Crisis is a useful term for monolithic rulers because it offers them both a threat [dangerous for those they rule] and an opportunity [for those who are part of their monolith] see photo.
Thus the real crisis of our times is the fact/truth/reality that we are subjects of a new version of monolithic rule. And you/me/them are all an integral part of this expanding system especially if we are locked into one ideology [renewables, vaccine mandates, carbon taxes, etc] or another [free speech, religious freedom, biological definitions for gender, etc].
As a mind experiment... Let us now take a look at some examples of the "one think" that traps people inside this monolithic cult. New York Times workers are currently on strike for better remuneration [and employment conditions]. One of the organisers of the strike was commenting on their list of grievances [in an interview on the street outside her workplace] when she said "we create the news". She intimated that because she and her colleagues "create the news" they should be far better remunerated than is currently the practice. "What"? That is an amazing statement and yet her comment was not challenged by the interviewer. Of course the background here includes the fact that The New York Times is generally tagged as a "left leaning" publication. But.. If the workers at that place think "they create the news" then they are not leftist but more likely active supporters of the monolith.
The most disturbing element of the 2022 monolithic cult is that this machine [government, media, unions, corporations, social groups, etc] is squashing innovation. Indeed this social machine will no longer encourage the dissidents, disrupters, and discontents we will need if we are to retain some degree of open systems vitality. The new global monolith is based on mandated thinking, habits, and beliefs and this means it will eventually evolve into a closed system that is full of entropy. Entropy is combated by variety. Perhaps the good news here is that this variety will be generated by those people who live outside this monolith. These folks will help us to invent and innovate our way out too; perhaps, by the end of the C21st.
In the near term this monolithic cult will greatly benefit from the "overuse" of AI especially within our newly automated systems. Perhaps we should see the fact that we are heading towards using AI to automate the monolith as a good thing in the long-term. This trend might just save us from emerging technologies that threaten to take over our world [rogue AI is a pressing fear for Elon Musk and some other prominent software engineers].
This monolithic rule is a cultural fad. However... This particular fad could last for the remainder of this Century. Just saying....
Richard.
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