Paradigm Shift?

[powder]

I am wondering if we are in for another massive paradigm shift in western societies.  The appearance of someone like Trump on the scene is one of the reasons I suspect it may be imminent.  It seems to parallel other historical shifts.  

 

The narrative may be changing but I wonder if this is the symptom of a strategy of 'releasing tension' to move us in a different direction.  This has happened in history with things like the Reformation, the French Revolution.  It seems like when the oligarchs start feeling the heat they set up a situation that allows for the masses to blow off steam and then redirect the pent up frustration.  

 

People today are starting to recognize the evil and corruption in the leaders of society and like with the Catholic church of the Renaissance, these things are becoming generally apparent and too hot to handle, so in comes Luther and the Reformation.  It is interesting to note that the Reformers claimed that the Holy See was actually the Antichrist power on earth.  Never mind for the moment that there is significant evidence that the Venetian oligarchs likely controlled both sides of the conflict, but like the French Revolution, the Reformation resulted in enormous disruption and violence on a grand scale.  This worries me.  

 

The oligarchs have, since the beginning of civilization, used what I call the 'cross and the sword' to control the masses.  You need a narrative, a priest class, a belief system, to get people to go along with all the nasty stuff the ruling class want to do.  You always have  to appeal to their morality.  In these times in the West, the media is the new priest class.  

 

I have no interest in Trump or the political process or targeting the 'priest class' (media).  The 'alternative media' and the likes of Alex Jones have been doing this for a while now and I think it might be a diversion.  

 

I have studied a lot of history and I know that this all sounds a bit conspiratorial, and it is speculation for sure.  I am concerned that philosophical minded people will get caught up in the wave of change that is perhaps being set up for us where everything changes, but things stay the same.  

 

This is all sort of rambling stream of consciousness stuff and I haven't really thought it through too much but I would like to get some feedback on this.  Thoughts?  

 

 

[Wuzzums]

People are getting more and more divided into groups based sometimes on the most trivial things. We used to consider friends those in close proximity to us because we didn't have much choice but with the advent of the internet we're now into a free market of tribes. We're becoming more and more conflictual with people, even blood relations, because we are now fully aware that somewhere out there's a tribe that fully rises to our own standards. Compromise is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

 

I think it's only fitting how a man from the business world would be elected as president of the free world in such a moment in history.

[Worlok]

People seem to be in a push-pull with ideology and reality. You vote/ speak for politicians or laws based on your belief. Then once those laws or politicians fail, people rail against them. Either that or you get fairly right wing, prosperous politics and laws that eventually lead people to becoming complacent with the status-quo and want to inject their ideology. Welfare until you spend all the money, then hard work and personally accountability until everybody is well off. Then you degenerate back into welfare. Problem is the government passing laws instead of free trade regulating things properly.

 

From what i have read, it seems that on a political scale, people tend to be fairly centrist and vote on that reality/ ideology basis. The ideology that everybody has to say nice things, that anybody can be whatever they want, and that we need to steal from the rich and give to the lazy is clearly failing like it always does. People are railing against it. 

 

Governments are growing in power until the power structure collapses like always occurs.

 

The U.S. seems on the brink of structure collapse as well as said push-pull. I'm not well aware of everything in Europe as I am in the U.S., but EU seems to be dealing with mainly the change in how they see the world and how it actually is. America did a real good job of destabilizing the middle east. EU just needed a few refugees to mess up their frail misconception of the world.

[shirgall]

The rise of Trump is directly related to the failure of the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party and the watered-down (and therefore mildly statist) nature of Rand II. It is fueled by the willingness of the GOP to tax and spend with as much glee as the Democrats even when they don't have to. The spectacular failure of the first MBA President (Bush II) to bring the business of government to heel must have been forgotten at this point...