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FLASHPOINT: TAIWAN In this column, I try to discuss things that I think people should know, although I was hoping to write something about the tech industries. Something has lately drawn my attention to Taiwan, something that is not being talked about or addressed nearly enough. The situation between China and Taiwan has reached a point where staying neutral has no longer become possible with the involvement of Japan and thus, the concerns of the United States. Why is Taiwan important to the USA? Besides being a major manufacturer of microchips, Taiwan is a small democratic country being threatened by a major superpower. If the USA seeks to keep its role as a superpower, it will have to protect its fellow democracy, which is threatened by its rival, unlike Afghanistan. This time other US allies will doubt the United States’ capability in protecting Taiwan. This has recently become a situation that can no longer be avoided with the policy of ambiguousness that the USA has pursued thus far. With Japan announcing its support for Taiwan, the lack of US support or response to the upcoming Taiwanese invasion is obvious. Will this lead to an all-out war with China? It’s possible. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made “Unification” with Taiwan one of its chief goals. In the event of war, and due to the nature of totalitarian regimes, any investments made in China are very likely to be seized outright, considering that Chinese law allows it — as well as any collected data and intellectual property. It would be quite ironic, considering that much of the CCP war effort has been financed by US investment firms whose CEOs and their executives, admitted ignorance of the goals and nature of these regimes — as revealed in an interview with Ray Dalio, of Bridgewater Associates, with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Nov. 2021). A storm might be coming, and I am not referring to the weather. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are FLASHPOINT: TAIWAN January 13, 2022/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More GREAT RESIGNATION December 13, 2021/No Comments GREAT RESIGNATION The word, “Great Resignation”, has been going around recently, referencing a recent economic phenomenon where people would, en Read More AN INTERVIEW WITH AN EDUCATOR: SAMANTHA DIDRICHSEN October 13, 2021/No Comments AN INTERVIEW WITH AN EDUCATOR: SAMANTHA DIDRICHSEN I had the privilege of meeting a former teacher/educator from the Bronx, NY, Read More Load More End of Content.

ISOLATION OF THE ELITE : HOW THE INSANE LEADERSHIP BECAME THE NORM It is without a doubt the American Empire is facing a decline, not because of a weakening economy, military, or an adversary, but because both tops, as in the people with most say in the way things are run and the working classes are in a state of individual isolation. Sir John Glubb, the author of “Fate of Empires”, states that “the decline and fall of an empire begin with its people becoming irresponsible and corrupt compared to what they used to be.” There is another relevant aspect that most say is not well elaborated, but any student of history knows will be familiar with; the isolation of the elite from the people, and most importantly, the consequences of their actions. Sure, we may not have kings and queens, but we do have our political class and super super-wealthy that use bribery to lobby the political class into doing what they wish for them to do. In that sense, things are a little bit different, and by its there, salvageable. That is a topic for another time, but the class that does have the greatest power over the overall decision-making, s the corporate boardrooms as we can see from the laws that pass, rather than what politicians like to preach.  If we look at past empires, such as the Ottoman Empire, the palace, where the ruling elite had lived, became a much more isolated place. So much so that not only did it develop its own culture, but even its language that was incomprehensible to someone speaking the classic Ottomans (the Ottomans spoke Ottoman Turkish). It became so bad that the two literary cultures were living parallel, those artists who wanted to be paid by the elite, and the folk artists who of course would not get patronized, but fortunately w, know some of them. All of this started with the decision of the ruling families to distance themselves from the common folk and solidified with the Ottothe man Kafes (English: Cage) system, which was put in place to prevent succession murders. Today we see a similar phenomenon taking root. From legacy students to gated communities. (*) These may seem trivial to you, but if you look at the ruling class or the rich class today, you will see them talking about and advocating policies that have resulted in housing crises and dilapidated conditions in various cities; all the while, they are protected from the consequences of their actions through lack of accountability and their gated communities while an entire colony of homelessness is living a few blocks down the street. Last time I checked, the Skid Row now extends to Hollywood Avenue, which I find to be hilarious, considering Hollywood is more concerned about token racial gestures and demoralization (as the KGB puts it), rather than providing entertainment. All we can do for now is to be aware; for this is but one of many data points to form a plan of action. _____________________________________________________________________________________  (*) A Legacy student is admitted to a school (often a college or university), primarily because one or both of their parents are alumni of the same institution. A gated community is a residential area with roads that have gates to control the movement of traffic and people into and out of the area. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are ISOLATION OF THE ELITE : HOW THE INSANE LEADERSHIP BECAME THE NORM July 13, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More COMEDY? June 13, 2021/No Comments COMEDY? Comedy is perhaps the most fascinating social tool we have, one that is integral to the human condition. Through Read More THE FACE OF MEDIA BIAS May 13, 2021/No Comments THE FACE OF MEDIA BIAS I have a confession to make… I have not watched any news channels in well Read More Load More End of Content.

COMEDY? Comedy is perhaps the most fascinating social tool we have, one that is integral to the human condition. Through comedy, we not only entertain ourselves but can see things from other perspectives, and expose ourselves to our failings and the failings of others while laughing. Comedy is also an important sociological and psychological tool to create compliance in a group. Some have taken it a little too far. By that, I mean comedy being used to push certain agendas and talking points. This is even more dangerous than normal propaganda because one thing comedy does is psychologically disarm us from applying our standard anti-propaganda tactics and even risk being the “buzz kill” in the room. Let me elaborate.  As usual, I will be taking two examples of two sides of the American political spectrum; while I do not subscribe to either, it is important to be aware of what both sides are doing. Louder with Crowder: I think this entire show is an example of using comedy to push an ideology. With that being said, we must appreciate that they do their research, and a lot of times if you investigate their sources, you will find that they are accurate. With that said, at times giving news with the combination of comedy is what all such shows used to be; but now they are more like political advertisements, calling you to vote differently or to call your representatives, etc. This is the board of propaganda territory; there is one famous example from this show which became a meme to this day. But on its own, is a great publicity stunt. A desk setup at a campus where he says, “Male Privilege is Myth, Change My Mind.” On its own, this could be a whole show. Person A goes to a place where Statement X is accepted truth and sets a desk and debates people who want to change his mind, but we all know that is not the point and never was. That is why humor is such a successful political tool. The ethics are completely up to the person but I think nothing was explicitly wrong with it. Stand Your Ground: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: I think this show generally does justice to its topic. What does concern me, however, is the ending of this one. The call to action in this or any show meant to be entertaining should never cross the line into requesting action but should stop at informing people and let them draw their conclusions; most importantly, encourage them to do their research. A while back, I wrote that the best weapon against propaganda is awareness and this is the counter weapon in the propaganda war, to disarm the targets of propaganda.  Now do I think John Oliver and his team were fully intending to indoctrinate people? No! But do I think he often projects his personal beliefs and the whole ideological package to his audience? Yes! While the intention is not there, one day, and that day seems to be coming faster and faster, when both ideological extremes will no longer accept compromise, we can see that shift.   The only thing that we, as the people, are to be aware, of and not to let ourselves be manipulated by such methods when it becomes visible in full force. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are COMEDY? June 13, 2021/No CommentsRead More THE FACE OF MEDIA BIAS May 13, 2021/No Comments THE FACE OF MEDIA BIAS I have a confession to make… I have not watched any news channels in well Read More A NEW PRICE FOR FREEDOM OR JUST DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY? April 13, 2021/No Comments A NEW PRICE FOR FREEDOM OR JUST DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY? The question of safety/stability vs freedom has been Read More Load More End of Content.