Monday, July 31, 2017

Terror: Land of the free?

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(first draft, comments are welcome, text part of a series. pls read in order.)
Terror: Why do Muslims commit acts of terror?
Terror: Does the West commit acts of terror?
Terror: Land of the free?



Intro



The previous text probably does not conform with the world view many in the West have. As a free thinking person you might have the following reaction:

The view presented does not conform with my daily life. We are not controlled by power hungry industrialists. We have freedom. We have free speech. There are free elections and multiple political parties. My society is not motivated by greed and consumerism. We have human rights and social programs.

Well, let me explain. We live in a two faced society. There is the public face you just described, the just society, and the hidden face of exploitation and control.


The paradox


The main result of the European enlightenment period was a transfer of control from organized religion to the individual. Man became the master of his own fate, instead of God. We found out we could do things ourselves, instead of relying upon the Church. This resulted in a number of developments that had both 'positive' and 'negative' outcomes, depending upon whom you ask. The rejection of rule by nobility, humanism, the rights of the individual, democracy, free competition, private industry, etc.
One of these developments was a strong sense of social justice. The right to pursue happiness unhindered by church and state, and free from exploitation by others. This sense of social justice clashes with the need for control. You can't maximize your own control if you are not allowed to take it away from others. This creates a paradox. You can't have a society where both social justice and the pursuit of control at the cost of others are prevalent.

And yet we have one.


The powers that be


People seek out people that are like themselves and have similar goals. Those that hold positions of power are no different. They band together to further their collective interest. This is natural human behavior.
In the Netherlands the rich members of the Dutch East India company held great sway over national policy during our Golden Age in the 17th century. In the British Empire the upper class formed cabals to help each other out, dividing positions and land in the colonies amongst themselves. In the Roman Republic there were the wealthy families like the Julii en Scipii that banded together in order to rule. In modern times you have the groups of politicians and industrialists that work together, like Dick Cheney and Halliburton, in order to award themselves government contracts. Fox News, which should be an independent news organization somehow only broadcasts a conservative agenda.
These groups of powerful people we call cabals. A cabal is a group of people that seek to further their own interests outside of the public view. The reason for secrecy is that their actions clash with either the law or public morality. Cabals can be found anywhere and everywhere. Some cabals are an open secret, like the Roman families were or the British upper class is. Others are more secretive, like the military industrial complex and their politicians in the United States are or the Oligarchs were during the Yeltsin years in Russia.
Do remember there is nothing odd about these groups. It is natural human behavior to band together and help each other out.
So how do these cabals deal with all of our freedoms and our sense of social justice? Well secrecy is not the only means by which these ''powers that be'' maximize their control at the cost of you and me.


The solutions for dealing with freedom


The powers that be found several ways to circumvent or nullify our perceived freedoms.

Free thinking. Europe developed a tradition of free thinking during the enlightenment period. This needed to be countered by the powers that be. Free thought brings the risk of non conformity. The solution was programming via commercials and mass media. How do you keep your workers consuming and distracted? You tempt them with commercials to buy more. You provide them with easy access to entertainment based on primary emotions. Super hero movies, talent shows, sitcoms, etc. And you give them something to fear via the news media. The Soviets, black people, terrorists, the Chinese, diseases, and so on.
The powers that be improved upon the old Roman axiom: in order to control the masses you need to give them bread and games. It's now bread, games, and an enemy.

Free speech. The right to say what you want seems dangerous to any would be ruler. An individual might contradict your story, and pull others in with him, thus undermining your power. However this threat can be easily circumvented by simply providing for many, many, many voices.
Sometimes this happens naturally. Take the Internet. Where in the past dedicated individuals might make the effort to set up a movement which contradicts the official story, on the Internet lazy keyboard warriors like me in their millions create a forest of opinions, thus rendering them all ineffective.
In other cases organizations are created. Take Fox News. It's primary mission is to provide alternative story lines to support their overlords. The counter divergent political messages, social justice warriors and scientific facts. And there are many, many more official and unofficial news organizations.
The Internet together with the news media are enough to nullify the effects of free speech. It doesn't matter that there are many critical thinkers who publish books, blog and make documentaries. As long as the majority in more focused on their own material and social situation and believe their society is just, there is no danger. The odd public issue that pops up can be resolved by counter messages, diverting blame, diversions, etc. While George Bush and Dick Cheney were widely criticized for their handling of the Iraq war, the world wide news media ignored the military industrial complex which made billions.

