DUMBING US DOWN TO DEATH
Arie Dirkzwager
aried at XS4ALL.NL
Fri Aug 13 15:41:42 CEST 1999
>Delivered-To: aried
>MBOX-Line: From esperanto at home.com Thu Aug 12 00:57:06 1999
>Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:59:00 -0700
>From: Wally Du Temple <esperanto at home.com>
>Organization: @Home Network
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05C-AtHome0403 (Macintosh; U; PPC)
>To: post-gpty-intl <post-gpty-intl at greens.org>,
> "post-gpty-canada at greens.org" <post-gpty-canada at greens.org>
>Subject: DUMBING US DOWN TO DEATH
>Newsgroups: gpty.intl
>
>Hi...
>
>the following was published by Jay Hanson <jhanson at aloha.net>
>on August 5, 1999, and i have left it in the original format.
>
>WALLY
>
>
>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
>
>
> "a kind of Pontius Pilate feeling"
>ABSTRACT:
>
>In this essay, I examine the economic model of "rational man" and
>how the model legitimizes prevailing public policy. "Rational
>man" supposedly weighs the important, known variables and then
>makes make that decision which is most likely to achieve the
>desired end (the greatest "utility"). Thus, we can say that
>public policy is founded on the notion that people calculate the
>utility of each decision, somewhat like a computer.
>
>Phillip Morris: "Smoking is a personal choice, and so is quitting."
>
>But modern cognitive science has shown that people do not make
>decisions by calculating the utility of each decision. Thus,
>economic "rational man" is a fraud that leaves the public exposed
>to ongoing economic and political exploitation by corporate media
>experts. Moreover, this fraud provides economists and political
>leaders with effective "moral cover", or in the words of Adolph
>Eichmann, "a kind of Pontius Pilate feeling" that leaves them
>free of all guilt for their dirty deeds.
>
>This essay is archived at: http://dieoff.com/page103.htm
>=================================================================
>
> "a kind of Pontius Pilate feeling"
> by Jay Hanson 04/01/97
>
>
> "... the ideas of economists and political philosophers,
> both when they are right and when they are wrong, are
> more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed
> the world is ruled by little else. Practical men,
> who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any
> intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of
> some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear
> voices from the air, are distilling their frenzy from
> some academic scribbler of a few years back."
> -- J. M. Keynes, 1935
>
> "The first thing a man will do for his ideals is lie."
> -- Joseph Schumpeter, 1942
> . . .
>...........
>the problem
>
>Lying madmen in authority are driving humanity into a mass grave.
>The theoretical justification for this wholesale slaughter comes
>from political philosophers and economists who assume that people
>are rational. They are wrong.
>
>...........
>the warning
>
> In 1992, both the US National Academy of Sciences and the
>Royal Society of London warned in a joint statement that science
>and technology may NOT be able to save us:
>
> "If current predictions of population growth prove accurate
> and patterns of human activity on the planet remain
> unchanged, science and technology may not be able to
> prevent either irreversible degradation of the environment
> or continued poverty for much of the world."
>
> "The future of our planet is in the balance. Sustainable
> development can be achieved, but only if irreversible
> degradation of the environment can be halted in time.
> The next 30 years may be crucial." [1]
>
> Never before in history had the two most prestigious
>groups of scientists in the world issued a joint statement!
>
> Now, five of these years are gone, and global devastation
>is still increasing exponentially while giant trans-national
>corporations relentlessly drive billions towards their deaths:
>
> "West Africa is becoming THE symbol of worldwide
> demographic, environmental, and societal stress, in
> which criminal anarchy emerges as the real 'strategic'
> danger. Disease, overpopulation, unprovoked crime,
> scarcity of resources, refugee migrations, the
> increasing erosion of nation-states and international
> borders, and the empowerment of private armies,
> security firms, and international drug cartels are
> now most tellingly demonstrated through a West
> African prism. West Africa provides an appropriate
> introduction to the issues, often extremely unpleasant
> to discuss, that will soon confront our civilization." [2]
>
> Yet America's politicians are calling for more business as
>usual (plunder as usual): "With the ... plan for economic growth,
>our economy will achieve its full potential with 3.5 percent --
>or higher -- growth per year, putting our country back on the
>right track and giving every American family the chance to
>achieve the American Dream." [3]
>
> "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Brings Freedom)
> the sign over the gates of Auschwitz,
> placed there by Major Rudolf Hoss,
> commandant of the camp. [4]
>
> What's wrong with our politicians? Why can't they see
>that they are leading us all to a dead end?
>
> They can't see because they have money in their eyes --
>corporate money. All corporations use the same formula:
>destruction for profit -- and then use the profit for bribes.
