I was going to make this a more public post somewhere else on the internet less anonymously and then decided against it. But I still wanted to write it.
I've been somewhat discouraged following the #GamerGate controversy that's been going on mostly because it's sad to see history repeat. Then again, there have been some surprising victories from the "pro #GamerGate" side, such as advertisers pulling out of Gawker and so on and so forth. But ultimately I don't hold much faith for the movement. And why not?
Well, the underlying problem has more to do with the creep of "progressive" and "liberal" ideology that's been infecting the West for decades. I put those terms in quotations because the actual meaning behind those terms (the connotative meaning, if you will) is vastly different from the definition you'd get by looking in a dictionary. And yet the cognitive dissonance of the majority of people who label themselves with such terms is so massive that they don't see how what they believe and support has nothing to do with what progressivism or liberalism is actually about.
(Unfortunately, this seems to happen with basically any term that can be used to describe one's beliefs. It's why I don't identify as a "Christian" even though I read the Bible and believe in the teachings of Yeshua. But anyway.)
Here's the thing. The "SJWs," (social justice warriors, or really just people drinking the modern "liberal" kool-aid) as they are called by pro #GamerGaters, have already won the far more important battles. Which ones are those? Well, when you think about it, there really five major societal institutions that more or less indoctrinate the thoughts of its populace. They are the educational system, the news media, the entertainment industry, the judicial system and to a lesser extent, corporate culture. And these "SJWs" have pretty much dominated all of these arenas, and are now just more or less mopping up the few remaining frontiers where they aren't dominant.
In fact, it's kind of funny that they're finding such staunch resistance over a hobby that basically amounts to nothing. Then again, that same hobby is basically the last place one could escape from such insanity. Unfortunately, while we were all busy escaping, the "SJWs" were busy winning the culture war and now it really doesn't matter what happens in this fringe entertainment subsector because really, that's not going to change the root problems. Just look at how the main stream media is reporting on the issue to see how they've already won over the news media.
They've had the education system by the balls for decades. And it's very hard to get people to understand that public education doesn't really promote learning so much as it does indoctrination. That's not to say that it's entirely useless, but you do have to be born lucky (a lot of which has to do with winning the genetic lottery and/or being born into a good neighborhood with good schools and teachers who give a fuck and teach important things... then again with the emphasis on standardized tests and teaching to the test there's not a lot teachers can do any more).
But the real kicker is that none of this is new. One need look no further than Glubb's "The Fate of Empires" (google it, read it, it's only about 16 pages) to see what I'm talking about. Nor is my opinion new. Nor is anyone's opinion. And yet everyone goes around spouting off at the mouth as if THEY somehow have the most important opinion on the subject or as if THEY somehow have some amazing revelation or insight. It's all already been said, more eloquently and more poignantly and more concisely, somewhere, trust me. And it is for this reason that I ultimately decided against making this a more public post.
I mean, for fuck's sake, Solomon wrote about this problem THOUSANDS of years ago, and even then, he was saying this was an ancient problem. And I close with a quote:
That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after.
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