Q drop 1232

Nero fiddles while Rome burns - Surprisingly, I found a lot of vectors of thought from the following opinion piece by Henry Johnston. 

2nd June 20204 -Trump and ‘our democracy’: What happens when a political system becomes a meme? - By Henry Johnston

It is a sign of deep crisis that the concept of democracy has devolved into an ideologically tinged narrative that is defended with empty and exaggerated rhetoric

The word democracy is everywhere in the Western world these days. Hardly a day goes by without pleas to defend it, protect it, fight against its sworn enemies, or celebrate its virtues with pompous clichés. Precise and neutral usage has given way to an ideological tinge that is as electrified as it is vague.

Offering a framework to think about this phenomenon is the South Korean-German philosopher Byung-Chul Han in his most recent book, called ‘Crisis of Narration’. “A paradigm becomes a topic… only when there is a deep-seated alienation from it,” Han argues. “All the talk about narratives suggests their dysfunctionality,” he says. In other words, the fact that democracy has become a hot topic and that a narrative is being projected about it are themselves signs that something is amiss.

https://www.rt.com/news/598598-trump-us-democracy/

The dumbing down of society by memes? Yet, memes seem to come in all shapes and sizes. The pompous cliches are the hallmark of the photo-op-conscious politician. Who offers their next promise to fiddle as they burn the electorate? Truth, justice, and the American way (with some collateral damage here and there). What could go wrong?

Our Australian PM on memes and censorship has made himself an international joke.

25 Apr 2024 - Australian PM’s censorship campaign has turned him into a ‘massive international joke’ - Sky News Australia