>An executive with the influential public-relations firm of Hill &
>Knowlton describes the corporate death grip this way:
>
> "The big corporations, our clients, are scared shitless
> of the environmental movement. They sense that there's
> a majority out there and that the emotions are all on
> the other side -- if they can be heard. They think the
> politicians are going to yield to the emotions. I think
> the corporations are wrong about that. I think the
> companies will have to give in only at insignificant
> levels. Because the companies are too strong, they're
> the establishment. The environmentalists are going to
> have to be like the mob in the square in Romania before
> they prevail." [5]
>
> What can be done in the 25 years we have left? Probably
>nothing, because corporations like it the way it is, and as long
>as they can make enough profit to bribe our politicians, it will
>stay that way. According to Victor Crawford, a former lobbyist
>for the Tobacco Institute:
>
> "If you ever want to see a bunch of cowboys work, watch
> Philip Morris. They are tough. I mean they shoot from
> the hip. ... and they're getting bolder. It's a take-
> no-prisoners fight. You're talking about $100 billion
> a year in gross profits . ... And man, anything goes.
> And anything will go." [6]
>
> And what "goes" in American politics is bribery: "Regardless
>of party affiliation, tobacco PAC contributions are the clearest
>indicator of how legislators vote on bills affecting tobacco.
>And in many cases, voting records of legislators don't match
>their rhetoric." [7]
>
> It's easy to see our bribed politicians as little more than
>high-priced whores -- new whores every two years -- a bit like
>changing sheets when they get too dirty. Unfortunately, it's no
>joke when mass murder is part of the sex act! During the last 40
>years, roughly 17 million Americans have been killed by tobacco
>smoke while tobacco companies have pocketed something like a
>thousand billion dollars. Moreover, all of us watched tobacco
>company CEOs lie to Congress on television -- and apparently get
>away with it. Lying, stonewalling, and killing for 40 years!!
>
> Congressional Testimony on April 14, 1994:
> "Philip Morris research does not establish
> that smoking is addictive." [8]
>
> How can corporations get away with murder? The theoretical
>justification for corporate murder rests on the fatal fiction
>that people are "rational" [9] and are only getting what they
>have rationally chosen.
> Phillip Morris statement:
> "Smoking is a personal choice,
> and so is quitting."
>.................
>the fatal fiction
>
> From Plato to our present society, we can trace the history
>of the idea of reason through the work of Aristotle, Bacon,
>Descartes, and especially the English philosopher John Locke.
>In 1664, Locke argued that there is a natural law governing
>humans and that it can be known by human reason: "And reason ...
>teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all
>equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life,
>health, liberty or possessions."
>
> In 1776, Adam Smith placed reason at the heart of capitalism.
>Smith said that laissez-faire (let alone) economics would allow
>rational, self-interested individuals to raise the wealth of the
>working class automatically, as if by an "Invisible Hand." Thus,
>human reason became the cornerstone of modern political and
>economic theory.
>
> But not everyone agreed that people are driven by reason.
>In 1739, the Scottish philosopher David Hume argued people were
>not driven by reason, but by passions.
>
>...................................
>reason is the slave of the passions
>
> "Nothing is more usual in philosophy, and even in common
> life, than to talk of the combat of passion and reason, to
> give the preference to reason, and to assert that men are
> only so far virtuous as they conform themselves to its
> dictates. Every rational creature, 'tis said, is oblig'd
> to regulate his actions by reason; and if any other motive
> or principle challenge the direction of his conduct, he
> ought to oppose it, till it be entirely subdu'd, or at
> least brought to a conformity with that superior principle.
> On this method of thinking the greatest part of moral
> philosophy, ancient and modern, seems to be founded ...
> In order to shew the fallacy of all this philosophy, I
> shall endeavour to prove first, that reason alone can never
> be a motive to any action of the will; and secondly, that
> it can never oppose passion in the direction of the will."
> -- David Hume, TREATISE OF HUMAN NATURE
>
> Modern evolution theory agrees with Hume. It finds that the
>human brain is, in large part, a machine for winning arguments,
>a machine for convincing its owner and others that its owner is
>right. The brain is like a good lawyer: it defends the passions
>of its owner -- no matter how odious -- by trying to convince
>the world with moral claims and logic. Like a lawyer, the human
>brain wants victory -- not truth -- and like a lawyer, it is
>sometimes more admirable for skill than for virtue. Thus, people
>are NOT rational [10].
>
>.............
