Thank you for this profound essay which fully and expertly explores a concept I struggled to explain most of my working life. Complicity is the choosing of one's lifestyle over one's internal compass and the collective morals that are said to underpin western society. And worse, it's the warping of the compass itself, so that it can be made to point true north regardless of the actual direction in which you're headed. This is perhaps why so many government employees can tell you exactly how many days they have left until retirement - the day their complicity pays in full.
The other choice - the pay cut - has far-reaching consequences to be sure. It means a change in lifestyle and a less secure retirement. But as you say, it is the smallest honest exit from a rigged game.
Covid was proof positive that "no one will take the pay cut." As we saw with medical, legal and numerous other professionals, a pay cut - a change in lifestyle - is most certainly not on the agenda for the members of our society who earn the most for their complicity, and whose participation was entirely necessary to implement the harm. Those who did speak out - who did leave - are to be commended.
The idea of taking a pay cut is made even less palatable today give that at this stage in what appears to be an intentional degradation of western economies, there appear to be fewer employment opportunities even at the lower end of the income scale and the cost of living has increased dramatically. That too, it would seem, ensures compliance.
Thank you for taking the time to read and fully comment. I'm glad I helped clarify things for you. I had commented the phrase a dozen or more times over the past couple months, but I realized I didn't have it fully articulated anywhere. Now I do.
There is a screenshot from the hellblazer/constantine comics I shared long long ago in the context of jobs. It had a priest talking about how the devils used to have to give out immortality or other supernatural gifts, but now souls, now a devalued currency, can be bought for mere jobs, and how that made him laugh. Stuck with me obviously.
Perhaps it's not coincidence that homeless camps often end up on public land smack dab in the middle of many cities where corporate headquarters are also typically located. Everyone working in the downtown high-rises has to walk past them on their way to and from work - a twice daily reminder not to rock the boat.
I found it interesting but not surprising that someone would block you for pointing out their hypocrisy. As many of us have found out, the truth is an unpopular guest at most parties!
Yea... Homeless, dental, prison. The whips of the west. Slavery rebranded. And yea... I suspected I'd get the reaction I got. But it still makes me sad. Important lesson that being right won't save you. Justice must be manufactured.
Does general strike mean a large percentage of working people would refuse to go to their jobs until the government gave in to the demands? Could you describe how a general strike could be organized? And how it would function? And how if would bring about changing the arrangement for funding the current Israeli government?
I'm no organizer, and while I would love to see a general strike, I want to point out that's merely the best strongest move. Simply being aware of the funding/material aid you provide and minimizing it is a great start so long as it is good faith start and not just another box to check knowing you'll never actually cost the Bank anything.
But to answer your question, imo for a general strike people could just start basically bracing for homelessness, convert assets into mobile forms. Downsize basically. There's probably like a dozen good dates a year to target. Also there's a thousand tools out there to communicate with if you don't trust the platforms. Meshtastic, Reticulum, and GrapheneOS come to mind. Also there's stuff like freenode and simplexchat.
Basically what I would hope to see is a trend of american "laying flat" that grows into organized surges of the activity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_ping
" exposes the necessity defense as a purchase. Once that is seen..." Hmmm... don't agree with this.
You are saying: "It is just the decision to pay (or receive) money." They PURCHASED the necessity defense? On the free market? Sorry, this doesn't sound right. (I study economics. Try reading my site, or "page" or whatever the hypocrites who run the company call it these days. I think I read it is a "thriving community," though!) But as well, a fair warning. I might jump Substack. I am not writing an article today.
"Withdrawal is a posture to lean into by degrees, an individual and partial thing, and the refusal to lean even slightly is what exposes the necessity defense as a purchase."
I'll agree the above is a bit cryptic in phrasing but basically the idea is that, to the extent such concepts as "free" will are in context coherent, the necessity defense is a product sold by the bank state, acquired by "choice." Like buying absolution/indulgences from the church. The system rewards your refusal to lean away by endorsing your argument that you had no choice.
Does that make sense?
But you don't just get absolution, you get a lottery ticket. By not leaning away you're effectively leaning in, which leaves the door open for a raise and promotion.
The bank's main innovation is masking transactions. The british empire didn't fold, it became a bank. By that I mean it changed the name of all the actions and began to rule by scam and stealth. Instead of by colony. That's why reformers are constantly calling out colonizers. Trying to de-obfuscate the new version of the same transaction.
