Blows Against the Empire

“How does one fashion a book of resistance, a book of truth in an empire

of falsehood, or a book of rectitude in an empire of vicious lies?

How does one do this right in front of the enemy?”

- Philip K Dick

Having done so before, I begin with a quote from Philip K Dick, in his quandary on the never-ending Empire. PKD’s subjugation to  the “pink beam” of Gnosis, illuminated an Empire that transcends regime change… that transcends governmental life-span… that moves in near-perpetuity through the centuries. In his fever-dream madness, PKD envisioned “Empire” as a demiurgic, predator/dominator institution of thought control.

He realized that to wage a conventional, fire-with-fire campaign against the Empire, would ultimately “play into the hands” of Empire. He articulated this realization thusly… and I quote: “The Empire is the institution, the codification, of derangement; it is insane and imposes its insanity on us by violence, since its nature is a violent one. To fight the Empire is to be infected by its derangement. This is a paradox: whoever defeats a segment of the Empire becomes the Empire; it proliferates like a virus, imposing its form on its enemies. Thereby it becomes its enemies.”

Dick’s use of the virus metaphor is especially apropos in the throes of our coronavirus pandemic. The virus, which is not exactly a life-form, illustrates the infectious nature of Empire, which is not exactly a government. Yet it proliferates throughout world cultures, imposing its malevolence upon its governmental hosts.

So this is precisely the dilemma before us. How to mount a resistance against the pervasive, predator/dominator, powers that be? How to do this, without becoming that which we resist? This struggle moves beyond Right/Left politics de jour, as the institutions of the Left and the Right have each been uniquely corrupted by the “codification of derangement.” Each faction, in their own way, has been contaminated by embracing the bureaucratic orthodoxy.

In formulating a theory of resistance, it is useful to consider the dichotomic mind-map model of: bureaucratic orthodoxy vs. disruptive insurgency. This model was championed by the author of “Brave New War” John Robb. Per his bio, John served as a pilot in a tier one counter-terrorism unit that worked alongside Delta and Seal Team 6, and has advised the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NSA, DoD, CIA, and the House Armed Services Committee.

I have found that thinking of future events, within the context of a bureaucratic orthodoxy vs. disruptive insurgency (BO vs. DI) is advantageous in understanding the dynamics of such events. This model is useful in forecasting socio-political, technological, economic and even environmental trends. In a recent post for example, I commented on a specific, on-line operation, from a BO/DI perspective.

For the record, here is my take on the BO/DI mind-map…

A “Disruptive (open source) Insurgency” is a loose network that is composed of many individuals and small groups working independently, but united by a single purpose. DIs are much more innovative than their bureaucratic counterparts. They are constantly coming up with, and utilizing new ideas. Social media (tweets and media mentions) for example, incentivize innovation and spread new ideas across the insurgency in minutes (not days/weeks).

A prime example of a disruptive insurgency is blockchain technology. A crypto-currency’s blockchain is a transaction database that is globally networked and cannot be deleted. Such a blockchain is a constantly evolving and expanding system of transactions. Rather than being controlled by a single, central entity, it is a decentralized, distributed network... impervious to any single entity's nefarious actions. This network operates and grows much the way that our central nervous system works.

The “Bureaucratic Orthodoxy” is the traditional, bureaucratic power structure that has been in control (in its modern form) since the aftermath of WWII. It is evidenced by the “status quo” policies that run our socio-political, technological, and economic power structures. The BO is a disruptive insurgency in reverse. It’s modern example uses social networking to crack down on deviation and dissent. It operates via peer pressure and disconnecting deviants (cancel culture) from the network. It doesn't innovate… it rejects, cajoles, and brow-beats through its primary tool of mind control: political correctness.

The prime example of bureaucratic orthodoxy is… you guessed it… THE EMPIRE. It manifests globally as the demiurgic, predator/dominator institution of thought control. This contemporary orthodoxy is a tightly interconnected network that uses social networking to exert pressure on people to accept the orthodox position… the status quo.

Again, bureaucratic orthodoxies are slow… they take time to react. Disruptive insurgencies are nimble… they move fast.

Consequently, political parties and the media are not the primary actors in world political systems anymore. Increasingly, politics is being waged on-line by networks. These networks have already replaced many of the functions previously accomplished by the political parties.  They have also rewired, likely forever, how we consume news.

So this is the “state of play” in our Brave Noö World. Disruptive insurgencies are being conducted everywhere at once.  Everyone, from the government bureaucrat, to the corporate executive, to the owner of a Twitter account… is now an active participant.  It is now much more participatory than it has ever been. The disruptive insurgency as well as the bureaucratic orthodoxy move on-line to define and contest the new battlefields in the culture wars.

 

In upcoming additions to this series of posts, we will navigate the mind-map model of bureaucratic orthodoxy vs. disruptive insurgency, to our advantage. We will examine the ways and means in which we can maximize our ability to operate independently, as “individual intelligence agents” within the new paradigm that dictates our Brave Noö World. In this manner… together… perhaps we will overcome Dick’s paradox of becoming that which we resist. Stay tuned, dear intrepid reader, for… as usual… some crazy-ass shit is about to go down!!!