>friendly fire
>
> According to Robert Wright, "We are far from the only
>dishonest species, but we are probably the most dishonest, if
>only because we do the most talking." [11] This is how tobacco
>companies lie by implication and omission, in order to transform
>passions into profits:
>
>"The advertising imagery used to promote tobacco use
> among young people particularly appeals to those with
> low self esteem and emotional insecurity. ... One of
> the best examples of this was the transformation of
> Marlboro Cigarettes from a red-tipped cigarette for
> women to the cigarette for the macho cowboy. ... The
> wild spirit of the Marlboro man captured the adolescent
> imagination. ... In the late 1980's the advertising theme
> for Vantage cigarettes began to feature professional-
> caliber athletes like wind surfers, aerobic dancers,
> downhill ski-racers, and auto-racers. These
> advertisements depict physical activity requiring
> strength or stamina beyond those of everyday activity,
> i.e., smoking does not harm you."
>
> "During the 1980's, advertising for Salem cigarettes
> also became more youth-oriented. Whereas the dominant
> advertising theme for Salem cigarettes used to be
> clean fresh country air, during the 1980's Salem ads
> were populated by muscular surfers and beach bunnies,
> fun-loving party animals, and other attractive
> adolescent role models. ... Newport ads frequently
> show men and women in sexually suggestive positions
> always having fun using the slogan 'Alive with
> pleasure.' ... Another successful advertising campaign
> has been the 'You've come a long way baby' campaign
> promoting Virginia Slims cigarettes. One of the most
> important psychological needs of most adolescent girls
> is to become independent from their parents. By
> associating smoking with women's liberation, Philip
> Morris hopes to create in the minds of these teenage
> girls the vision of smoking as a symbol of autonomy
> and independence. ... The ultimate status symbol and
> secret desire of almost every teenage boy is a powerful
> motorcycle. It is for this reason that so many
> cigarette brands have used motorcycle imagery to
> encourage teenage boys to smoke. ... The greatest
> success that Reynolds had in its effort to gain
> on Philip Morris in the youth market is the 'Joe Camel'
> cartoon character. ..." [12]
>
> One can see advertising as nothing more than passionate
>lying, and the right-wing credo "do as you damn well please" [13]
>is a call for "freedom to kill".
>
> But how can these lying killers live with themselves?
>Is there some moral element missing from corporate management?
>
>....................
>the banality of evil
>
> Adolf Eichmann was the Nazi official responsible for the
>murder of millions of Jews. During World War II, he was in
>charge of "the final solution of the Jewish problem" which sent
>Jews from all over German-occupied Europe to their deaths. After
>the war, Eichmann was tried and convicted of "crimes against
>humanity", and then hanged. His crime is an extremely serious
>category of criminal human rights abuse. International law
>defines crimes against humanity by virtue of their "mass nature"
>(a large number of victims), and it must also be shown that a
>group was targeted for mass murder because of its status as a
>group.
> RJ Reynolds: "Realistically, if our Company
> is to survive and prosper, over the long
> term we must get our share of the youth
> market. In my opinion, this will require
> new brands tailored to the youth market."
>
> One of the most striking aspects of the Nazi Holocaust is
>the totally unremarkable nature of the killers themselves.
>Eichmann's experience demonstrated how established values can be
>distorted and twisted by society to make people do unspeakable
>things to other people. His accomplices included "doctors,
>lawyers, scholars, bankers, and economists" that planned the
>necessary steps to exterminate the Jews. It's important to
>remember that these professionals didn't actually vote on the
>"final solution", they merely carried out the plan.
>
> Here is how the plan is carried out nowadays:
> "The freedom of the market is not merely the
> best guarantor of our prosperity, it is the
> chief guarantor of our rights." [14]
>
> What could have transformed these totally unremarkable
>people into mass murderers? What lies did Adolph Eichmann and
>these ordinary folks tell themselves so they could sleep at night?
>
> RJ Reynolds: "smoking is no more addictive
> than coffee, tea, or Twinkies."
>
> Hannah Arendt discovered that Eichmann did not originally
>subscribe to mass murder, indeed such a violent solution was
>alien to him. During discussions at the Wannsee Conference,
>Eichmann saw, to his great astonishment, that all these
>respectable people (he had the greatest respect for bourgeois
>society) not only agreed with his proposals, but followed his
>remarks on killing Jews eagerly and enthusiastically. He was
>convinced he must be doing the right thing because no one
>contradicted him, neither priest nor politician nor one of the
>bureaucrats -- no one. [15]
>
> Eichmann: "At that moment, I sensed a kind of Pontius Pilate
>feeling, for I felt free of all guilt." After all, who was he to
>judge?
>
> Could the culture of capitalism function as kind of a modern
>Wannsee Conference for today's corporate mass murderers? Does the
>belief in human reason give us "a kind of Pontius Pilate
>feeling"? After all, who are we to judge?
>
> Phillip Morris: "Cigarette
> smoking is not addictive."
>..............
