Shoutout

If you're not a dubstep fan, ignore this.

Sorry to interrupt my rant on multiculturalism, but a friend introduced me to this awesome website, filled with a ton of FREE dubstep music, it has streaming samples and download links for the albums, I'm currently in the process of downloading every album off the site, I recommend Legend4ry City Music and Delta Labs. The website has a nice mix of styles, but there seems to be a common theme throughout, real gutty, dark beats, focusing a bit less on the wobble compared to a lot of the newer stuff coming out. The website even has options to download in several formats, such as mp3 or even flac for you audiophiles out there. Check the album covers on the right panel for different shit.

http://vandalism.20twelvedubstep.com

The confusion of diversity and multiculturalism.

I'm going to separate the myth of multiculturalism being for the benefits of diversity, arguing the two aspects of diversity, Genetics and Culture, then I will breach upon intent and politics.

Oh, I decided this will be in a couple of parts, this one will just be genetics.

Despite our large population and world wide distribution, humans are genetically less diverse when compared with other mammalian species, not only that but ~85% of genetic variation exists within populations, 5%-6% distributed between localized populations within the same continent and only 6%–10% between large groups living on different continents, genetic diversity brought by immigration is minimal, but if you're still convinced, emigrating to Africa is the best course of action, as African populations contain 100% of human genetic diversity, while populations further away, such as the population of New Guinea, contain only ~70%. Massive, exponential immigration are nowhere needed to prevent any symptoms of inbreeding depression.

Darker skin appears to be strongly selected for in equatorial regions to prevent sunburn, skin cancer, the photolysis of folate, and damage to sweat glands; lighter skin allows the body to form greater amount of Vitamin D which helps prevent rickets. Similar skin color in different races occur from convergent adaptation, not genetic relatedness, the similarity in skin pigmentation within certain populations is also likely due to sexual selection.

The categorization of racial groups is false in many areas and because most variation is within group, categorizations are not necessary, nor are they absolute. The diversity is not through actual genetics, but through what is perceived.

Now, assuming most of this is false, what would the forced admixture bring but the homogeneity of all races? If isolated groups were to mix with larger races, the existence of the isolated group would disappear after a few generations, like the Tasmanian Aborignes. If one were to keep the diversity, groups would have to be partially exclusive, and this is exactly what happens, people keep to their own, with a small ratio of interbreeding.

Now that's done, I can get into the real argument.

We are the beneficiaries of History.

A great mistake of contemporary politics is that it only recognizes contemporary political history as being relevant. We often assume that recent technology has not only radicalized society but also politics, that we cannot relate to the errors of past civilizations because we are so radically different.

Technology may have revolutionized various aspects of our lives, but the effect it has on political theory is indirect. Sociological causes are those which revolutionize political theory, and technology has radicalized social conditions, however we have still inherited political theory and ideal previous to industrial revolution. If we look to our far past we can observe that previous failures and successes may serve as a prophecy to our own.

We can compare the political agendas today with those of the past, attempting to assess as objectively as possible, adapting it to the thought patterns of modern society, e.g. the State cannot now get away with as much totalism or resource depression.

We need to start to see our governance as fragile and finite rather than unerring and infinite so that we can prevent mistakes from repeating and so that we can see the irrelevance of certain beuorocratic systems in this new era of communication.

Not only the forbearance but the misinterpretation of political history has effected our lives, both America and Nazi Germany institutionalized negative euthanasia because they believed that the degeneration of the gene pool is what lead to the collapse of Rome, we even misinterpret contemporary politics, allowing different poltical groups to blame one anotherto support their own case.

If we only asses the present situation, we are not only being ignorant to historical evidence but we are allowing a system where the same two parties are perpetually getting in and out of power. The public will become disenfranchised with party A due to their obvious failings in term, then they will build a majority for party B, not neccesarily in full agreement, but because it is the only attainable option, for the short term they will be very hopeful and supportive, until they start to fail too, party B will then cite party A's failures to support them, or find a public issue the majority of the public demand, but the other party is unwilling to supply.

This cycle, perpetuated by short-sightedness is totally destructive to the welfare of the people and it prevents government accountability, allowing them to grow into a system of total authority, the public either gullible to the "new" party or too disillusioned to do anything, because, after all, the government always has been, and always will be...

