you're more alike than some want you to believe

because they have a fucking agenda and want your participation________________________________________________________________ Human Universals: environment, adjustments to binary cognitive distinctions pain likes and dislikes food preferences making comparisons time time, cyclicity of memory anticipation habituation choice making (choosing alternatives) intention ambivalence emotions self-control fears fear of death fears, ability to overcome some risk-taking daily routines rituals sexual attraction sexual attractiveness sex differences in spatial cognition and behavior mental maps territoriality conflict self distinguished from other sweets preferred tabooed foods childbirth customs childcare females do more direct childcare preference for own children and close kin (nepotism) weaning childhood fears childhood fear of loud noises childhood fear of strangers pretend play play toys, playthings play to perfect skills practice to improve skills husband older than wife on average sexual regulation includes incest prevention incest between mother and son unthinkable or tabooed incest, prevention or avoidance hygienic care family (or household) biological mother and social mother normally the same person attachment mourning affection expressed and felt gestures empathy food sharing turn-taking group living sexual jealousy kin, close distinguished from distant kin groups kinship statuses anthropomorphization interest in bioforms (living things or things that resemble them) critical learning periods murder proscribed males dominate public/political realm males engage in more coalitional violence males more aggressive males more prone to lethal violence males more prone to theft males, on average, travel greater distances over lifetime dreams symbolism social structure dominance/submission leaders cooperation coalitions collective identities conflict, means of dealing with conflict, mediation of decision making, collective good and bad distinguished distinguishing right and wrong judging others fairness (equity), concept of economic inequalities economic inequalities, consciousness of envy envy, symbolic means of coping with etiquette insulting interpreting behavior reciprocity, negative (revenge, retaliation) redress of wrongs resistance to abuse of power, to dominance rape rape proscribed pride taboos rites of passage cultural variability dispersed groups visiting sickness and death seen as related healing the sick (or attempting to) medicine sucking wounds snakes, wariness around sexual modesty copulation normally conducted in privacy diurnality thumb sucking tickling property materialism prestige inequalities trade tools tool dependency tool making tools patterned culturally tools, permament tools for pounding weapons lever directions, giving of aesthetics customary greetings generosity admired gift giving stinginess, disapproval of self-image, awareness of (concern for what others think) self-image, manipulation of manipulate social relations self-image, wanted to be positive self is responsible shame psychological defense mechanisms shelter nonbodily decorative art right-handedness as population norm onomatopoeia fire spear tools for cutting death rituals body adornment hairstyles containers tying material (ie, something like string) intertwining (eg, weaving) measuring cooking tools to make tools music music related in part to dance music related in part to religious activity music seen as art (a creation) music, vocal musical redundancy musical repetition musical variation melody rhythm dance ________________________________________ not yet sorted actions under self-control distinguished from those not under control conjectural reasoning continua (ordering as cognitive pattern) corporate (perpetual) statuses coyness display crying culture decision making differential valuations entification (treating patterns and relations as things) ethnocentrism feasting government groups that are not based on family hope hospitality identity, collective imagery in-group distinguished from out-group(s) in-group biases in favor of institutions (organized co-activities) interpolation jokes logical notions logical notion of ‘and’ logical notion of ‘equivalent’ logical notion of ‘general/particular’ logical notion of ‘not’ logical notion of ‘opposite’ logical notion of ‘part/whole’ logical notion of ‘same’ magic magic to increase life magic to sustain life magic to win love weather control (attempts to) marriage meal times mentalese mood- or consciousness-altering techniques and/or substances moral sentiments moral sentiments, limited effective range of normal distinguished from abnormal states Oedipus complex past/present/future planning planning for future possessive, intimate possessive, loose role and personality seen in dynamic interrelationship (ie, departures from role can be explained in terms of individual personality) sanctions sanctions for crimes against the collectivity sanctions include removal from the social unit self as neither wholly passive nor wholly autonomous self as subject and object senses unified socialization socialization expected from senior kin socialization includes toilet training statuses and roles statuses, ascribed and achieved statuses distinguished from individuals succession triangular awareness (assessing relationships among the self and two other people) violence, some forms of proscribed clusters semantic components, sex sex (gender) terminology is fundamentally binary sex statuses sexual regulation sexuality as focus of interest statuses on other than sex, age, or kinship bases numerals (counting) one (numeral) phonemes, range from 10 to 70 in number pronouns, minimum two numbers two (numeral) black (color term) white (color term) cooperative labor division of labor division of labor by age reciprocal exchanges (of labor, goods, or services) division of labor by sex age grades age statuses age terms male and female and adult and child seen as having different natures mother normally has consort during child-rearing years music, children’s baby talk belief in supernatural/religion beliefs, false beliefs about death beliefs about disease beliefs about fortune and misfortune classification classification of age classification of behavioral propensities classification of body parts classification of fauna classification of flora classification of inner states classification of kin classification of space classification of tools classification of weather conditions nomenclature (perhaps the same as classification) classification of sex classification of colors face (word for) facial communication facial expression of anger facial expression of contempt facial expression of disgust facial expression of fear facial expression of happiness facial expression of surprise facial expressions, masking/modifying of oligarchy (de facto) recognition of individuals by face abstraction in speech & thought discrepancies between speech, thought, and action figurative speech music, vocal, includes speech forms special speech for special occasions stop/nonstop contrasts (in speech sounds) symbolic speech antonyms conflict, consultation to deal with contrasting marked and nonmarked sememes (meaningful elements in language) culture/nature distinction divination dream interpretation explanation father and mother, separate kin terms for folklore future, attempts to predict gossip grammar hand (word for) inheritance rules insulting jokes kin terms translatable by basic relations of procreation language language employed to manipulate others language employed to misinform or mislead language is translatable language not a simple reflection of reality language, prestige from proficient use of law (rights and obligations) law (rules of membership) linguistic redundancy marking at phonemic, syntactic, and lexical levels meaning, most units of are non-universal metaphor metonym morphemes myths narrative nouns overestimating objectivity of thought person, concept of personal names phonemes phonemes defined by set of minimally constrasting features phonemes, merging of phonemic change, inevitability of phonemic change, rules of phonemic system poetry/rhetoric poetic line, uniform length range poetic lines characterized by repetition and variation poetic lines demarcated by pauses polysemy (one word has several meanings) precedence, concept of (that’s how the leopard got its spots) private inner life promise pronouns pronouns, minimum three persons proper names proverbs, sayings proverbs, sayings – in mutually contradictory forms semantics semantic category of affecting things and people semantic category of dimension semantic category of giving semantic category of location semantic category of motion semantic category of other physical properties semantic components semantic components, generation sememes, commonly used ones are short, infrequently used ones are longer synesthetic metaphors synonyms tabooed utterances taxonomy true and false distinguished units of time verbs vocalic/nonvocalic contrasts in phonemes vowel contrasts world view___________there are people who want you to believe you are less alike than you really are_____ based on "human universals" by donald e. brown. temple university press 1991

