been much of a Hispanic issue .
Indeed , I once noted the strong support Pete Wilson had received in his first 1990 campaign for governor .
Although Hispanic and Asian numbers had been growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans had been growing as well , and by the early 1990s , a GOP candidate could regularly expect to receive around one-third or more of the Hispanic vote and half that of the Asian .
For example , Pete Wilson ’ s narrow 1990 gubernatorial victory over Dianne Feinstein , which significantly relied upon his criticism of “ racial quotas , ” was achieved with 53 percent of the white vote , 47 percent of the Hispanic vote , and 58 percent of the Asian vote according to the prestigious California Field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though others placed his ethnic totals lower .
By contrast , the issue has always been heavily associated with blacks , who represent just 6 % of California ’ s population but nonetheless still seem to receive a greatly disproportionate share of the high-profile “ diversity ” slots , including the vast financial rewards of plum positions in Hollywood and Silicon Valley .
Bassdash Womenu2019s U ... Buy New $ 24.98 Political analysts seemed quite surprised by the PPIC poll results , including the low Latino support for Affirmative Action .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats of the 1980s , who turned against their traditional political party over similar issues .
Perhaps over the last generation , more and more Latinos have come to associate “ diversity ” with stories of friends or relatives sometimes unfairly losing promotions to blacks whom they regarded as less competent .
For obvious reasons , these sorts of “ politically-incorrect ” private sentiments may not be readily apparent to our political elites , Latino or otherwise .
Such individuals spend their time ensconced in the State Capital , working with liberal lobbyists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who provide an entirely different view of the world .
And as a result , certain polling numbers may continue to mystify them .
Back in the mid-1990s I remember having lunch with Pat Buchanan in DC .
At one point , I mentioned that America ’ s rapidly-growing Hispanic population had an obvious and natural political leader , based upon such strong affinities in political ideology , cultural traits , personal background , and religion .
But fate took a different turn , and Buchanan missed playing his historic role .
Reprinted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BALEAF Women ’ s H ... Buy New $ 26.99 OutdoorMaster Dry Bag ... Best Price : $ 17.65 Buy New $ 19.99 WindRider Waterproof P ... Buy New $ 52.99 The Best of Ron Unz

