Rachel, i am going to print this article, credit you and put it on the wall in The Great Imagining Stratford. This will be a great early provocation in a million provocations.
I think you've definitely hit the nail on the head here. Using the car analogy, I'm not saying that assuming there is a driver is a conspiracy theory. However, that can lead towards conspiratorial thinking. Assuming there's someone in charge to bargain with or wrest control away from is more reasonable than most conspiracies, but still lends itself towards the idea that there's a plan that can be derailed. There's no plan; just the upper class watching out for themselves and pulling the same direction while it's convenient.
Also part of this equation is the idea of elite panic. Elites will widely assume that you and I lack the capacity to respond appropriately to a crisis. They believe that we will all become the worst version of ourselves should things become difficult and respond with force in order to keep us from devolving into chaos. So there may not be anyone at the wheel, but they sure as Hell will put an armed guard in front of that wheel before they let us have it.
Is the car really driven by artificial intelligence that we as humans have created with our consumer profiles gathered over the last few decades? The car, again are the Big corps (pharma, banks, oil, tech etc) and they are driven by our desires. Is the real energy input our consumption. The marketing and propaganda have played a huge part in this human dynamic of Power and the People
Get out of my head! Lol. I’ve been telling people I know, it’s like people are kicking back with some drinks on a flight, not knowing or caring that nobody is flying the plane! Love the article. Thank you for your great work, and passion for it.
I really laughed in the podcast when you made that quip about there being no driver. Perfect, and oddly true. I think James is right, there is a regime to be changed (a driver), but they are also blindly and thoughtlessly acting according to the rules of their micro-culture and economic rules (no driver).
Thanks for the episode, very well presented and fascinating.
Very well put Rachel. My last blog post was titles "The Superorganism, Hyperagents, and Peter Pogany's concept of Global Systems. I reference The Egregore (BJ Campbell), The Swarm (John Robb), The Autocult (Patrick Ryan), The Blue Church (Ryan and Jordan Hall), The Machine (Paul Kingsnorth), Fully Automated Luxury Gnosticism (Mary Harrington), World Order (Alfred McCoy), Beyond Regulatory Capture (Brett Weinstein), the Superorganism (Nate Hagens). Hyperagents (Daniels Schmactenberger), and the Global Systems concept of Peter Pogany.
Pogany wrote in "Rethinking The World" (2006): "“Each global system creates its characteristic behavior, connected with a lexicon, a socioeconomically induced emotional profile, an ethic, a Weltanschauung, and a mentality. These are physically ‘imprinted’ in brains and endure roughly as long as the global system does.”
Perhaps the metaphor of the driverless car is better than all of the above to most clearly drive the point home.
I'm also reminded of David Holmgren's essay from a decade ago, "Crash On Demand," which is also worth revisiting.
Love your work Rachel and co. Well said, and likely the sweet spot of fact.
Purchasing powers this driverless car. Aggregated this super wealth and power we many give to benefit the few turbo charges it. Master Card (apply named) is ours to use to either slow down for the curves or keep pouring the gas on. Can we collectively bring ourselves to use our master purchasing powers to slow down and bring about a change in direction to a better destination. And stop for pedestrians and give others a lift as well. Ever, Jim Joan Canada
I know what yo mean Peter, and maybe,I'm getting the totally wrong end of the (gear)stick here, but could you say the delusional passenger is more innocent than not? They were strong-armed into building the car because of the penalty of not having a job. They were hoodwinked into building the car through propaganda about the economy, freedom, all that. What other genuine choice is on offer than to conform and build the car? And even if they didn't want to build the car, what other transport is there to get one from cradle to grave in our society?
