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today, apologists for the rich are also trying to use philosophy and psychology to justify their holding power in America by attacking “socialism” and the human emotion of empathy that powers it. Billionaire Elon Musk has pinned to the top of his social media account:

“Either the suicidal empathy of Western civilization ends or Western civilization will end.”

The “Dark Enlightenment” that’s the current fad among tech billionaires and the GOP (particularly JD Vance) rebrands hierarchy as inevitability, inequality as virtue, and authoritarianism as efficiency, with their writings wrapped in tech-bro futurism and pseudo-scientific gibberish. Its leading philosophers are explicit:

“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.” “Democracy is mob rule. It is the idea that legitimacy comes from numbers rather than competence.” “The best form of government is a monarchy run like a joint-stock corporation, where the ruler owns the state.” “A stable society requires a clear distinction between those who rule and those who are ruled.” — Curtis Yarvin

“Democracy is the political expression of herd morality.” “Selection pressures do not care about fairness.” “The history of life is not the triumph of the weak, but the relentless victory of the strong.” “Compassion is a luxury belief that only stable systems can afford.” — Nick Land

Morbidly rich people aspiring to power have always, throughout history, rationalized their ownership of politics and even other human beings by arguing that their riches prove their “fitness” to rule. It’s why the DuPont brothers and other industrialists tried to kidnap and overthrow FDR back in the 1930s, is the rationalization of every dictator in today’s world, and why so many American billionaires agree with tech billionaire Peter Theil’s assertion:

“I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”

They argue, as Yarvin said, that democracy is just another word for “mob rule,” that a nation needs a “strong leader” to overcome the impulses of the mob, and that the more democratic a nation becomes the more likely the mob is to vote themselves the wealth of the rich and use the power of the state to appropriate it through taxation.

Caribbean Hen wrote:Go south young man … blue schools students continue to suffer under idiotic liberal policies

Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024.

Its low-income children are ranked first in the nation. Its black kids are No. 3 in the nation, and its Hispanic kids No. 1.
The derisive cliché was always, “Thank God for Mississippi,” since it could be trusted to save other states from coming in 50th in various metrics.

Now, the phrase can be used with sincerity and admiration, since the state recognized and did something about its literacy crisis.

https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/opinion/m ... education/

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:27 am https://nypost.com/2025/12/26/opinion/s ... t-schools/

The education story of the year has been the “Southern Surge.” An intrepid group of southern states have led the nation in post-pandemic recovery.

In a decade, Mississippi moved from 49th to seventh in the nation on fourth-grade reading scores, despite remaining the poorest state

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:15 am

Caribbean Hen wrote:Go south young man … blue schools students continue to suffer under idiotic liberal policies

Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024.

Its low-income children are ranked first in the nation. Its black kids are No. 3 in the nation, and its Hispanic kids No. 1.
The derisive cliché was always, “Thank God for Mississippi,” since it could be trusted to save other states from coming in 50th in various metrics.

Now, the phrase can be used with sincerity and admiration, since the state recognized and did something about its literacy crisis.

https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/opinion/m ... education/

How do blue states like Massachusetts compare to red states like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia?

Anyone can cherry pick.

Nice work by Mississippi but not all red states are surging and not all blue states are dropping. There is more nuance to this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 10:24 am

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:15 am

How do blue states like Massachusetts compare to red states like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia?

Anyone can cherry pick.

Nice work by Mississippi but not all red states are surging and not all blue states are dropping. There is more nuance to this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024.

Why? By properly recognizing orderly students have rights over troublemakers as the spoiled brats are punished

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 10:33 am

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 10:24 am

Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024.

Why? By properly recognizing orderly students have rights over troublemakers as the spoiled brats are punished

You are demonstrating you know absolutely nothing about public education here. Take a break, then gracefully back out of the discussion or go start reading from reliable sources.

kalm wrote: ↑Mon Dec 15, 2025 8:11 am The predominant philosophy of our wealth elites. The antidote is of course democracy. Messy, clumsy, turbulent, democracy. It’s why the billionaire overlords have been attempting to crush it at every turn.

today, apologists for the rich are also trying to use philosophy and psychology to justify their holding power in America by attacking “socialism” and the human emotion of empathy that powers it. Billionaire Elon Musk has pinned to the top of his social media account:

“Either the suicidal empathy of Western civilization ends or Western civilization will end.”

