Courage is the rarest of the virtues. Conversely, cowardice is the most common vice.
And with all due respect to Albert Einstein, he famously said that compound interest was the greatest force on earth. I think the case can be made that it is actually PEER PRESURE that is the greatest force on earth. Hence, when you acknowledge these universal and eternal truths, you see what we saw during Covid. And what we are seeing now with the media and most of the public's willingness to go along with some of the most obvious and ridiculous lies we have ever seen.
However, take heart. Both courage and cowardice are contagious. Decide today if you are going to have courage and be an inspiration the next time they tell you something dumb and stupid like you have to wear a mask to go into a store. DON'T DO IT!!! Don't follow! LEAD!!!
Really good essay. When I hear pundits use phrases like “threat to our Democracy” and “we need to reign in disinformation and misinformation” it helps to remind myself that North Korea’s official name is “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”.
Excellent post! If anyone doubts that this has persisted for many decades, think about Sinclair Lewis’ Arrowsmith. The NYC research institute with an agenda is a thinly veiled Rockefeller University. I have many friends in the scientific community who have been de platformed for holding opposing views to “the settled science.” Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, is not the exclusive province of the Fourth Estate, though they would like you to think it is.
Great article, Barry!--truer words were never said that , "we are creating our own dystopia" -- My own fam had 2 journalists--my Ma included, both honest ones -- so I know the "trade" an' when folks are cheerin' on not only censorship but pure falsehoods (some foisted on the pubic as fact, not opinion), we're in deep doodoo! IMHO journalist-printer (among his many hats!) Ben Franklin "formed" the country's very vision of itself 'fore it wuz an' "itself" thru journalism -- words matter an' gettin' 'em out matters more.
It's kinda ironic ta me that with all the media out thar in the "ether"-- the general public has fewer chances than evah ta hear honest voices than they did when we only had print!
At least with the muckrakers (an appellation as ya know wuz coined by Teddy Roosevelt who admired 'em mightily) folks had access to those journals at the newstand (a tradition I miss...the ol' newstands on the city streets...) an' could purchase McClures just as easily as sumthin' "yellow" an' dubious from Hearst... Today the "smirch engines" belch smog so thick nobubby kin find ANYTHING out thar (if I didn't know whar ta look fer neither would I myself...)
An' I'm mighty suspect of those that PROMISE ta publish vital info while censorin' daily-- as I write this Twitter/X has YET to publish all the promised "covid files" an' fer all (f)Elon's bravdo is still banning the same folks that were banned 2 years ago--no bastion of truth tho sadly some folks see little more than what's allowed a blue check mark from Mister Neurolink the Transhumanist shyster... An' Tucker (whose name now should be preceded by an "f" but I'm too much've a laydee ta write it that way) did indeed promise ta release ALL the J6 footage that exonerated the real people there--all the innocents who got led in like sheep ta the slaughter by the "spook" plants an' operatives. Nope, that got fergotten quick while decent folks continue ta rot in jail... An' sadly while fools on both R & L "demand" censorship.... retractions....erasures.... (an' that tragically includes some demandin' the censorin' of even Tucker an' his regrettable fool non-"historians"), I wonder if ANY of these folks grew up in the same nation I did... I really wonder?! To each his soapbox an' may the public make the cherce to whom they lend their ears... All this plus it's just too damned easy now in cyberland--free speech dies at the flip of a switch ('er algorithm) an' nobuddy kin even SEE the corpse let alone mourn...
A great treatise - freedom of thought and speech is what our forefathers fort and many died for. Where ever did we get so many woke politicians in power at the same time. Sadly we seem to have too many woke followers!
If issue existed for so long, isn’t it a feature of the system at this point? Perhaps to argue for more freedom leads to none? Complex systems do not react linearly. If elites behave consistently with democracy maybe we get chaos? I would argue system always need guiding principles, orthodoxy. It is how u arrive at them is what differentiates systems: democracy- opinions of many, totalitarian system - opinions of few.
Courage is the rarest of the virtues. Conversely, cowardice is the most common vice.