Free choice. Free choice is simply nullified by providing the available choices. These available choices are created and enforced via companies, government, and the media controlled popular culture.

Free elections. America and Europe developed a tradition of multi party free elections. Anybody could go into politics and win elections. This could not stand. Vital interests could be threatened by the wrong man at the helm. However politicians and parties need money in order to operate. For the industrial cabals in America this was the solution. Simply buy them all. This has been a fact of life since Eisenhower.
In other countries this approach was not possible due to the legal limits set on contributions. In a lot of European countries parties do often act in the public interest. However the politicians do form cabals themselves, helping each other out with lucrative jobs and positions. And industrial cabals do succeed in poaching the politicians with promises of high paying jobs after their political career.

Free competition. Via the economic model of free competition you create a steady stream of new products and new markets, which means more and more profits, always increasing. Greed provides the incentive. Inventors and companies feel the need to out do the competition in order to maximize their control.
The competition model however means that you often cut into each others profits. Unless you are in a new or expanding market, your companies market share is increased at the cost of another. This benefits the customer, but not you as a C.E.O. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, with the overall effect being zero. And you want all the profits, not just a share that changes in size over time. Furthermore there is the risk of your company going under.
The solution are diversified ownership and capital. If you control more than one company, you benefit no matter what. If you have capital you can steer the outcome of competition. You can withhold or give loans and investments, buy up competitors, undercut the market prices, etc.
This translates into shareholding and banking. So the early industrial cabals transformed from people that ran individual enterprises into people that own many things. Banks and stocks. C.E.O.'s are now simply employees.
Obviously this circumvention of free competition is not air tight. Many companies successfully withstood buyout attempts. Facebook, Microsoft, etc. However once these companies became industry leaders they themselves reverted to buying out and undercutting any startup that could remotely be a threat. Ever wonder why there is only one consumer operating system sold world wide?

Fairness for all. The world does not have enough raw materials to sustain mass consumption for all humans. The solution lies with distract, hide and conquer. Specifically the distract & hide part. In secret, the West robs many other countries of their natural resources, purchasing these at bargain prices, or mining them ourselves. The whole of Africa is a resources free buffet. Of course Joe-public can't accept the fact that his new microwave was made by poor Chinese workers from resources purchased off corrupt governments and dictators. The solution lies with the Media. We simply do not inform the public. And when news does break, it's just a drop in the ocean of propaganda and distraction. From the news we all know Africans are stupid, warlike, always hungry and uncivilized. Who cares if some Nigerians are poisoned by an oil company. The new IPhone is of much, much greater concern.

Public interest. There are many public interests. Defense, health, education etc. Things we all need, and need done well. These interests can be at odd with the quest of the individual to maximize it's control. Take the fast food industry. This industry found out that food can be made addictive by adding sugar and certain fats. We as humans have evolved to select sugar and fat above anything else. It's an old adaptation from the time of the hunter gather, when a quick boost from these scarce resources could mean the difference between survival and death. However we are not build to handle large quantities. Our liver, kidneys and other organs suffer from overuse. We develop diabetes and other diseases. Despite the public interest in limiting access to these types of food, fast food restaurants chains have only been expanding. A powerful lobby from the fast food cabal has thus far successfully prevented legislation.
Another example of success is the health industry cabal. They found out that they can charge ridiculous prices for medicines, way, way above cost price, as long all companies do it. People after all need to get better, no matter what. While in theory there are several large companies that produces medicine and prices should be low due to competition, this is not the case.
An example of failure is the tobacco industry. It's lobby could not prevent legislation.
An example of success of a political cabal is the French-German axis in European politics. Nothing gets decided without their say-so.
Terrorism is also a good example of successes gained by political and industrial cabals. As can be read in the text about Muslim terrorists, there are plenty of reasons why Muslims can justly be upset with the West. These issues produces a steady yet very small stream of new terrorists that carry out the occasional attack in the West. Yet instead of dealing with the social injustices the West helped create in the Middle East, we add fuel on the fire discriminating against Muslims and bombing various countries. We also continue to support Saudi Arabia with large sums of money and military hardware, while the Saudi government is the driving force behind the spread of Wahhabism. Wahhabism used to be a minor movement in Islam, a bit like Pentecostalism in Christianity. It believes in the absolute correctness of the scripture, yet is focussed soley on phrases containing instructions for repression, excluding the majority content of the Koran which focusses on being a decent loving human being. Wahhabism is now wide spread in Europe and the Middle East. It is the doctrine of ISIS.
Our strange behavior seems inexplicable. We create this image of the evil Muslim that needs to be fought, yet contrinu to provide the few actual evil Muslims with means and cause. However if you think of the billions and billions of dollars spend worldwide combatting terrorism you might find an explanation. The military/security cabal in the USA wages a very strong pro Saudi and anti Muslim lobby in US politics.