As everyone knows, over the last couple of decades California has become a one-party Democratic state. Democrats hold a better than three-fourths hyper-majority in the State Assembly and their control is nearly as overwhelming in the State Senate. California has our nation’s largest Congressional delegation, and of its 53 members only seven are Republican.
Not only is every statewide officeholder a Democrat, but no Republican has won such a race in almost 15 years, with many of the recent contests not even featuring a Republican on the November ballot. The once-proud Republican Party of Reagan and Nixon has been reduced to almost total irrelevance.
This same pattern has held in national elections, with Donald Trump losing the 2016 California vote by a remarkable 30 points and the most recent polling data suggesting a similar outcome this November.
Neleus Women’s 3... Buy New $21.59 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details) Except for tiny Hawaii, California is now America’s most heavily non-white state, with our white European population reduced to little more than 30% of the total. But such demographic factors explain only part of those lop-sided 2016 election results since white Californians supported Trump at a rate 20-25 points lower than whites in the rest of the country. If America’s entire white national electorate had voted like its Golden State counterpart, Trump would have lost all fifty states, mostly by huge landslides, and suffered by far the greatest electoral disaster in American history. All the Trump-hating pundits would have spent Election Night laughing and saying “I told you so!”
Although liberal domination of California state politics is not quite as absolute as Democratic control, the state is certainly very liberal, with our elected officials supporting all sorts of causes and policies that would be anathema in much of the rest of the country.
Given these political realities and expecting a heavy November turnout, state Democratic leaders believed they had the perfect opportunity this year to undo one of the last hated legacies of Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, the Prop. 209 ban on governmental Affirmative Action, passed into law by a relatively narrow 55% to 45% margin in 1996. Democrats felt quite confident that a full generation of demographic and ideological shifts had totally transformed the electorate, allowing them to win a resounding victory for “racial diversity” at the ballot box.
The plan to restore Affirmative Action became an unstoppable political juggernaut, with the Assembly voting 60-14 and the Senate 30-10 to place Prop. 16 on the November ballot, repealing Prop. 209. The project enjoyed the strong support of popular Gov. Gavin Newsom and nearly all other prominent political leaders, as well as the unanimous backing of the UC Board of Regents and the heads of all three public higher education systems. Leading sports teams such as the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors added their endorsements.
California’s Attorney-General is a liberal Democrat, and his office provided what seemed like a slam-dunk official title description for the ballot measure: “Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment, Education, and Contracting Decisions.” In this day and age, what California voter could possibly oppose “Diversity”?
So much for theory. PPIC, California’s leading public policy thinktank, just released the first major poll on the November vote, and our morning newspapers revealedthat the attempt to restore Affirmative Action will probably lose, perhaps even by a huge landslide.
The traditional rule in California politics is that support for a ballot measure steadily declines as Election Day approaches, with undecideds overwhelmingly breaking No. Therefore, at this stage a successful measure should probably have a lead of at least 10 points. For example, experts believe that Prop. 15—a split-roll tax initiative—appears to be in trouble given its weak 51% support.
Meanwhile, only 31% of voters are currently backing Prop. 16, aimed at restoring Affirmative Action. Anything might still happen, but those are dismal numbers just a couple of weeks before ballots are mailed out.
The demographic distribution of support also tells an interesting story. Whites are probably one-third or less of California residents, but for reasons of age and naturalization, they still constitute a slight majority of likely voters, and only 26% of whites support Prop. 16. It appears that most white California Democrats refuse to support Affirmative Action. Private Island Women S... Buy New $25.95 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details)
Latinos are California’s largest group, currently representing 40% of the total population and perhaps eventually rising to an outright majority according to some projections. Only 41% of Latinos seem to support Affirmative Action.
Asians have been the group most strongly opposed to the restoration of Affirmative Action, fearing that racial discrimination would exclude their children from Berkeley, UCLA, and other top UC campuses, and a few years ago their vocal opposition had blocked a previous attempt to repeal Prop. 209. PPIC polls normally break out their Asian numbers, but in this instance Asians and blacks were lumped together, registering a combined 40% support for Prop. 16. Perhaps PPIC feared that revealing Asians (and blacks) as extreme outliers on this divisive issue would produce bitter feelings. Since Asian respondents outnumbered blacks by more than 2-to-1 and probably showed very little support for Prop. 16, it seems likely that black support for Affirmative Action was overwhelming, probably in the 60-70% range.
The low level of Hispanic support for Affirmative Action may surprise many rightwingers, but it makes perfect sense. The overwhelming majority of Hispanics work in the private sector, often in small businesses where most or all of the other employees are also Hispanic. If you and most of your coworkers are Hispanic, Affirmative Action is simply meaningless.
Prop. 209 had required color-blind university admissions since 1996, but Hispanic students have nonetheless still done rather well over the last couple of decades, actually overtaking whites in University of California admissions a few years ago, though still heavily outnumbered by Asians at Berkeley and UCLA. Hispanic families seem quite satisfied with this situation, and have provided no grassroots support for restoring Affirmative Action in university admissions.
With the exception of a tiny sliver of “professional Hispanics” who have made an entire career out of their ethnicity, Affirmative Action has never historically been much of a Hispanic issue. Indeed, I once noted the strong support Pete Wilson had received in his first 1990 campaign for governor.
Although Hispanic and Asian numbers had been growing steadily for years, their support for Republicans had been growing as well, and by the early 1990s, a GOP candidate could regularly expect to receive around one-third or more of the Hispanic vote and half that of the Asian. For example, Pete Wilson’s narrow 1990 gubernatorial victory over Dianne Feinstein, which significantly relied upon his criticism of “racial quotas,” was achieved with 53 percent of the white vote, 47 percent of the Hispanic vote, and 58 percent of the Asian vote according to the prestigious California Field Poll used by the New York Times, though others placed his ethnic totals lower.
By contrast, the issue has always been heavily associated with blacks, who represent just 6% of California’s population but nonetheless still seem to receive a greatly disproportionate share of the high-profile “diversity” slots, including the vast financial rewards of plum positions in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Bassdash Womenu2019s U... Buy New $24.98 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details)
Political analysts seemed quite surprised by the PPIC poll results, including the low Latino support for Affirmative Action. But they should have remembered the blue-collar Reagan Democrats of the 1980s, who turned against their traditional political party over similar issues. Perhaps over the last generation, more and more Latinos have come to associate “diversity” with stories of friends or relatives sometimes unfairly losing promotions to blacks whom they regarded as less competent.
For obvious reasons, these sorts of “politically-incorrect” private sentiments may not be readily apparent to our political elites, Latino or otherwise. Such individuals spend their time ensconced in the State Capital, working with liberal lobbyists, donors, and political operatives, who provide an entirely different view of the world. And as a result, certain polling numbers may continue to mystify them.
Back in the mid-1990s I remember having lunch with Pat Buchanan in DC. At one point, I mentioned that America’s rapidly-growing Hispanic population had an obvious and natural political leader, based upon such strong affinities in political ideology, cultural traits, personal background, and religion. But fate took a different turn, and Buchanan missed playing his historic role.
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review.
BALEAF Women’s H... Buy New $26.99 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details) OutdoorMaster Dry Bag ... Best Price: $17.65 Buy New $19.99 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details) WindRider Waterproof P... Buy New $52.99 (as of 06:14 UTC - Details)
The Best of Ron Unz


lewrockwell--2020-09-28--What Is To Be Done?

What Is To Be Done?

