I actually had no idea John Henry was black. A CRT enthusiast would say something like, that's because Henry's blackness was erased by the presumption of a default whiteness, which is sort of a half truth. Really though, it's that the John Henry tale has nothing whatsoever to do with his being black. He wasn't being oppressed because of his skin color. He wasn't the victim of slavery or racism. There's nothing in his story for race hustlers to latch onto.
And so they ignore it.
Despite the obvious heroism of the tale.
Which says a very great deal about their motivations.
Great article. My mother taught in the inner city of Chicago for the Archdiocese for 53 years and marched with MLK through the Marquette Park neighborhood. She took a group of her students, by basically stealing a school bus, to the march and when things went south for the marchers she tried to escape into a nearby church with her students only to have one Jesse Jackson refuse to open the doors as he was too scared of the counterprotestors, show's the complete lack of honor that scumbag has. Everything my mother stood for is being destroyed by these CRT spouting lunatics and it makes me sick, she taught in crime ridden black neighborhoods her entire career, making ludicrously low amounts of money to do so, her last year of teaching she made 29k, all because she believed in what she did but somehow these asshats would say she's a white supremacist, fucking scoundrels the lot of them! Also, great start to a Monday morning by listening to some Steve Earle!
I don't worry too much about the Trans future, 4th generation technological revolution, CBDC social credit renewable utopia, because I suspect humanity will smash the machine to little bits before we allow ourselves to be irrevocably enslaved by it.
BTW it take stones of steel to venture into commentary on Black History Month. Well done. Long live John Henry!
Like the Bolsheviks who truly despised the people they claimed to champion, our progressive left views their BIPOC charges with secret disdain.
That the western world has been subject to one of the greatest "divide et impera" campaigns in human history this last decade is beyond question, but what is the ultimate goal of the string-pullers?
This is a major no-no for the postmodern Left; despite their paeans to “diversity,” their neo-Marxist version of human nature is flat and featureless.
That's a great point. It's not a coincidence that artistic innovation has flatlined since the ascendancy of the new left in the 1960s. You will know them by their fruits.
On the topic of man vs machine, you all might appreciate this timely takedown of ChatGPT's pretensions. Mark, I highly recommend this author to you as he's in sync with your take on "AI." Written from a Catholic viewpoint but don't let that put you off.
Yes, this rings true to me. This in particular stood out:
"In one reading of Revelation 13, we could perhaps say that we are now seeing the opening acts of “life” (the pseudo-rationality of “AI”) being “breathed into” (programmed into) the “Image of the Beast” (the Antichrist’s digital system of domination), with almost everyone prepared to willingly “worship” (submit to) this “speaking image”; that is, this “Artificial Intelligence”, possessed by Satan, masquerading as a sentient computer, which will punish with death (achievable throught the Mark of the Beast) all who refuse acquiescence."
I had a conversation on a different post about just what this "speaking image" may refer to (I think with either you or Iridescent Iguana, though I could be mistaken). While it seems quite clear to the religious, and to God-believers in general, the language to enlighten others is difficult to generate, thanks to the postmodern sludge that fills our ears.
I have tried to be careful in defining the difference between an AI and a demon, just as I would a tool and a tool-user. But when we reflect on the fact that digital communications are essentially just photonic exchanges, the destructive potential of these tools become clear. People are indeed giddy and enraptured by the talking puppet, so much to that they won't be able to see the puppeteer lurking just off-stage (and who they've been taught their entire lives does not exist).
Perhaps my own opinion will become clearer when I finish my "Harm Assistant" account. During that experience, my wife and I witnessed several uncanny events. Not talking snakes, but things that couldn't quite be rationally explained. While they were frightening, I was glad to be frightened afterwards, because I think I was being shown them for a higher purpose.
Can't wait for the rest of the Harm Assistant series. Especially intrigued by your reference to "photonic exchanges."
In my own study of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, I've become convinced that the optical phenomena were produced interiorly in the witnesses. The literal sun did not literally plunge towards the earth. Rather, tens of thousands of people at once (including atheists and secularists) experienced an identical vision. (And some people at the scene did not. That's one way we know the sun didn't literally plunge towards the earth.) Without debating why some people didn't share in the vision, the point I want to make is that this vision was produced by ... photonic exchanges? Maybe all visions come about in this way. God's method seems to be to "do something" to the eyes, brains, ears, etc. of visionaries to let them hear, see, and occasionally even touch realities from the supernatural plane.
