23 replies to this topic

[SapereAude]

In the Obama campaign's latest propaganda piece a life narrative is created for a fictional woman named Julia touting the glories of cradle to grave dependency on the state.

http://www.barackoba...m/life-of-julia

Right after noting that there is a government program for every situation in this woman's life the thing that seemed most off putting was that this narrative has Obama as president for 67 years.

Freudian slip?

[CptnChan]

"This allows her to volunteer at a community garden"

I guess she can't afford her own garden.

[Nicky]

So Guru Barack is going to turn America into the happiest commune on Planet Earth, and evil Mitt is trying to spoil his plans? Is that the gist of this?

[whYNOT]

Jesus Aitch Christ!

This is a commercial (read, propaganda) FOR Obama!!?
Not for the Republicans?
It's painful to accept America is so hell-bent on following the European
model, that anybody could be so brazen as to explicitly state his socialist
goals. The arrogant sanctimony.
Please defeat this man.

Edited by whYNOT, 04 May 2012 - 05:25 AM.

[SapereAude]

whYNOT,

Unfortunately America is full of brainwashed fools who have been indoctrinated their whole lives to strive for collectivism and negation of individuality.
Obama need not even be coy about his totalitarian aims now.
I imagine his people found it amusing to name the fictitious woman Julia..... the female protagonist of 1984, knowing that few would understand how truly creepy that is.

[softwareNerd]

I imagine his people found it amusing to name the fictitious woman Julia..... the female protagonist of 1984, knowing that few would understand how truly creepy that is.

A good counter-ad would be to do a video with a 1984 theme. The visuals could be dark and show an obviously totalitarian state, but the voice-over can use Obama's Julia text, exactly as-is.

[SapereAude]

A good counter-ad would be to do a video with a 1984 theme. The visuals could be dark and show an obviously totalitarian state, but the voice-over can use Obama's Julia text, exactly as-is.

Someone I follow on Twitter did something like that, if I can find it I'll try to post.
I think the biggest problem here is that everyone is so polorised this election cycle thatanyone talking sense is just preaching to the choir.
In my line of work I spend a lot of time around people in their early twenties, you'd be surprised how many of them are unashamed to say that freedom is overrated and that they would take security over moral agency any day.

Essentially, in America, 1984 stopped being a cautionary tale and is now seen as an instruction manual.

[JASKN]

A good counter-ad would be to do a video with a 1984 theme. The visuals could be dark and show an obviously totalitarian state, but the voice-over can use Obama's Julia text, exactly as-is.

Definitely. But I'm not sure who it would appeal to. Young "Occupiers" are entertaining terrorism, and most adults my age seem to more-or-less accept what Obama would tell them as self-evident truth.

[JASKN]

Essentially, in America, 1984 stopped being a cautionary tale and is now seen as an instruction manual.

Sad but seems to be true.

Whatever, I'll keep shooting the self-righteous down 'till the grave!

[SapereAude]

Sad but seems to be true.

Whatever, I'll keep shooting the self-righteous down 'till the grave!

A friend and I were categorising current trends/initiatves/regulations and social norms by whether they are based in 1984, Brave New World or Atlas Shrugged.
What we came up with is that our economy and regulatory environment mirror Atlas, the political/police state mirrors 1984 and the moral climate is based on Brave New World.

A veritable melting pot of crapulence.

Edited by SapereAude, 04 May 2012 - 10:58 AM.

[JASKN]

[...]and the moral climate is based on Brave New World.

Maybe this would be an interesting time for me to read that book for the first time...

[bluecherry]

While you are at it you should add that there is a heavy dash of Fahrenheit 451 about our arts and entertainment trends.

[whYNOT]

whYNOT,

Unfortunately America is full of brainwashed fools who have been indoctrinated their whole lives to strive for collectivism and negation of individuality.
Obama need not even be coy about his totalitarian aims now.

