Charmaine Weir-Smith stopped being my friend on Instagram. Goddammit! My life was perfect just a week ago and I had to involve Mia Khalifa! A woman who was disowned by her parents and her home country of Lebanon for her despicable acts in pornography. I should have never posted those videos, I think it’s the “XXX” video that did it, could have been the “Strap-on”, it’s far too explicit, but it’s just words and it’s meant to be humorous. Sigh. But I understand, I deserve the expulsion, it’s warranted, the shock value is too high and it’s far too dirty. It’s ironic how I elevated myself above the boy in her play who got expelled for simulating rape in a video that went viral. I sat in my seat while watching the stage and called him an idiot. I even celebrated while his life was crumbling as he lost his beautiful girlfriend. I didn’t empathize with him, I felt what was happening to him was justified. Funny how life works because now I am that idiot son on the stage. That’s how you know the story on the stage was a good one because it mirrors life. Social media is the Devils playground.
Goddammit Mia Khalifa! My life was perfect just a week ago, I had my favorite actress following me on Instagram and now I am expelled like the idiot son in her play! Oh well, life goes on for the “Consciousness of culture”. These are the stories I want to tell. “Expelled” was a classic. Charmaine could never totally expel me because we are forever linked but sure, I’ll give her her space. I still love her and her work. This is the sequel to “Expelled” and I play the idiot son!
The advent of social media has made life better in a lot of ways. We now have telepathic powers that stretch to different continents, we can share our lives with our loved ones via video and photos, we can connect and work remotely from anywhere in the world, we have powers our ancestors could only dream about, we have become God’s. But nothing exists without its negative, social media is also the reason depression in the west and everywhere else in the world is so rife. The incessant comparing of our lives has crippled our souls resulting in a lack of knowledge of ourselves. Social media has created a generation of simps, weak men whose purpose in the world is please women. To cater to their every whim and neglect themselves in the process. These men have no inner campus and get validation from the attention they receive from these women. Sites like OnlyFans perpetuate this simp culture as men are lured in with the promise of viewing explicit content for a premium. OnlyFans destroys men, it keeps them docile and primitive, leaving them with no ambition, strife and prospects. OnlyFans castrates men and turns them into shadows of themselves. We must be better brothers. We must strive to be men of high value. A man of high value chases his purpose and not women, instead women chase him. Understand: women always have more options in the dating market because generally they are the prey that’s pursued, social media has only amplified this fact as now a thousand brothers are chasing the same prey. Avoid sliding in the DM my brother. A man of high value flips the script and makes himself valuable so that women can flock to him. Never chase women, it’s a waste of your precious time – chase your purpose. In this post we will be discussing dirty tactics used by social media to keep men trapped.
Simping – social media has given men the illusion that women are more valuable because of the likes they receive. We have learned to equate likes to value and character of a person. This is so misleading and has led to a generation of emasculated weak young men who seek validation from women. They are women pleasers and do anything and everything to get their attention. They give their souls, they give their hard earned money, they give their self-respect, they are manipulated, they are laughed at, they are used like second hand vehicles. No one respects these men because they lack and inner campus, they have no center of gravity to keep them grounded. If a woman can’t respect you, she can’t love you. My brother, never seek validation from women. Keep your own frame, be your own man. Abandon the inbox and work on yourself. Understand: You are like Gold and you are in limited supply, know your worth and let them fight to caveat you. Don’t be a simp!
Glamorizes Drugs and Alcohol – social media makes anything cool, when we see that something is desired by the masses, it’s value goes up leading to a domino effect. The herd behavior of social media artificially inflates the perceived value of substances leading to overconsumption and abuse. Drugs and alcohol can hinder your progress towards becoming a man of high value. This is because drugs and alcohol have side effects that can affect your health, leading to a life of misery, addiction and potentially death. Unregulated and unchecked use of alcohol and drugs can trap you in a world of hell. Take care of yourself my brother and monitor the influences in your life. You are the influencer of your life, do not get swayed away by public opinion.