We are in a dangerous place .
Edward Curtin ’ s recent lamentation is an excellent description of the predicament that Jonathan Pageau called the ‘ end of our civilization ‘ ( at about 10 min into this discussion ) .
Regular readers of LRC certainly have been given by Mr. Rockwell the wherewithal to see through the haze of propaganda and the walls of censorship .
But to understand the problems does not necessarily give us the direction for action .
It gives me no solace whatsoever that I fall upon the question posed by Lenin himself in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But What is To Be Done ?
( I feel nauseated linking to marxists.org ) is an appropriate question to consider .
My response to the Lenin question is declared in this wisdom infused communication I received in reply to my post on Bret Weinstein .
Tess of the D ’ Ur ... Hardy , Thomas Best Price : $ 1.68 Buy New $ 5.94 The problem with Weinstein and Co. is they are part of the industrial state .
And here ’ s what I mean .
Not only have they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ style universities , where the teleological educational aim always pushes the graduate to reinforcing the state ’ s aims , they ’ re physically deficient as well .
And I ’ m not picking on anyone ’ s stature or physical development .
A man who has worked the land and raised livestock always understands there is not much in the way of biological determinism , and if there is , over a course of a million years or so , he doesn ’ t care .
It ’ s meaningless to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quicker than Bret can recount a genome sequence .
This is why I always prescribe Thomas Hardy or the Southern Agrarians to my high-minded , technocratic friends from university .
Read those authors , plant a full , 1 acre garden , 8 laying hens and one milk cow and check back with me in a year .
The next year , we ’ ll double our labors .
Invariably , the abstractions fall away and real living begins .
Well there you are , to let the real living begin , plant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demure from the above in warning that reading Jude the Obscure might cause a suicide ( or a homicide ) .
In all seriousness , Really live in the real world you know with your own senses .
Sense the response of the real world itself , not model predictions .
For example , in discussing Covid with people I explain the one absolute reality for me is that I do not know a single person to have been killed , or even hospitalized , due to the virus .
Furthermore , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skills that give life .
If things really get desperate ( e.g.
, economic collapse ) you can have food to eat and food to trade .
Gardening is not the only competence to develop .
The investments in practical knowledge are limitless .
The wise YouTube grandmother , Mary Kochan , has done a podcast series on raising chickens and on how to be a good husband to the earth ( e.g.
, animal husbandry ) .
Working with wood or metal , and machines will be helpful to yourself and your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly the best way to be a good citizen .
Far from the Madding C ... Thomas Hardy Best Price : $ 2.24 Buy New $ 6.34 I have lived my whole adult life in apartments .
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to buy a property in the countryside in Burgundy , France .
The purchase was in part to have my own garden .
But I know very little of gardening beyond the need for dirt and water .
To accelerate my experience with gardening I signed up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formation ” ) called “ Le Potager Naturel ” at the Ecole Nationale de Paysage in Versailles .
The site of the school is Le Potager du Roi , the king ’ s vegetable garden.It is adjacent to the old quartier St. Louis ( a 5 minute walk to the chateau ) , filled with restaurants and an 18th century cathedral .
The instructor is a remarkable man named Yves Gillen .
There are many videos of his teaching style and his lifestyle .
They are in French but you will get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent almost five decades passing his days in his three hectare ( about 7.4 acres ) garden along a swamp without power tools or chemicals .
He has never opened a book , but he is an autodidact that knows his plants because he has lived with his plants .
The class is like passing hours in the garden with a 19th century peasant .
Below is an example of a class handout , his own simple and evocative art work .
In a previous LRC post I wrote “ In these desperate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are essential are to take courage and to pray.
” Clearly , I should also add “ and to garden.
” Le Potager du Roi with the Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles in the background .
The Best of Ira Katz