some kind of conspiracy?

just an observation ( not even really a rant..sorry to disappoint )...yesterday was the fifty-second anniversary of that giddy, hubris filled massachucetts brahmin's assassination by a dishonorably discharged ex marine with a surplus mail order fascist rifle and, search as i might ( admittedly not in the lunatic fringe of the interweb...although it so permeates the damned thing it is hard to tell where the fucking fringe is...possibly somewhere between trump's twitter account and blake's "proverbs from hell" ) through a mix of media ( the closest i got to the true fringe was a harrowing trip to yahoo,,i am still shaken...and did whomever named it read swift? ) i couldn't find any reference to the historical event...from the staid ( and elitist ) new york times to the aforementioned yahoo...nada...zilch...zip...nil...could it be that an entire generation of conspiracy theorists have passed away in a single year? or is it that the youth most media is aimed at don;t give a rat's ass about some ancient history that hasn't touched them directly..or have the events of the moment pushed the jabbering freaks to the margins where they belong while the rest of us try to come to terms with current events ( including the circus that is the 2016 presidential race...i have purchased a newly minted history of rome and its eventual collapse to serve as a primer )...i can't say i will miss the lame and self-promoting band of geeks and the fucking "open mike theory"...useless waste of time...he's dead...let it go...there are more immediate things to concern us.