Addiction – social media is designed to be addictive, from the algorithms that show you content that will get you to react, to the dopamine inducing likes on your Facebook and Instagram. The purpose of social media is to get you hooked and addicted so they can show you more ads. Hence the continuous scroll function ensuring you stay on the site and lose sense of time, the interface that is designed like a slot machine. Social media is meant to consume as much of your time as possible. This is a trap as it can hinder you from achieving self-actualization. You need to be able to control and manage your time my brother. Plan out your day and allot activities to your schedule that will enhance the state of your being. Make time for reading as it will nourish your mind and keep you in peak performance. Make time for exercise as true wealth is health and keep a healthy social life. Your friends and family are paramount to living a good and fulfilled life.
Reputation – so much of your life depends on reputation and it only takes a well co-ordinated smear campaign to ruin it. Because social media is a network of people, it only takes one share to ruin your life. It doesn’t even have to be true as all truths are half truths. One slander can be known from the depths of every corner in a second. One slander can define you and trap you in hell. Understand: not everyone is your friend despite what Facebook says, some people want to take you down, be mindful when you are flirting with the devil. In a world of fake news and click baits, everything is the truth.
Fraud and scams – opportunities are located everywhere in the stratosphere of social media which makes it a breeding ground for fraud and scams. If you are naive and gullible, you will be taken for everything you have. Social media is an ocean filled with scams, false personas and fraudulent activities, from Crypto currently experts to Nigerian prince’s who urgency need you to deposit money in their accounts, to expert catfishers like the Tinder Swinder. You are operating on the dark side of human nature when you are on social media. Be careful my brother, thoroughly research every opportunity that comes your way. Do not part with money you don’t have and if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Beware of false prophets and saviors, the brutal truth about life is that you are alone, no one really cares about you and no one is coming out to save you. This should be your default, empower yourself and create the reality that you want to see.
For over 3000 years art has been an effective instrument utilized to instigate and propagate propaganda. To communicate wealth, kings would have their thrones custom made in gold. They would have statues of themselves erected to signify dominance and unadulterated power. Art was grand and bold. Art was truthful. Art was forever. Propaganda means to tell one side of the story great. For that to be achieved, we need theatricality and a truckload of charisma. We need the narcissistic and egotistical character to impose himself on the world and lay claim to being a god. We need symbols with meanings, paintings of portraits and parades on the streets with people exhibiting their skills in an art form known as dance to communicate a feeling of happiness or to spread fear and flex muscles in the form of a military parade. Art is emotive. It makes us feel, it engages our feelings and regulates our emotions. Art is powerful. Art is dramatic, it has flair. The best utilization of art as propaganda can be found in history. Particularly in the 1930’s in Germany. Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party were at the helm of Germany. The aim was to restore Germany’s status in the world as a powerhouse. It had been crippled in World War one, and Hitler had ambitions of restoring it. To do this, everyone in Germany had to pledge allegiance to Hitler. Everyone had to be loyal to Hitler. Everyone had to give their lives to Hitler or simply run the risk of being killed. Hitler had a minister of propaganda who would propagate the word in the form movies and music. Children in primary school all the way to tertiary institutions started off the day singing a mandatory anthem about Hitler’s greatness and how he is Germany’s savior. Hitler proclaimed his book “Mein Kampf” as the bible of Germany and passed a law that every household in Germany should possess it and study it with great rigor and enthusiasm. The Nazi symbol (Swastika) bombarded every street and corner of Germany – it was all that people saw, all that they knew. With the aid of art, Adolf Hitler transformed himself into a literal God. He had real power, he was respected and he was feared. His military parades were so majestic and grandiose with the image of Swastikas in a form of flags and big posters everywhere; with the crowd cheering and saluting with their right hands in the air. Hitler was propaganda embodied and being an artist himself, he made it an art form.