We are in a dangerous place. Edward Curtin’s recent lamentation is an excellent description of the predicament that Jonathan Pageau called the ‘end of our civilization‘ (at about 10 min into this discussion). Regular readers of LRC certainly have been given by Mr. Rockwell the wherewithal to see through the haze of propaganda and the walls of censorship. But to understand the problems does not necessarily give us the direction for action. It gives me no solace whatsoever that I fall upon the question posed by Lenin himself in his 1902 pamphlet on party objectives and organization. But What is To Be Done? (I feel nauseated linking to marxists.org) is an appropriate question to consider.
My response to the Lenin question is declared in this wisdom infused communication I received in reply to my post on Bret Weinstein. Tess of the D’Ur... Hardy, Thomas Best Price: $1.68 Buy New $5.94 (as of 05:52 UTC - Details)
The problem with Weinstein and Co. is they are part of the industrial state. And here’s what I mean. Not only have they been ‘educated’ in our Prussian style universities, where the teleological educational aim always pushes the graduate to reinforcing the state’s aims, they’re physically deficient as well. And I’m not picking on anyone’s stature or physical development. A man who has worked the land and raised livestock always understands there is not much in the way of biological determinism, and if there is, over a course of a million years or so, he doesn’t care. It’s meaningless to him. The land will temper intellectual abstractions quicker than Bret can recount a genome sequence.
This is why I always prescribe Thomas Hardy or the Southern Agrarians to my high-minded, technocratic friends from university. Read those authors, plant a full, 1 acre garden, 8 laying hens and one milk cow and check back with me in a year. The next year, we’ll double our labors.
Invariably, the abstractions fall away and real living begins.
Well there you are, to let the real living begin, plant a garden. Though I would only demure from the above in warning that reading Jude the Obscure might cause a suicide (or a homicide). In all seriousness, Really live in the real world you know with your own senses. Sense the response of the real world itself, not model predictions. For example, in discussing Covid with people I explain the one absolute reality for me is that I do not know a single person to have been killed, or even hospitalized, due to the virus. Furthermore, the goal is to have living skills, skills that give life. If things really get desperate (e.g., economic collapse) you can have food to eat and food to trade. Gardening is not the only competence to develop. The investments in practical knowledge are limitless. The wise YouTube grandmother, Mary Kochan, has done a podcast series on raising chickens and on how to be a good husband to the earth (e.g., animal husbandry). Working with wood or metal, and machines will be helpful to yourself and your neighbors. Being a good neighbor is truly the best way to be a good citizen. Far from the Madding C... Thomas Hardy Best Price: $2.24 Buy New $6.34 (as of 05:52 UTC - Details)
I have lived my whole adult life in apartments. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to buy a property in the countryside in Burgundy, France. The purchase was in part to have my own garden. But I know very little of gardening beyond the need for dirt and water. To accelerate my experience with gardening I signed up for an instructional course (a “formation”) called “Le Potager Naturel” at the Ecole Nationale de Paysage in Versailles. The site of the school is Le Potager du Roi, the king’s vegetable garden.It is adjacent to the old quartier St. Louis (a 5 minute walk to the chateau), filled with restaurants and an 18th century cathedral.
The instructor is a remarkable man named Yves Gillen. There are many videos of his teaching style and his lifestyle. They are in French but you will get the idea about this special person who has spent almost five decades passing his days in his three hectare (about 7.4 acres) garden along a swamp without power tools or chemicals. He has never opened a book, but he is an autodidact that knows his plants because he has lived with his plants. The class is like passing hours in the garden with a 19th century peasant. Below is an example of a class handout, his own simple and evocative art work.
In a previous LRC post I wrote “In these desperate times, I feel the two actions that are essential are to take courage and to pray.” Clearly, I should also add “and to garden.”
Le Potager du Roi with the Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles in the background.
Aerial view of Le Potager du Roi from Google.
Class handout drawn by Yves Gillen.
The Best of Ira Katz


lewrockwell--2020-09-28--Will the Planned Coronavirus Second Wave Take Root With the Election Chaos and Nationwide Riots as D

Will the Planned Coronavirus Second Wave Take Root With the Election Chaos and Nationwide Riots as Distractions?

