- Author Randy Gonzalez
Terrorism is crime and crime are terrorism. Add the externality of effects, from community to country, and criminogenic factors are elevated to a more adventurous status.
As long as humans prevail to exist, crime will never cease. Human nature attends so well to that. In 200,000 thousand years of assumed evolving status, not much has transcended to higher planes of multidimensional ascendency. Instead, malevolence lives on in the thoughts of the human species. No doubt among some, little more will achieve the noble realms of enlightenment for the many. Mature growth in wisdom’s advancement degrades to regressive inclinations. Although noteworthy exceptions apply, as a few strive to change, the vast majority will not. Exceptions are nearly always present in the diverse mix of the population in general. But it is too late and too little to avert the devolving intentions of the many who foment human extinction.
Stupidity knows no limitations, and often, it is a ploy to commune with others, more cowardly by group consensus. Status quo relativism condones less honorable acts of barbarity so that criminal acts attain simplistic nonsensical explanations. One assessment of contemporary America addresses concern over widespread presumptions of human stupidity. The suggestion of “moronitude” seems an apt contemplation for further discussion. If stupidity or moronitude were a virus, the malady of modern foolishness appears to spread rapidly. In the foolhardy antics of modern society, outright expressions of being a fool are seemingly accepted.
In some cases, particularly in politics, it is as though many applaud the idiocy of ignorance-laden commentary. From tragedy to fear, and terrorism far and near, the cowardly among us rush to every possible inconsistency of hasty generalization. Fools are everywhere.
An observation, which nearly always invites bias on the part of the observer, searches for meaningful exchange in cycles of so-called news reporting. Actually, it is not news reporting one might perceive in 24/7 broadcasts by the vast network of infotainment. Instead, it is a morass of myriad opinions, typically from the younger ones aspiring to be famous celebrities. Opinionated beyond any pretense to intellectual ascendency, mostly based on someone else’s opinion, such failure of factuality does not aid the advancement of mature lifeforms. Aside from the debasing rhetoric, opinions are never evidence of the real and the factual.
Nonetheless, smug piety prevails in the arrogance of ignorance, assuming tragedy and fear foment safe environmental adaptations. A widespread anti-intellectual malaise persists in the perpetuation of selfish motivations. Such intentions usually mean material and or psycho-dysfunctional reinforcement of some value. For instance, after a horrific tragic event, like a mass shooting, a rush to claim the surrender flag of “mental illness” hurriedly makes an appearance. Frightened, timid and cowardly responses blur the reality of human nature. Generally avoiding placing blame on the perpetrator, a chorus of disingenuous rhetoric ensues.
Many assuming the pretense of their alleged “expertise” want in on the action. After all, there is infotainment to spin, rumors and conspiracies to concoct, and egregious fallacies to foment. While aiding and abetting the perpetrator, allowing a variety of excuses, there is profit to be made as well as political gain. Hedonism kicks into high gear to profiteer from the fear. Politicians manufacture instant cure-alls, reporters clamor for simplistic explanations and pontificators of one orthodoxy or another rant about curses and demonic manifestations.
Entire academic and commercial enterprises abound in fabricating some “psycho-malady”, or socio-economic depravity. As terroristic behaviors justify grant funding and “research” papers, fees for “professional” consultations are likely to increase. Meanwhile, as competitive diagnoses confound the limits of scientific validation, insurances companies receive the billings and more drugs hit the marketplace. In the many schemes of the devolving nature of human existence, anything falls temptation to simpleminded rationalization.
In a collapsing culture, with a penchant for jellyfish-like infatuation with mutating psychobabble, the human species lifespan diminishes toward extinction. Floating with no sense of evolving enlightenment, or progressive assurance of perpetual maturity, the spineless flaccid bloated self-centeredness consumes its own enslavement. Societal advancement decays in the viral contagion of stupidity, becoming more commonplace in a declining era.
Unfortunately, in post-modern American society an element of stupidity runs rampant to the highest levels of commerce and government. In collusion, purported news services are highly commercialized ventures claiming the pretext of “unbiased” reporting. Yet, at the same time, the exaggeration of commentary, along with the choreographed and scripted pundit portrayals, often overlook the serious complexities of human behavior. Nonetheless, in typical melodramatic fashion, whether hurricane or shooting incident, the constant regurgitation of “concern” spews disingenuous hype that aggravates the tragedy. Stupidity enjoy absurdity.
Stupid antics at every level of societal interaction hastens the final demise of a devolving species. A diverse group of experts from scientific fields asserts the view that the human species will eventually become extinct. Meanwhile, as “human devolution” continues a downward trend, various infotainment venues promote divisiveness frequently. Glorified by media exploitation, marketing manipulation expands into the realm of “fear mongering” at every possible opportunity. At least of course, that is the seasoned observation of some key analysts.
A number of human behavior practitioners observing the social mainstream, practitioners and theorists alike, considered a reality of social regression. Folly chases idiocy in stalking every opportunity for commercial or political exploitation. With every intent to suborn common sense, the hedonistic calculus goes into hyper-drive. In recent reporting on the issue of “moronitude”, one social commentary argues that dumbness is arrogantly accepted. Not only approved but also embraced as though a compliment to current social interaction.