Adolf Hitler is not the only person to use art as propaganda. Religion institutions like the Catholic Church are one of the best to ever do it. The statues they have erected are so beautiful. The architecture of their churches – it’s so sublime, so extraterrestrial and yet calming, conservative and reassuring. The inside of the church is spectacular – they have mini fountains, statues of personnel in the bible and the most beautiful paintings. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the artists who contributed in the churches art. He painted one of the most remarkable and beautiful paintings ever, notably the last supper – it was realistic, alive, animated, spirited and energetic. The picture is exactly what God and bible were conveying. Leonardo Da Vinci did it, he hit the nail right on top of the head. The church has this impressive aura, from their paintings, the churches architecture, their statues, their props, the congregation – they are magnificent! In 2019, we still see propaganda propagated in widespread areas. In Gauteng, Sandton resides a bronze statue of first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela. It is huge and commemorative. Like the Grand Canyon, tourists from all parts of life frequent it to take pictures and busk in its glory and magnificence. There is also a majestic bridge located in Newtown, Johannesburg that is named after the great man. It is a beautiful piece of architecture that draws tourists in. It is grand and sublime. At night, it lights up in a way that almost takes your breath away – it is so beautiful. Nelson Mandela was a great man, however mortality meant that he was limited. Art and culture has elevated his name in the realm of immortality and gods.
Religion was created to help us with fundamental issues of existence namely ethics, morality and values. Like Philosophy it taught how to live – but in a reserved and calculated manner. It helped with nihilistic thoughts and depression. It gave us a reason to live. By negating the material world in favor of a Heaven or Utopia, it unloaded the burden on our shoulders and made us strive for an ideal. It was beautiful, subtle and effective. The world had an order. People’s behaviors could be predicted. There was harmony in communities. Conduct was born, to be different meant a transgression to society, so that was avoided by all means. Everyone strived to be a “good” person. Religion created that culture in communities, in all parts of the world. It created the culture of empathy and sympathy – the essence of being a good person, it created a culture of order and it created a culture of submissiveness. As a crowd management system, it had its frailties that were exposed in the dawn of the industrial revolution. People in their numbers now lived in the city. The city was confined and restricted with no trees or an ecosystem that supported life. Life in the city was stressful, demanding and expedient. Religion had protected people from the notion and truth that life was suffering and now everything was unfolding – people’s lives were falling apart. Religion did not have the tools or answers to help people deal with their demanding lives. Heaven as a consolation prize for the suffering evident and prevailing was not enough. This resulted in people having nihilistic thoughts. 21st Century philosopher Nietzsche professed that “God was dead!” on his amazing work “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. It was a fair assessment of reality and the future.
Now in 2019, on the 4th industrial revolution with the emergence of artificially created life, we see the evidence of god’s death. More and more people now live in cities as opposed to small intimate villages in a community where everyone knows one another. Life is on the fast lane and church isn’t even in the car. It is trailing behind, losing a drag race by miles. Life is even more demanding, life is more stressful and life is more expedient. Thinking is a luxury! Loneliness and depression are the epidemics of the world. Suicide rates are skyrocketing. Crime at an all-time high and Capitalism – the new culture of the world destroying religion making sure that we feed on one another like cannibalistic life forms. The capitalistic system is god. The capitalistic system is culture. It has devoured religions ethics, morality and values leaving the population confused about their self-identity, about a self-campus on where to go. We are about in the wild chasing novelty after novelty. Lost. Empty. The song “No Church in the Wild” by Jay –Z & Kanye West explores our reality in great detail. It is about how everything is permitted in a world where god is dead. The visuals for this song is the most powerful thing you will ever see. Both Jay –Z & Kanye West are exempted from the video, instead we see a movie where there is a lot of chaos, fighting and death. It is the artist’s job to reflect the world to the people, a job Jay –Z and Kanye West did remarkably well with high distinction. It is a piece of art that will immortalize them. It is brilliant.
