You're Fired!

Remember how Donald Trump used to say his favorite line, "you're fired" in the shows "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice"? This reality TV program was not a good training ground for becoming president, but it was the perfect place to mix the real with the fake, the best preparation for spreading the "fake news" he's now infamous for...

In yesterday's post I wrote about the gradual loss of shared truths in our postmodern western democracies under world-capitalism; this should make us reflect on what "freedom" entails exactly. When our socioeconomic paradigm lends itself to wanton commodification, and when the "marketplace of ideas" becomes a battleground where opinions that generate more profits are ever victorious, we've created the perfect circumstance for "truth" to become a chronic loser. Factual information is simply too boring, too mundane and not profitable enough for cable-news or online news for that matter, which has made possible, no, necessary the rise of "infotainment". To further cement our collective departure from reality, the money-makers that control the flow of information have invented "reality TV", another enemy of common sense. Have you ever seen the film "Ready Player One", "The Matrix", "Tron", "The Lawnmower Man", "Existenz", or "Virtuosity"? These are but a few of the many films made about what's sure to be the next step in our marriage to fake worlds, and the next level of reality-amnesia.

To be trapped in ones own world, to be constantly confirmed in ones own opinions and convictions brings about a warm feeling of safety, of being understood; the price we pay for that virtual safety is severe however. We lose touch with the real world, and contact with real people is limited to written words or a far away voice that sounds like it's coming out of the box that surrounds the far away face on our computer screen. It's not real. And while we hop from bubble to bubble we notice that we're actually all alone; loneliness is a strong factor in depression and suicide numbers, and those numbers are rising, especially among young people... The Christmas season is approaching, and Christmas is traditionally the season in which suicide numbers rise as lonely people realize what they're missing when everyone celebrates the holidays with friends and family; I do not want to guess what Christmas will bring about now that we're more isolated than ever in this pandemic. Covid-19 will go away someday, but the isolation caused by advancing technologies and an economy that pits us against each other is here to stay.

Capitalism in its late stage has nothing to do with making better products or making lives better; the constant pressure for economic growth transforms into an economical ouroboros, a system of making money for the sake of making money that destroys the civilization that makes making money possible. Something similar can be said about fame. When asked 5 generations ago, kids would answer "policeman", "fire fighter", "doctor", "professional football player", "musician" or some other profession when asked what they want to become when grown up. And the understanding was that if they became exceptionally good at that profession, there's a chance to become successful, rich and maybe famous. Nowadays kids simply answer "rich" or "famous" when asked that same question. No specific ambition, but just fame for fame's sake and wealth for wealth's sake. With Facebook, Twitter and YouTube we've now created the ground on which anyone can become famous, an environment in which a nobody can become a somebody overnight, without having had to invest much time or effort into that success. I'm generalizing of course, but I think you know what I'm talking about here.

Trump is one such product of our time, an icon for all those who never became rich or famous themselves, but dwell in an information-bubble of their own creation, made possible by cable-TV and online platforms that cater exclusively to their misguided opinions about reality. It's no surprise that Trump's support-base houses some of the most extreme ideas and ideologies, ranging from QAnon believers to far-right neo-Nazis and white supremacists. And it's no wonder that many among them still are unable to cope with the truth of Trump's loss in the election; they lost touch with reality long before Trump entered the political arena. The man who routinely fired contestants in his own reality-TV show has just continued that show for his audience, but refuses to accept that he now is fired himself, fired by the American electorate. That's it for today, dear readers. I hope this made sense. If not, please watch the below linked video, as it elaborates on the divorce from reality.

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