SapereAude,

I know, but I didn't know the extent. Excuse my outburst, but only with
this nasty "Life of Julia" has it come home how deep has been the slippage.
I haven't been living under a rock - I stay abreast of the domestic USA; it's just
shock at such blatancy of the 'Message'.
The US is not the Nation I looked up to since a boy, and since reading Rand.
If by any chance you think it's a little patronizing of me (I mean, compare to
where I live!) I hope that explains it.
Been feeling ill all day, though I could only watch "Julia" part-way.

(Excellent quote Jam Man put up: "It's no measure of health to be well adjusted
to a profoundly sick society." J. Krishnamurti)
Applies to us all, I think.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

I see today's youth and they aren't even remotely libertarian in temperament. They think that society is full of "fail" but somehow expect government to be the solution. It doesn't seem to occur to them that our overbearing, out of bounds government might be the cause of the fail.

[whYNOT]

I see today's youth and they aren't even remotely libertarian in temperament. They think that society is full of "fail" but somehow expect government to be the solution. It doesn't seem to occur to them that our overbearing, out of bounds government might be the cause of the fail.

There is the heart of the matter. And it's universal. A friend (Leonid)came up with
the perfect term: "Deification of the State".
Omniscient and omnipotent; the State is us, and we are the State; everything
flows to it, and from it.
I see as a secondary that a part of the populace seeks to be loved and accepted
by countries abroad: See, we are not so bad - we are just like you!
'Secondhandedness', through appeasement and imitation.

[softwareNerd]

Forbes tells us what happens when Julia tries to start a business.

[JASKN]

Oh, it's horrible! I couldn't stop reading.

I had a similar experience when I wanted to sell at local events that required setting up on the street. The only legal method for doing this is to build a "push-cart," for which you need a license, which has exacting standards on all measurements so as to make them completely uniform between business people -- we wouldn't want any competition! To sell downtown, a lottery is drawn every day, and if you aren't picked, you don't sell. If you want to sell food, many more standards need to be met, along with many extra fees depending on your heat source or if you will offer water.

At any time, the police can make you leave, with a catch-all reason like "public disturbance." So, don't make enemies!

Is there a way around operating a pushcart if you don't like all this? Sure, you have option (singular)! You may carry all of your merchandise around with you, on your person, at all times... which requires separate licensing.

All this, in addition to the EIN number and the employee hoops mentioned in the article.

NO. THANKS. I'll just look to selling online. To note, it took almost a full day of work just to find out about all of this, including a drive to the agency itself because I kept getting contradictory answers from government workers on the phone... when I could even reach them. They would use language like, "You get to," or, "You can't do that," with a superior attitude.

Edited by JASKN, 14 May 2012 - 06:33 AM.

[aequalsa]

Oh, it's horrible! I couldn't stop reading.

I wish more people would try to start a small business for that experience alone. Until you do it is not as obvious how very owned we are. I feel your pain, man.

[aequalsa]

Forbes tells us what happens when Julia tries to start a business.

Double Fucking "Like." Everyone should read this.

[Leonid]

That reminds me the Soviet era old joke :
During the 1st May demonstration in Moscow the 79 year old man is carrying a big placard which reads " Thank you comrade Stalin for our happy childhood!" The security guards promptly arrest him and beat him up while saying " You old fart are making fun from comrade Stalin? When you were a child, comrade Stalin wasn't yet our leader." " Exactly for that"-the old bleeding man answered -"I'm so thankful to him."

[SapereAude]

I wish more people would try to start a small business for that experience alone. Until you do it is not as obvious how very owned we are. I feel your pain, man.

Whenever someone tries to claim the US is still a free country I tell them to start a small business. It is just as you said. We own nothing, not even ourselves.

[aequalsa]

Whenever someone tries to claim the US is still a free country I tell them to start a small business. It is just as you said. We own nothing, not even ourselves.

I know. In all seriousness, even if you have no real intention of following through, trying to start one is worth it just for its educational value. To get a grasp of how horribly gamed the system is.

[softwareNerd]

A cartoonist depicts Julia.

[whYNOT]

Yes, it gives me notions of infanticide. The "anti-concept" of "Julia" is most
definitely a case of a "metaphysical assault". She should have been aborted early.