Feeling good about being stupid is more important than in-depth analysis and ensuring competent validation of information. The trite, the trivial and the temperamental self-indulgence of post-modern society relishes in the satiation of hedonistically shallow emotionalism. For the carnality of non-evolving pleasure seeking, the selfish promotion for instant gratification does little to promote the advancement of the human species. Here, a distinction between productive pleasures and non-productive pleasuring offers a competing contrast.
Such a divergence points to the pro-social as opposed to antisocial consequences between the mature framework of individual and social utility. That postures in contention versus counterproductive and socially malevolent antics that foster regressive tendencies. Concerns for the unity of a pluralistic society, and general welfare of the common good, appear readily compromised for the sake of self-serving political correctness. Selfishness abounds.
In the grotesque extremes of condescending memes, the dissension in social discourse grows increasingly disharmonious. Of tragedy, fear and terrorism, the provocations of malevolence come in many forms. Malice of any sort is the meanness, the hatefulness and the self-serving nastiness of a gluttonously arrogant bloated consumer culture. From narcissistic politicians on the national scene, to self-absorbed “social warriors” wearing masks, prosocial transformed into the antisocial. Similarly, whether by word or act, the wickedness is extraordinarily stressful.
From a particular study, a writer points to a rise in selfishness. In an attempt to measure collective cohesion and cooperation, it appears people in general are decreasingly interdependent in relation to team building with prosocial implications. Additionally, working cooperatively and trying to see the world from other’s perspective, in order to problem solve, appears more challenging. However, sometimes, in the aftermath of a tragedy, a number of people will pull together for a limited duration. Likewise, following a horrific infliction of a terroristic act, exceptional examples of heroism occur. However, there are acts of debasing exploitation.
Where some rise to the occasion, others inflict harm, spread fear and promote terroristic horrors. Solicitous or complicitous, the degradations torment and stifle productive transformations. Aiding and abetting the stagnation of human ascension is the vast reaches of infotainment. From one source to another, this realm of information flow spans the linkages between various media. News media, social media and mainstream media contribute divergent interactions that attempt to discern the deadly expressions of human behavior. Of such, nothing is well defined.
For those prone to vicarious self-inflicted suffering, presumed victimization, or pretentious forms of social entitlement, tragedy and fear conspire to foment contentious social interaction. Hunting a conspiracy, conjuring up corruptive influences, or accusing the demons of misadventure, those promoting their own agenda find comfort in tragic misadventures. A disaster, catastrophe, or crisis of some sort become ripe for exploitative reactivity.
Regarding the admonition, paraphrased as “never waste a good crisis”, politically speaking, post-modern cyber/cable extremism takes such advocacy to the lower depths of depravity. Politicians ramp up the idiocy with stupid commentary and foolish folktales, while network commentators make celebrities of terrorists. Smugly pious and self-righteous in their obliviousness to the real world, movie celebrities spin the utter nonsense of their juvenile conjecture. As a result, terroristic antics change into the manifestations of diverse illicit implications.
All too often, for the astute observer, the commonality of logical analysis seems to disappear across the broad spectrum of social interaction. Common sense often lacks the allies necessary to succeed in triumph. Yet, if common sense were common, then everyone would have some. Since various forms of anti-thinking prevails in the mainstream, much evidence suggests the non-commonality of rational thinking. Critical analysis for uncovering serious evidentiary sufficiency appears to slumber in the slothful rejection of factual validity. While science takes a holiday in the memes of the mainstream infotainment, intellectualism erodes to debasing levels.
In the culture of cowardly pontifications, the truth, evidence and proof vanish from the safeguards of free speech. Censorship grips social media to an unusual extent, as creativity slowly vanishes from any meaningful context. Woefully deficient across the entertainment arena are the meaningful acts of insightful and imaginative provocations of thoughtful energies. Instead, cowardice, arrogantly portrayed, spites the very notion of wiser pursuits. In bizarre echoes of maladaptive behavior, the human herds of emotional gutlessness revile reality.
With a grotesque sense of materiality, as in the illusion of the so-called “American Dream”, there appears to be a commonality of anxiety in the face of presumed dangers. Fear arises in the nebulous supposition that something looms darkly that threatens possessiveness of the status quo. In a culture that values wealth, as well as gluttonous consumption, coupled with bloated egos for self-validation, specters of evil lurk everywhere. From the darkness, the fear of losing the materiality of comfort and ease encourages submission to enslavement.
From some viewpoints, there is concern that many would commit treason than risk losing the so-called good life of consumptive pleasures. Self-preservation is more conducive to treachery in times of hardships than altruistic acts of sacrifice. An analysis of most natural disasters, or pandemic event, reveals instances of courage as well as acts of depravity. Not everyone will behave in rational, productive or self-sacrificing ways. Yet, one can study most organizational structures and assess the personality within the framework. It does not take a natural disaster to question the ultimate virtue of the participants of any institutional configuration.