the unwary and uniterested

"the convention...have directed the president to be chosen by select bodies of electors to be deputed by the people for that express purpose; and they have committed the appointment of senators to the state legislatures. this mode has, in such cases, vastly the advantage of elections by the people in their collective capacity where the activity of party zeal, taking advantage of the supineness, the ignorance, and the hopes and fears of the unwary and uninterested, often places men in office by the votes of a small proportion of the electors." the federalist LXVI ( john jay )____________________pardon me, but if i read jay's ravings correctly he has laid out the exact blueprint for every election this country has seen in the last 226 years...he joins in propagating a disdainfully low opinion of the capacities of the "electors" ( you and me folks ) and their herd-like mentality which allows them to be led by the nose with demagoguery...something of a vanguardist approach whereby the wiser heads of the elite keep things running in a manner that equates their interests with the interests of the nation and behooves the rabble to do its bit to protect those prerogatives without foolish populist disruptions...one wonders how they might react to an alleged member of that elite relying on demagoguery and populist resentment to run a campaign for high office..not that the rest of these "candidates" are any less members of that elite...could you have stopped river traffic on the hudson for two hours for your daughter's wedding reception? hillary did...a direct interference with interstate commerce...the holy of constitutional holies...she is no more representative of my interests than than fucking reagan was...none of them are...and that is the point of the whole system...to insure the elite is the only class represented in politics and that their interests continued to be pursued at any and every level...it's just that this round's crop of whores is so blatantly dead set against the interests of the majority that even the unwary and uninterested are beginning to take notice...could go one of two ways...an influx of newly energized voters...or a resounding apathy...either way the elite wins...the system is rigged...it was rigged in 1789...hamilton beams down from whore heaven.

decomposability

"a true system is 'decomposable' into subsystems...that interact with one another. individuals in one subsystem do not have to interact with individuals in another subsystem on the same level." e. o wilson_____________this fits in pretty well with joseph tainter's view that collapse is not a descent into chaos ( although increased violence is probable ) but rather a simplification of complex systems as a reaction to the diminishing returns of increased complexity...subsystems that can operate independently could cushion the event depending on how much direction actually came from the center and how well the subsystem could re-adapt itself to local conditions and limits in terms of self-support rather than those of meeting the center's needs._______________"in their dynamics, hierarchies have a property, near-decomposability, that greatly simplifies their behavior. near-decomposability also simplifies the description of a complex system and makes it easier to understand..." robet a. simon___________how interconnected are the subsystems? even if individuals in subsystems need not interact the subsystems in a complex organization do...and how many of these interactions are controlled ( or even monitored ) by the center? does the center's use of "near-decomposability" simplify the system or just simplify the center's understanding of the system? do some of the subsystems' interconnections subvert the center's control? probably...people are always looking for a better deal...cooperating subsystems could fission off and become competitors of the center...human cognition has its limits and causality in non-linear...made up of literally billions of decisions and actions undertaken by individuals on a daily basis...even the best informed among us can have only the most general idea of what's actually going on...i can't help but think that simon's "near-decomposability" only simplifies the center's understanding of the system..the system remains interconnected, complex, and non-linear...that simplification of understanding is only an invitation to hubris

welcome to oligarchy

it's been a while since anything has prompted me into a caustic response...the presidential race is such an obvious joke that it is, for the most part, beneath comment...it does, however, represent the final death of what small piece of representative democracy the framers of the constitution were forced to throw in to make the whole deal go over and assure the continued existence of a government safe for the elite ...that death will be the fulfillment of the vision of hamilton and company...and so..in a small way this screed does tie into that...today.s n y times "t" style magazine is all about what the the issue title names "the greats"...that clown in the photo is karl lagerfeld...a fashion designer and a great either because he has a fashion sense that draws the elite like moths to a flame...or because he's worth $125 million...along with old karl ( who is on only some of the magazine covers...i got lucky...the rest of the "greats" grace the others )there's rihanna...songstress extraordinaire and culture baron worth $140 million...then there's quentitn tarantino who's some sort of film maker and who holds $90 million in assets...we have the artist ( not the actor ) steve mcqueen who is worth $30 million ( who says you have to starve for art ? )...then there's the writer johnathan frazen worth a paltry $10 million...carmen almon is an artist whose net worth i cannot find but given mcqueen's i bet it''s comparable...and then there's the chef jeong kwan...who is also a buddhist nun and so probably not nearly as wealthy as the others...at least presumably...so what do the "greats" have in common beyond the obvious wealth held by some? they all do things that pander to the pretensions of the elite eager to enhance their wealth with some sort of cultural status..it certainly explains the wealth held by these people...anything to help the appearance of the nouveau riche wall street extortionists polish the tarnish...that the n y times is an elitist newspaper is beyond question despite their denials...that wealth rules and that most wealth defends itself against the mob is equally true...it has been so since beyond 1789...that's only when it became official policy in this nation...let the slime ball whore politicians deny it...even bernie sanders is of the system...it's just his rhetoric that makes him unelectable...fuck these people.

