15 thoughts on “Fairytales Of Slavery: Societal Distinctions, Technoshamanism, and Nonhuman Personhood”
So much this time, mate.
Down with everything you said here, especially on the importance of transmitting non-normalised experience and sharing perspectives of the rest of the world’s POV. I was literally woken couple nights ago with a chunk of thought about how a single POV is near-useless in these matters, for reasons of triangulation if nothing else. The key bit;
“No one language can cover every human concept, solves every problem. But people keep believing there is One True System, because the alternative – a multiplicity of views of varying accuracy and ‘truth’ – is far scarier. And of course not every system is created equal, either.
This is why liminality and similar concepts are so important: the borders between things, the places they overlap… that’s where real magic happens.
You don’t get real magic in a single system – all you get is cutting. The dissection of other systems, the preservation of itself. A scalpel, not a map.”
One issue you touch on that I’m butting my head against these days hard is cultural appropriation. While I respect folk not wanting Stupid Fucking White Men just blundering in & nicking their stuff, I think there’s a problem with many young, mostly web-(and especially Tumblr) based occultists rejecting anything that even hints of this, vehemently. (I had someone bitch at me for using the word Tao in a comment!)
We perhaps need an ethics for this: and one which takes into account all the stuff that can’t be put back in Pandora’s Box – misinterpreted Westernised versions of words like ‘Karma’ and, er, ‘Shamanism’. Giving a culture the choice of who has access to their still-preserved cultural gems matters – but once concepts leak into common culture, I think they’re free to be used, on a practical level if nothing else. And, dammit, getting that stuff wrong sometimes leads to needed serendipitous development of the forms described! (There’s a reason all gods of magic are gods of thieves, after all…)
Maybe a possible solution is cultural reparations?
(Sidebar: I recall that Robert Anton Wilson explicitly called for a machine slave class as part of his & Leary’s SMILE economy – those early libertarian leanings never quite went away.)
That’s what I’ve got for you on one cup of tea! More later, I’m sure.
Well written, you expanded my mind in regards to views towards several ideas… I do see the catch 22 that you provided, with regards to transhumanism rather human/artificial intelligence interaction. How can one truly define or know the extent of another on any level if one doesn’t become the other in complete capacity. Since we can not do so, all we have is our limited perspective embedded with obvious bias: what we value as great, who we value as great, what actions we perceive as great etc. Any who dope article… Plus I learned a new phrase #afrofuturism, which I will use in future and past hashtags…
Truth is found by searching within self. People strongly go against what they do not know because certain beliefs have been forced upon us all. How man/woman may be able to save themselves and identify truth so that they can become it, is by studying self and what is within. Then, understanding will be clear.
Quite lengthy to get to grips with but I feel you are referring to the need for empathy. This seems to be ignored by the academic education system. Time for deep reflection lost.
afutureworththinkingabout 
So much this time, mate.
Down with everything you said here, especially on the importance of transmitting non-normalised experience and sharing perspectives of the rest of the world’s POV. I was literally woken couple nights ago with a chunk of thought about how a single POV is near-useless in these matters, for reasons of triangulation if nothing else. The key bit;
“No one language can cover every human concept, solves every problem. But people keep believing there is One True System, because the alternative – a multiplicity of views of varying accuracy and ‘truth’ – is far scarier. And of course not every system is created equal, either.
This is why liminality and similar concepts are so important: the borders between things, the places they overlap… that’s where real magic happens.
You don’t get real magic in a single system – all you get is cutting. The dissection of other systems, the preservation of itself. A scalpel, not a map.”
One issue you touch on that I’m butting my head against these days hard is cultural appropriation. While I respect folk not wanting Stupid Fucking White Men just blundering in & nicking their stuff, I think there’s a problem with many young, mostly web-(and especially Tumblr) based occultists rejecting anything that even hints of this, vehemently. (I had someone bitch at me for using the word Tao in a comment!)
We perhaps need an ethics for this: and one which takes into account all the stuff that can’t be put back in Pandora’s Box – misinterpreted Westernised versions of words like ‘Karma’ and, er, ‘Shamanism’. Giving a culture the choice of who has access to their still-preserved cultural gems matters – but once concepts leak into common culture, I think they’re free to be used, on a practical level if nothing else. And, dammit, getting that stuff wrong sometimes leads to needed serendipitous development of the forms described! (There’s a reason all gods of magic are gods of thieves, after all…)
Maybe a possible solution is cultural reparations?
(Sidebar: I recall that Robert Anton Wilson explicitly called for a machine slave class as part of his & Leary’s SMILE economy – those early libertarian leanings never quite went away.)
That’s what I’ve got for you on one cup of tea! More later, I’m sure.
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Reblogged this on shodfem's Blog.
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Reblogged this on 4th division Online Magazine and commented:
Interesting read
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Well written, you expanded my mind in regards to views towards several ideas… I do see the catch 22 that you provided, with regards to transhumanism rather human/artificial intelligence interaction. How can one truly define or know the extent of another on any level if one doesn’t become the other in complete capacity. Since we can not do so, all we have is our limited perspective embedded with obvious bias: what we value as great, who we value as great, what actions we perceive as great etc. Any who dope article… Plus I learned a new phrase #afrofuturism, which I will use in future and past hashtags…
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Reblogged this on inglorious Resurrection and commented:
Dope article, very insightful, and a worthwhile read that is rich with in jewels..
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Reblogged this on The beanbag reflections and commented:
Please read and share. Its intense. Its true. Its daunting
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Excellent piece. Did not know blogging could be so intellectually nutritious!
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Reblogged this on leoterfa's Blog.
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Truth is found by searching within self. People strongly go against what they do not know because certain beliefs have been forced upon us all. How man/woman may be able to save themselves and identify truth so that they can become it, is by studying self and what is within. Then, understanding will be clear.
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Reblogged this on TruLovExists and commented:
Well written & well delivered.
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Quite lengthy to get to grips with but I feel you are referring to the need for empathy. This seems to be ignored by the academic education system. Time for deep reflection lost.
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Reblogged this on EmpowermentoftheSoul and commented:
Nice
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Reblogged this on vdrr89.
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Reblogged this on My Blog.
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WELL written piece..you have really opened my mind
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