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Eugenio Mendoza joined the group
F.U.S.E – Fall of the U.S. Empire – And Then What? 3 years, 1 month ago
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I am a bit surprised that the discussion about the fall of the Empire anticipated 10 years ago by JG has so little discussion in the IG. It’s as if the Titanic is about to sink and we musicians (the intellectuals) are still playing in the middle of the chaos. As if its uncontainable waters will never come. Is it perhaps a stoic reaction to the inevitable?
What options did the musicians have on the Titanic?
What options do citizens have in a sinking state?
The Titanic was doomed to sink. Surely the musicians had nothing better to do than to continue playing until the end. To wait for the unavoidable. Of course, they could stop playing and try to save their lives. They knew they wouldn’t have a boat but there was always the alternative to stop playing and be creative. I now see that this is a bad metaphor for intellectuals, because musicians had no direct influence on the operation of the boat. Yet intellectuals have the capacity to influence society. Intellectuals to the Empire are more like part of the crew of the boat. Thus citizens in a sinking state are more like musicians. They are more helpless in the face of the ship’s operation, who in the tragedy have no choice but to pass the time as best they can, thus waiting for the inevitable or trying to save their lives.
But the question arises: Whose task is it to save what can be saved from the ship? What should be done? And the intellectuals? What role do they play?
I think that whatever we are, we have to be creative. Apply the tools available and fight for survival in the best possible way we can.
It never stops amazing me how Johan Galtun has been able to develop his intuition to anticipate what happened to the Soviet Union and what is happening in the USA.It’s like seeing, in that metaphor of the Titanic, Morgan Robertson writing Futility in a parallel universe in which Johan Galtung writes about these empires. I think we need to ask him your questions to better prepare ourselves for the coming flood. Now that we are fortunate enough to have him among us teaching.
I found this RT interview. Here Johan suggests in its last part some do´s as USA contradictions get harder. May be the life saver in the sinking state, may be (at least some do´s) for other sinking states as well.