Thank you for this profound essay which fully and expertly explores a concept I struggled to explain most of my working life. Complicity is the choosing of one's lifestyle over one's internal compass and the collective morals that are said to underpin western society. And worse, it's the warping of the compass itself, so that it can be made to point true north regardless of the actual direction in which you're headed. This is perhaps why so many government employees can tell you exactly how many days they have left until retirement - the day their complicity pays in full.
The other choice - the pay cut - has far-reaching consequences to be sure. It means a change in lifestyle and a less secure retirement. But as you say, it is the smallest honest exit from a rigged game.
Covid was proof positive that "no one will take the pay cut." As we saw with medical, legal and numerous other professionals, a pay cut - a change in lifestyle - is most certainly not on the agenda for the members of our society who earn the most for their complicity, and whose participation was entirely necessary to implement the harm. Those who did speak out - who did leave - are to be commended.
The idea of taking a pay cut is made even less palatable today give that at this stage in what appears to be an intentional degradation of western economies, there appear to be fewer employment opportunities even at the lower end of the income scale and the cost of living has increased dramatically. That too, it would seem, ensures compliance.
Thank you for taking the time to read and fully comment. I'm glad I helped clarify things for you. I had commented the phrase a dozen or more times over the past couple months, but I realized I didn't have it fully articulated anywhere. Now I do.
There is a screenshot from the hellblazer/constantine comics I shared long long ago in the context of jobs. It had a priest talking about how the devils used to have to give out immortality or other supernatural gifts, but now souls, now a devalued currency, can be bought for mere jobs, and how that made him laugh. Stuck with me obviously.
Perhaps it's not coincidence that homeless camps often end up on public land smack dab in the middle of many cities where corporate headquarters are also typically located. Everyone working in the downtown high-rises has to walk past them on their way to and from work - a twice daily reminder not to rock the boat.
I found it interesting but not surprising that someone would block you for pointing out their hypocrisy. As many of us have found out, the truth is an unpopular guest at most parties!
Yea... Homeless, dental, prison. The whips of the west. Slavery rebranded. And yea... I suspected I'd get the reaction I got. But it still makes me sad. Important lesson that being right won't save you. Justice must be manufactured.
Does general strike mean a large percentage of working people would refuse to go to their jobs until the government gave in to the demands? Could you describe how a general strike could be organized? And how it would function? And how if would bring about changing the arrangement for funding the current Israeli government?
I'm no organizer, and while I would love to see a general strike, I want to point out that's merely the best strongest move. Simply being aware of the funding/material aid you provide and minimizing it is a great start so long as it is good faith start and not just another box to check knowing you'll never actually cost the Bank anything.
But to answer your question, imo for a general strike people could just start basically bracing for homelessness, convert assets into mobile forms. Downsize basically. There's probably like a dozen good dates a year to target. Also there's a thousand tools out there to communicate with if you don't trust the platforms. Meshtastic, Reticulum, and GrapheneOS come to mind. Also there's stuff like freenode and simplexchat.
Basically what I would hope to see is a trend of american "laying flat" that grows into organized surges of the activity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_ping
Thanks for asking and reading man.
" exposes the necessity defense as a purchase. Once that is seen..." Hmmm... don't agree with this.
You are saying: "It is just the decision to pay (or receive) money." They PURCHASED the necessity defense? On the free market? Sorry, this doesn't sound right. (I study economics. Try reading my site, or "page" or whatever the hypocrites who run the company call it these days. I think I read it is a "thriving community," though!) But as well, a fair warning. I might jump Substack. I am not writing an article today.
"Withdrawal is a posture to lean into by degrees, an individual and partial thing, and the refusal to lean even slightly is what exposes the necessity defense as a purchase."
I'll agree the above is a bit cryptic in phrasing but basically the idea is that, to the extent such concepts as "free" will are in context coherent, the necessity defense is a product sold by the bank state, acquired by "choice." Like buying absolution/indulgences from the church. The system rewards your refusal to lean away by endorsing your argument that you had no choice.
Does that make sense?
But you don't just get absolution, you get a lottery ticket. By not leaning away you're effectively leaning in, which leaves the door open for a raise and promotion.
The bank's main innovation is masking transactions. The british empire didn't fold, it became a bank. By that I mean it changed the name of all the actions and began to rule by scam and stealth. Instead of by colony. That's why reformers are constantly calling out colonizers. Trying to de-obfuscate the new version of the same transaction.