“ Of all tyrannies , a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive .
It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies .
The robber baron ’ s cruelty may sometimes sleep , his cupidity may at some point be satiated ; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
” What in the world lies ahead ?
We are in the midst of the most incredible attempt by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever happened on earth .
These times will determine our fate , as the controllers and enforcers are on a mission to complete the task of total population control without delay .
This is always the desire of tyrants , but nothing of this scale or magnitude has ever been attempted , but now this Covid false flag event has caused the possibility of world domination by the few to be dangerously close to being attained .
This is our dilemma , and there is little time to reverse this course we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide ?
How Not to Die : Discov ... Stone , Gene Best Price : $ 8.10 Buy New $ 14.52 Those at the helm of this plot have over and over again warned of what is to come .
This has been done as a method of preparedness in order to plant in the minds of the masses the idea that viral terror is imminent , and that only the state can save us from this deadly scourge .
This of course is a lie , but with proper conditioning , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore are ripe for the coming propaganda .
This is simply a brainwashing scheme , and there is nothing new about this technique used to dampen critical thinking by instilling fear among the herd .
But in this case , the result could be deadly .
In order to bolster the absurd idea that a minor claimed flu-like illness would threaten the country ’ s destruction , major distractions meant to confuse and spread additional fear have been carefully planned , and are being put into place at the identical time of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This of course was no accident , as multiple false flags will be used simultaneously in order to cause mass confusion .
All that was necessary to initiate these events was to purposely cause more division among the general public , and to then allow the chaotic violence to continue without state interference .
This began with the effort by the political class and its media to inundate the public with news that would stoke racial unrest , and pit black against white .
All that was necessary was to make false claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a black person , and then saturate the national airwaves with the specific intent to stoke hate .
Once that was accomplished , setting up , supporting , and releasing criminal gangs like the ‘ Black Lives Matter ’ thugs and their Marxist counterparts called Antifa on the streets of American cities was allowed .
In my opinion , this was purposely staged and authorized by the controllers , and these despicable hordes were then able to riot , loot , destroy property , and commit widespread acts of violence without resistance by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were ordered to stand down .
The How Not to Die Coo ... Stone , Gene Best Price : $ 13.23 Buy New $ 14.99 As this was going on , political hate mongering became even more rampant , as the left and right have been brought to a frenzied helter-skelter state of mind just before the most contentious election in history .
It has been stated on a continuous basis that this election will never be settled in November , no matter what the vote count shows .
Neither side it seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be dubious at best , so a mass uprising is certainly possible , but more likely probable .
This entire fiasco has all the impetus to lead to tremendous civil unrest at the same time that mass rioting and violence by other groups will escalate .
In other words , total chaotic madness is coming .
All this and the manufactured second wave of this fake pandemic looks like it will happen simultaneously , just before the poisonous and likely deadly Gate ’ s vaccine will be released .
This is a recipe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to excessive lockdowns , mass quarantine , curfews , extreme violence , and then martial law .
The culmination of all these events together within a short period of time will destroy the people ’ s ability to think in any rational terms , as if they have been as of late .
This will leave most Americans virtually helpless in the face of totalitarian and draconian measures that will certainly be forthcoming if this country falls into a tumultuous state of insanity .
As difficult as it might be for most to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up that is not only desired , but also has been staged by the ruling class of claimed elites at the top of the pyramid .
Already massive wealth transfers have taken place , and will continue with much more to come in 2021 when this failing economy comes completely apart during an economic collapse of epoch proportion worldwide .
This will bring extreme poverty , more job loss , monetary restructuring , digitized systems and elimination of cash , business failures at all levels other than the very top , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control infrastructure will be aggressively expanded , and due to the utter pandemonium that will likely exist , the people will clamor for more control measures by the criminal government so as to gain ‘ safety ’ in exchange for what little freedom and liberty they have left .
How Not to Diet : The G ... Greger M.D .
FACLM , Mic ... Best Price : $ 10.30 Buy New $ 15.06 This is not just another economic downturn .
It is not just another bump in the road , or another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not an outside terror attack , or any natural disaster .
This is a war on the people from the inside .
This is very real , and without mass resistance now there will be no return to normal , as the people have allowed this heinous government at the behest of its masters to gain control that will never be relinquished voluntarily .
The plan for the future has been exposed , and it can only lead to slavery of the people by the few that make up this authoritarian oligarchy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total control .
“ There will be , in the next generation or so , a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude , and producing dictatorship without tears , so to speak , producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies , so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them , but will rather enjoy it.
” The Best of Gary D. Barnett