Kanye West is one of the few artists in the world to understand the role of art, to understand the power that it has. He is an intelligent man who aligns himself with the outlandish and provocative. He does this because he understands the order of the world. He does this because he knows culture, rules. To shift culture, you have to be unconventional, mysterious, unpredictable and a loose screw. Being unpredictable makes you powerful. This is a skill that Kanye West has mastered all his life. In 2007, Kim Kardashian released a sex-tape on the internet with then boyfriend “Ray J”. It was a strategic ploy on her side to attain power. It was a bold move, it was gritty, gutsy and it was scandalous! She became an instant star. She had a great body and her boyfriend was a celebrity. She was all the internet talked about. Fresh from the release of his mega successful album Graduation in 2007, Kanye West started courting Kim Kardashian. With the trajectory of his career on the ascendency he saw an opportunity. Kim Kardashian’s public persona was too good for him to pass up on, it was scandalous, promiscuous, bold, gutsy, sexy, forbidden and phallic. Kim Kardashian was extremely powerful and he (Kanye) knew this. Ultimately, he married Kim and Kim Kardashian married a successful, rapper and entrepreneur who graced the cover of “Times” magazine thus legitimizing her brand and image. The marriage was a perfect fit. As a couple, they had influence, they had power and they would be the talk of popular culture. 2013 saw the release of his sixth album “Yeezus”. Once again, he had aligned himself with a powerful figure “Jesus Christ”. It was typical Kanye who freed himself from all the barriers and boxes that contained everyone else. From that move, naturally he was all that people could talk about. With the aid of art, he became mythical. It was propaganda, by aligning himself with “Jesus Christ”, a cult-like following emerged and started creating pictures of him as Jesus. It was a frenzy. It made him powerful. Soon enough, everyone was imitating him – now the world had artists like “Reazus” and “Teezus”. Kanye West was idolized and worshipped.
The internet has bestowed on to people the power to be gods. Art is something we could use to improve that god-like status. The danger of the internet is that it has also created illusions. Being headstrong is a requirement. The “death of god” has to have a powerful effect on us. We have to do things for ourselves and have the courage to live life in its totality. We have to be brave and venture out in the world with a strong belief in ourselves and our abilities. God cannot do anything for us because everything was fabricated by culture – and culture is made up of people like me and you. Everything in the world is made up of culture and influence. Love is cultural invention – initially it was an escape from our loneliness and boredom. The internet has gifted us the opportunity to be better, to be influential, and to be gods.
The advent of social media has made life better in a lot of ways. We now have telepathic powers that stretch to different continents, we can share our lives with our loved ones via video and photos, we can connect and work remotely from anywhere in the world, we have powers our ancestors could only dream about, we have become God’s. But nothing exists without its negative, social media is also the reason depression in the west and everywhere else in the world is so rife. The incessant comparing of our lives has crippled our souls resulting in a lack of knowledge of ourselves. Social media has created a generation of simps, weak men whose purpose in the world is please women. To cater to their every whim and neglect themselves in the process. These men have no inner campus and get validation from the attention they receive from these women. Sites like OnlyFans perpetuate this simp culture as men are lured in with the promise of viewing explicit content for a premium. OnlyFans destroys men, it keeps them docile and primitive, leaving them with no ambition, strife and prospects. OnlyFans castrates men and turns them into shadows of themselves. We must be better brothers. We must strive to be men of high value. A man of high value chases his purpose and not women, instead women chase him. Understand: women always have more options in the dating market because generally they are the prey that’s pursued, social media has only amplified this fact as now a thousand brothers are chasing the same prey. Avoid sliding in the DM my brother. A man of high value flips the script and makes himself valuable so that women can flock to him. Never chase women, it’s a waste of your precious time – chase your purpose. In this post we will be discussing dirty tactics used by social media to keep men trapped.