international luxury conference

"Hosted and moderated by New York Times fashion director, Vanessa Friedman, and award-winning New York Times journalists, the International Luxury Conference addresses the most critical challenges — and unexpected opportunities — in today’s luxury battlefield. Rigorous analysis and lively cross-border debate among top C.E.O.s, prestigious economists, technology mavericks, entertainment and sports icons, and artists will provide crucial insights, fresh ideas and new strategies for winning the hearts and minds of luxury consumers. ​To participate in this unprecedented event — where you will join interactive sessions led by global experts, dine in the spectacular Chateau de Versailles and connect with luxury influencers from around the world — please request an invitation today."____ http://www.luxurybeyondproduct.com/ _______ i have been perusing the four pound behemoth sunday new york times at a leisurely pace...and a good thing too or i might have missed this howler...they are hosting the "international luxury conference" in france ( where the fuck else? ) at some pile called the"chateau de versailles" to discuss the" luxury battlefield"...sponsoring a conference aimed at strategizing ways to relieve the wealthy elite of as much lucre as possible is just another nail in the coffin of their non-elitist stance...and who is this group of "jet set" grifters? ceos from gucci, addidas, chanel..an"artist" a "film maker" a "professional polo player"(!) and style predator victoria beckham...and i had to laugh like hell at "prestigious economists"...still chuckling over that one...this is a long haul from peoria...in reality it is a lang haul form most of new york beyond that rarefied atmosphere in parts of manhattan where wealth scoffs at the rest of us and the kids call the nanny "mom"...the "winning [ of the ] hearts and minds of luxury consumers" is tops on the agenda and one wonders what "luxury beyond product" actually means...my best bet it that is a groveling sycophantic approach that repels the elite but drags them back with status goods with a hefty price tag to insure everyone knows how much luxury it really represents...shrewd as wealth may be in the game of speculation ( with other people's money whenever possible...QEII? ) they are suckers for ostentation..( just have a hard look at the whore moron trump as he makes an ass of himself all the way to trump dc ) and nothing says ostentation like price...so there is a grifters' conference in france in november ( 17-18 )and my firm contention is it isn't going to be cheap to attend either...you can go to the url above and "request an invitation" but you'd better be prepared to present your bona fides and fork over some filthy lucre...you have to spend money to make money...rip n y times credibility...this ices you as being whores in waiting.

elitism is a subjectivist position

a ways back the new york times ran an editorial titled "priced out readers" in which it denounced its reputation as an elitist newspaper...it was a fair shot at propagandizing the paper's alleged populist stance but their actions continue to belie their position...today's paper is over four pounds of elitist pretension including ( but not limited to ) a t magazine "men's style" issue that weighs in at over a pound...aside from the obscene amount of money this behemoth generated for the times through advertising the aim is in some doubt as far as the ass of citizens is concerned...most "men: in their right minds wouldn't wear ( or could afford to wear ) most of this stuff and besides...every feminist i knows insists men have no style...so why bother...for me though, the center piece of this utterly disconnected issue is the gigantic fold out of headshots of the main cast members of yet another film about fucking steve jobs and his apple swindle...a goad towards a "must see" film about the rightness and wholesome goodness of venture capitalism, technology, and the human need to further splinter its already shattered attention span with more novel gizmos that make other people wealthy...yep...the nyt is a "paper for the people"...as long as your people are those of wealth