Reply #9: Postmodernist check-in, here

[Cats Against Frist]

Maybe it's not that it's all "lies," -- maybe it's just that there is no truth.

That said, there is an amazing amount of contradiction between those things which we're "taught to do," and "those things we do," and that which "we know," and and what we do with that knowledge. These things are extraordinarily incongruent, and only seem to be getting worse. In that sense, I think we're truly becoming a postmodern society. The neoconservatives have effectively started the ball rolling on a post-modernity: taking the modern, twisting it backward, but still within a population, in which modern values, mores, technologies, etc., are still firmly lodged in the minds of the people.

For instance -- the "history's actors," quote from the Suskind article. There has never been so clear and accurate a phrase uttered, in our political discourse -- it was a look "behind the curtain," so to speak. You say, "but people don't sit around, outright PLANNING, the (fill in blank: new world order, enslavement of consumers, empire, patriarchy, oppression of the poor, etc.)".

Well, there are orchestrators -- and only, I think, in this time, in this place, are the orchestrators cognizant enough of the history that underlies their own designs, that they are able to fully "shift reality." I think the Nazis tried, but their inspirations were from modernity -- in other words, they believed they would really produce an Aryan race, or cleanse the world of Jews. The immediate project, in and of itself, was more important than the philsophy.

The inspiration for the neocons' actions comes partially from modernity, and partially from the failed philosophies of order -- a dangerous combination of authoritarianism, determinism and absolutism -- that is completely constructed, and is a construct of which the orchestrators are aware. And they're smart enough to know that they're literally creating new realities -- that's postmodern. In public, they insist they don't even exist -- and, if they do, they are staunch defenders of America and order (and freedom???) -- but they know that they first have a reality to undo -- before they can enact their own veneer.

I find it funny that the religious right -- the supposed defenders of the philosophies of order would align so closely with those who are postmodernist, and modernist. Perhaps some of the reason that you've noticed that we're awash in lies, is that, the right-wing is effectively using a left-wing argument to support their war, their right-wing supporters are eating up the democracy-spreading, just-society doctrine -- while peace advocates have adopted an isolationist, right-wing position, largely. Of course, each supports their side for different reasons -- the left for pacifism and reduction of harm -- and because they know the reasons are bullshit -- , and the right wing for the opportunity to conquer and creat authoritarian order -- but switched, philosophically, nonetheless.

At any rate -- you're right -- stuff is fucked up. But it's not because there's some "right" that the fucked-up-ness is guiding us away from -- it's just all "fucked up."

(Sorry this is so incoherent -- I'm not finding the right words, today -- or maybe I don't have enough words to elucidate this concept.)