The “Dark Enlightenment” that’s the current fad among tech billionaires and the GOP (particularly JD Vance) rebrands hierarchy as inevitability, inequality as virtue, and authoritarianism as efficiency, with their writings wrapped in tech-bro futurism and pseudo-scientific gibberish. Its leading philosophers are explicit:

“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.” “Democracy is mob rule. It is the idea that legitimacy comes from numbers rather than competence.” “The best form of government is a monarchy run like a joint-stock corporation, where the ruler owns the state.” “A stable society requires a clear distinction between those who rule and those who are ruled.” — Curtis Yarvin

“Democracy is the political expression of herd morality.” “Selection pressures do not care about fairness.” “The history of life is not the triumph of the weak, but the relentless victory of the strong.” “Compassion is a luxury belief that only stable systems can afford.” — Nick Land

Morbidly rich people aspiring to power have always, throughout history, rationalized their ownership of politics and even other human beings by arguing that their riches prove their “fitness” to rule. It’s why the DuPont brothers and other industrialists tried to kidnap and overthrow FDR back in the 1930s, is the rationalization of every dictator in today’s world, and why so many American billionaires agree with tech billionaire Peter Theil’s assertion:

“I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”

They argue, as Yarvin said, that democracy is just another word for “mob rule,” that a nation needs a “strong leader” to overcome the impulses of the mob, and that the more democratic a nation becomes the more likely the mob is to vote themselves the wealth of the rich and use the power of the state to appropriate it through taxation.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartm ... medium=ios

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:28 am

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 3:27 am https://nypost.com/2025/12/26/opinion/s ... t-schools/

The education story of the year has been the “Southern Surge.” An intrepid group of southern states have led the nation in post-pandemic recovery.

In a decade, Mississippi moved from 49th to seventh in the nation on fourth-grade reading scores, despite remaining the poorest state

It might be interpretive. Here are 2025 rankings using the the same source plus several others. Regardless, if Miss is doing better, that’s a great thing.

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:22 am

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:28 am

It might be interpretive. Here are 2025 rankings using the the same source plus several others. Regardless, if Miss is doing better, that’s a great thing.

My kids went to what I felt were awesome schools because of our tax base, due to Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing being in the area.

Then, when attending my oldest son's graduation and being proud he maintained a 3.0 through high school, I found out the average GPA was a 3.3 (WTF?).

I was happy because I had to ride his ass just to get him to turn in assignments and now looking back, he underperformed. If he didn't turn in an assignment, he still got a 40%, not a 0.

I'm not sure what to make of the academic rigor of our schools today.

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:16 am

kalm wrote: ↑Mon Dec 15, 2025 8:11 am The predominant philosophy of our wealth elites. The antidote is of course democracy. Messy, clumsy, turbulent, democracy. It’s why the billionaire overlords have been attempting to crush it at every turn.




https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartm ... medium=ios

What does suicidal empathy mean to you?

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:33 am

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:22 am

My kids went to what I felt were awesome schools because of our tax base, due to Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing being in the area.

Then, when attending my oldest son's graduation and being proud he maintained a 3.0 through high school, I found out the average GPA was a 3.3 (WTF?).

I was happy because I had to ride his ass just to get him to turn in assignments and now looking back, he underperformed. If he didn't turn in an assignment, he still got a 40%, not a 0.

I'm not sure what to make of the academic rigor of our schools today.

You can’t hurt anyone’s feelings

You can’t punish troublemakers

We’re not gonna test anyone because that’s not fair, somebody will get a higher score, and that would embarrass the student with the lower score and hurt his little precious feelings….

Big fail!

When I first started my career in the DOT, I was very impressed with the college boys, but that was 45 years ago. They were actually smart and you could learn from them.

And by the time I retired everything had changed. It seemed like the younger “educated” ones were as dumb as rocks, I started using the term “blank stares from college boys”

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:55 am

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:16 am

What does suicidal empathy mean to you?

Never heard of it. Sounds like faux philosophy.

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:33 am

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:22 am

My kids went to what I felt were awesome schools because of our tax base, due to Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing being in the area.

Then, when attending my oldest son's graduation and being proud he maintained a 3.0 through high school, I found out the average GPA was a 3.3 (WTF?).

I was happy because I had to ride his ass just to get him to turn in assignments and now looking back, he underperformed. If he didn't turn in an assignment, he still got a 40%, not a 0.

I'm not sure what to make of the academic rigor of our schools today.

You can’t hurt anyone’s feelings

You can’t punish troublemakers

We’re not gonna test anyone because that’s not fair, somebody will get a higher score, and that would embarrass the student with the lower score and hurt his little precious feelings….

Big fail!

When I first started my career in the DOT, I was very impressed with the college boys, but that was 45 years ago. They were actually smart and you could learn from them.

