We each inhabit two very different worlds simultaneously: the real world, and the narrative world.
The real world is the physical world of matter, of atoms and molecules and stars and planets and animals wandering around trying to bite and copulate with each other. Science does not yet understand much of this world, but it can reasonably be said to have some degree of existence to it.
The narrative world is made of stories, of mental chatter about what’s going on. It is only related to the real world in the loosest of terms, and commonly has no relation to the real world whatsoever.
In the narrative world you exist as a person with a certain name and a certain life story with a mountain of adjectives attached to you, some believed consciously and some believed subconsciously. You are this, you are that. You are inadequate. You are inferior. You are clever. You are fat. You are unlovable. Whatever. Words, words, words, words, words. ...
But throughout the narrative world most agree that the 20th of January 2021 marked a very real and significant turn of events.
In the real world, things are moving in pretty much the same ways they were on January 19th. The money is moving in more or less the same directions at more or less the same rates. The weapons and troops are moving to more or less the same places in basically the same ways as before. The resources are behaving in essentially the same way. The people are moving in pretty much the same way. The actual, physical dynamics have remained predominantly unchanged. ...
As China and its allies increasingly threaten the real world hegemony of the US and its allies, operations in the narrative world are getting increasingly heated and intense. Expect continued demonization of Russia, and expect anti-China propaganda to get more and more noisy. ...
Once we move out of our narrative manipulation-driven model of competition and domination, and into a lucidity-driven model of collaboration with each other and with our ecosystem, a lasting peace will open up to us all.
A good article, but I think she's wrong on two points:
1. Biden will never promote any anti-China propaganda, because China owns him and our entire ruling class, who are making trillions from killing US jobs by moving them to China. The propaganda will be entirely the other way, about how great totalitarian Communism is in China and how they are our friends.
2. She thinks that people can move out of the narrative manipulation-driven model of competition and domination. I don't think so.
invite response
A good article, but I think she's wrong on two points:
1. Biden will never promote any anti-China propaganda, because China owns him and our entire ruling class, who are making trillions from killing US jobs by moving them to China. The propaganda will be entirely the other way, about how great totalitarian Communism is in China and how they are our friends.
2. She thinks that people can move out of the narrative manipulation-driven model of competition and domination. I don't think so.