Western Individualism

version

Well-known member
Has it been taken too far? Has it not been taken far enough? Is the American resistance to masks individualism or herd mentality? Is individualism responsible for the chaos many liberal democracies currently find themselves in? Can a society based on individualism tackle issues like climate change?
 

luka

Well-known member
"when people are encouraged, as happens in a democratic society, to believe that they wish 'to express their personality,' the question at once arises as to what what their personality is. For the most part, if investigated, it would be rapidly found that they have none. So what would it be that they would eventually 'express'? And why have they been asked to express it? If they were subsequently watched in the act of 'expressing' their 'personality', it would be found that it was somebody else's personality they were expressing. If a hundred of them were observed 'expressing their personality', all together and at the same time, it would be found that they all 'expressed' this inalienable, mysterious 'personality' in the same way.... It would be a group personality that they were 'expressing' - a pattern imposed on them by means of education and the hypnotism cinema, wires and press."
 

luka

Well-known member
"the truth is that such an individual is induced to 'express his personality' because it is desired absolutely to standardise him and get him to rub off (in the process of the 'expression') any rough edges that might remain from his untaught, spontaneous days... he must in the contemporary world submit himself to one of several mechanical socially organised rhythms. There is really less choice every day: the number of group personalities available, of course, diminishes just as the number of newspapers decreases."
 

luka

Well-known member
"i feel like 90% of the work that is out there, let's just call it office work, doesn't require an education at all. so why go and spend money and time on getting a master's degree. i'm surrounded by genius talents here, all with good education and titles, and all we do is look at excel sheets all day long."
 

luka

Well-known member
Was he one of the ones who ended up a fascist?

sort of, at times. not like Pound though. i think he wrote a book in praise of Hitler early on but later regretted it. but even if he was i think it's a good point being made and worth considering.
 

catalog

Well-known member
Talented bloke tho, good paintings as well and he did a good zine as well, which still looks good today
 

version

Well-known member
I'm not familiar enough with him to stop myself confusing him with John Wyndham. I see "Wyndham" and think The Kraken Wakes.
 

luka

Well-known member
don't get distracted by scuttlebutt and gossip my boys. we are very serious intellectuals and we have a job to do
 
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