Soft Control


Over time the powers that be have learned how to leave our freedoms intact and yet control us.

You can still think for yourself, if you make the effort to put down your Iphone.
You can still say what you want, but your voice gets lost in the crowd, and most people won't listen anyway.
You can chose what you want to do, from the choices provided.
You can pick your political candidate, but chances are that he or she is just a chocolate or vanilla flavor of the same stuff: cabal ice cream.
You can compete all you want, but chances are you will be swallowed up or owned.
Fairness for all seems far off, but as long as you don't realize that your new Samsung phone is related to suffering in Africa, it doesn't really matter. At best you shake your head in despair at the problems other countries experience.

So how do they do it? Most importantly there is no need to clamp down on everything. As a member of the powers that be, all you are interested in is to maximize your own chances for survival. This means control over resources and general control over the behavior of your host population. Anything that does not impede your control does not matter and is thus allowed to occur.

Gay rights? Fine.
Legalized Marijuana? Fine.
Black lives matter? Not fine. Might hinder prison profits and the 'omg-a-black-person' fear factor which is an important control on the majority white population.
Abortion? Fine, just let the religious zealots duke it out with the liberals.

The method by which control is exercised by the cabals of the present day could be called ''soft control''. Direct oppression brings with it the risk of revolution and is very expensive. Leaving the individual sense of freedom intact but providing the framework in which this freedom is allowed to operate is much safer. And allowing many things to occur naturally, and then steering them with a soft unseen hand, is much cheaper.


Outcome


We do live in a free society, and yet we don't. Our freedoms only exists within a framework the powers that be provide for us. Economic, social and political developments in the West are controlled by various cabals that seek to maximize their control. The result of which is that the majority of the population is focused on consumption and fearful of imaginary threats. This control is not absolute. Occasionally things do change. However the nature of soft control is that it need not be absolute, as long as it is wide spread and largely hidden. The occasional loss is more that compensated by gains elsewhere.


Conclusion


Our free society is not as prevalent as we like to think. We are only partly free, within a framework decided for us by those that are successful in maximizing their control. However, this is only a natural outcome of what defines our society: individualism.
The acts of terrorism are carried out both by Western hands and those of Muslims. The mechanism that creates the terror however is not natural but artificial with the sole purpose of maxizing the control of groups of powerfull people that own the military industrial complexes and security companies. ISIS is nothing more than a sales pitch.

Terror: Does the West commit acts terror?

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(first draft, comments are welcome, text part of serie:)
Terror: Why do Muslims commit acts of terror?
Terror: Does the West commit acts of terror?
Terror: Land of the free?


Intro



Now that we found some possible reasons why Muslims might commit acts of terrors, let's make a list of characteristics of the West that might motivate us to do the same.


The list


1. Individualism. We in the West think it is all about ME. We are not part of a whole, but individuals. Our fortune depends upon our own actions. Sometimes this gives us incentive to choose taking over sharing.

2. Control. Closely tied into the psychology of individualism, and generally into the psyche of the human mind, is the need for control. All animals seek out maximum control in order to survive, and we are no different. Any perceived threat to our existence has to be dealt with (real or imaginary).
In some societies this control is outsourced. Usually to a deity. People accept that they themselves as having limited control. However a deity will ensure on their behalve that everything is going to be allright as long as they follow a certain path of behavior. Thus control over one's life is gained via indirect means.
During the enlightenment period, we in the West found out that man controls his own destiny directly. You yourself as an individual need to get that control in order to make things workout allright.

3.Competition. Individualism combined with the need for control produces selfish people in constant competition. The individual is responsible for your it's own share of both material and social power.  In order to maximize it's own chances of survival, it's control, the individual needs to compete with others. In this proces there are winners and losers. These winners achieve control over their own destiny and those of others.