A self-serving oligarchy, that is.

The dangers and merits of the cliche.

A cliche is an expression that has been so overused that it has lost it's original effect, where once it was deemed meaningful it's now a stereotype.

Wouldn't the everyday use of the cliche only add to it's meaning, that it's an expression that applies widely to human life? Why do we have to lower it's value just because it's common? Of course it's a poor tool in literary work, but such things as words of wisdom have become meme-like, there are certain things teachers or parents will say almost for the sake of it "If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?"

There is a problem with some of these cliches and Robert Jay Lifton can say it much better than I can:
“The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis.”

Their meme-like properties have allowed them to spread, along with being beneficial to the speaker, “I’m the parent, that’s why”, their fallacious logic embedded themselves into our minds, so no wonder they have been wielded by both politicians and priests to draw us to their uniform message. This is dangerous, often they present no argument but conclusions that seem positive, such as "Support our troops" or "God has a plan and a purpose".

So what is so good about the cliche, the thought-terminating end of ideological analysis? We can choose and create our own cliches to live by, our mind is a very fuzzy place, and cliches offer a clear answer to our problem, we could whine about how we procrastinate too much or decided to "live like a man", then follow it with zeal. Cliches appeal to our super-ego much more efficiently than hazy ideals with no clear basis, this is why people live by quotes, or find an almost transcendent truth in them that follows them for the long-term. If you violate the cliche, there is no easy way out, but in the hazy world of pragmatism, the super-ego can make an easy excuse for the actions of the id. But even so, one should avoid the destructive and fallacious cliches that appear in day-to-day life, even going so far as pointing them out, the one I hate the most is "well that's just like, your opinion, man."

I think cliches are a "necessary evil".

An ode to compliments.

Yes, I am complimenting compliments.

For a while in my life I thought that I didn't take much validation from others, I rarely sought it, and I grew to make myself believe I was great, and I could achieve things through my own greatness. I thought compliments were found by the weak desire for people to seek false approval, that compliments were mostly in-genuine, fallacious ways of building bonds.

"Does my bum look big in this?" Is a common theme, while not so blatant, these validation seekers are an integral part of society, and everyone fears being at the sharp end.

Why? Because, like a starved vulture, she is searching for approval, comfortable deceit, you know that any straight answer you say can and will be interpreted the wrong way, so you have to resort to complimenting her to keep her satisfied until her next thoughts of self-worth kick in and you can feel her circling above you, waiting to pick the flesh from your bones.

Entirely metaphorical of course....

We teach people that humility is the best course of action, but how can this be possible when we take such joy from compliments? How can you teach individualism, pride of the self, then deny us its joy?

Everyone, great or small, believes they are somewhat special, but knowing that everyone else must be special allows doubt to develop, how can they really be all that special? This doubt leads to question of the ego. When we receive a compliment, we already know it to be true, it just settles the doubt in our mind, it confirms our pre-held belief that we are great, people are more relieved at a compliment than happy.

If we deny ourselves compliments, we have no arbiter but ourselves, how can we trust the self to wholly interpret itself, especially when conclusions seem to be based on mood rather than any reasoning? We either become unsure of ourselves or too arrogantly sure of ourselves if we give ourselves total assurance.

When a man is thought of being great, he is often compared to others, a part of six billion, a number so large it's inconsequential, but does it matter, is his greatness reduced? Other great men simply reduce his relative mean greatness, but this is also insignificant, he is still the same man with or without them, and he is deserving of his relatively measly achievement.

You can tell by those who don't take pride in compliments, because they are so arrogant they don't have the tiniest bit of doubt, they see compliments as realizations of other people rather than themselves. Of course, men are more arrogant than women, so men are less dependent.

You're great.

Probably.

I wanted to make a blog.

So I did.
What will you have to be prepared for?
Long, convoluted ramblings, shedding rage and brilliance from my currently vacuous mind, subjects as varied as my pretension will allow.

This is the first time I've tried to blog, I never wanted to fill the... blogosphere with more paltry, trivial day-to-day bullshit, that's a promise you'll have to hold me by. I'm not interested in keeping a clockwork diary, for you, my life is inconsequential; I'm interested in finding and expressing ideas, new and old, divulging the most creative parts of my mind on to the internet to be shared with friends and possibly others.

Keep being AWESOME!