My argument in favor of KOBK in response to an alert reader (see below):
KOBK is what happens at the very top. it’s based on irreducible ambiguity and not knowing what your rival knows or can or will do. at normal levels for most people, KOBK becomes conformity to societal norms; within that level some cling to norms and some use norms to profit, steal, become fake preachers
Trump is a top KOBK player. period
you are looking at elites from the bottom up, basing judgements on societal norms, which entail some sort of conformity-morality and some sort of conformity-judgement
KOBK has always been there, nothing new. WW1, WW2, Napoleon, Charlamagne, all the way back to the unknowable past in all societies everywhere. the top people must act out of KOBK, one way or another. lions do it too
American culture has been infiltrated and taken over by JS and other elites unknown. this came to a climax under Clinton and has gotten worse ever since. you can argue Trump is part of it or Trump is our only way out of it (right now). out of it here means a decent USA plus our allies remaining top dog(s) on earth
I agree about the goodness of trad USA and love it and want it to succeed. but this is a KOBK world, so USA leader must protect trad USA while also facing JS, commies, etc
trad USA was an anomalous boon for farmers, religious refugees and ambitious misfits. you cannot go back to it by clinging to shredded vestiges of it. our leadership must deal with severe KOBK realities and make enough peace to rebuild it
we the people have close to zero chance to rebuild USA without a KOBK leader
Alert reader’s argument against KOBK:
I think the whole KOBK notion for human society is flawed. If things really were all KOBK then this would be a hell realm. You relationship with your neighbors is not KOBK. With most everyone it is not KOBK, even traveling in foreign countries. Most all human relations are not KOBK – KOBK is simply psychosis. But those psychos exist. Human history is less about KOBK and most the rise of psychos willing to kill and then the throwing off of these people by populations fed up with psychopathic behavior.
Trump is not crazy, he is criminal. Mass murdering criminal and a massively corrupt criminal.
While we had strong elements of psychosis in our elites almost always, they did not dominate the culture. Now they do. This is really the most criminal part of what is going on, which is the destruction of the good parts of our culture to replace it with Banana Republic lawlessness and theft.
It was understood before Bush/Cheney that sole semblance of law and culture was important to the American brand and culture. That all went by the wayside. It became alright to torture, to bully and invade. But even then, they concocted a cover story with 9/11 and a story of “we are good”. The naked corruption has resulted in the destruction of the American brand and thus culture. It is not some worthless thing being discarded, it is foundational to American power and success. This Trump has betrayed and likely is purposely destroying. Although it is not Trump at all – it is the psychotic oligarchs behind him who have run out of control.
Would Eisenhower being speaking like the Trump admin is speaking, threatening total destroy of Iran if they don’t fall in line. I severely doubt it. You never served in the military, frankly it would have been foolish while Vietnam was going on anyway. But I know why I did serve. My oath was to the Constitution- i.e. to the law. The military was a bringer of the law – and of the rights enshrined in our constitution.
We have a deep betrayal of all of that in our government officials and break in social contract of government. The Constitution is an incredibly intelligent document. Even today, no other government on Earth before or after enshrined the right to free speech.
Corruption and lawlessness also breeds society wide enshitification. The China that you saw when you first lived there is natural state of despotism. Our fake elites want that society. However, we have had something better already. We lived in a society that was far far better than what we now have. Saying it is all KOBK doesn’t explain how that society arose or how it has now declined. KOBK can’t explain it because this is far more complicated and not KOBK.
The international machinations and maneuvers of the psychos at the top is not the game anymore. The game is the war by these psychos on the people- on us. The outside war is just meant to further kill us off. Fuck those guys. That data center protest in Utah, it’s a beginning. It hasn’t gotten violent – yet. It takes a lot for good men to become violent because it isn’t a KOBK world for most. However, good men have the capacity for deep violence when pushed too far -we are getting there. It is coming.
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This exchange is an unedited copy from an email discussion with a very good friend. Please read with philosophical charity. I believe the ideas expressed are clear enough. ABN
American Buddhist Net 