And with all due respect to Albert Einstein, he famously said that compound interest was the greatest force on earth. I think the case can be made that it is actually PEER PRESURE that is the greatest force on earth. Hence, when you acknowledge these universal and eternal truths, you see what we saw during Covid. And what we are seeing now with the media and most of the public's willingness to go along with some of the most obvious and ridiculous lies we have ever seen.
However, take heart. Both courage and cowardice are contagious. Decide today if you are going to have courage and be an inspiration the next time they tell you something dumb and stupid like you have to wear a mask to go into a store. DON'T DO IT!!! Don't follow! LEAD!!!
Really good essay. When I hear pundits use phrases like “threat to our Democracy” and “we need to reign in disinformation and misinformation” it helps to remind myself that North Korea’s official name is “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”.
Neal, Thanks for the kind note and great reminder.
Excellent post! If anyone doubts that this has persisted for many decades, think about Sinclair Lewis’ Arrowsmith. The NYC research institute with an agenda is a thinly veiled Rockefeller University. I have many friends in the scientific community who have been de platformed for holding opposing views to “the settled science.” Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, is not the exclusive province of the Fourth Estate, though they would like you to think it is.
Carol, thanks for the kind note and alarming report.
A must read.
Thank you, David.
Great article, Barry!--truer words were never said that , "we are creating our own dystopia" -- My own fam had 2 journalists--my Ma included, both honest ones -- so I know the "trade" an' when folks are cheerin' on not only censorship but pure falsehoods (some foisted on the pubic as fact, not opinion), we're in deep doodoo! IMHO journalist-printer (among his many hats!) Ben Franklin "formed" the country's very vision of itself 'fore it wuz an' "itself" thru journalism -- words matter an' gettin' 'em out matters more.
It's kinda ironic ta me that with all the media out thar in the "ether"-- the general public has fewer chances than evah ta hear honest voices than they did when we only had print!
At least with the muckrakers (an appellation as ya know wuz coined by Teddy Roosevelt who admired 'em mightily) folks had access to those journals at the newstand (a tradition I miss...the ol' newstands on the city streets...) an' could purchase McClures just as easily as sumthin' "yellow" an' dubious from Hearst... Today the "smirch engines" belch smog so thick nobubby kin find ANYTHING out thar (if I didn't know whar ta look fer neither would I myself...)
An' I'm mighty suspect of those that PROMISE ta publish vital info while censorin' daily-- as I write this Twitter/X has YET to publish all the promised "covid files" an' fer all (f)Elon's bravdo is still banning the same folks that were banned 2 years ago--no bastion of truth tho sadly some folks see little more than what's allowed a blue check mark from Mister Neurolink the Transhumanist shyster... An' Tucker (whose name now should be preceded by an "f" but I'm too much've a laydee ta write it that way) did indeed promise ta release ALL the J6 footage that exonerated the real people there--all the innocents who got led in like sheep ta the slaughter by the "spook" plants an' operatives. Nope, that got fergotten quick while decent folks continue ta rot in jail... An' sadly while fools on both R & L "demand" censorship.... retractions....erasures.... (an' that tragically includes some demandin' the censorin' of even Tucker an' his regrettable fool non-"historians"), I wonder if ANY of these folks grew up in the same nation I did... I really wonder?! To each his soapbox an' may the public make the cherce to whom they lend their ears... All this plus it's just too damned easy now in cyberland--free speech dies at the flip of a switch ('er algorithm) an' nobuddy kin even SEE the corpse let alone mourn...
What do WE do? That's the $64,000 question!
A great treatise - freedom of thought and speech is what our forefathers fort and many died for. Where ever did we get so many woke politicians in power at the same time. Sadly we seem to have too many woke followers!
If issue existed for so long, isn’t it a feature of the system at this point? Perhaps to argue for more freedom leads to none? Complex systems do not react linearly. If elites behave consistently with democracy maybe we get chaos? I would argue system always need guiding principles, orthodoxy. It is how u arrive at them is what differentiates systems: democracy- opinions of many, totalitarian system - opinions of few.
Vitaily, Yes, you are correct. Complex systems need simple rules. We will examine the issue when we consider The Road to Serfdom.