Vegas as a laboratory for surveillance and social control, the explosion of gambling as a sign of a degenerate culture seized by despair, AI delusions at CES, and the future.
I was thinking about this in terms of "end-stage capitalism," and it seems to be there are parallels between what you've described here and the mad rush to extract every last drop of oil, every last sliver of marginal profit before the planet (literally) burns. there seems to be a gut-level awareness from the lottery-ticket-buying proletariat to the bunker-building billionaires that the system is no longer functioning and is rapidly approaching a crisis of epochal proportions, and in all strata of society, the response has been to do anything to grab your little piece by any means necessary before it all collapses. get rich as quickly as you can by whatever means possible in a (futile) attempt to insulate yourself from the collapse and at any cost.
This is why the billionaires want to get to space SO badly. They want their escape route, but they failing to realize our position to live in space is highly dependant on ground based crew once they are in orbit. Humanity isn't ready for space living on a large scale.
Agreed. The rush to space by billionaires is somehow suicidal – they're running towards a vacuum for Ceiling Cat's sake. Or maybe it's a ruse to get the herd to follow and ease pressure back here...
A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.
I have played the slots. I won. I walked away. Gambling bored me.
I do understand it's draw though. Just like every other get rich scheme. But what I the most insidious is POC promoting sports betting apps😞 They care not that they're harming and killing their Black, Brown and Ingenious brothers and sisters😢 They've completely internalized white supremacy. Fuck capitalism!
There's a real link to the lottery economy, I think, and the evangelical desire to see everybody's ass on the line because their God is an arbitrary dick and life should be shit. And fatalism, of course, which evangelicals share with the social darwinist tech bros.
I'd be curious if you have any thoughts to share on the overlap (or not) between what you're describing as the genocidal telos, and C.S. Lewis' "Conditioners" in The Abolition of Man.
I’ve been meaning to read C.S. Lewis for years now since I learned he called the ending of my favorite book “sheer devil worship.” The Abolition of Man looks fascinating, I’ll read it and let you know my thoughts!
Great article full of eye-opening insights. My interim conclusion is that gamblers should probably start drinking. Similar and similarly destructive but a lot cheaper. You will very much still not be ok, but your family will not be evicted. Just a tad more altruistic (and, hey, I get it, the lure of oblivion)
A supreme irony of Thiel and Girard’s theory about Christianity preventing scapegoating: Thiel’s Palantir has developed software for enabling Israel’s mass slaughter in Gaza. Gazans as scapegoats.
I was thinking about this in terms of "end-stage capitalism," and it seems to be there are parallels between what you've described here and the mad rush to extract every last drop of oil, every last sliver of marginal profit before the planet (literally) burns. there seems to be a gut-level awareness from the lottery-ticket-buying proletariat to the bunker-building billionaires that the system is no longer functioning and is rapidly approaching a crisis of epochal proportions, and in all strata of society, the response has been to do anything to grab your little piece by any means necessary before it all collapses. get rich as quickly as you can by whatever means possible in a (futile) attempt to insulate yourself from the collapse and at any cost.
This is why the billionaires want to get to space SO badly. They want their escape route, but they failing to realize our position to live in space is highly dependant on ground based crew once they are in orbit. Humanity isn't ready for space living on a large scale.
Agreed. The rush to space by billionaires is somehow suicidal – they're running towards a vacuum for Ceiling Cat's sake. Or maybe it's a ruse to get the herd to follow and ease pressure back here...
A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.
Why would I gamble on slots for a dopamine hit when I can doomscroll right here?
I have played the slots. I won. I walked away. Gambling bored me.
I do understand it's draw though. Just like every other get rich scheme. But what I the most insidious is POC promoting sports betting apps😞 They care not that they're harming and killing their Black, Brown and Ingenious brothers and sisters😢 They've completely internalized white supremacy. Fuck capitalism!
There's a real link to the lottery economy, I think, and the evangelical desire to see everybody's ass on the line because their God is an arbitrary dick and life should be shit. And fatalism, of course, which evangelicals share with the social darwinist tech bros.
banger
I'd be curious if you have any thoughts to share on the overlap (or not) between what you're describing as the genocidal telos, and C.S. Lewis' "Conditioners" in The Abolition of Man.
I’ve been meaning to read C.S. Lewis for years now since I learned he called the ending of my favorite book “sheer devil worship.” The Abolition of Man looks fascinating, I’ll read it and let you know my thoughts!
oh, Star Maker? that one's on my reading list!
Great article full of eye-opening insights. My interim conclusion is that gamblers should probably start drinking. Similar and similarly destructive but a lot cheaper. You will very much still not be ok, but your family will not be evicted. Just a tad more altruistic (and, hey, I get it, the lure of oblivion)
A supreme irony of Thiel and Girard’s theory about Christianity preventing scapegoating: Thiel’s Palantir has developed software for enabling Israel’s mass slaughter in Gaza. Gazans as scapegoats.