And by the time I retired everything had changed. It seemed like the younger “educated” ones were as dumb as rocks, I started using the term “blank stares from college boys”

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 12:49 pm

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:55 am

Never heard of it. Sounds like faux philosophy.

It was in your quote (Elon Musk). I believe it comes from Gad Saad. Anyway, if correct, I believe he coined the term suicidal empathy to define how western culture is always trying to "save" other cultures to the detriment of our own.

In that vein, I read an X post this morning that I hadn't realized. In regards to all the Somali fraud, the guy pointed out that in many other cultures, fraud isn't known to them. Getting ahead and protecting your tribe is most important.

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 12:49 pm

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:55 am

Never heard of it. Sounds like faux philosophy.

It was in your quote (Elon Musk). I believe it comes from Gad Saad. Anyway, if correct, I believe he coined the term suicidal empathy to define how western culture is always trying to "save" other cultures to the detriment of our own.

In that vein, I read an X post this morning that I hadn't realized. In regards to all the Somali fraud, the guy pointed out that in many other cultures, fraud isn't known to them. Getting ahead and protecting your tribe is most important.

The Parasitic Mind addressed what happens to our cognitive system when it is hijacked by ideological rapture. My forthcoming book, Suicidal Empathy, further examines the descent to madness by highlighting the inability to implement optimal decisions when our emotional system is tricked into an orgiastic, hyperactive form of empathy, deployed on the wrong targets.

This is how the rights of a minuscule minority of trans women (i.e., biological males) trample the rights of actual women in athletic competitions. It is how illegal migrants end up receiving greater U.S. aid than American veterans or American victims of natural disasters.

Evolution has endowed our emotional and cognitive systems with the capacity to deploy our resources strategically. This is why parents are willing to jump in front of a bus to save their biological children but are less likely to sacrifice their lives to save a random child across the globe. It does not make them callous but Darwinian beings capable of cost-benefit tradeoffs rooted in universal features of our human nature.

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:18 pm

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 12:49 pm

It was in your quote (Elon Musk). I believe it comes from Gad Saad. Anyway, if correct, I believe he coined the term suicidal empathy to define how western culture is always trying to "save" other cultures to the detriment of our own.

In that vein, I read an X post this morning that I hadn't realized. In regards to all the Somali fraud, the guy pointed out that in many other cultures, fraud isn't known to them. Getting ahead and protecting your tribe is most important.

It's the title of a forthcoming book by Gad Saad.

The Parasitic Mind addressed what happens to our cognitive system when it is hijacked by ideological rapture. My forthcoming book, Suicidal Empathy, further examines the descent to madness by highlighting the inability to implement optimal decisions when our emotional system is tricked into an orgiastic, hyperactive form of empathy, deployed on the wrong targets.

This is how the rights of a minuscule minority of trans women (i.e., biological males) trample the rights of actual women in athletic competitions. It is how illegal migrants end up receiving greater U.S. aid than American veterans or American victims of natural disasters.

Evolution has endowed our emotional and cognitive systems with the capacity to deploy our resources strategically. This is why parents are willing to jump in front of a bus to save their biological children but are less likely to sacrifice their lives to save a random child across the globe. It does not make them callous but Darwinian beings capable of cost-benefit tradeoffs rooted in universal features of our human nature.

The Threat of Idea Pathogens in Academia

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:22 pm

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:18 pm
It's the title of a forthcoming book by Gad Saad.

The Threat of Idea Pathogens in Academia

Thank you. Same concept. Due to empathy, we allow the minority to subvert the majority.

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:13 am

kalm wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 10:33 am

You are demonstrating you know absolutely nothing about public education here. Take a break, then gracefully back out of the discussion or go start reading from reliable sources.

The NY Post is the most reliable newspaper in the big apple. What the heck are you talking about?

Klamdami doesn’t like anyone exposing the fraudulent New York city education system

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:26 pm

Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 11:13 am

The NY Post is the most reliable newspaper in the big apple. What the heck are you talking about?

Klamdami doesn’t like anyone exposing the fraudulent New York city education system

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:25 pm

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:22 pm

Thank you. Same concept. Due to empathy, we allow the minority to subvert the majority.

I agree. It applies to the MAQA right just as much as it does to the progressive left.

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:22 pm

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:18 pm

It's the title of a forthcoming book by Gad Saad.



The Threat of Idea Pathogens in Academia

Thank you. Same concept. Due to empathy, we allow the minority to subvert the majority.

SeattleGriz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 5:31 pm

UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 28, 2025 2:25 pm
I agree. It applies to the MAQA right just as much as it does to the progressive left.

What minority conservative policies are subverting the American majority?