Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Nation of Poets and Philosophers

In answer to a query from the Moot, yes, indeed, I am aware of the so-called Singularity University. Not only have I been long and well aware of the marketing stint that bills itself Singularity U, I am also aware of the Amway/Quixtar University and also of mouthbreathing right wing eminence Glenn Beck's Beck U. On a comparable note, I am familiar with the promotional activities peddled as the "philosophy" of futurism, the "philosophy" of Ayn Rand or of the Scientologists or of the TEDtalkologists, as well as the trademarked Semi-Homemade philosophy of food-show celebrity Sandra Lee.

It will have occurred to my questioner, I suspect, as it has to so few of our fellow citizens in this death-dealing dump (America, I mean), that the words "University" and "philosophy" do not properly attach to any of these shady enterprises. To observe the endlessly falsifying, vulgarizing, debasing anti-intellectual sales pitch of the long con in our imperial eclipse, from the diploma mills, to the conspiracy theorists, to the science denialists, to the cheez-whiz news cyclists, to the subculture industrialists, to the twitterversalists is always good for mordant chuckle, so long as we recall that what these charlatans and fraudsters gain from our attention is not just a picked pocket but is finally purchased at a loss to commonsense and commonwealth and commoncause the full measure of which is quite beyond our reckoning.

4 comments:

jimf said...

> I am familiar with the promotional activities peddled as the
> "philosophy" of futurism, . . . as well as the trademarked
> Semi-Homemade philosophy of food-show celebrity Sandra Lee.

Huh. Any relation to Sara Lee, I wonder? Inquiring minds. . .

Lorraine said...

No relative of mine.

Hahaha. My captcha word is 'defruds'

Lorraine said...

"70% ready-made products with 30% fresh touches"???? Doesn't she know that you are what you eat??

Dale Carrico said...

Many segments of her show have been YouTubed, especially her, er, creative cocktail recommendations, they are so flabbergastingly awful that they have a real camp value and hence a camp following. It is impossible to watch any of them without hearing endlessly repeated in your mind, precisely as you say, you are what you eat, you are what you eat, you are what you eat...