PS: Andrei has a third comment up now on his blog, a final blast to tend his idee fixe. He’s bringing back the censorship (‘moderation’) soon. I think I may have got in with another comment though, just in time. Copy below:
SELFQUOTE:
I see that even in your third go at the subject, Andrei, you haven’t actually addressed the glaring anomalies in the official covid story, which the calmer voices in these threads have been putting to you. Lots of assertions that you have it right, and we’re all just silly, childish irrationals (!). But no actual sober consideration of the anomalies. Interesting, that.
I consider, Andrei, that you’ve made a serious blunder here, driven by a hot-button/blind-spot conviction (which ALL we fallible, imperfect creatures have, somewhere in our repertoire, about some cherished error). BUT…
You remain one of the impressive analysts on matters geopolitical, and I shan’t be flouncing off from your excellent blog. You are wrong about the covid scam, though. I hope that, eventually, when the dust has settled, and you’re feeling less exercised by it, you’ll be able to get round to entertaining that idea for some serious consideration. Your past record suggests you have the moral stature to be able to do that, and to admit it publicly. Good luck. And do keep your excellent analyses coming, please. One glaring screw-up doesn’t ruin a good record.
Post mortem: Andrei has now re-imposed ‘moderation’ - censorship - on his blog, and the whole episode is now up for evaluation.
The more one reads through the comments that were allowed through in this interlude - well over a thousand, apparently! - the more one has to conclude that Andrei’s response to them has been irrational. Condemned as silly, irrational creatures en masse, it’s quite clear as you read that some substantial portion of them - over half? - simply don’t answer to Andrei’s obvious projection.
Lots of cogent, fact-based concerns were raised, frequently in civil language, and with caveats appreciating the very good work that the Saker blog does. Andrei’s response is uniform: dogged unwillingness to even engage with the reasonable concerns about all the anomalies; and a constant tone of scornful superiority to his questioners.
Jesus! Two large holes in the feet of Andrei’s standing! Off to A&E pronto, bro…
Thanks K! I had a small echo of a memory that it might have been Iain, but I’m so busy just trying to keep up with up-to-the-minute developments right now, as the mood and the tide of the struggle is clearly shifting, that I couldn’t get round to go looking for it.
Iain’s categorisation is a highly useful clarifier, to help us get some sort of understanding of the truly baffling behaviour of the ‘deceived influencers’ who of course could, and really, really should, know better. I surmise that as well as ‘deceived’, a highly-appropriate other adjective has to be ‘entranced’. Literally, in the actual hypnotist’s meaning of the word. The sufferers are, when you look closely, quite clearly in some sort of altered state of awareness: a trance. Where I live, there’s this sharp division between the sleep-walkers and the awake. We stay civil friends, mostly, but it’s become clear to me lately, after one of two astonishing conversations, that we’re occupying subtly but drastically different mind-states.
This is a basic lesson to carry away from this whole crazy time: expertly-propagandised terror-porn is a uniquely potent way to drive those on the higher end of the suggestibility spectrum into instant, hypnotist-obeying trance. Simply astonishing!
I wonder whether slightly aspi people like me are actually less susceptible? I NEVER bought into the terror-porn at any time in the whole lunacy. And yet I know from long experience that I’m quite hypnotically induceable.
I can only speak for myself but a sense of being apart from neurotypicals may well foster a level of insusceptibility to the spells that have them entranced. I remember when the original Star Wars film was released and the absolute blanket coverage on the admittedly much fewer media. You’ve gotta see it. Best film ever. Blah blah blah.
Internal dialogue: I’m not like them, I won’t be like them, I won’t go see it.
Never seen it, never will.
The socialising of many people consists of slightly nervous “oh do please like me” primate gibbers, “I did a funny (hence the strained guffaws, please join in… Oh thank you for joining in)”
I can mask, can nod along and not draw attention to the pachyderms a chambre, but my gawd it’s hard work. (Uses up your spoons, some would say).
“Uses up your spoons.” LOVE that! What does it mean? It reminds me of another nice one: “She’s not got all her chairs at home!” Sort of variant on: “Two sandwiches short of a picnic.” PS: Do take a look at the hypnosis item that I just posted. Instant revelation!!!
I need a word that describes a neurotypical person (afaik) who nevertheless feels almost completely disconnected from the vast majority of their fellow humans!
Incidentally, one of the things I like about this board is how varied the discussions at the end of a thread are compared to the first few posts.
These people inhabit a world completely different to ours. There’s a saying about life imitating art. Ever watched the film Kingsman-The Secret Service? There’s your answer.
Sort of variant on: “Two sandwiches short of a picnic.” PS: Do take a look at the hypnosis item that I just posted. Instant revelation!!!