Simping – social media has given men the illusion that women are more valuable because of the likes they receive. We have learned to equate likes to value and character of a person. This is so misleading and has led to a generation of emasculated weak young men who seek validation from women. They are women pleasers and do anything and everything to get their attention. They give their souls, they give their hard earned money, they give their self-respect, they are manipulated, they are laughed at, they are used like second hand vehicles. No one respects these men because they lack and inner campus, they have no center of gravity to keep them grounded. If a woman can’t respect you, she can’t love you. My brother, never seek validation from women. Keep your own frame, be your own man. Abandon the inbox and work on yourself. Understand: You are like Gold and you are in limited supply, know your worth and let them fight to caveat you. Don’t be a simp!
Glamorizes Drugs and Alcohol – social media makes anything cool, when we see that something is desired by the masses, it’s value goes up leading to a domino effect. The herd behavior of social media artificially inflates the perceived value of substances leading to overconsumption and abuse. Drugs and alcohol can hinder your progress towards becoming a man of high value. This is because drugs and alcohol have side effects that can affect your health, leading to a life of misery, addiction and potentially death. Unregulated and unchecked use of alcohol and drugs can trap you in a world of hell. Take care of yourself my brother and monitor the influences in your life. You are the influencer of your life, do not get swayed away by public opinion.
Addiction – social media is designed to be addictive, from the algorithms that show you content that will get you to react, to the dopamine inducing likes on your Facebook and Instagram. The purpose of social media is to get you hooked and addicted so they can show you more ads. Hence the continuous scroll function ensuring you stay on the site and lose sense of time, the interface that is designed like a slot machine. Social media is meant to consume as much of your time as possible. This is a trap as it can hinder you from achieving self-actualization. You need to be able to control and manage your time my brother. Plan out your day and allot activities to your schedule that will enhance the state of your being. Make time for reading as it will nourish your mind and keep you in peak performance. Make time for exercise as true wealth is health and keep a healthy social life. Your friends and family are paramount to living a good and fulfilled life.
Reputation – so much of your life depends on reputation and it only takes a well co-ordinated smear campaign to ruin it. Because social media is a network of people, it only takes one share to ruin your life. It doesn’t even have to be true as all truths are half truths. One slander can be known from the depths of every corner in a second. One slander can define you and trap you in hell. Understand: not everyone is your friend despite what Facebook says, some people want to take you down, be mindful when you are flirting with the devil. In a world of fake news and click baits, everything is the truth.
Fraud and scams – opportunities are located everywhere in the stratosphere of social media which makes it a breeding ground for fraud and scams. If you are naive and gullible, you will be taken for everything you have. Social media is an ocean filled with scams, false personas and fraudulent activities, from Crypto currently experts to Nigerian prince’s who urgency need you to deposit money in their accounts, to expert catfishers like the Tinder Swinder. You are operating on the dark side of human nature when you are on social media. Be careful my brother, thoroughly research every opportunity that comes your way. Do not part with money you don’t have and if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Beware of false prophets and saviors, the brutal truth about life is that you are alone, no one really cares about you and no one is coming out to save you. This should be your default, empower yourself and create the reality that you want to see.
Earlier in 2019, Kylie Jenner was certified the youngest self-made billionaire in the world by Forbes eclipsing Mark Zuckerberg who managed the feat at 24. Kylie Jenner managed this incredible feat aged just 21. She unbelievably owns a third of the lipstick market in the United States. Also she owns a hundred percent stake in her company ensuring that all the profits go directly to her. The internet and social media has been buzzing all year questioning the status of “self-made”, it’s a bold declaration, one many feel she doesn’t deserve considering her last name. She had been affluent and lived a life of luxury all her life. She had the resources and the infrastructure at her disposal. There was no process to her riches – it was like pushing a button. Fair arguments, however she had initiative, she had skill, she had business acumen, she had wit, and she had intelligence to carry out her vision. After all, owning a third of the market requires some sort of consistency and poise. Sure maybe she was lucky but should we strip the title of “self-made billionaire” because of that fact? Never. Reason being all successful people are lucky. Shaun Carter aka Jay –Z is lucky to be alive considering the life of crime he led as a young man. He was born in Macy in the projects of New York. To survive he sold drugs and often got in heated feuds with members of dangerous gangs. He is lucky to be alive. He was lucky he found a skill he could harness from a very young age. He was lucky he got a mentor who taught him about the music business. He was lucky he met Damian Dash and he was lucky “Reasonable Doubt” did as well as it did. Luck comes after a sequence of hard work, it is contagious and can be channeled. This is exhibited on the Kylie Jenner story. Her family, her sisters worked hard just so she (Kylie) can be “lucky”. Kylie Jenner is a self-made billionaire because the business she created comes from her spirit, her psychology, her insecurities – those are the elements that inspired her business model. The fact that she had the resources doesn’t disqualify her.
