Conservative populism or just crypto-fascism?

Out of every 100 people, I guess at least 98 are just sheep.
Out of every 100 people, maybe 97 think they can lead the flock, but they can't.

It isn't anything new; religions figured this out ages ago. That’s why they call one person a shepherd and everyone else a flock...

Chris Myers said:Out of every 100 people, I guess at least 98 are just sheep.
Out of every 100 people, maybe 97 think they can lead the flock, but they can't.

It isn't anything new; religions figured this out ages ago. That’s why they call one person a shepherd and everyone else a flock...

The point isn't about leading others; it's about mastering oneself. You have to learn how to govern your own mind first.

The very existence of a shepherd implies that—in theory—we all possess the capacity to be leaders. A sheep can evolve into a shepherd. However, if a leader tries to turn every single follower into a leader, he won't have a flock anymore. He'll just have a crowd of managers. And you can't command a room full of managers; you end up having to collaborate with them as equals.

It’s one thing for sheep to transform into shepherds. It's another matter entirely when they only seek leadership as a way to usurp the current position and exert control over the rest.

My point wasn't about giving people a "true" characterization—I'm not saying humans are essentially just bats, lions, or wolves, etc.—it was more about the metaphor of the state they find themselves in... and even a lion can end up in chains.

People are, if nothing else, always a little restless with their reality—trying to change things, whether it's themselves, others, or their environment... and honestly, that's a good thing. Once they stop doing that, they lose their essence, their soul if you want to call it that.

Humans are also rational beings who use learning, analysis, intuition, and imitation to make sense of the world around them.
But, if for example, the Bushman living in the Sahara (or even our old folks back in the rural Midwest) understands certain things better than we do—like how community relationships actually function and why they matter—then it’s only natural to ask why that is.

Do you really need to be Einstein to figure out the reason might be that they live in a much simpler, more straightforward world?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here romanticizing some "old ways" of the past; I'm just saying there's a chance we could take the accumulated knowledge of the "big" world and apply it to the "small" worlds we live in today and tomorrow.
Anyway, check out the article I attached.

And if we think there's more meaning to be found in the activities of the "big" world, we have plenty of examples right now... look at those people in the yellow vests warning leaders that they can't just make decisions for everyone based solely on whoever can lobby the hardest... elections are basically just technical formalities at this point, it's becoming pretty obvious.

Do you really think what they're wearing is just a coincidence or irrelevant?
I highly doubt it, because if it weren't, an Egyptian despot like General Al-Sisi wouldn't have banned the sale of those vests within the country. They've already formed their own kind of community—a community of protest.

Chris Myers said:Out of every 100 people, I guess at least 98 are just sheep.
Out of every 100 people, maybe 97 think they can lead the flock, but they can't.

It isn't anything new; religions figured this out ages ago. That’s why they call one person a shepherd and everyone else a flock...

Honestly, it feels like a matter of genetic selection. Nobody can say for sure why it works that way, but most people—regardless of how much schooling they've had—are just average in every sense of the word. Just because you graduated from an Ivy League school, brush your teeth every morning, wear designer labels, or drive a luxury car doesn't mean you're actually intelligent or superior. And even then, what "superior" actually means is highly debatable.

Angela Moore4 said:Honestly, it feels like a matter of genetic selection. Nobody can say for sure why it works that way, but most people—regardless of how much schooling they've had—are just average in every sense of the word. Just because you graduated from an Ivy League school, brush your teeth every morning, wear designer labels, or drive a luxury car doesn't mean you're actually intelligent or superior. And even then, what "superior" actually means is highly debatable.

I'm with you there. And if we really want to get into it, what does "intelligent" even mean? It’s even more questionable than the idea of superiority. Those silly little Mensa pattern tests aren't everything. Sure, they're tests, but much like any other standardized school exam, they don't exactly guarantee someone won't be a total failure in the real world...🤷

Angela Moore4 said:Honestly, it feels like a matter of genetic selection. Nobody can say for sure why it works that way, but most people—regardless of how much schooling they've had—are just average in every sense of the word. Just because you graduated from an Ivy League school, brush your teeth every morning, wear designer labels, or drive a luxury car doesn't mean you're actually intelligent or superior. And even then, what "superior" actually means is highly debatable.

The real issue, however, is the disobedient flock—take those protesters out on the streets today, refusing to let the shepherds lead them.