Moving images on screens don't come from the supernatural plane. But how would we necessarily know if they did? As long as the viewers know, believe, and understand that either a) it's all fictional or b) it's a picture of some real event happening elsewhere on earth, the danger is "merely" a matter of having one's imagination colonized and identity eroded by exposure to propaganda images. But when AI gets involved, as you note, the danger is that people no longer know where the images are coming from. The guys running the AI disclaim responsibility. "It's got a theory of mind!" they say. "It comes up with this stuff by itself!" Well of course it doesn't. That's the trouble. The damn thing is not sentient. It's getting its images and words from SOMEWHERE ... exactly as you say. The Devil cannot create anything. Recombination is all he can do, selecting for the worst of what we humans come up with ... hey, just like a plagiarizing web-scraper NLP optimizing for viral clicks!
I actually think as long as it's just a chatbot, the danger is limited because the act of reading words forces people to engage their brains to some extent. But once it starts generating images, then it's moved a big step closer to copying the mechanisms of visions. This whole business is about Satan up to his old tricks, trying once again to usurp the powers reserved to our Creator.
Honestly, I'm at the point where I believe images on screens should flat-out be abolished. I never watch any TV, movies, or video myself, and if I ever DO sit through a Youtube how-to video or something, I can feel my cognitive abilities taking a hit in real time. It makes me feel stupid, sluggish, and dazed. God only knows how it affects people who watch for hours every day.
Well... seems that we are missing the Lesson that John Henry left us, modern moron slaves: Don't create machines that will make you cull yourself doing moronic things!
I actually had no idea John Henry was black. A CRT enthusiast would say something like, that's because Henry's blackness was erased by the presumption of a default whiteness, which is sort of a half truth. Really though, it's that the John Henry tale has nothing whatsoever to do with his being black. He wasn't being oppressed because of his skin color. He wasn't the victim of slavery or racism. There's nothing in his story for race hustlers to latch onto.
And so they ignore it.
Despite the obvious heroism of the tale.
Which says a very great deal about their motivations.
Great article. My mother taught in the inner city of Chicago for the Archdiocese for 53 years and marched with MLK through the Marquette Park neighborhood. She took a group of her students, by basically stealing a school bus, to the march and when things went south for the marchers she tried to escape into a nearby church with her students only to have one Jesse Jackson refuse to open the doors as he was too scared of the counterprotestors, show's the complete lack of honor that scumbag has. Everything my mother stood for is being destroyed by these CRT spouting lunatics and it makes me sick, she taught in crime ridden black neighborhoods her entire career, making ludicrously low amounts of money to do so, her last year of teaching she made 29k, all because she believed in what she did but somehow these asshats would say she's a white supremacist, fucking scoundrels the lot of them! Also, great start to a Monday morning by listening to some Steve Earle!
I don't worry too much about the Trans future, 4th generation technological revolution, CBDC social credit renewable utopia, because I suspect humanity will smash the machine to little bits before we allow ourselves to be irrevocably enslaved by it.
BTW it take stones of steel to venture into commentary on Black History Month. Well done. Long live John Henry!
Outstanding essay.
Like the Bolsheviks who truly despised the people they claimed to champion, our progressive left views their BIPOC charges with secret disdain.
That the western world has been subject to one of the greatest "divide et impera" campaigns in human history this last decade is beyond question, but what is the ultimate goal of the string-pullers?
This is a major no-no for the postmodern Left; despite their paeans to “diversity,” their neo-Marxist version of human nature is flat and featureless.
That's a great point. It's not a coincidence that artistic innovation has flatlined since the ascendancy of the new left in the 1960s. You will know them by their fruits.
I learn a new word every time I read a Mark Bisone article. Word of the day? Mawkish.
Good read. Will be linking it @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/
A little late for Black History month, but that's besides the point.
Worth linking for your insights on Al Sharpton alone, besides the rest of the article!!