What are the origins of her luck? Two words. Kim Kardashian. She possess amazing power. Sure her parents had wealth but Kim gave the family as a unit influence. Influence is subtle. Influence sways heads. Influence creates movements and drives change. Influence is underlying. Influence is transformative. Influence is hidden and repressed. Influence is resourceful. Influence is true power. Kim Kardashian is a seductive animal that emits pheromones into the atmosphere for all to take the bait and follow. Ever since her entrance into public life she has had this aura that is irresistible for all sexes of life. Her public persona is the stuff of legends. She is like the new age Marilyn Monroe in the sense that she knows she belongs to the world – to the public. She has created an incredible brand. A brand that is synonymous with beauty, fashion, trends, outlandish, repressed, forbidden and popular culture. The brand she has created is truly amazing. Kim Kardashian has pushed the limits of popular culture so many times. From successfully monetizing an amateur sex-tape over the internet to popularizing apparel that left little to the mind to fantasize about in the fashion world. As a brand, the Kim Kardashian image signified ultimate freedom from customs and systems – her image incited promiscuous intentions, naughty actions, repressed desires, dangerous consequences, erotic fantasies and forbidden transgressions. The Kim Kardashian brand provided a release, a platform to showcase what is underlying and often repressed by society – a platform to be unapologetically you. It is a powerful brand because it enables people to project on to you their darkest and most repressed desires. It is a brand that elevates one to the status of a god. Who could argue Kim’s claim to being a goddess? After all, multiple time she had been all that people talked about on the internet and popular culture. Multiple times she had been what young girls aspired to become. Multiple times she had left men on their knees.
As a result of Kim’s popularity, a decision was made to create a “reality show”. The show would follow Kim and her family as they navigated the world. Central to the show’s theme was beauty. The Kardashians used the show as a vehicle to create a need. We would see the sisters resorting to plastic surgery to make themselves desirable in the eyes of the world. We would see the excessive purchases of designer clothes. The show was predicated on social status and the validation of society. It would leave the viewers empty and with new found insecurities about how they looked and the clothes they wore. It was effective and critical in forming this plastic life. The show was so detached from reality, an element that made it popular and alluring. Everything about the show was bigger than life and so it provided an avenue to escape from the tribulations of life. The show exploited a very critical area in human psychology – the need to be liked and accepted. Status symbols and extravagant purchases represented a remedy and a means to deal with the gaps and holes inside ones heart. In truth one was better off not watching the show than watching it because it was warfare to the mind. The show made minds passive and indoctrinated them into an abyss of misery. However it was a success and central to the Kardashians wealth. Many more spin-off shows were created and the beauty market boomed with the Kardashians at the forefront of everything.
