E-925
Unus Prevalet
Simply put, a country is a territory exclusively claimed by a given people. There are lands belonging to the people of the American states; those of the folks by the Niger, and the lands of the Koreans and so forth.
Modern societies can only function if the people within countries believe themselves in concert. A vast propaganda apparatus and coercive institutions exist precisely to sustain that delusion. The best modern societies are the most cohesive, and thus those most firmly enthralled.
Yet, how many people can anybody know intimately in their country? How many are they entirely certain they could trust with their lives? Some are more fortunate in that regard than others. But not even with the most charismatic people can such amici number in the thousands. Even Jesus Christ only had eleven! Thus, for all that we would have it otherwise, the fact remains that all major human activities revolve around groups of intimates. A small cohesive group remains the most powerful human collective. They push the wheel.
For most of human history, something so obvious won’t have needed detailing. Our ancestors foraged in small bands of relatives. Those who settled as farmers or roamed as nomads were all related. Whether they were lords, peasants, slaves or raiders, strangers were rare! But mankind encountered the divine and birthed religion. Bureaucrats came into being to administer sacrifices to deities. Next came standing armies to defend them. It took some time, but then we invented corporations and endowed them with certain human rights. Then instant communication linked those above and those below by bypassing the middle.
The aggregate effect of all those eldritch creatures we term institutions is that modern man has to function in a world surrounded by strangers. And that works fine. Modernity has many fine substitutes for tangible reality. I’m not whispering in your ear right now. And yet, modernity cannot save us from the threat of an organised cabal. Its illusions crumble if they mount a concerted assault on our institutions. All that’s left are individuals who get swept aside and other groups who must decide whether to submit or fight. In the scrum where band meets band, only the most trusting and the best organised — the one that doesn’t wilt underneath the harsh rays of a zero-sum contest ( to the death!) will prevail. Those who seize the day become rulers.
12.12: The Day is a Korean masterpiece that more eloquently grapples with the above sentiments. It explores the events of the coup d’etat mounted by General Chun Doo-Hwan and his Hanahoe clique against their military colleagues and the Korean State within the medium of a thrilling two-hour drama. Spoilers — Chun Imperator, Ave!
It is obvious that the drama’s creators do not support the actions of the Hanahoe. I admire their creation because they avoided the temptations of lesser artists. There was no revisionism here. At least, so far as I can tell. They trusted in an intelligent audience to make their decisions about what was right or wrong. The viewer can see why those who followed Generals Chun or Lee would have made their choices and lived with the consequences. Although the creators place their thumb on the scales at certain moments in General Lee’s favour, it isn’t so blatant as to be preachy. This tale aims for mastery and artistic integrity over cheap partisan fervour.
It was also great watching a story that was 99% blokes where their motivations were straightforward. Most were following orders, and some just went with the flow. A minority knew the stakes all along, and the rest chose to stick with their guys because the alternative was either getting beat up by your boys for being a wet cat or getting trussed up as a scapegoat. Well, I suppose there was always snitching or cowardice — but, heaven forfend, right?! Every boarder who ever snuck out past lights out or who had to stash contraband during inspections knows the drill. I bet we’ll find this refreshing without the sugar and spice some lesser creators sneak in to titillate the screamy, fainty set.
All in all, this is a cinematic and literary masterpiece!
I bet Prez Yoon is watching this on repeat o:
Like the Josh Groban song . . . Don't Give Up!
Modern societies can only function if the people within countries believe themselves in concert. A vast propaganda apparatus and coercive institutions exist precisely to sustain that delusion. The best modern societies are the most cohesive, and thus those most firmly enthralled.
Yet, how many people can anybody know intimately in their country? How many are they entirely certain they could trust with their lives? Some are more fortunate in that regard than others. But not even with the most charismatic people can such amici number in the thousands. Even Jesus Christ only had eleven! Thus, for all that we would have it otherwise, the fact remains that all major human activities revolve around groups of intimates. A small cohesive group remains the most powerful human collective. They push the wheel.
For most of human history, something so obvious won’t have needed detailing. Our ancestors foraged in small bands of relatives. Those who settled as farmers or roamed as nomads were all related. Whether they were lords, peasants, slaves or raiders, strangers were rare! But mankind encountered the divine and birthed religion. Bureaucrats came into being to administer sacrifices to deities. Next came standing armies to defend them. It took some time, but then we invented corporations and endowed them with certain human rights. Then instant communication linked those above and those below by bypassing the middle.
The aggregate effect of all those eldritch creatures we term institutions is that modern man has to function in a world surrounded by strangers. And that works fine. Modernity has many fine substitutes for tangible reality. I’m not whispering in your ear right now. And yet, modernity cannot save us from the threat of an organised cabal. Its illusions crumble if they mount a concerted assault on our institutions. All that’s left are individuals who get swept aside and other groups who must decide whether to submit or fight. In the scrum where band meets band, only the most trusting and the best organised — the one that doesn’t wilt underneath the harsh rays of a zero-sum contest ( to the death!) will prevail. Those who seize the day become rulers.
12.12: The Day is a Korean masterpiece that more eloquently grapples with the above sentiments. It explores the events of the coup d’etat mounted by General Chun Doo-Hwan and his Hanahoe clique against their military colleagues and the Korean State within the medium of a thrilling two-hour drama. Spoilers — Chun Imperator, Ave!
It is obvious that the drama’s creators do not support the actions of the Hanahoe. I admire their creation because they avoided the temptations of lesser artists. There was no revisionism here. At least, so far as I can tell. They trusted in an intelligent audience to make their decisions about what was right or wrong. The viewer can see why those who followed Generals Chun or Lee would have made their choices and lived with the consequences. Although the creators place their thumb on the scales at certain moments in General Lee’s favour, it isn’t so blatant as to be preachy. This tale aims for mastery and artistic integrity over cheap partisan fervour.
It was also great watching a story that was 99% blokes where their motivations were straightforward. Most were following orders, and some just went with the flow. A minority knew the stakes all along, and the rest chose to stick with their guys because the alternative was either getting beat up by your boys for being a wet cat or getting trussed up as a scapegoat. Well, I suppose there was always snitching or cowardice — but, heaven forfend, right?! Every boarder who ever snuck out past lights out or who had to stash contraband during inspections knows the drill. I bet we’ll find this refreshing without the sugar and spice some lesser creators sneak in to titillate the screamy, fainty set.
All in all, this is a cinematic and literary masterpiece!
I bet Prez Yoon is watching this on repeat o:
Like the Josh Groban song . . . Don't Give Up!
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