4. Rampant consumerism. The industrial revolution gave birth to mass production. Initially a lot of products made lasted forever. Factory owners were not content with this. A lot more money could be extracted if products broke down after a period of use. And more money equals more control. The producers of light bulbs were the first to fix the issue. They came together in a secret conference in Europe, and decided on profitable life time cycle for their products. From now on, light bulbs would burn out after X time.
This solution has been copied by virtually all producers across all fields of mass production. However, in order to further maximize profits one more thing was needed. A consumer willing to buy and buy and buy. Not just replacements, but new types and new versions of products. Hence commercials. We are bombarded with Pavlovian programming for the new, improved, extra, fashionable, status giving, ultimate and comfortable.
Industrialist are the winners of the competition between individuals. They run the companies (and in varying degrees the countries). For these industrialist, like for any Western person, life is all about ME. In order to increase their control over their own destiny, they need to increase their dominance over the consumer. They are willing to program whole populations into mindless consumerism and destroy the planet in the process with masses upon masses of waste.

5.Greed. As mentioned earlier, we seek to maximize our chances of survival. One way we can do that is to gather as much materials and power as we can. Throughout history kings and sultans conquered and looted country after country, increasing their power over people and their material wealth. Our modern industrialists are no different. If they can get resources via less than fair means they do it. It's all about their amount of control. This includes labor and material resources both in their own homeland and abroad.


Outcome


These characteristics of the West, individualism, individual control, competition, consumerism and greed might motivate any individual to seek improvement of their own situation at the cost of hurting others. We call this exploitation. The exploitation becomes organised via competition. The winners of the competition race impose their models of behavior upon the losers. Whether they are consumers or (unwilling) resource providers.

Organized exploitation can produce acts that terrorise individuals and populations. These acts of terror can be direct or indirect. In the previous century Belgium exploited the Kongo in a most brutal way during their quest to control the worldwide rubber market. They terrorised the native population by cutting of hands and separating families. In modern times Brittain, France and America supported brutal dictators in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East in order to exploit natural resources like oil.

Though at first glance we might not recognize these acts as terrorism, the effect of these acts is the same. Terror. It hardly matters if you are terrorized by a suicide bomber, the secret police of a dictatorship or via collatoral damage caused by bombs from Western aircraft.

Conclusion


Our terrorists aren't named Ahmed and they are not from a suburb of Paris. Our terrorists are our 1%. They are winners of the competition game.

Questions


Of course the view of the West portrayed in this text does not conform at all with our own self image. After all we are the land of the free and home of the brave. The source of justice and human rights. In the next text we will explore this paradox in our society.

Terror: Why do Muslims commit acts of terror?

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Intro


Ever wonder how a human being could come to the point of blowing up another? Specifically Muslims? Let's put a few things we know about people, the history of the Middle East and Islam together and see if we can make some headway.


1. Orthodox Islam. There are always periods of expansion and contraction in the practiced amount of free thinking when it comes to religion. Islam has had it's progressive periods. For some time Islam has been in a period of contraction. This means that people focus more and more on the original rule book at the expense of outside views and free thinking. This increases the chance of intolerance. You can only compare another persons behavior to this one rule book, and it's your religious duty to dislike them if they don't measure up. An understanding attitude towards different ways of living is discouraged by the community. The rules are the rules. Now what do you see if you are a strict Muslim and you take look at the West? Sinners, sinners, sinners.
Obviously across the Islamic world attitudes vary immensely. While Iran and Tunisia are very modern countries, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen are very much into the old school. Let's move ahead keeping a strict orthodox Muslim in mind.

2. Western exploitation. In the far flung past, Islam has tried and partly succeeded to conquer Europe. The Moors conquered almost all of Spain, and the Ottomans knocked on the gates of Vienna. However, since the 1800's technology gave us in the West such an advantage that we started to colonize everybody everywhere. As good Christians it was our duty to bring ''civilization'' to the world, and relieve our fellow human beings of their natural resources and labor (nothing is for free in capitalism). After the 1950's the Europeans started leaving the Middle East, however occupation was replaced by a system of dictators. These dictators usually enjoyed either Western or Soviet support. The meddling never really stopped. The casualty list still grows on a daily basis (people that die). Take a look at Israel for instance. So, all in all a good reason to hate the West.
Obviously people meddling in another peoples affairs is nothing new. All Islamic nations have done the same towards other nations, or their own people. The ancient Egyptians meddled all over the place. The Romans meddled with the entire known world.. Ever heard about Arab slavery? That's right. Europeans did not invent enslaving Africans... We learned from the experts.
Meddling is a people thing, not a behavior linked to one race or religion. That said, people mostly live in the now, and forget about history. Since the West is the Top Dog at the moment, and is responsible for a sizeable chunk of the contemporary meddling, we are hated as the sole perpetrators.
So now we got a strict orthodox Muslim who is a bit annoyed with Western meddling. Let's take on the next topic.