It was Kim Kardashian who started everything for her family. She created a really powerful brand. She exemplified the brand, she lived the brand, she believed in the brand. Whether her public persona is different from her usual persona – that is a different story for another day. Brands are essential in the accumulation of wealth. Kim’s brand is believable. She is a siren. An attractive girl who has all the attributes and features to land any man he wants. Her body and voice solidifies that claim. Her detached demeanor and rich, spoiled girl behavior is what we expect to see and it is what she projects – a larger than life personality that is alluring and devastatingly seductive. Her image evokes all kinds of emotions. She is desired. It is as if she is the brand she created. If youth was forever, Kim Kardashian would be the most powerful woman in the world. However, life is disappointing and looks fade. Still, she is central to Kylie’s success. Kim was bold, daring and provocative. She had a creative energy and entrepreneurial drive that was like no other. She was different. In her prime, she became all that she could be. She was a success. She laid the foundations for her sisters. She gave the Kardashian family fame – something that fast tracks success in any domain. Fame is infrastructure. Fame is numbers. Fame is a chance. Fame is support. Fame is money. Fame is influence. Fame is power. Her spirit is immense and is felt throughout the universe. That frequency emits and ripples a chain of luck molecules – her sisters were the recipients of these molecules and it has enabled them to do amazing things. We are the products of our ancestors and immediate family. Kim and her family created a world that was so big and realistic that Kylie was immersed it in, Kylie was a product of that world and she owned it and took the vision further. Now, her responsibility is to push boundaries and challenge customs and conventions.
To be liked in the Era of social media is everything! It is social currency, it opens up doors and you can make a lot of money out of it in the form of being an influencer. It is so big and important that people do whatever to be liked. They post naked pictures, they add fuel to negativity and they spread misinformation – ANYTHING for those likes because they validate you in the digital sphere. People change themselves to be liked, they add filters to their pictures, they do stupid and foolish things for lack of better words. They do anything for attention and to be famous. Being famous means the adoration of your peers, it equates to monetary compensation, sponsorships, exclusive invitations and the opportunity to influence. Social status and likes have become more valuable than Gold.
Being respected on the other hand doesn’t bring much prestige and acclaim. It is boring, arduous and slow. To get respect you have to earn it, often through your actions. It is a mutual understanding based on the values both parties cherish. To be respected is hard work and requires you to consistently push yourself, to deliver. But even that is not enough because you can lose someone’s respect in a second after years of labor. To be respected is to be a figurehead that everybody wishes to emulate. It is standards, disciplines and values. To be respected is to be a role model. It’s difficult to be a role model because everyone projects onto you and you can’t let anybody down. You have to be exemplary. To be liked will get you expedient results that flicker like dying neon lights, while being respected will serve you for life without much acclaim.
The internet has done amazing things when it comes to connecting us. It has has made things easier and convenient.
I got invited to a braai and I saw a girl that I liked and so I hugged her, she held me tight. She was warm and smelled really good. She was happy to see me, the evidence came from her voice, it was cheerful and high pitched. Her body language was open towards me, her legs were facing me and her hands were spread out for me to embrace her. She was enthused.
Then I sat next to a girl who clearly has the biggest crush on me. She was fidgeting, nervy and moving all the time. She had a nervous energy, she touched her hair and kept moving her legs anxiously. This was until her boyfriend saw all that energy and told her to come sit next to him, she was relieved and went right next to him. After that she was calm and stopped being so nervous and nervy, she collaborated more with the social group. I tend to have that effect on the ladies, they love me. Truthfully I understand, I am amazing.
Then I conversed with my friends about soccer, it was passionate and hearty. We also talked a lot about stupid and improbable things, we laughed a lot. There was alcohol and so I drank. There was also weed and I smoked. It was great, plus we had music and everyone was dancing. The drinks in the cooler were cold and we took out Hagermeister straight out the freezer for some shots. Everyone’s body language was open, everyone was happy. The place had a vibe and energy.
Zoom meetings or FaceTime doesn’t have that. You can’t scout people’s mannerisms, you can’t see body language, you see what I only want you to see, you can’t feel the sensations like cold beer and a warm hug. You also can’t be spontaneous, everything is structured and the meeting has to end. You can’t change locations or move around. There’s no food and you can’t share a joint with your friends. Zoom and FaceTime are good only if you intend on being professional, when the process has a clearly defined end-goal.
