By Barry Rubin
Robert Heinlein is one of the great American science fiction writers; writers supposed to predict the future. Here are some lines from his novel Friday, published in 1982.
“Boss” (head of an intelligence agency): ”What are the marks of a sick culture?”
Friday (his prize analyst): “It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start identifying with a group. A racial group. Or a religion. Or a language. Anything, as long as it isn’t the whole population….
“High taxation is important and so is inflation of the currency and the ratio of the productive to those on the public payroll. But that’s old hat; everybody knows that a country is on the skids when its income and outgo get out of balance and stay that way….”
Yeah, everybody knows that….
As a note about group identification in context with your other recent posts:
hxxp://pewglobal.org/2011/07/21/muslim-western-tensions-persist/
group identification seems clear. Data suggest serious group think….
(you should see how Turkey’s World Bulletin Spins this poll. WB also advances people who are pushing Turkey to identify with their religion versus nationality regardless of fact. They interview this guy hxxp://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=76862 who probably is a huge fan of this much loved garbage: hxxp://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/Valley_of_the_Wolves:_Iraq)
As for Heinlein predicting the future, he’s probably spinning in his grave over NASA’s plight (see The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)
“It is suggested that the Western nations, including North America, have become corrupt and authoritarian, while holding on to the vestiges of the pre-war democratic idealism in propaganda and popular culture. China, on the other hand, is portrayed as plainly and unabashedly despotic, but probably no less technically advanced than the West. The Soviet Union, or “Sovunion” seems to have relatively little influence. The Lunar Authority itself is portrayed as corrupt and despotic while covering up for that with glib propaganda.
In all, most of Earth seems to have been split into several large nations, most joined together by the Federated Nations. They include the North American Directorate, Great China, Soviet Union, Pan Africa, Brazil (its descriptions hint that it may be all of South America) and a European coalition (Named as “Mitteleuropa” in Chapter 25, Paragraph #8). Individual nations such as Chad (the first to recognize Luna), India (which plays a major role) and Egypt are also named.” Wiki on Mistress
As for the current fiscal crisis I can only scratch my centrist head with Krugman’s comments: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/opinion/krugman-the-centrist-cop-out.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB
We shall see who advances being an American v a partisan first, won’t “we”?
In 1982 the phenomenon apparently alluded to by Heinlein, the subversion of democracy and patriotism by identity politics, the increasing triumph of political minorities over the will of the majority through extra-democratic means, was not the future but observable since the 60′s.
“It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country . . .”
Its even worse when the leaders of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start to think of themselves as citizens of “the world.”
In Erdogan’s case, the citizens of the Muslim world. For that he needs more Islamist generals.
Obama is faced with Iran working with the Taliban and AQ, al-ISlam and Hizb’Allah. Obama faces Hizb’Allah ripping up the STL and Islamists in Egypt mocking Liberal values. Obama faces Islamist elements in the rebel force in Libya. As Mr. Lewis of the Strong Horse points out, US policy fails to see the transnational strategies of Muslim adversaries although I see many who resist that mindset.
I have never posted insulting things regarding Islam. I have always tried to be respectful. Please excuse me but as I saw this picture and the absurdity on a deeper geopolitical level, I thought, why not just bend over China and have Mehmet insert his gift directly into Wang’s ass: http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=75344
I am sure China will approve Sharia only zones in Western China.
Maxtrue, Thank you for that link. So we have two of the three positions filled. Islamism, Marxism and ?. Who is to be the Quisling? Obama?
Barry, I don’t have my copy of Heinlein’s “Friday” handy but I believe Friday (the character) goes on to say that all of this is almost incidental to the true sign of a sick culture: the loss of common courtesy. She says something to the effect of “once there’s a widespread loss of common courtesy, head for cover because the end isn’t far off.” Of course, she wasn’t referring to the Obama’s Newspeak version called The New Civility.