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
~ C. S. Lewis, Article – “The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment”. (1949)
What in the world lies ahead? We are in the midst of the most incredible attempt by the powerful to take over humanity that has ever happened on earth. These times will determine our fate, as the controllers and enforcers are on a mission to complete the task of total population control without delay. This is always the desire of tyrants, but nothing of this scale or magnitude has ever been attempted, but now this Covid false flag event has caused the possibility of world domination by the few to be dangerously close to being attained. This is our dilemma, and there is little time to reverse this course we are on today. What will the people decide? How Not to Die: Discov... Stone, Gene Best Price: $8.10 Buy New $14.52 (as of 05:53 UTC - Details)
Those at the helm of this plot have over and over again warned of what is to come. This has been done as a method of preparedness in order to plant in the minds of the masses the idea that viral terror is imminent, and that only the state can save us from this deadly scourge. This of course is a lie, but with proper conditioning, most have succumbed to the possibility, and therefore are ripe for the coming propaganda. This is simply a brainwashing scheme, and there is nothing new about this technique used to dampen critical thinking by instilling fear among the herd. But in this case, the result could be deadly.
In order to bolster the absurd idea that a minor claimed flu-like illness would threaten the country’s destruction, major distractions meant to confuse and spread additional fear have been carefully planned, and are being put into place at the identical time of the arrival of the coming flu season. This of course was no accident, as multiple false flags will be used simultaneously in order to cause mass confusion. All that was necessary to initiate these events was to purposely cause more division among the general public, and to then allow the chaotic violence to continue without state interference.
This began with the effort by the political class and its media to inundate the public with news that would stoke racial unrest, and pit black against white. All that was necessary was to make false claims of murder by a white policeman against a black person, and then saturate the national airwaves with the specific intent to stoke hate. Once that was accomplished, setting up, supporting, and releasing criminal gangs like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ thugs and their Marxist counterparts called Antifa on the streets of American cities was allowed. In my opinion, this was purposely staged and authorized by the controllers, and these despicable hordes were then able to riot, loot, destroy property, and commit widespread acts of violence without resistance by the police, as most state enforcers were ordered to stand down. The How Not to Die Coo... Stone, Gene Best Price: $13.23 Buy New $14.99 (as of 05:53 UTC - Details)
As this was going on, political hate mongering became even more rampant, as the left and right have been brought to a frenzied helter-skelter state of mind just before the most contentious election in history. It has been stated on a continuous basis that this election will never be settled in November, no matter what the vote count shows. Neither side it seems will accept the outcome, which will be dubious at best, so a mass uprising is certainly possible, but more likely probable. This entire fiasco has all the impetus to lead to tremendous civil unrest at the same time that mass rioting and violence by other groups will escalate. In other words, total chaotic madness is coming.
All this and the manufactured second wave of this fake pandemic looks like it will happen simultaneously, just before the poisonous and likely deadly Gate’s vaccine will be released. This is a recipe for disaster, and could easily lead to excessive lockdowns, mass quarantine, curfews, extreme violence, and then martial law. The culmination of all these events together within a short period of time will destroy the people’s ability to think in any rational terms, as if they have been as of late. This will leave most Americans virtually helpless in the face of totalitarian and draconian measures that will certainly be forthcoming if this country falls into a tumultuous state of insanity.
As difficult as it might be for most to accept, this seems to be a set up that is not only desired, but also has been staged by the ruling class of claimed elites at the top of the pyramid. Already massive wealth transfers have taken place, and will continue with much more to come in 2021 when this failing economy comes completely apart during an economic collapse of epoch proportion worldwide. This will bring extreme poverty, more job loss, monetary restructuring, digitized systems and elimination of cash, business failures at all levels other than the very top, and dramatic food shortages. The surveillance and control infrastructure will be aggressively expanded, and due to the utter pandemonium that will likely exist, the people will clamor for more control measures by the criminal government so as to gain ‘safety’ in exchange for what little freedom and liberty they have left. How Not to Diet: The G... Greger M.D. FACLM, Mic... Best Price: $10.30 Buy New $15.06 (as of 05:53 UTC - Details)
This is not just another economic downturn. It is not just another bump in the road, or another war against non-existent foreign monsters. It is not an outside terror attack, or any natural disaster. This is a war on the people from the inside. This is very real, and without mass resistance now there will be no return to normal, as the people have allowed this heinous government at the behest of its masters to gain control that will never be relinquished voluntarily. The plan for the future has been exposed, and it can only lead to slavery of the people by the few that make up this authoritarian oligarchy bent on creating a technocratic state of total control.
“There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it.”
The Ultimate Revolution”. Aldous Huxley’s speech at Berkeley Language Center, www.informationclearinghouse.info. March 20, 1962.
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


lewrockwell--2020-09-28--The Worst Purges Come From the Right

The Worst Purges Come From the Right

Recently C. Bradley Thompson responded obliquely to my critical comments in Chronicles about his book and subsequent observations on the American Founding .
Contrary to Thompson ’ s asides on Facebook and Twitter dismissing my criticism , I did read some of his tome , The Revolutionary Mind , and even commented on it—but I found its discussion of our state-builders so tendentious and unscholarly that after a few chapters I gave up .
His attribution of recognizably Randian , agnostic , or atheistic views to the Founders was a bit much .
The Vanishing Traditio ... Buy New $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analyses of Thompson ’ s writings are supposedly reducible to “ smears ” and even more ominously , to my identification with what he called the “ TradCon reactionary Right.
” Those on Thompson ’ s right remain unfit to mention , let alone deserve serious discussion from the conservative establishment , which supposedly praises Thompson as a brilliant researcher .
Who am I to belittle anyone who has earned an interview on “ The Dave Rubin Show ” and whom National Review treats as a clubbable thinker ?
This incident revealed only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iceberg , which is the conservative movement ’ s extensive cancel culture .
Those who position themselves or are imagined to be situated even a millimeter to the right of where Conservative Inc. wants us to be at a particular moment are read out of the authorized “ conservative ” conversation .
We are labeled the “ TradCon reactionary right , ” or some other equally disreputable label .
As a scholar , I do not fly a “ TradCon reactionary ” flag .
I take my information or insights wherever I find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dependent for my thoughts on a conservative establishment that is driven by political opportunism and the pleasure of its sponsors .
Conservatism in Americ ... P. Gottfried Best Price : $ 39.03 Buy New $ 37.27 This intolerant behavior on the part of the conservative establishment goes back even before the established left took up this unsavory practice .
Note that in the 1950s and 1960s , it was William F. Buckley , Jr. , James Burnham , and Willmoore Kendall who were scolding liberals for believing in an “ open society.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed in the creation of an America in which all views , even those of Communists , would be heard .
In my anthology The Vanishing Tradition and in my book Conservatism in America : Making Sense of the American Right , I trace back to the 1950s the conservative movement ’ s tendency to ostracize those who defy party lines .
It was then that conservatism reconstructed itself as a crusading , anti-Communist movement that had little time for qualified Cold Warriors .
Of course , there was a credible Communist threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go in the transformed conservative movement of the 1950s were so-called isolationists , like libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard .
These early rejections are regrettable ; later the purging assumed a much grimmer aspect .
By the 1980s , with the dizzying ascent of the neoconservatives , expulsions were extended to critics of a global , democratic foreign policy and other features of the neoconservative agenda .
Moreover , unlike the earlier attempts to nudge out pesky dissenters , the neocons added a Communist-like efficiency to their purges .
The Best of Paul @