It seems like genetic selection has completely failed us—except, perhaps, for the people on this forum 😁.

Lisa Jackson7 said:My point wasn't about giving people a "true" characterization—I'm not saying humans are essentially just bats, lions, or wolves, etc.—it was more about the metaphor of the state they find themselves in... and even a lion can end up in chains.

People are, if nothing else, always a little restless with their reality—trying to change things, whether it's themselves, others, or their environment... and honestly, that's a good thing. Once they stop doing that, they lose their essence, their soul if you want to call it that.

Humans are also rational beings who use learning, analysis, intuition, and imitation to make sense of the world around them.
But, if for example, the Bushman living in the Sahara (or even our old folks back in the rural Midwest) understands certain things better than we do—like how community relationships actually function and why they matter—then it’s only natural to ask why that is.

Do you really need to be Einstein to figure out the reason might be that they live in a much simpler, more straightforward world?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here romanticizing some "old ways" of the past; I'm just saying there's a chance we could take the accumulated knowledge of the "big" world and apply it to the "small" worlds we live in today and tomorrow.
Anyway, check out the article I attached.

And if we think there's more meaning to be found in the activities of the "big" world, we have plenty of examples right now... look at those people in the yellow vests warning leaders that they can't just make decisions for everyone based solely on whoever can lobby the hardest... elections are basically just technical formalities at this point, it's becoming pretty obvious.

Do you really think what they're wearing is just a coincidence or irrelevant?
I highly doubt it, because if it weren't, an Egyptian despot like General Al-Sisi wouldn't have banned the sale of those vests within the country. They've already formed their own kind of community—a community of protest.

And hey, we have our own version of "generals" hunting down "radicals, populists, and anarchists"—just yesterday, General Kruljac spoke on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make it crystal clear they want none of that nonsense in power.

Lisa Jackson7 said:My point wasn't about giving people a "true" characterization—I'm not saying humans are essentially just bats, lions, or wolves, etc.—it was more about the metaphor of the state they find themselves in... and even a lion can end up in chains.

People are, if nothing else, always a little restless with their reality—trying to change things, whether it's themselves, others, or their environment... and honestly, that's a good thing. Once they stop doing that, they lose their essence, their soul if you want to call it that.

Humans are also rational beings who use learning, analysis, intuition, and imitation to make sense of the world around them.
But, if for example, the Bushman living in the Sahara (or even our old folks back in the rural Midwest) understands certain things better than we do—like how community relationships actually function and why they matter—then it’s only natural to ask why that is.

Do you really need to be Einstein to figure out the reason might be that they live in a much simpler, more straightforward world?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here romanticizing some "old ways" of the past; I'm just saying there's a chance we could take the accumulated knowledge of the "big" world and apply it to the "small" worlds we live in today and tomorrow.
Anyway, check out the article I attached.

And if we think there's more meaning to be found in the activities of the "big" world, we have plenty of examples right now... look at those people in the yellow vests warning leaders that they can't just make decisions for everyone based solely on whoever can lobby the hardest... elections are basically just technical formalities at this point, it's becoming pretty obvious.

Do you really think what they're wearing is just a coincidence or irrelevant?
I highly doubt it, because if it weren't, an Egyptian despot like General Al-Sisi wouldn't have banned the sale of those vests within the country. They've already formed their own kind of community—a community of protest.

I live in the "big world," and reading your post makes me want to list a dozen examples of how senseless human existence has become. We rush through life without any real stimulation because we've been numbed by a constant bombardment of nonsense, losing almost everything that actually makes us human. And then, after spending a fortune on research, we "discover" that socializing is good, that kids need both a mom and a dad, that having grandparents around isn't a bad thing, that helping aging parents is important, or that helping a neighbor in need is just normal behavior...
We celebrate high mobility, workforce adaptability, speed, and efficiency. People sprint from job to job just to secure a future for their kids, and in that race, they forget to spend time with the very people they are running for. In this scramble, anything goes—there are no fouls, only those who are faster and craftier. Because the social component is totally missing, we're raising generations that lack the ability to form real friendships or romantic bonds—they're emotionally handicapped, which leads directly to things like mass school shootings happening "out of nowhere." We're raising generations of ignoramuses because they're getting their "knowledge" and social skills from social media feeds.

