RAH - Ethnically homogenous communities lead to higher rates of happiness, while riding the capitalist dragon to our doom

Quote from article: ". . . we are becoming more preoccupied with our individual concerns and less with those of the community".

There is a very simply explanation for this: there is NO "community", neither in the abstract sense (just the anonymity of multi-mass society), nor in the sense of REAL "communities" (as a rule, certainly not for the native population).

When everything is bought and paid for - directly or indirectly - with MONEY there is no "material" NEED for extended family or community, although these are what much of "human emotion and behaviour evolved for. It is no wonder that we are generally so unhappy. The only reason it is not a lot worse is that whole industries have arisen to DISTRACT us from our misery - when we are not being distracted by work, or blinded by familiarity.

Quote from article: ". . . . ethnically homogenous communities lead to higher rates of happiness".

Madeleine, how could you dare to utter - in the Guardian, of all places! - such a wholly unacceptable TRUTH. A truth which undermines the whole MYTH of how desirable multi-racial/multicultural society, and the mass immigration that created it, is.

Facing up to this TRUTH will as hard as facing up to the FULL truth about global warming and the INHERENT non-sustainability of our growth-dependent economy and the grossly materialistic lifestyles (and lifestyle aspirations) it engenders.

2nd Post

I'm working on an evolutionary/anthropological "model of society" which explains rather well, I think, WHY society is in the mess it is - a far bigger and more intractable mess, in fact, than most people realize. But because we are ALL completely immersed in, familiar with and dependent on it, it is very difficult to recognise. Added to which, we don't want to see the "insanities of normality" that surround us and would plunge us into deep anxiety if we didn't overlook or rationalize them away.

Put very briefly, my theory is this: that with the advent of civilization, Homo sapiens' struggle for survival and advantage (for which human nature, i.e. our emotions and behaviour, evolved the way they did) transferred from the natural environment to an artificial "socio-economic environment", where our blind, Darwinian struggle continues, now greatly facilitated by free-market capitalism, which developed, naturally enough, to serve and exploit our animal nature (which is why, in some ways, it works so well).

The most important consequence of this is that society - nationally and globally - is being driven predominantly by our primitive animal nature, rather than being guided by our more enlightened, human nature, as it needs to be, and on which the survival of our civilization depends.

3rd Post

The problem, [emilbus] (see below), is that we are NOT "sublimating these destructive instincts" but have allowed them (i.e. our primitive animal nature), without realizing it, to become the very basis of our socio-economic order (it is the way it developed from the very beginning, making it very difficult to see when you are trapped inside and dependent on it). Also, these behaviours are not destructive in themselves, not in the natural environment for which they evolved, but only now in the artificial, "socio-economic environment" that has taken its place.

Originally, SOCIALISM was an attempt to create a society based on man's more enlightened human nature, but because it failed so badly, we gave up on it. Instead, those who see themselves as modern-day socialists, social democrats, "progressives", or whatever, have resorted to cultivating, in order to milk, the capitalist cow - or rather, DRAGON - encouraging it to produce vast amounts of material wealth (which, driven by our animal nature, it readily does), a large proportion of which is creamed off to finance not just social infrastructure and defence, but also such socialist ideals as public health care, education, welfare etc.

It is a DRAGON which people, right across the political spectrum, believe can be ridden and steered (the Left wanting more, the Right, less control of the reins) for the general good of humanity, AND can be made sustainable on our finite and vulnerable planet. What they all fail to realize, however, is that the Dragon (driven by our own animal nature and behaviour) has a blind, dumb-animal mind and will of its own which is taking us inextricably towards our doom.

Unless we wake up pretty soon to the peril we are in, it will be the end of us, certainly of our civilization.

The trouble is, it's a very frightening situation to become aware of (riding a dragon to one's doom), which is why most people still have their eyes firmly closed, desperately (but vainly) believing and hoping that things will work out for the best.

My homepage: http://www.spaceship-earth.org

[emilbus]'s post: rogerhicks, Didn't Freud develop such a thesis himself? On one level, we are animals. Capitalism is a social manifestation of our animal instinct.

Competitive greed and selfishness drives what we (unlike animals) regard as 'progress'.

The future of the planet itself may depend on the human animal sublimating these destructive instincts in a way that hasn't been necessary before.