Nietzsche’s philosophy was grounded in psychology and human nature, he was a master of human nature. He was a big fan of Arthur Schopenhauer but didn’t agree with the tone of his work because it centered around persimism and nihilism, the idea of why bother since life is meaningless. Nietzsche’s work is an answer to Schopenhauer’s work, it is positive, practical and leads to a life of self-actualization. He was a genius, a man ahead of his time. He correctly predicted the 21st century, this is incredible for a man who was born in the 19th century. I see his observations playing out in life. He saw that the human spirit/soul would be under threat. He saw the decline of Christianity and the rise of nihilism. He saw the reliance of pills, the Soma that Huxley referred to on Brave New World. He saw the depression and society anxiety sweeping the West. He saw the loss of morals, ethics and meaning. He saw that man would be passive and moved by novelty after novelty. We see it today, man would rather sit on the couch, eat potato chips, consume pornography, order fast food that will be delivered to him at his convenience, be entertained by Netflix and repeat next day. Man doesn’t work on himself anymore, he is comfortable and doesn’t feel the need to act on his dreams.
Man is controlled by pleasure, by the dopamine inducing likes on social media, views, sex and everything you can get by pushing a button. There is no process anymore, everything is expedient or prepared in the microwave. Still, Nietzsche has solutions for the modern man. He preaches a life of self-realization and being the best that you can be. He preaches gratitude for life, he preaches life-affirming prescriptions. I understand why the Nazi’s adopted his work and made it theirs. Nietzsche’s work was powerful and centered on the individual being the best. Hitler wanted Germany to be the best in the world. However, Nietzsche’s work didn’t agree with Nazi ideology and we shouldn’t affiliate the two together. Nietzsche’s sisters are the guilty party in this dynamic but that’s a topic for another day.
Nietzsche’s works were inspiring for the individual, statements like “Amo Fati” direct translation, the love of fate – Love everything about your life and be grateful for the gift of life. Don’t wish you were somebody else, be content with your life. Be present and don’t worry about things you cannot control, leave that to God and the Universe. He also preached being the “Ubermench” which translates to Superman or Overman – work on yourself constantly and strive to be better everyday. Progress, show up, make the best of every moment and be the best that you can be. Be better than a consumer, create and build things and never let novelty sway you. His most famous quote, “God is dead” which can be interpreted as be accountable for your own life, be responsible, no excuses, do what you can, no one is coming out to save you.
Propaganda tends to have a negative connotation and it’s warranted, we saw what happened in the 20th century with Nazi Germany. What transpired was just pure evil, but it’s not just with Nazi Germany. Propaganda is everywhere. We see this with the depiction of Africa by the West. And how is Jesus Christ white again?
Propaganda is everywhere, we see it on our money with Nelson Mandela, he is always there, looking at you, smiling. Sandton City has a place called “Nelson Mandela Square” and it is a place designated for Mandela. It has art, it has statues, it has stores that sell Mandela gold coins, it has stores that sell the type of clothes he wore, it is Mandela heaven. Because Sandton is my home, I see Nelson Mandela every day. I believe his propaganda, I believe that he was a great man. I am surrounded by proof. Yes, I concede Nelson Mandela was a great man, easily one of the greatest men who ever lived. The propaganda makes him better than the “Greatest”. He has malls named after him, streets, hospitals, bridges and just about anything you can think of. The “Mandela” brand is a great brand and it is because of this propaganda.
Essentially what propaganda is, is Marketing and PR. It is showing only one side of the story in the best possible light repeatedly. It is biased and one sided. We see this with the advertising industry. Everyone is always smiling on Billboards and on ads and that KFC burger isn’t that great in real life. Propaganda is flattery and deception, it is what we humans do best. Social media has allowed us to propagate propaganda for our personal brands. We can take pictures and filter them to be perfect and then share with the whole world. We have more power than ever!
antakalipa 