This metaphor is like a kaleidoscope, a million mirrors and who is who! Now I'm not even sure who's in the back seat, who's in the boot and who's even hijacked the car 😂
I think I got the wrong idea of who you meant by delusional passenger, although being somewhat delusional myself (at times) maybe it was just me being nervous :)
3 sources of "fuel" that I see drives the car: technology, extraction and monetary systems. We need to drop the car into sequentially lower gears as we gently apply the breaks. This way, we don't spin out of control. Using the brakes only when accelerating are dangerous as they are when the car is in neutral gear at high speeds. Turning the wheel at high speed is also deadly. Slowing the car quickly with gears and brakes in the general direction we are headed is safest. When we finally stop, we can catch our breath and take stock of our location and direction. Complete annihilation of the systems seems dangerous, even suicidal. Some of us would survive, but many would not. The car analogy is also be a metaphor for the human physical body (as our personal vehicle). If the car goes over the cliff or spins out of control and rolls to its demise, so to, do we. (Need discourse on this topic).
Rachel, it's a driverless car yes, but it's running on big oil, which, methinks, points to the obvious solution. Just stop oil. We need to revert to small steps and walk away, take our eyes off the road, look to the future, now, yesterday. It ain't impossible, but it's late. Peace, Maurice
Cars and the lifestyles that they allow are the problem and the metaphor in the story is very clear, yet I bet most consumers miss the relevance. Auto and oil companies, the most powerful people in the world, make trillions every year with the status quo.
The solution, ride a bike. I started riding an electric cargo bike for transportation almost 4 years ago. I have put around 35k mi on my bikes since, saved soo much money in gas, repairs, parking, insurance, etc. It has been a transformative experience in my life and has reduced my climate anxiety and gas guilt to a manageable level.
I forgot to mention that if we slow it down enough, we can turn the wheel and continue to drive in a new direction. Now those who take control of the car need to carefully consider the new direction. Drive carefully and slowly. Peace
Rachel, i am going to print this article, credit you and put it on the wall in The Great Imagining Stratford. This will be a great early provocation in a million provocations.
https://www.thegreatimagining.org/stratford-2023
How wonderful, Deborah! Thank you.
Well written and to the point. But all evidence points to the car going over the cliff regardless of what we do to the tires. Love your work, Rachel!
I think you've definitely hit the nail on the head here. Using the car analogy, I'm not saying that assuming there is a driver is a conspiracy theory. However, that can lead towards conspiratorial thinking. Assuming there's someone in charge to bargain with or wrest control away from is more reasonable than most conspiracies, but still lends itself towards the idea that there's a plan that can be derailed. There's no plan; just the upper class watching out for themselves and pulling the same direction while it's convenient.
Also part of this equation is the idea of elite panic. Elites will widely assume that you and I lack the capacity to respond appropriately to a crisis. They believe that we will all become the worst version of ourselves should things become difficult and respond with force in order to keep us from devolving into chaos. So there may not be anyone at the wheel, but they sure as Hell will put an armed guard in front of that wheel before they let us have it.
Is the car really driven by artificial intelligence that we as humans have created with our consumer profiles gathered over the last few decades? The car, again are the Big corps (pharma, banks, oil, tech etc) and they are driven by our desires. Is the real energy input our consumption. The marketing and propaganda have played a huge part in this human dynamic of Power and the People
Get out of my head! Lol. I’ve been telling people I know, it’s like people are kicking back with some drinks on a flight, not knowing or caring that nobody is flying the plane! Love the article. Thank you for your great work, and passion for it.
I really laughed in the podcast when you made that quip about there being no driver. Perfect, and oddly true. I think James is right, there is a regime to be changed (a driver), but they are also blindly and thoughtlessly acting according to the rules of their micro-culture and economic rules (no driver).
Thanks for the episode, very well presented and fascinating.
Very well put Rachel. My last blog post was titles "The Superorganism, Hyperagents, and Peter Pogany's concept of Global Systems. I reference The Egregore (BJ Campbell), The Swarm (John Robb), The Autocult (Patrick Ryan), The Blue Church (Ryan and Jordan Hall), The Machine (Paul Kingsnorth), Fully Automated Luxury Gnosticism (Mary Harrington), World Order (Alfred McCoy), Beyond Regulatory Capture (Brett Weinstein), the Superorganism (Nate Hagens). Hyperagents (Daniels Schmactenberger), and the Global Systems concept of Peter Pogany.