Recently C. Bradley Thompson responded obliquely to my critical comments in Chronicles about his book and subsequent observations on the American Founding. Contrary to Thompson’s asides on Facebook and Twitter dismissing my criticism, I did read some of his tome, The Revolutionary Mind, and even commented on it—but I found its discussion of our state-builders so tendentious and unscholarly that after a few chapters I gave up. His attribution of recognizably Randian, agnostic, or atheistic views to the Founders was a bit much.
The Vanishing Traditio... Buy New $22.95 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details) In any case, my critical analyses of Thompson’s writings are supposedly reducible to “smears” and even more ominously, to my identification with what he called the “TradCon reactionary Right.” Those on Thompson’s right remain unfit to mention, let alone deserve serious discussion from the conservative establishment, which supposedly praises Thompson as a brilliant researcher. Who am I to belittle anyone who has earned an interview on “The Dave Rubin Show” and whom National Review treats as a clubbable thinker?
This incident revealed only the most superficial tip of a gigantic iceberg, which is the conservative movement’s extensive cancel culture. Those who position themselves or are imagined to be situated even a millimeter to the right of where Conservative Inc. wants us to be at a particular moment are read out of the authorized “conservative” conversation. We are labeled the “TradCon reactionary right,” or some other equally disreputable label. As a scholar, I do not fly a “TradCon reactionary” flag. I take my information or insights wherever I find them. This means I am not dependent for my thoughts on a conservative establishment that is driven by political opportunism and the pleasure of its sponsors.
Conservatism in Americ... P. Gottfried Best Price: $39.03 Buy New $37.27 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details) This intolerant behavior on the part of the conservative establishment goes back even before the established left took up this unsavory practice. Note that in the 1950s and 1960s, it was William F. Buckley, Jr., James Burnham, and Willmoore Kendall who were scolding liberals for believing in an “open society.” Post-World War II conservatives ridiculed those who believed in the creation of an America in which all views, even those of Communists, would be heard. In my anthology The Vanishing Tradition and in my book Conservatism in America: Making Sense of the American Right, I trace back to the 1950s the conservative movement’s tendency to ostracize those who defy party lines. It was then that conservatism reconstructed itself as a crusading, anti-Communist movement that had little time for qualified Cold Warriors. Of course, there was a credible Communist threat after World War II.
The first to go in the transformed conservative movement of the 1950s were so-called isolationists, like libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard. These early rejections are regrettable; later the purging assumed a much grimmer aspect. By the 1980s, with the dizzying ascent of the neoconservatives, expulsions were extended to critics of a global, democratic foreign policy and other features of the neoconservative agenda. Moreover, unlike the earlier attempts to nudge out pesky dissenters, the neocons added a Communist-like efficiency to their purges.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Paul Gottfried


lewrockwell--2020-09-28--The Four Young Men Who May Help Carry Our Nation through These Tough Times

Many of the young people rioting today are not committed Marxist revolutionaries .
( There are large , powerful , dark forces behind the riots ; the actual rioters are just political fodder . )
Many are rioting largely because it ’ s considered by their peers and their influencers to be the cool , popular thing to do .
In that , they are the most recent iteration of the popular American “ counterculture ” that began in the mid-20th century and has traveled hand in hand with left-wing politics ( and has , alarmingly , gained the upper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That counterculture has a lineage that goes back to the Beat Poets , a group of young men with literary ambitions who sought to live a more passionate , more ecstatic experience than the standard “ American Dream ” of family , security , and prosperity .
Their writing and experiences became the blueprint of the American counterculture : sex , drugs , rapturous music , mad impulses , and defiance of authority .
With them , a new spirit was unleashed ; while decadence has always been with us , after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cultural advancement , a virtue .
Urban Survival Guide : ... Morris , David Best Price : $ 16.88 Buy New $ 26.65 By the end of the 1960s , the counterculture the Beats initiated had become mainstream , promoted as such by the media .
Many youths adopt the Beats ’ unbridled lifestyles for at least a brief period of adolescence or young adulthood .
Rock may have replaced the Beats ’ beloved jazz , and rap may have replaced rock as the soundtrack for the times , but the popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in youth culture to this day .
To be “ cool , ” at least in the popular national consciousness , has been to show contempt for traditional mores , to regard those trying to preserve order as less evolved , and to flaunt one ’ s pursuit of sensuality .
Now a new set of young men is showing a new direction , a new “ cool.
” Although they are unfamiliar with each other and rose to national prominence in different situations , similar themes run through their actions .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his ground and maintained his dignity when verbally accosted in person by an antagonistic protester — and again when the media tried to paint him as the aggressor ; Kyle Rittenhouse , who coolly protected himself under fire against a mob of criminals hell-bent on harming him during the Kenosha riot ; and Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley , two high school football players who resolutely stuck up for their principles by carrying flags representing the police and firefighters onto the field before a game on September 11 , despite knowing that punishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
( Certainly , other examples exist , but these four exemplify the pattern . )
They are not part of the coastal elites , but from flyover country : Sandmann is from Kentucky , Rittenhouse from Illinois , the other two from Ohio .
SAS Survival Handbook , ... Wiseman , John 'Lofty ' Best Price : $ 12.99 Buy New $ 12.49 They come from different backgrounds .
Sandmann is upper-middle-class ; his mother is a vice president of Fidelity Investments , and his father is a sales manager for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other end of the socio-economic spectrum : he was raised by a single mother who works as a nurse ’ s aide .
Williams and Bentley are from the prosperous working class : Williams is the son of a sheriff , while Bentley ’ s father is a firefighter .
These four boys do not seem to be the sort of young men who usually garner public attention .
They are not heading to Harvard with perfect SAT scores .
Nor have they been embraced by the popular culture , to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly known about their performance as high school students ( as it should be ) , but the way they present themselves is telling .
Sandmann is articulate ; he appears to have excelled as a student and is now attending highly regarded Transylvania University .
Catholicism looms large in his background ; he attended a Catholic high school and rose to fame when attending a March for Life in Washington..

