[MD] Neoconservatism

[Heather Perella]

Hello Steve, Craig, Platt, Khaled, and others,

     I have comments to each of your involved posts as
follows:


     Craig said:  "The obvious problems are who's
going to decide what each person needs & who will be
enslaved to ensure they get it.  But another hidden
problem is that of over-population.  That seems more
of a problem than creating incentives "so that the
Society can continue to propagate itself."  Making
each person responsible for the upbringing of his/her
own offspring is a good way to keep the population at
a reasonable size."

     Yes, Craig, behind all of this is
over-population.  When it comes to many of the
problems we have right now, over-population props
itself up as being with many of those problems. 
Social behavior being political in nature, since any
organization of a society is what politics are,
increases as larger and larger societies, and even the
United Nations comes into play here, emerge as more
and more political or in other words a copying of
social behaviors is deemed necessary by some or many
so the day's actions can occur.  This goes right along
with propagating standards of social patterns so
society gets along well with each other.  
     I believe a good case in point is China, early
China specifically.  China early on was a bunch of
warring states until ca. 300-200 B.C., I believe, when
the first emperor, not the earlier Yellow Emperor, but
the one that has all the terracotta warriors and began
construction of the Great Wall.  He unified much of
what is present day China.  For this to happen, his
words and sentences, line by line, had to have been
followed.  He was a ruthless dictator, that at all
costs conquered many for a unified China.
     China was very, very ritualistic, and under his
will the more people encountered, the more people had
to follow expectations - government institutions under
his authority had to be established.  Much in their
behavior, nonverbal and verbal, was codified and
ritual, especially as one neared governmental roles. 
Yet, even the peasants would have to follow certain
conducts of behavior and certain kinds of work (the
Great Wall) increased not only security but social,
coherent performance.  Peasants without following
these conducts of behavior, rules that now this larger
society of China, would be killed, probably.  People
would be expected to show respect and honor that in
time after unification books would be burned to usurp
any ideas that could undermine the expectations of
this nation.
     Everything was a becoming of this one emperor. 
Performance and talk was subjugated to ritualistic
forms or formal behavior so everything could run as
smoothly and expectantly as possible.  The key word
here is - expectantly.  Culture is the shared values
and beliefs of any society.  Culture arises into a
more coherent structure with more and more
organization of expected roles so people feel more and
more secure and comfortable in knowing how other
people will behave.  As these roles of behavior become
more unconscious so to speak, or in other words more
formal, habits increase and the informal ways of being
decrease and soon many people interact with each other
in a manner that is expected of them - no surprises!
     This formal versus informal social structure is a
balance between order and freedom.  Too much informal
behavior and people are doing whatever they want to do
without expectations and surprises/spontaneity occurs
more often.  Without expectations though, especially
in a society that is seeking more orderly affairs,
even from its' neighbors, war and conflict are
increasingly possibilities.  Imagine nobody being on
'the same page' wandering around aimlessly without any
expected norms.
     Notice today how people upon seeing each other
either say Hello/Hi, or How are you?.  Do they really
want to know how you are doing?  What if you said
terrible, and you were just passing this person in the
streets?  Would they stop and try to help you?  Or
even if things are not going well, will you say things
are terrible or will you give a usual response to this
stranger, a response we all expect from each other
which is 'good'.  What if I said to this stranger
everything is terrible, and tried to discuss my whole
story to him?  Is he/she really expecting this from
me?  I doubt it.
      This all fits into an increasing population.  As
more and more people are here on this earth, we as a
society or population find the need to increase our
expected behaviors so people don't surprise us, make
us feel uncomfortable, so we may pass each other
without conflict, and provide secure and safe
behaviors so we can move on to what our goals of the
day are.  Here's where the United Nations also fits
into the picture.  I'm not saying this is correct or
not, but once people become more socially orientated,
rather than intellectually orientated and quality time
for informality diminishes.  If one gets orientated
into habits and just doing without any questioning,
understanding, or conscious scope of what they are
doing, then the practice of informal behavior is lost
more and more.  Yes, the practice of any behavior must
happen for any behavior to perform better and better. 
Whether the time for such practice is spent on formal
or informal behaviors.  How many people are so rule or
formally oriented, that any changes are uncomfortable?
     Imagine if I woke up one day and the clouds were
green.  I wouldn't expect that to happen, but if it
did what would we do?  Run and declare the end of the
world, a?  What if everybody really began to discuss
their whole life of problems or non-problems when
somebody asked them how they are doing?  Would we get
any where or would we be stopping all the time to
discuss with everybody?  Sure we would be stopping to
chat and all that informality would slow the society
down to a halt, but we are expected to move on, work,
and consume products to keep the economy going.  There
are many formalities in this culture.  So much so I
venture to say the informal is too much gone, and this
fits right into the quality time I talk about so
often.  On the other hand, are we to stop and bring
this culture to a halt?  No, we are to work and get
things done, but how much is so formalized now that in
getting things done, we do without thinking and
knowing the larger picture and consequences of what we
are doing?  How much do expectations increase for
those formality lovers as the world population grows? 



     Platt said:  "Neither the "economic crunch" or
the "progressive mobilization" has come to pass. From
Wikipedia comes the latest economic news about Mexico:

"According to the World Bank, Mexico ranks 12th in the
world in regard 
to GDP and has the fourth per capita income in Latin
America; and it is 
firmly established as an upper middle-income country.
Since the 
economic crisis of 1994–1995 the country has made an
impressive 
economic recovery. According to the director for
Colombia and Mexico of the World Bank, the population
below the poverty level has decreased from 24.2% to
17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9%
in rural areas from 2000-2004."

     I wonder how much effect those illegal immigrants
have on the Mexican economy.  I wonder if any studies
have been done on this.  Many have left Mexico,
seemingly because the U.S. economy is better and
easier for those that left Mexico to find a job. 
Also, these Mexicans send $ back to Mexico.  So how
much do these two events impact the Mexican numbers
you quoted above?


     Platt commented on Steve's stating:  "Government
is a social level value. Where is the unconscious
copying of behavior in that?"

     This is where unconscious needs more clarity. 
When I think of unconsciousness, I think about not
being aware of ones' actions.  How far can this
unawareness go?  When I walk, sometimes I just walk
and I'm not conscious of my walking, I'm in a zone,
and I notice the trees more than myself.  At other
times, I recognize myself, my walk, and I am very
conscious of what I'm doing.  Is this unconsciousness
a matter of being aware versus not being aware, in
order for somebody to be experiencing an intellectual
level or a social level?
     In dance, I mentioned, the forms are taught step
by step.  You must be very aware of what you are
doing.  This is not a matter of just following
somebody unconsciously, you must be conscious of every
action if the dance is to  be repeated correctly. 
This kind of concept is Confucius in nature.  To be in
step with ritual, consciously, to follow the rituals
of government, knowingly.  To notice your role, your
duty in your actions in the betterment of society.  


SA

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