Pogany wrote in "Rethinking The World" (2006): "“Each global system creates its characteristic behavior, connected with a lexicon, a socioeconomically induced emotional profile, an ethic, a Weltanschauung, and a mentality. These are physically ‘imprinted’ in brains and endure roughly as long as the global system does.”
Perhaps the metaphor of the driverless car is better than all of the above to most clearly drive the point home.
I'm also reminded of David Holmgren's essay from a decade ago, "Crash On Demand," which is also worth revisiting.
Love your work Rachel and co. Well said, and likely the sweet spot of fact.
Purchasing powers this driverless car. Aggregated this super wealth and power we many give to benefit the few turbo charges it. Master Card (apply named) is ours to use to either slow down for the curves or keep pouring the gas on. Can we collectively bring ourselves to use our master purchasing powers to slow down and bring about a change in direction to a better destination. And stop for pedestrians and give others a lift as well. Ever, Jim Joan Canada
I liked the analogy, but feel that one element is overlooked.
Your delusional passenger isn't an innocent.
He built that car.
I know what yo mean Peter, and maybe,I'm getting the totally wrong end of the (gear)stick here, but could you say the delusional passenger is more innocent than not? They were strong-armed into building the car because of the penalty of not having a job. They were hoodwinked into building the car through propaganda about the economy, freedom, all that. What other genuine choice is on offer than to conform and build the car? And even if they didn't want to build the car, what other transport is there to get one from cradle to grave in our society?
: )
If you are pointing to determinism then I can only say "but of course!"
However, deterministic or not, all action has consequence.
Should those bound and gagged in the boot be allowed the gift of deciding the fate of the passenger?
Would that even be fair or just?
Oh what a dilemma ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This metaphor is like a kaleidoscope, a million mirrors and who is who! Now I'm not even sure who's in the back seat, who's in the boot and who's even hijacked the car 😂
I think I got the wrong idea of who you meant by delusional passenger, although being somewhat delusional myself (at times) maybe it was just me being nervous :)
3 sources of "fuel" that I see drives the car: technology, extraction and monetary systems. We need to drop the car into sequentially lower gears as we gently apply the breaks. This way, we don't spin out of control. Using the brakes only when accelerating are dangerous as they are when the car is in neutral gear at high speeds. Turning the wheel at high speed is also deadly. Slowing the car quickly with gears and brakes in the general direction we are headed is safest. When we finally stop, we can catch our breath and take stock of our location and direction. Complete annihilation of the systems seems dangerous, even suicidal. Some of us would survive, but many would not. The car analogy is also be a metaphor for the human physical body (as our personal vehicle). If the car goes over the cliff or spins out of control and rolls to its demise, so to, do we. (Need discourse on this topic).
Rachel, it's a driverless car yes, but it's running on big oil, which, methinks, points to the obvious solution. Just stop oil. We need to revert to small steps and walk away, take our eyes off the road, look to the future, now, yesterday. It ain't impossible, but it's late. Peace, Maurice
Kinda tired of metaphors.
so tell it like it is bro
Cars and the lifestyles that they allow are the problem and the metaphor in the story is very clear, yet I bet most consumers miss the relevance. Auto and oil companies, the most powerful people in the world, make trillions every year with the status quo.
The solution, ride a bike. I started riding an electric cargo bike for transportation almost 4 years ago. I have put around 35k mi on my bikes since, saved soo much money in gas, repairs, parking, insurance, etc. It has been a transformative experience in my life and has reduced my climate anxiety and gas guilt to a manageable level.
I forgot to mention that if we slow it down enough, we can turn the wheel and continue to drive in a new direction. Now those who take control of the car need to carefully consider the new direction. Drive carefully and slowly. Peace
There's obviously no one at the wheel