Many of the young people rioting today are not committed Marxist revolutionaries. (There are large, powerful, dark forces behind the riots; the actual rioters are just political fodder.) Many are rioting largely because it’s considered by their peers and their influencers to be the cool, popular thing to do. In that, they are the most recent iteration of the popular American “counterculture” that began in the mid-20th century and has traveled hand in hand with left-wing politics (and has, alarmingly, gained the upper hand in the popular culture).
That counterculture has a lineage that goes back to the Beat Poets, a group of young men with literary ambitions who sought to live a more passionate, more ecstatic experience than the standard “American Dream” of family, security, and prosperity. Their writing and experiences became the blueprint of the American counterculture: sex, drugs, rapturous music, mad impulses, and defiance of authority. With them, a new spirit was unleashed; while decadence has always been with us, after the Beats, it was often celebrated as a cultural advancement, a virtue.
Urban Survival Guide: ... Morris, David Best Price: $16.88 Buy New $26.65 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details) By the end of the 1960s, the counterculture the Beats initiated had become mainstream, promoted as such by the media. Many youths adopt the Beats’ unbridled lifestyles for at least a brief period of adolescence or young adulthood. Rock may have replaced the Beats’ beloved jazz, and rap may have replaced rock as the soundtrack for the times, but the popular acceptance of decadence and defiance has persisted in youth culture to this day. To be “cool,” at least in the popular national consciousness, has been to show contempt for traditional mores, to regard those trying to preserve order as less evolved, and to flaunt one’s pursuit of sensuality.
Now a new set of young men is showing a new direction, a new “cool.” Although they are unfamiliar with each other and rose to national prominence in different situations, similar themes run through their actions. They are Nick Sandmann, who coolly stood his ground and maintained his dignity when verbally accosted in person by an antagonistic protester — and again when the media tried to paint him as the aggressor; Kyle Rittenhouse, who coolly protected himself under fire against a mob of criminals hell-bent on harming him during the Kenosha riot; and Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley, two high school football players who resolutely stuck up for their principles by carrying flags representing the police and firefighters onto the field before a game on September 11, despite knowing that punishment by their school’s administration awaited them. (Certainly, other examples exist, but these four exemplify the pattern.)
They are not part of the coastal elites, but from flyover country: Sandmann is from Kentucky, Rittenhouse from Illinois, the other two from Ohio. SAS Survival Handbook,... Wiseman, John 'Lofty' Best Price: $12.99 Buy New $12.49 (as of 01:15 UTC - Details)
They come from different backgrounds. Sandmann is upper-middle-class; his mother is a vice president of Fidelity Investments, and his father is a sales manager for a manufacturing company. Rittenhouse comes from the other end of the socio-economic spectrum: he was raised by a single mother who works as a nurse’s aide. Williams and Bentley are from the prosperous working class: Williams is the son of a sheriff, while Bentley’s father is a firefighter.
These four boys do not seem to be the sort of young men who usually garner public attention. They are not heading to Harvard with perfect SAT scores. Nor have they been embraced by the popular culture, to say the least.
Actually, little is publicly known about their performance as high school students (as it should be), but the way they present themselves is telling. Sandmann is articulate; he appears to have excelled as a student and is now attending highly regarded Transylvania University. Catholicism looms large in his background; he attended a Catholic high school and rose to fame when attending a March for Life in Washington..
Read the Whole Article