3. Middle Eastern inferiority complex. In the past, Islam was the club to belong to. Great Empires (Caliphates) sprung from the original tribe of Muhammad. These achieved world domination in military power, science, art and overall culture. Muslims used to be the shit (American expression meaning the best). All regions and all peoples of the world had these episodes of greatness. The natural rise and fall of Empires.
If your glory days are behind you, a person can become envious to see someone else be the Top Dog. Especially if you are invaded or the subject of meddling. Why was the great Islamic culture not able to resists the British and the French taking over the Middle East? Why can America today get away with so much meddling? This has to hurt. A defensive explanation is in order. Resentment against the West for this reason is worldwide. The West is powerful, but they have no culture, no values...
Our strict orthodox Muslim now not only hates the West because of meddling, but has to find a way to explain the power difference. What might be next? Let's take a look.

4. Second class citizenship. All Empires have had their undesirables. People who are less. Second class citizens. The Berbers in Morocco, the Coptic Christians in Egypt, the Arabs in the Ottoman Empire, the British in the Roman Empire, the Uygurs in China, the Armenians in Turkey, et cetera. These people do not get the good jobs. They are not invited to the good parties. They are looked down upon. The Western Empire has a lot of these people. Africans, Asians... and now Muslims. And the condecending attitude is not limited just to our own Citizens. World wide our politicians often treat people in their own nations as thrash. Usually the second class ego is a bit hurt by all this condescending going on. Another reason to dislike the West for our strict Muslim.

5. Individual psychology. As a strict Muslim you tend to be a bit upset when it comes to the West. Clearly the Western people are not good Muslims. They do not follow the correct rulebook. In fact, technically, they are all sinners and infidels. It's hard to endure these unbelievers proclaiming greatness all the time, when you yourself have had such a glorious past. When these uncultured barbarians also start meddling in your internal affairs your hands might tremble with frustration, on occasion. However most people have a family, and with a family comes family concerns. Work, taking care of the kids, visiting grandma, etc. No matter how annoyed you might be with the West, there is no real motivation to give it all up and start suicide bombing something.
Now here is the thing. Not everyone has a family, a job, or a decent standard of living. Not everyone is a well adjusted individual with a good support system. Some people are unhappy and have no hope of improvement. These people are traditionally vulnerable to (self)indoctrination. If there is a way to quickly become a great person that does great things and has a great future (in this case Walhalla), they tend to take it. Now what did Hitler tell the Germans again?


Outcome


Let's take a look at Aziz. Aziz lives in Saudi Arabia. All his life he had to obey the rules. Anyone that stepped outside the lines was automatically deemed a bad person and in need of severe punishment. All his life he has been taught the superiority of Islam. All his life the West has been the great Satan. An evil force that oppresses good Muslims everywhere. Muslims, of course, have never done wrong. Except the fake Muslims in Iran and Pakistan. They also need to die. When Aziz is asked by his Imam to join the good fight on his 18th birthday, Aziz starts dreaming of dying for the cause. A quick flight to Lebanon, a drive across the border and the righteous fight begins. Black flag in hand.

Let's take a look at Ahmed. Ahmed lives in the suburbs of Paris. Nothing was expected of Ahmed at school. No one gave him the slightest hint he could achieve anything. Achievement after all is for rich white French kids, not colored people. His parents don't speak French. They work all day, and when they get home, whatever Ahmed has done at school that day they can't relate to. There are no rules for what happens outside the home. There is no incentive, supervision or punishment. All white people do when they meet Ahmed is walk by, averting their gaze. As any African American would, Ahmed started to hang out with other disgruntled youths. Gang banging. Low self esteem acted out on the community...
One day a friend invites him to join a specific Muslim discussion group on Facebook. Strictly hush-hush. No telling Dad. Here Ahmed learns that he is indeed a valuable person. It's the world around Ahmed that is wrong. Muslims are the unjustly oppressed in an inferior society. As long as he follows the true path, he will achieve great things and earn huge rewards. That true path is Jihad. Now Ahmed is a somebody. A hero to himself, a news update to you, cannon fodder to his recruiter, a subway explosion to his victims and tears to his mother...


Conclusion 


Is it really so strange that people destroy people when you add it all up?

Let's continue our journey and examine why the West also might commit acts of terror. After all, that is only fair.