People need a revolution to actually find their footing. We’re overdue for an aesthetic and industrial overhaul—something that's been brewing for decades and is basically why our society turned out this way.
Are we just circling back to some kind of mob rule? Capitalism and communism have both turned us into insects.
One side exploits you, the other tries to control you. We need to invent something that bridges the gap between individualism and collectivism. I haven't quite figured out what that looks like yet.

jaderaven7 said:I live in the "big world," and reading your post makes me want to list a dozen examples of how senseless human existence has become. We rush through life without any real stimulation because we've been numbed by a constant bombardment of nonsense, losing almost everything that actually makes us human. And then, after spending a fortune on research, we "discover" that socializing is good, that kids need both a mom and a dad, that having grandparents around isn't a bad thing, that helping aging parents is important, or that helping a neighbor in need is just normal behavior...
We celebrate high mobility, workforce adaptability, speed, and efficiency. People sprint from job to job just to secure a future for their kids, and in that race, they forget to spend time with the very people they are running for. In this scramble, anything goes—there are no fouls, only those who are faster and craftier. Because the social component is totally missing, we're raising generations that lack the ability to form real friendships or romantic bonds—they're emotionally handicapped, which leads directly to things like mass school shootings happening "out of nowhere." We're raising generations of ignoramuses because they're getting their "knowledge" and social skills from social media feeds.

Exactly... you wrote that post in a burst of emotion, and that’s exactly how it hit me. 👍

A few days ago, I was talking to this guy—super educated, really bright—who ended up homeless after his perfectly fine life just fell apart... it was a heavy situation, a total family tragedy.

He’s living out of a beat-up car on the outskirts of town, near some orchards and vacation homes. He gets help from neighbors, but he’s actually the one helping others—fixing things, mowing lawns, trimming trees. He’s incredibly grateful for every little thing, even just a quick chat.

He told me over and over: hold onto your family, that’s the main thing, everything else is temporary... don't you dare take them for granted.
Get the kids off their phones and away from social media... just be present with them and get outdoors with friends. This guy was literally finding designer clothes and shoes in the trash... man, there are so many people out there who just don't know what they have until it's gone.

Really makes you think...

Rachel Price6 said:People need a revolution to actually find their footing. We’re overdue for an aesthetic and industrial overhaul—something that's been brewing for decades and is basically why our society turned out this way.
Are we just circling back to some kind of mob rule? Capitalism and communism have both turned us into insects.
One side exploits you, the other tries to control you. We need to invent something that bridges the gap between individualism and collectivism. I haven't quite figured out what that looks like yet.

Actually, maybe we don't even need it.
All we really need is individualism.

Lisa Jackson7 said:Exactly... you wrote that post in a burst of emotion, and that’s exactly how it hit me. 👍

A few days ago, I was talking to this guy—super educated, really bright—who ended up homeless after his perfectly fine life just fell apart... it was a heavy situation, a total family tragedy.

He’s living out of a beat-up car on the outskirts of town, near some orchards and vacation homes. He gets help from neighbors, but he’s actually the one helping others—fixing things, mowing lawns, trimming trees. He’s incredibly grateful for every little thing, even just a quick chat.

He told me over and over: hold onto your family, that’s the main thing, everything else is temporary... don't you dare take them for granted.
Get the kids off their phones and away from social media... just be present with them and get outdoors with friends. This guy was literally finding designer clothes and shoes in the trash... man, there are so many people out there who just don't know what they have until it's gone.

Really makes you think...

Thanks!
That was just me venting my frustrations because—even though focusing on the important stuff is theoretically easy—actually staying focused in this world is an uphill battle.
Kids, as always, just want to fit into the mainstream; they struggle to grasp or accept any kind of empty wisdom (I remember being sixteen myself). You have to actively show them what actually matters and what's better.
Sports, a bit of work, discipline, and good times with friends—but that requires parents to step up and make those calls... it's not about working overtime; it's about cutting back the budget so you can actually spend time with your kids and friends.
That’s the recipe for a healthy society and actually enjoying your life.
Like you said—we need to use the knowledge we've already gathered. People have known all of this for ages.

Morgan Brown4 said:Actually, maybe we don't even need it.
All we really need is individualism.

What kind of individualism are we talking about? And why do you think it's necessary? In today's global economy, it's been argued that self-interest beats out the collective good.
Yet, looking around, society seems pretty miserable.
Doesn't being an individual just become a synonym for being an egoist?