FNORD.

Dua Lipa - the Pop Star and Alien Intrusion

 

The British-born, Albanian/Kosovan super model/pop star Dua Lipa rocketed onto the UK pop charts in 2017. With virally infectious, dance-pop hit singles such as “Be the One” and “Blow Your Mind (mwah(!)” she soon became one of the most successful pop artists in the UK. With the 2020 release of her second LP “Future Nostalgia” Dua Lipa ascended to the title of greatest tictok pop idol of the noö millennium.

Lipa’s husky, sexy voice and dis-arming smile sparkles, while her snarky attitude and powerful stage presence strikes a beatific balance of pop diva and ass-kicker. Like all great pop artists, she steals from the best. Her disco-funk track "Break My Heart" is a masterful rip-off of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.” This is not a criticism. I believe it was the Great 20th century Cubist artist, Pablo Picasso who said: “Good artists borrow… great artists steal.”

 

The Guardian’s music critic, Laura Snapes describes her sound like this: “Her fusion of disco and ruthlessly efficient contemporary pop is viscerally brilliant... She anchors (her) songs with snappy basslines, then makes them transcendent, fully conveying the transformative nature of the romance she’s singing about: ‘Levitating’ blooms like a row of tropical flowers, while the chorus of ‘Hallucinate’ seems to enter an interstellar dimension.”

But it was not her sassy  demeanor, her devilish good looks, or her youthful vivaciousness (I’m old, but I’m not dead) that caught my eye… no… my attention was caught in the tractor-beam of a visually re-imagined, symbolically renewed, pop depiction of extra-terrestrial contact and alien intrusion.

Shortly after the release of “Future Nostalgia” …video remixes of “Levitating” began to appear on multiple social media platforms. First to appear was a remix by American DJ The Blessed Madonna featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott. The suggestive, American Beauty opening scene, quickly transforms into a pop-infused extra-terrestrial contact narrative. The rapid-fire, staccato imagery  sparkles with archetypal, post-WWII UFOlogy themes of shimmering entities, flickering television screens, strange symbols that invade and obsess the subject’s mind. The video’s characters are being summoned anew, for the arrival.

The first remix touched upon all the classic UFO tropes of the second half of the 20th century… from the myriad UFO sightings of the 40’s and 50’s, through Betty and Barny Hill's genre defining abduction in 1961… to the modern fandom of UFO culture, as defined by the History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens” TV show. This video brought a new generation “up to speed” on contemporary UFOlogy.

A second remix featuring American rapper Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, better known as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), was released in October, 2020. This second remix presents a more madcap, psychedelic, Extra-Dimensional mythology of extra-terrestrial contact, with imagery that features  the captivating, inviting, Spielbergian… blue light. Early on in the remix, the apparently summoned Dua Lipa is waiting on the hood of a classic convertible, when a portal appears and opens.

 

Dua Lipa ascends to the blue-lit dimensional portal. Once inside, the portal is activated and skyrockets off-world. The portal’s interior is revealed to be a mod, art-deco elevator, right out of Kubrick’s “The Shining.” The vibe of the ensuing ascent is more of a DMT-inspired wild ride, with tictok influencers filling in for McKenna’s machine elves. This remix is orders of magnitude more zany and entertaining than the first, with Dua Lipa rocking some of her most iconic dance moves. DaBaby, in an apparent move toward pop appeal, holds his own, with a rap interlude that balances machismo and bemusement.

Let’s Go! …left foot, right foot, levitating… pop stars… Dua Lipa with DaBaby…

Interestingly, "Levitating" was written and recorded in a one-day studio session at Sarm West Studios in London… by Dua Lipa and three other writers, including Sarah Hudson, in 2018. They started the session by Hudson doing a Tarot card reading in order for the writers to “open up about what was happening in their lives.” Lipa recalled it "changed the energy in the room." So the project’s inception began with a magical, oracular invocation.

Sigil of ancient Goddess Hecate?

Now I am not saying that “Levitating” carries a deep, prophetic meaning, or predicts an eschatological happening. I don’t consider Dua Lipa to be an incarnation of the wrathful Siren, as has been suggested of the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser… as so masterfully obsessed over by Christopher Knowles. But I do find it interesting to see the UFOlogy narrative updated and presented to a new, tictok generation.

In her recent book: American Cosmic, author Diana Walsh Pasulka argues that the post-WWII UFO culture represents the formation of a new religion… complete with prophets, relics and sacred sites. Her thesis ties in technology as an integral part of the transmission of this religion… of how technology informs a widespread and growing religiosity, focused on UFOs. Pasulka suggests that modern media shapes the belief systems of religious followers:

“I am not throwing out or discounting the reality of the UFO. I suggest that it should cause us to rethink our own constructions of what we consider to be real, because things we commonly take to be unreal in a materialist sense, like movies and video games, have real physiological and cognitive effects. Media technologies have as much an impact on human bodies as biotechnologies, and perhaps even more.”

The same argument can be made for the religious fervor of the followers of the Q Anon doomsday cult. Modern media simultaneously informs and shapes the belief of the consumer, whose discernment is disarmed by the flashy, sparkly presentation of the media platform. In this regard, modern UFOlogy and Q Anon represent two examples of new religions being propagated through modern media.

