I cannot say enough about how much this article rang true. As a single teacher trying to fight against the Leviathan of nonsense and garbage in education, it feels so overwhelming. I often want to shout out in exasperation to other teachers, "Why on earth are you so dedicated to supporting bad ideas that don't work?" But of course, it's not really them. It's the Blob. The Leviathan. It seeks to devour and crush everything in its desperate quest for greater and greater mass.
People have a sense that their beliefs and values are THEIRS, arrived at through logical progression. Instead they’re most emotional constructs. These days most beliefs and values are formed and imparted by the Blob. It’s not that people don’t sincerely believe them-they do. It’s that only the beliefs which serve the system’s interests are selected for promotion and instruction.
Can you name an example of a belief or value that directly contradicts Blob incentives being taught in most schools and teachers’ colleges and agencies and bureaucratic workplaces? Whether beliefs are true/false, helpful/harmful, sincere/motivated is totally besides the point. The reason they’re chosen to be transmitted to 50 million credulous (and well-meaning) midwits is because they advance the creature’s interests.
If that’s the US…then the situation in Australia is diabolical…because the PMC bureaucracy outsources everything to the consulting firms, despite claiming benchmarked compensation to the private sector.
Not sure where I saw this but : $9B in fees in 2022…greater than the profits of the ASX top 10.
Thanks! Yes, the situation is much worse elsewhere. Why is the German Green Party (full of weirdos and feminists) the most PRO-Ukraine political party in Europe? Why does the left tend to support open borders and criminal leniency? It’s because these policies generate enormous quantities of bureaucratic activity.
I disagree slightly at the beginning, mostly because I think our motivations are always mixed, although maybe that was your point when you referred to priests having a real purpose different from their stated purpose.
On the rest though, have you read David Graeber? He was a leftist anarchist, but he did make some interesting points about bureaucracy in his book Bullshit Jobs?
I think motivations are mixed but the important thing is that the motivations of the individuals don’t matter to the organization, and the ‘goal’ of the organization might be its focus but it’s not its goal.
How can all of the educators and lawyers and managers ignore the fact that their organizations aren’t helping? They tell themselves a story about their employer, and that story gets wrapped up with ideology and personal financial incentives.
I’ve never heard a school administrator address the massive growth of admin jobs in the public schools, and I haven’t heard a DOE employee address our terrible education metrics. These facts have no place in their story.
I would argue to this is feeding the growth of unsupported narratives: Musk is stealing our data, Musk is rigging contracts, Trump is causing constitutional crises. Musk is now the self-appointed slayer of leviathan (supposedly) and that explains the rage against him.
I think Musk himself has characterized it the same way you did. The Blob is giving an unconscious, automatic, autoimmune reaction to the attempt to kill it.
That tells me that personal incentives can completely cloud our judgment. Our story-making ability, in a quasi-postmodern kind of way, really shapes our perception of reality, and probably in a nearly invincible ignorant kind of way.
I guess it fits my personal experience. I was a maintenance manager for years for a really really small college, and I convinced myself that everything I did was for the greater good of the community and the individuals there, even when it backfired and even when I was super uncharitable while doing so. My narrative told me I was the hero and they were the unwashed brats, who were ungrateful, and yes I still think that was slightly true, but not by that much.
I guess in my new (also maintenance) role at a different college I'm part of the bloat, as many administrators / employees seem incredibly good at wasting time and making the smallest of jobs take all day. It's the exact opposite tone from that of running a business or working for a general contractor where you have to directly please a customer... (also personal experience)
I'm applying for a position as a high school teacher for the fall right now, hopefully, I can break this trend with that should it come through...
Do you ever do audio conversations connected to your thoughts and writings?
I’m going to become a substitute teacher here in the fall, just to see how things are, and because I enjoy teaching. I have a full-time job but I can do both.
I have not moved into audio content or podcasts, but I’m interested in the possibilities.
If you're ever interested, since I've tried off and on to do audio shows for the last few month, I'd love to have a conversation with you sometime, especially on the nature of the deep state, and the "bullshitification"/feminization of work as we seem to have shared views there.
Just found this article due to your re-share on Notes. It's always a pleasure to welcome a fellow abyss-gazer to the party. Fantastic analysis--I have shared to my followers.