On the topic of man vs machine, you all might appreciate this timely takedown of ChatGPT's pretensions. Mark, I highly recommend this author to you as he's in sync with your take on "AI." Written from a Catholic viewpoint but don't let that put you off.
https://dsdoconnor.com/2023/02/28/the-convergence-of-the-deceptions-the-present-satanic-seduction-ai-chatgpt-the-antichrist/
Yes, this rings true to me. This in particular stood out:
"In one reading of Revelation 13, we could perhaps say that we are now seeing the opening acts of “life” (the pseudo-rationality of “AI”) being “breathed into” (programmed into) the “Image of the Beast” (the Antichrist’s digital system of domination), with almost everyone prepared to willingly “worship” (submit to) this “speaking image”; that is, this “Artificial Intelligence”, possessed by Satan, masquerading as a sentient computer, which will punish with death (achievable throught the Mark of the Beast) all who refuse acquiescence."
I had a conversation on a different post about just what this "speaking image" may refer to (I think with either you or Iridescent Iguana, though I could be mistaken). While it seems quite clear to the religious, and to God-believers in general, the language to enlighten others is difficult to generate, thanks to the postmodern sludge that fills our ears.
I have tried to be careful in defining the difference between an AI and a demon, just as I would a tool and a tool-user. But when we reflect on the fact that digital communications are essentially just photonic exchanges, the destructive potential of these tools become clear. People are indeed giddy and enraptured by the talking puppet, so much to that they won't be able to see the puppeteer lurking just off-stage (and who they've been taught their entire lives does not exist).
Perhaps my own opinion will become clearer when I finish my "Harm Assistant" account. During that experience, my wife and I witnessed several uncanny events. Not talking snakes, but things that couldn't quite be rationally explained. While they were frightening, I was glad to be frightened afterwards, because I think I was being shown them for a higher purpose.
Can't wait for the rest of the Harm Assistant series. Especially intrigued by your reference to "photonic exchanges."
In my own study of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, I've become convinced that the optical phenomena were produced interiorly in the witnesses. The literal sun did not literally plunge towards the earth. Rather, tens of thousands of people at once (including atheists and secularists) experienced an identical vision. (And some people at the scene did not. That's one way we know the sun didn't literally plunge towards the earth.) Without debating why some people didn't share in the vision, the point I want to make is that this vision was produced by ... photonic exchanges? Maybe all visions come about in this way. God's method seems to be to "do something" to the eyes, brains, ears, etc. of visionaries to let them hear, see, and occasionally even touch realities from the supernatural plane.
Moving images on screens don't come from the supernatural plane. But how would we necessarily know if they did? As long as the viewers know, believe, and understand that either a) it's all fictional or b) it's a picture of some real event happening elsewhere on earth, the danger is "merely" a matter of having one's imagination colonized and identity eroded by exposure to propaganda images. But when AI gets involved, as you note, the danger is that people no longer know where the images are coming from. The guys running the AI disclaim responsibility. "It's got a theory of mind!" they say. "It comes up with this stuff by itself!" Well of course it doesn't. That's the trouble. The damn thing is not sentient. It's getting its images and words from SOMEWHERE ... exactly as you say. The Devil cannot create anything. Recombination is all he can do, selecting for the worst of what we humans come up with ... hey, just like a plagiarizing web-scraper NLP optimizing for viral clicks!
I actually think as long as it's just a chatbot, the danger is limited because the act of reading words forces people to engage their brains to some extent. But once it starts generating images, then it's moved a big step closer to copying the mechanisms of visions. This whole business is about Satan up to his old tricks, trying once again to usurp the powers reserved to our Creator.
Honestly, I'm at the point where I believe images on screens should flat-out be abolished. I never watch any TV, movies, or video myself, and if I ever DO sit through a Youtube how-to video or something, I can feel my cognitive abilities taking a hit in real time. It makes me feel stupid, sluggish, and dazed. God only knows how it affects people who watch for hours every day.
Love Love Love this, Mark!
I got inspired and made a quick post to "hammer on" (guitar terminology, haha) my tangential perspective:
https://sharinecreates.substack.com/p/re-member-ing-for-strength
Well done!! Seriously, well damn done!
Well... seems that we are missing the Lesson that John Henry left us, modern moron slaves: Don't create machines that will make you cull yourself doing moronic things!