Again, it is interesting to see how social media’s newest darling is reimagining and presenting the UFO and Alien Intrusion narrative to the next generation. In fact, team Lipa presented, not one but two narratives... The Madonna/Missy Elliot (Elliot… Elliot! a nod to Speilberg’s ET?) version presents the nuts and bolts UFO mythology, while the DaBaby version presents the psychedelic, Extra-Dimensional mythology.

And for those of us who haven’t been shamed out of conspiracy thinking… it makes you wonder if there is any subtextual narrative being presented to the tictok generation. Beyond Dua Lipa’s disco fever… why is the UFO narrative being re-introduced by media’s newest pop star? Why now? Is it just good, clean fun? …or is something more nefarious afoot? 

Pop Future – Disruptive Insurgency

“We have grown to the kind of size we only dreamed of
in the time it takes to get a bad night’s sleep”

- WSB moderator

The newswires have been buzzing of late, about how a large network of small investors, in a coordinated buy campaign, pushed the stock price of video game retailer: GameStop Corp, up 1700% in the last couple of weeks, squeezing out short-selling Hedge Funds in the bargain. They did the same thing with AMC Entertainment Holdings stocks, which rose over 300% in one day.

A word about short-selling hedge funds... Short-selling involves selling borrowed shares of a stock with the belief that the price will drop, at which point, the fund buys shares at a lower price to repay what they borrowed. Hedge Funds borrow shares from a brokerage and sell them at the current market price. The gambit is when the price has dropped, the fund buys shares at that lower cost to pay back the ones they borrowed. The thing is… if the price goes up, the hedge fund loses.  

All the coordinated buying pushed up the prices or AMC and GameStop, meaning the hedge funds’ bets were wrong and they’ve consequently lost billions of dollars. Year to date, for the GameStop short sellers alone… the loss is at least $5 billion, USD.

It has been widely reported that this synchronized, networked operation was conceived and carried out through the wallstreetbets (WSB) community on Reddit. In their strike against The Empire, the WSB cabal motivated each other to keep piling into shares and call options. In so doing, they effectively coordinated a monstrous short squeeze in GameStop shares, beating the high and mighty Hedge Funds at their own (rigged) game.

Needless to say, this is freaking out Hedge Funds and Wallstreet. “This is gaining cult-like status” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “It is a pack of traders and the pack is gaining momentum. The retail crowd is not just taking over the shorts… it’s taking over the headlines.”

Wallstreet is desperate to gloss over the actions of the WSB cabal, calling them: “Retail Investors.” A more accurate description of the cabal of investors would be: “Wallstreet Usurpers” or “Financial Market Insurgents.” And here is crux of what the wide reporting is missing...

The WSB insurgent’s strike against the Empire is a new and enlightening example of a decentralized, disruptive insurgency. Driven by the decentralized technology of social media (reddit), the WSB Operation struck a blow against the bureaucratic orthodoxy that is Wallstreet. This insurgency is an open-sourced technology that relies on networked information platforms, as opposed to a bureaucratic orthodoxy, which relies on a traditional power structure. 

Disruptive insurgencies are nimble… they move fast… bureaucratic orthodoxies are slow… they take time to react.

I go into a little more detail on the political aspects of the disruptive insurgency model, vs the bureaucratic orthodoxy model, on the Pop Future and the Culture Wars databases at the main Tekgnostics website.

I have written extensively on the nature of disruptive insurgency vs bureaucratic orthodoxy in recent years. As much of this work has centered on the Trumpian insurgency, his flamboyancy overshadowed the mechanics of the disruptive model. However, the WSB OP is an important example of where the future of finance, politics, and social activism (just to name a few) is headed. This decentralized model will continue to give the old, bureaucratic orthodox PTB fits… moving forward. 

The recent explosion in the price of BitCoin and Ethereum is another example of how the decentralized model will affect us all, in the coming years. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency will likely dominate financial markets, if not replace fiat money entirely, in the years ahead.

So hold on to your seats, dear intrepid readers… for the situation will only get wilder, from here on out! We’ve gotten a glimpse of the future… and it’s decentralized.   

Click on image for Jaydyn's story... 

 

Update: The cryptocurrency trading app: Coinbase temporarily halted trading of all cryptos. Coinbase tweeted: "Due to a technical issue, we are experiencing degraded service where some trades may not be able to be completed. Our team is working to quickly restore service back to normal, and we'll send another update soon. Thank you for your patience"  

In response, Twitter user Ryan Broderick wrote: "The GameStop effect has completely upended the crypto market now. There's a big Twitter-led $btc [bitcoin] pump happening today and Coinbase... basically the Robinhood for entry-level crypto trading... has frozen USD purchases. Just tested it myself."

In addition to its decision to halt stock purchases for companies such as GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and Nokia... the stock trading app: Robinhood said it was temporarily restricting cryptocurrency trading. This fuels concern that the financial sector orthodoxy is moving to squash such brazen insurgencies... Stay tuned!

More on Financial Orthodoxy chicanery.