I cannot say enough about how much this article rang true. As a single teacher trying to fight against the Leviathan of nonsense and garbage in education, it feels so overwhelming. I often want to shout out in exasperation to other teachers, "Why on earth are you so dedicated to supporting bad ideas that don't work?" But of course, it's not really them. It's the Blob. The Leviathan. It seeks to devour and crush everything in its desperate quest for greater and greater mass.
People have a sense that their beliefs and values are THEIRS, arrived at through logical progression. Instead they’re most emotional constructs. These days most beliefs and values are formed and imparted by the Blob. It’s not that people don’t sincerely believe them-they do. It’s that only the beliefs which serve the system’s interests are selected for promotion and instruction.
Can you name an example of a belief or value that directly contradicts Blob incentives being taught in most schools and teachers’ colleges and agencies and bureaucratic workplaces? Whether beliefs are true/false, helpful/harmful, sincere/motivated is totally besides the point. The reason they’re chosen to be transmitted to 50 million credulous (and well-meaning) midwits is because they advance the creature’s interests.
Best article I’ve read on here.
Well done.
If that’s the US…then the situation in Australia is diabolical…because the PMC bureaucracy outsources everything to the consulting firms, despite claiming benchmarked compensation to the private sector.
Not sure where I saw this but : $9B in fees in 2022…greater than the profits of the ASX top 10.
Thanks! Yes, the situation is much worse elsewhere. Why is the German Green Party (full of weirdos and feminists) the most PRO-Ukraine political party in Europe? Why does the left tend to support open borders and criminal leniency? It’s because these policies generate enormous quantities of bureaucratic activity.
I disagree slightly at the beginning, mostly because I think our motivations are always mixed, although maybe that was your point when you referred to priests having a real purpose different from their stated purpose.
On the rest though, have you read David Graeber? He was a leftist anarchist, but he did make some interesting points about bureaucracy in his book Bullshit Jobs?
Yes! I did.
I think motivations are mixed but the important thing is that the motivations of the individuals don’t matter to the organization, and the ‘goal’ of the organization might be its focus but it’s not its goal.
How can all of the educators and lawyers and managers ignore the fact that their organizations aren’t helping? They tell themselves a story about their employer, and that story gets wrapped up with ideology and personal financial incentives.
I’ve never heard a school administrator address the massive growth of admin jobs in the public schools, and I haven’t heard a DOE employee address our terrible education metrics. These facts have no place in their story.
I would argue to this is feeding the growth of unsupported narratives: Musk is stealing our data, Musk is rigging contracts, Trump is causing constitutional crises. Musk is now the self-appointed slayer of leviathan (supposedly) and that explains the rage against him.
I think Musk himself has characterized it the same way you did. The Blob is giving an unconscious, automatic, autoimmune reaction to the attempt to kill it.
That tells me that personal incentives can completely cloud our judgment. Our story-making ability, in a quasi-postmodern kind of way, really shapes our perception of reality, and probably in a nearly invincible ignorant kind of way.
I guess it fits my personal experience. I was a maintenance manager for years for a really really small college, and I convinced myself that everything I did was for the greater good of the community and the individuals there, even when it backfired and even when I was super uncharitable while doing so. My narrative told me I was the hero and they were the unwashed brats, who were ungrateful, and yes I still think that was slightly true, but not by that much.
I guess in my new (also maintenance) role at a different college I'm part of the bloat, as many administrators / employees seem incredibly good at wasting time and making the smallest of jobs take all day. It's the exact opposite tone from that of running a business or working for a general contractor where you have to directly please a customer... (also personal experience)
I'm applying for a position as a high school teacher for the fall right now, hopefully, I can break this trend with that should it come through...
Do you ever do audio conversations connected to your thoughts and writings?
I’m going to become a substitute teacher here in the fall, just to see how things are, and because I enjoy teaching. I have a full-time job but I can do both.
I have not moved into audio content or podcasts, but I’m interested in the possibilities.
If you're ever interested, since I've tried off and on to do audio shows for the last few month, I'd love to have a conversation with you sometime, especially on the nature of the deep state, and the "bullshitification"/feminization of work as we seem to have shared views there.
Just found this article due to your re-share on Notes. It's always a pleasure to welcome a fellow abyss-gazer to the party. Fantastic analysis--I have shared to my followers.
You can bet I am saving and sharing this one.