Bassoe
Well-known member
source
The collapse of trust in the elites means the collapse of trust in everything.
The elites, along with their miserable ideology, have failed.
That failure is expressed in numerous ways. It is expressed in rampant inequality and poverty in the face of economic abundance. It is expressed in the shameful racial and foreign-born apartheid systems that pervade wealthy countries. It is expressed in the ruins of regions decimated by imperialist powers, regions invaded and occupied on false pretenses and sheer bluff. It is expressed in the Kafkaesque bureaucracy, inefficiency, and wastefulness of our economic and political systems. It is expressed in the widespread corruption that pervades modern politics, which has lead to near-total corporate ownership of government. Finally, and most crucially, it is expressed in the collapse of our ecosystems, the rapidly rising temperatures on our planet, and the pollution and toxic chemicals that have poisoned our air, land and water.
And the masses know it, to one degree or another. They know the elites have broken their trust.
Having your trust broken is a traumatic and shocking experience. Whether you are cheated on by a spouse, or betrayed by a close friend - when someone you trust betrays you, it's tremendously painful.
We know that modern humans engage in what are called "para-social relationships". This term is typically applied to the one-sided relationships we engage in with media personalities, be they TV stars, YouTubers, or fictional characters. People often report feeling as attached to someone they watch on a screen as they are to their friends or family.
When a para-social bond is broken, it can feel just as painful as a real-life break up, or the death of a loved one.
Para-social relationships have, of course, existed long before the advent of television or YouTube. One need only look at the durability of the European monarchy, or at Jesus Christ himself for proof.
Many of us modern plebes have been, or are still engaged in, something like a para-social relationship with the elites.
As an American, you are taught very early on to worship and identify with the elites. Whether they be our founding fathers, our many presidents, or the billionaire CEO's who control our society.
When that deeply programmed para-social bond is finally broken, people respond in a myriad of ways.
They might become a cult follower. We see this expressed in an extreme way with the MAGA cult, though groups like the "KHive" are evidence enough that liberals can be just as sycophantic. Both the MAGA cult and the KHive cohort wrap their entire identity up around worship of a god-like figure that they feel they know personally. Both groups believe their heroes are fighting the "real" elites - and crucially, their leaders would never admit to being an elite themselves.
They might begin to distrust everyone around them, and everything they hear. As they begin to lose their grip on what is true, or what is real, they become paranoid, detached from reality and latch onto whatever narrative feels the most comfortable.
They might become depressed and resigned, losing any hope or faith in not only the world, but in life itself.
We've collectively had our trust broken, and now we've lost trust in everything. We've lost trust in those around us, we've even lost trust in ourselves.
When the people who were entrusted to protect everything we hold dear break our trust, what does trust even mean anymore?
We are now experiencing the shockwaves of the largest broken social contract in human history, and we will soon experience the ugly aftermath.
Edit: I'm sincerely happy for those that have never placed their trust in the people in charge of our society. You will never have to go through the tremendously destabilizing experience of having that trust broken. It is a serious mistake, however, to assume that everyone's experience is identical to your own.
To those here engaging in semantic policing, moral posturing, and outlandish accusations - your immediate assumption that I come here in bad faith or with malicious intent is a perfect encapsulation of the breakdown in trust I'm referring to.
The collapse of trust in the elites means the collapse of trust in everything.
The elites, along with their miserable ideology, have failed.
That failure is expressed in numerous ways. It is expressed in rampant inequality and poverty in the face of economic abundance. It is expressed in the shameful racial and foreign-born apartheid systems that pervade wealthy countries. It is expressed in the ruins of regions decimated by imperialist powers, regions invaded and occupied on false pretenses and sheer bluff. It is expressed in the Kafkaesque bureaucracy, inefficiency, and wastefulness of our economic and political systems. It is expressed in the widespread corruption that pervades modern politics, which has lead to near-total corporate ownership of government. Finally, and most crucially, it is expressed in the collapse of our ecosystems, the rapidly rising temperatures on our planet, and the pollution and toxic chemicals that have poisoned our air, land and water.
And the masses know it, to one degree or another. They know the elites have broken their trust.
Having your trust broken is a traumatic and shocking experience. Whether you are cheated on by a spouse, or betrayed by a close friend - when someone you trust betrays you, it's tremendously painful.
We know that modern humans engage in what are called "para-social relationships". This term is typically applied to the one-sided relationships we engage in with media personalities, be they TV stars, YouTubers, or fictional characters. People often report feeling as attached to someone they watch on a screen as they are to their friends or family.
When a para-social bond is broken, it can feel just as painful as a real-life break up, or the death of a loved one.
Para-social relationships have, of course, existed long before the advent of television or YouTube. One need only look at the durability of the European monarchy, or at Jesus Christ himself for proof.
Many of us modern plebes have been, or are still engaged in, something like a para-social relationship with the elites.
As an American, you are taught very early on to worship and identify with the elites. Whether they be our founding fathers, our many presidents, or the billionaire CEO's who control our society.
When that deeply programmed para-social bond is finally broken, people respond in a myriad of ways.
They might become a cult follower. We see this expressed in an extreme way with the MAGA cult, though groups like the "KHive" are evidence enough that liberals can be just as sycophantic. Both the MAGA cult and the KHive cohort wrap their entire identity up around worship of a god-like figure that they feel they know personally. Both groups believe their heroes are fighting the "real" elites - and crucially, their leaders would never admit to being an elite themselves.
They might begin to distrust everyone around them, and everything they hear. As they begin to lose their grip on what is true, or what is real, they become paranoid, detached from reality and latch onto whatever narrative feels the most comfortable.
They might become depressed and resigned, losing any hope or faith in not only the world, but in life itself.
We've collectively had our trust broken, and now we've lost trust in everything. We've lost trust in those around us, we've even lost trust in ourselves.
When the people who were entrusted to protect everything we hold dear break our trust, what does trust even mean anymore?
We are now experiencing the shockwaves of the largest broken social contract in human history, and we will soon experience the ugly aftermath.
Edit: I'm sincerely happy for those that have never placed their trust in the people in charge of our society. You will never have to go through the tremendously destabilizing experience of having that trust broken. It is a serious mistake, however, to assume that everyone's experience is identical to your own.
To those here engaging in semantic policing, moral posturing, and outlandish accusations - your immediate assumption that I come here in bad faith or with malicious intent is a perfect encapsulation of the breakdown in trust I'm referring to.