>corporate rule
>
> Before the Civil War of 1861, citizens controlled the
>corporations. Up to that time, corporations were chartered for
>a specific limited purpose (for example, building a toll road or
>canal) and for a specific, limited period of time (usually 20 or
>30 years). [16]
>
> Each corporation was chartered to achieve a specific social
>goal that a legislature decided was in the public interest.
>At the end of the corporation's lifetime, its assets were
>distributed among the shareholders and the corporation ceased to
>exist. The charter limited the number of owners; the amount of
>capital they could aggregate was also limited. The owners were
>personally responsible for any liabilities or debts the company
>incurred, including wages owed to workers. Often profits were
>specifically limited in the charter. Corporations were not
>established merely to "make a profit."
>
> Early Americans feared corporations as a threat to democracy
>and freedom. They feared that the owners (shareholders) would
>amass great wealth, control jobs and production, buy the
>newspapers, dominate the courts and control elections (one-dollar-
>one-vote). Well, our grandfathers were right, that's exactly what
>happened!
>
> What can be done in the 25 years we have left? If the
>history of corporate rule is any indicator, certainly not enough
>-- and perhaps nothing. But we DO have a place to start: the
>tobacco companies. Top management should be tried for "crimes
>against humanity", and during the course of the trial, put the
>entire stinking, rotten "do as you damn well please" economic
>system on trial too!
> "Philip Morris does not manipulate
> nor independently control the
> level of nicotine in our products."
>
>BULLSHIT!
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>References:
>
>1 http://dieoff.com/page7.htm
>
>2 http://dieoff.com/page67.htm
>
>3 http://www.calgop.org/scvcr/bd0896b.htm
>
>4 http://www.spectacle.org/695/arbeit.html
>
>5 p. 24, WHO WILL TELL THE PEOPLE ,William Greider;
> Simon and Schuster, 1992. ISBN 0-671-68891-X
>
>6 http://users.aol.com/srampton/Q3-96philip.html
>
>7 http://www.gate.net/~jcannon/documents/961017pr.txt
> http://commoncause.org
>
>8 http://www.tobacco-litigation.com/states/statfile/Utah.htm
>
>9 What do economists think most people are like? Believe it
> or not, ninety percent of the existing economists are
> working within a framework like this or very near to it:
>
> "Rational Man" is described as a person who is an
> "optimizer" that:
>
> a) has a complete knowledge of the set of possible
> different actions to be undertaken;
>
> b) has a complete knowledge of the complete set of the
> possible states of the world (state space);
>
> c) has a subjective probability mapping of the state space;
>
> d) has a theory (a very clever theory) that enables him to
> compute the effective pay-offs of each action in relation
> to each state of the world;
>
> e) optimizes the return of his choice by fully exploiting
> the available information.
>
> [ In brief this person is in a situation that H. Simon
> describes as "weak substantive uncertainty" and of "no
> procedural uncertainty", and has "no computational
> limitations". ]
>
>10 Here I define "rational" as the ability to carefully
> weigh the important, known variables and make that
> decision which is most likely to achieve the desired end.
>
> People routinely fail this test -- they do not make
> inferences according to Bayes' Theorem, which is a
> formula used to calculate the probability that a
> particular event will occur. They give recently
> presented information undue importance, thereby
> producing answers that are not rational.
> http://dieoff.com/page19.htm#HAMM
> http://dieoff.com/page34.htm#ORNSTEIN
> http://www.clark.net/pub/wright/chapthir.htm
>
>11 http://www.clark.net/pub/wright/chapthir.htm
>
>12 http://www.tobacco-litigation.com/states/statfile/washsuit.html
>
>13 "There, ladies and gentlemen, you have the Cato Institute's
> program in a nutshell: government should be against the law."
> http://www.cato.org/speeches/sp-orourke.html
>
>14 http://www.n-jcenter.com/reprise/elect/dole.htm
>
>15 p. 114, EICHMANN IN JERUSALEM: A Report on the Banality of Evil,
> Hannah Arendt; Penguin, 1963; ISBN 0-14-018765-0
>
>16 http://dieoff.com/page3.htm
>
>David Hume is available at:
> http://www4.torget.se/artbin/art/origo.html
>
>**************************************************************
>To join my free mailing list, send :
> "subscribe BRAIN FOOD" to <j at qmail.com>
>
>Jay
>
>
>
>
BetterSystems,
Prof.Dr.A.Dirkzwager,
Educational Instrumentation Technology,
Computers in Education.
Huizerweg 62,
1402 AE Bussum,
The Netherlands.
voice: x31-35-6981676
E-mail: mailto:aried at xs4all.nl
{========================================================================}
When reading the works of an important thinker, look first for the
apparent absurdities in the text and ask yourself how a sensible person
could have written them." T. S. Kuhn, The Essential Tension (1977).
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