Rachel Price6 said:People need a revolution to actually find their footing. We’re overdue for an aesthetic and industrial overhaul—something that's been brewing for decades and is basically why our society turned out this way.
Are we just circling back to some kind of mob rule? Capitalism and communism have both turned us into insects.
One side exploits you, the other tries to control you. We need to invent something that bridges the gap between individualism and collectivism. I haven't quite figured out what that looks like yet.

The concept of communitarianism has been around forever... it's about respecting individual rights while balancing them with community duties—basically building and recognizing shared goals.

Chris Myers said:The biggest culprit behind this mess—by far—is the left. Mostly over in the West and across Europe (and here in the States—look no further than the Democratic Party).

It isn’t just because they’re weak, or because they’ve lost every shred of their moral compass, or even because they’ve become the total antithesis of what they used to be. It’s simpler than that: they just abandoned the working class and rural folks to a pit of despair, leaving them wide open for the modern right to swoop in. They basically turned into corporate shills, chasing money that fuels the downfall of every blue-collar worker in Europe and America, and honestly, everyone else too. They've become nothing more than puppets for big corporate capital, which couldn't care less about destroying the environment, tearing apart families, or wrecking the very foundations of society...

And I say this as an atheist and a liberal-leftist at heart—though certainly not one of those pseudo-liberals the so-called "left" crawls alongside today. As it stands, there isn't a trace of a true left wing left.

So, we ended up with this paradox in the US where people like me have also thrown our support behind Trump. It’s simple: even though he's a conservative, he's a hell of a lot less of a fraud than what is perceived as the "left" in America.

I hope you tell yourself that often enough that you actually start believing it. 🙂

Morgan Cook10 said:But honestly, it makes sense.

The left (and I don't mean our side, since they just mindlessly parrot whatever the party headquarters tells them to)... well, the left has been in power for decades now. They've become the establishment, which naturally makes them the enemy of the average person. The same thing happened to whoever came before them, and it's exactly what will happen to whoever comes after.

Back in the day, these cycles might have taken centuries to play out. But nowadays, thanks to technology and, more importantly, democracy, we get to watch the whole process unfold within a single generation.

For me, nothing is more satisfying than seeing an ordinary person go viral online, screaming, "Stick your fancy perks and holidays up your ass!"... It's that same everyday person who decided to take a stand against Basitlja.👍

If you're going to label those in power as "the Left" (I almost wrote "the Left" just to give it some boring, unrecognizable dimension), then at least call them the Far-Left or the radical Left.

What conservative populism? What are we even talking about here? I don’t see any policies—let alone populist ones—that actually advocate for religious practice, having five to ten kids, or sending women back to the kitchen.
All this hype surrounding recent populist movements is nothing more than profiting off a perfectly valid, anti-immigration sentiment among the public. Personally, I don't see it as a massive issue (aside from the fact that these populists don't offer actual solutions); I view it as much ado about nothing. Most of these anti-immigration stances aren't even explicitly against migration itself; they just want it to be controlled and legal rather than the chaotic mess it is today.

Lisa Jackson7 said:The concept of communitarianism has been around forever... it's about respecting individual rights while balancing them with community duties—basically building and recognizing shared goals.

Take the current European Union as an example. From where I'm sitting, this specific flavor of communitarianism is a complete disaster. It feels like it’s let too many people down, which is probably why you see so many sovereignty advocates fighting back against it. Personally, certain versions of this ideology just give me the creeps; they're hard to stomach. I'm talking about the core philosophy behind some of these concepts, specifically.

Rachel Price6 said:Take the current European Union as an example. From where I'm sitting, this specific flavor of communitarianism is a complete disaster. It feels like it’s let too many people down, which is probably why you see so many sovereignty advocates fighting back against it. Personally, certain versions of this ideology just give me the creeps; they're hard to stomach. I'm talking about the core philosophy behind some of these concepts, specifically.

Communitarianism...?!

Does anyone have a more straightforward definition for this term?

vividfox9 said:Communitarianism...?!

Does anyone have a more straightforward definition for this term?

My bad—was typing too fast there—it should've been communitarianism...

Basically, I think this sums up the whole idea pretty well...

Communitarianism

To me, communitarianism is just an attempt to bridge the gap between individualism and collectivism.