For large segments of society, consensus builds voluntary acquiescence to “herd thinking”. Group animosity has little appreciation for the one who does not fit the standard template of “normal”. Opposition easily reacts in negative ways to those prone toward independence, confident individuality and personal competence. Fearful of differences, the communal consensus wants conformity, as simplistic thinking wants one size to fit all.
As some writers may lament the declining state of mental and physical fitness in the U.S., calling the culture a “nation of sissies”, darker prospects loom on the horizon. From a recent military study, the U.S. Army’s growing concern about fitness levels reflects a tragedy, fear and terrorism anxiety ridden society. Mentally unprepared and physically unfit to serve their country, over two-thirds of recruits do not meet minimum standards for service. This represent a serious national security concern. That is from a military perspective. From an associated standpoint, the public service area, first responder recruitment faces similar challenges.
As to such critical issues, among the shortcomings are obesity, poor fitness, prior offenses, mental health, and substance abuse and so on. Increasingly, the responsibility for national defense, as well as public service, falls upon a smaller group of persons. That represents an unhealthy burden upon the few, while many escape responsibilities for their own betterment. The same speaks loudly in the law enforcement realm. Police agencies across the U.S. experience similar recruiting issues as the military. In spite of an expanding job market in public safety, cities, towns and villages struggle to find qualified recruits. Unfit for duty is a common theme.
As fearfulness strikes back against logic and reason, a whining culture devolves into that which cowers from distance with news reports of tragedy, disaster and terroristic activities. Driven by incessant “news” coverage, coupled with over-rated and ill-informed opinions, pundits foment an atmosphere of fear. In the wake of homicidal event, for instance, all manner of exploitation comes to bear on the calamity at hand. Coverage is quickly overly dramatic and alleged “experts”, typically from academia and no field experience, a variety of disinformation. Misleading, misguiding and mistaken, the infotainment world kicks into high gear.
For a culture of wimps, the vicarious affinity for being afraid becomes an arrogant assertion for herded thinking. Likewise, political agendas enjoy capitalizing on the marketing value of one disaster after another. From sales marketing to political campaigning, as well as social media promotion, “pandemic” sells the next “epidemic”. Nearly every aspect of the vast media networks expresses some form of human misfortune. The negativity is constant and extreme. In the non-reality of the “fake world”, large segments of society are fearful for unnecessary reasons. Promotion of the negative side of things is more common that the opposite perspective. Attempting to address the positive aspects of an issue or situation that considers the proportionality of the evidence, confronts the desire for immediate gratification in adversity.
Danger, hardship and misfortune, are the natural antagonist of humankind. Self-evolving individuals struggle with the daily entanglements of myriad troubles. Suffering, in one way or another, psycho-physically, is essential to the nature of human existence. Pain requires great courage to confront it, to live it, to embrace it, and yet most waste tremendous energy to avoid the fiery annoyance of such occurrences. Where one philosophy would argue the aversion to pain and suffering, tragedy and fear, another would admonish living through the reality with great valor. To war against oneself, in the anguish of birth to the pretense of adulthood, carries the strain of breathing each moment of breath. Inconvenient toil goes with every heartbeat.
However, in a cowardly culture, where ignorance blossoms the bliss of intense selfishness, the reality of the struggle balances precariously in fainthearted regression. At the fundamental basis of every wake-up call is the annoyance of trouble effort. In that, the frustration contrives by many inner splinter voices to confound the paradoxical opposite. For the hedonistic principles of pains versus pleasures, or by contrast the convulsion of such imaginings, one needs the other, in order for all the senses to prevail. All experiences are vital. No psychic heroism is without the striving against the incessant manifestations of human dysfunction in all its perverse diversity. Community and culture contrive to intervene in the maturation for such valiant efforts.
To be scared is what the herd reinforces. Fear of everything, from commodity consumption to pandemic eruption, the infantile gluttony of self-immolation abounds. The sound waves of discord reverberate through incessant repetition by massive infotainment to ensure manipulative sanctions. Only the brave can resist the mainstream game of the emotional gambit that fosters an illicit consensus. Purposely naïve, deceptively captivated, a cast of many join the stage play of self-satiation for the thrill of the tragedy and the fear they relish. Across the planetary expanse, terrorism, as well as other threatening possibilities, become exploitable “movie scripts” for fame and profit. Politicians and pundits enjoy the promotion of a “good crisis.”
For the individuation of selfless differentiation, the valor of the few focuses on the acute nature of context within calamity. Whether tears are joyous, or torturous, the reality summons the intensity of the focal point. Yet, the herd, the flock, and the pack, murmur the alliances of collective calamity, to assert the illicit commonality of the group’s dreadful unanimity. Of tragedy, fear and terrorism, for the viral spread of pretentious anxiety desires the communal collusion of sameness. In brief, without prolonged digression, the unimaginative processes degrade to noncreative immobility of juvenile narcissism. Two dimensional at best the thinking goes dull.
Dr. Randy Gonzalez, a 35 year veteran of law enforcement, is a multi-genre published author. And, he is also a college professor of criminology.
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