To: Guardian CiF Re: Ethnically homogenous communities lead to higher rates of happiness, while riding the capitalist dragon to our doom Date: Tuesday 20 February 07"

In response to the Guardian article, "The nasty country" by Madeline Bunting on the state of British society. Link to article and thread at The Guardian. Quote from article: ". . . we are becoming more preoccupied with our individual concerns and less with those of the community". There is a very simply explanation for this: there is NO "community", neither in the abstract sense (just the anonymity of multi-mass society), nor in the sense of REAL "communities" (as a rule, certainly not for the native population). When everything is bought and paid for - directly or indirectly - with MONEY there is no "material" NEED for extended family or community, although these are what much of "human emotion and behaviour evolved for. It is no wonder that we are generally so unhappy. The only reason it is not a lot worse is that whole industries have arisen to DISTRACT us from our misery - when we are not being distracted by work, or blinded by familiarity. Quote from article: ". . . . ethnically homogenous communities lead to higher rates of happiness". Madeleine, how could you dare to utter - in the Guardian, of all places! - such a wholly unacceptable TRUTH. A truth which undermines the whole MYTH of how desirable multi-racial/multicultural society, and the mass immigration that created it, is. Facing up to this TRUTH will as hard as facing up to the FULL truth about global warming and the INHERENT non-sustainability of our growth-dependent economy and the grossly materialistic lifestyles (and lifestyle aspirations) it engenders. 2nd Post I'm working on an evolutionary/anthropological "model of society" which explains rather well, I think, WHY society is in the mess it is - a far bigger and more intractable mess, in fact, than most people realize. But because we are ALL completely immersed in, familiar with and dependent on it, it is very difficult to recognise. Added to which, we don't want to see the "insanities of normality" that surround us and would plunge us into deep anxiety if we didn't overlook or rationalize them away. Put very briefly, my theory is this: that with the advent of civilization, Homo sapiens' struggle for survival and advantage (for which human nature, i.e. our emotions and behaviour, evolved the way they did) transferred from the natural environment to an artificial "socio-economic environment", where our blind, Darwinian struggle continues, now greatly facilitated by free-market capitalism, which developed, naturally enough, to serve and exploit our animal nature (which is why, in some ways, it works so well). The most important consequence of this is that society - nationally and globally - is being driven predominantly by our primitive animal nature, rather than being guided by our more enlightened, human nature, as it needs to be, and on which the survival of our civilization depends. 3rd Post The problem, [emilbus] (see below), is that we are NOT "sublimating these destructive instincts" but have allowed them (i.e. our primitive animal nature), without realizing it, to become the very basis of our socio-economic order (it is the way it developed from the very beginning, making it very difficult to see when you are trapped inside and dependent on it). Also, these behaviours are not destructive in themselves, not in the natural environment for which they evolved, but only now in the artificial, "socio-economic environment" that has taken its place. Originally, SOCIALISM was an attempt to create a society based on man's more enlightened human nature, but because it failed so badly, we gave up on it. Instead, those who see themselves as modern-day socialists, social democrats, "progressives", or whatever, have resorted to cultivating, in order to milk, the capitalist cow - or rather, DRAGON - encouraging it to produce vast amounts of material wealth (which, driven by our animal nature, it readily does), a large proportion of which is creamed off to finance not just social infrastructure and defence, but also such socialist ideals as public health care, education, welfare etc. It is a DRAGON which people, right across the political spectrum, believe can be ridden and steered (the Left wanting more, the Right, less control of the reins) for the general good of humanity, AND can be made sustainable on our finite and vulnerable planet. What they all fail to realize, however, is that the Dragon (driven by our own animal nature and behaviour) has a blind, dumb-animal mind and will of its own which is taking us inextricably towards our doom. Unless we wake up pretty soon to the peril we are in, it will be the end of us, certainly of our civilization. The trouble is, it's a very frightening situation to become aware of (riding a dragon to one's doom), which is why most people still have their eyes firmly closed, desperately (but vainly) believing and hoping that things will work out for the best. My homepage: http://www.spaceship-earth.org [emilbus]'s post: rogerhicks, Didn't Freud develop such a thesis himself? On one level, we are animals. Capitalism is a social manifestation of our animal instinct. Competitive greed and selfishness drives what we (unlike animals) regard as 'progress'. The future of the planet itself may depend on the human animal sublimating these destructive instincts in a way that hasn't been necessary before.